IDMH - Chapter 29
I Decided My Husband
Does this man know?
A rose that blooms alone has more thorns to protect itself than a climbing rose.
"Thank you."
"Soon..."
"His Majesty the Emperor will arrive soon!"
Just as Chernosor was about to say something, a servant announced that the Emperor was coming.
Chernosor returned to his seat with regret.
Immediately after that, the Emperor entered the throne room with the Empress and three concubines. The Emperor, who was seated at the head of the table, glanced at the nobles and then called me by name.
"Adele Leopold, please come forward."
I walked slowly down the red carpet and stood at the end.
"Adele Leopold, meet the Sun of the Empire."
Then, after bowing formally, I looked at the emperor. The Emperor, whose eyes met, smiled happily.
"I heard that the young lady had something to say to me."
"That's right."
Now it's really starting. I took a deep breath and spoke.
"I will marry."
At my answer, a satisfied smile spread across the Emperor's lips. His eyes were shiny with greed. "Yes, that's how it should be. I'm glad that Lady Leopold finally understands my feelings."
Of course, I know it well. Because of that damned heart, I died at your hands three times.
I was horrified as I remembered the things that had happened to me in my previous life. The inside of my mouth was sour as if I had chewed some medicinal herb.
I swallowed it all and smiled brightly like a flower. The Emperor must have liked my smile, which hid thorns and poison in the colorful petals and smiled even more happily.
"I think we should hold the wedding as soon as possible in order to quickly stabilize the Lady and Leopold's estate. That way, Duke Leopold will also rest his eyes in peace."
"You are right, Your Majesty."
The Crown Prince, who was standing right below the throne, followed the Emperor's words and stepped forward.
"Chernosor has already prepared his mind. I have been waiting for you to marry Lady Leopold for a long time."
"Brother, what if I tell you that?"
Chernosor, who was standing next to the Crown Prince, smiled shyly and looked at me. Those eyes were full of greed like an Emperor. There was no trace of warmth whatsoever.
"Oh my, this really makes a perfect couple."
When the Empress, who was sitting right next to the Emperor, said a word, the nobles who had been quietly watching the situation also opened their mouths.
"Congratulations, Your Royal Highness. Lady Leopold."
"If you two get married, it will be the best celebration of the year."
"How many children will you have? Of course, you will have more than one child, right?"
People were already laughing and talking as if Chernosor and I were married.
"If I become Duke Leopold, I will work hard for the empire."
Chernosor acted as if he had already become Duke Leopold, and the Empress looked at him with satisfaction.
I didn't even think about who would give me snacks, but it was a situation where someone's famous saying about drinking tea first suited me well.
I quietly observed the situation without saying anything, and when the atmosphere reached its peak, I opened my mouth.
"The person I will marry is not His Highness the Second Prince."
The surroundings became quiet as if cold water had been poured on what I had just said. The nobles looked at each other in confusion, and Chernosor 's face was cruelly distorted.
Looks of embarrassment were evident on the faces of the Crown Prince and Empress, as well as other Princes and Princesses.
A situation where everyone is holding their breath and watching me.
".... What do you mean, Lady Leopold?"
The Emperor asked, gripping the golden handle so hard as to break it.
"You must have said a little while ago that you were going to get married, right?"
"Yes, I certainly said that, but I never said I would marry His Highness Chernosor."
"So."
The emperor clicked his tongue as if he was extremely appalled, opened his eyes wide, and fired a vicious shot.
"Are you trying to play with me now?"
"I'm telling you the truth, no pun intended."
If it had been me in my first life, I would have been so scared of the Emperor that I would have trembled and not been able to say anything.
But that was nothing to me now that I had already experienced three terrible hells and deaths.
"Have you already forgotten your promise to me, Your Majesty?"
I confidently met the Emperor's gaze and continued speaking.
"You said you would give me a choice as to who I would marry."
".... It was like that."
The Emperor's confusion could be felt from the long tail of his speech.
"That's why I should have been careful with my words."
Obtaining the memorandum in advance was also a godsend. If the memorandum had not been written, the Emperor would have played it off and said that such a thing had never happened.
"For the next few days, I thought carefully about who I should marry, but I don't think it's the Second Prince."
"Does that mean I'm not good enough to marry the Lady?"
Chernosor asked me with a very angry expression.
However, I continued speaking without even looking in that direction, looking only at the Emperor.
"The person I chose to marry is someone else."
"Are you ignoring my words, Lady Leopold?"
"Be quiet, Second Prince."
When the Emperor spoke in a voice full of anger, Chernosor kept his mouth shut. It was the first Empress who filled that void.
"Then is he the third Prince?"
The First Empress wanted me to marry her younger son, Ian. Only then will Duke Leopold be able to gain enormous wealth and honor.
But what should I do? I have no intention of living up to your expectations.
"Not even the Third Prince."
"Oh, I see."
It was funny to see him so visibly disappointed, and I couldn't help but laugh at him because his dark heart was clearly visible.
The nobles murmured when they heard that two of the princes were not fully married. The Emperor also looked at me in confusion and asked.
"I guess he's not the 7th Prince?"
"No way. There is no way I would choose the young 7th Prince, who is not even 10 years old, as my marriage partner."
"Then who on earth is it?"
I didn't answer right away but glanced around at the audience who were watching me. As my gaze continued downwards past the Crown Prince, it was at the very end that it stopped.
There was a boy there, smiling wildly, incongruous with the solemn atmosphere. It was the 4th Prince, Perdes.
His shaggy hair, of which it was unclear when he had cut it, was messy, and his clothes were shabby. There wasn't a single common ornament to be seen.
The Prince and Princesses, who looked much younger than him, were also standing with their backs straight, while Perdes was looking around, wiggling his hands distractedly.
I heard he's really good at acting like an idiot even in places like this. I smiled and walked towards him. And he said, holding his hand tightly.
"This is the person I will marry."
The throne room became quiet in a different way than before. Among the nobles, there were some who were so shocked that they forgot their face and opened their mouths.
The Emperor's expression was no different. The faces filled with surprise, confusion, and bewilderment were worth seeing in many ways. The face gradually hardened, and eventually became completely distorted.
"You want to play with me now, Lady Leopold!"
The Emperor jumped up from his seat and shouted, like a lion roaring, until the throne room left.
I placed my hand on my heart and bowed slightly towards the Emperor.
"How could I play around with His Majesty the Emperor?"
"So you're serious?"
I could feel the Emperor's murderous gaze on my bowed head.
"Are you really planning on marrying the 4th Prince?"
"Yes."
I raised my bowed head, looked straight at the Emperor, and spoke emphatically one word at a time.
"I, Adele Leopold, wish to marry His Royal Highness Prince Perdes de Vincent Athanasius, the 4th Prince of the Empire. Please allow it, your Majesty."
As the Emperor closed his mouth, there was a silence so heavy that it was hard to breathe. Unexpectedly, the person who broke the silence was the Empress.
The Empress, who was also in shock, forced a smile and spoke to me.
"Lady Leopold says she doesn't seem to know, but the 4th Prince is not of sound mind."
"I know."
The Empress seemed to be once again shocked by my answer, closed her mouth, and then spoke with the corners of her mouth quivering.
"Besides, the 4th Prince hasn't had his coming-of-age ceremony yet. He is too young to get married."
"It's okay. His Royal Highness turns 16 this year, so we just need to get engaged and have a wedding two years later."
"Then we will have to leave Duke Leopold's position empty in the meantime."
This time, the first Empress came forward. She said she was genuinely worried.
"If you think about Duke Leopold's family and the people of the territory, you should decide on Duke Leopold as soon as possible, My Lady."
"Thank you for your concern, but the Duke of Leopold is not weak enough to be shaken by leaving it empty for just two more years, Your Majesty."
It was so easy to refute how everyone only made the expected tackles.
"And no matter which Prince becomes the Duke, he will not be able to engage in practical work for a few years while he adapts to the work of the dukedom. So, there won't be much difference if it is decided two years later."
Since I was only telling the facts without any exaggeration, the Empress remained silent.
I looked back at the Emperor, who was looking worried as he rested his forehead. It took longer to think about it than expected, but his answer was decided.
'I will give permission unconditionally.'
Because I wrote a memorandum. If there had been a time period in that memorandum, there wasn't either.
Since the conditions were said to be acceptable to anyone who was a Prince, only the 4th Prince would not be able to object. If Perdes were to fall for being an idiot, that would be possible, but I don't know.
I actually thought the Emperor would allow more because of that. While everyone was silent and waiting for the Emperor's answer, the Emperor, who had been thinking for a while, opened his mouth heavily.
"I grant permission to marry."
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