After the Marquis left, only Karina and Jeremiah remained in the reception room.
"What were you thinking when you said you would do that just now?"
Jeremiah's expression was not good. He seemed very angry. He had been looking at Karina with a scary expression since before the Marquis left. He alone accepted that the palace servant would come and check on the couple's sleeping arrangements. It was bad. From his perspective, having to check on the sleeping arrangements was humiliating and shameful, like being treated like a stallion. However, Karina decided not to care.
'What should I know?'
Anyway, both spouses will have to go through the verification process. It's not that he doesn't care about rumors and scandals following him, it's that he doesn't feel ashamed. And...
'If you think about it, who is to blame for this?'
It was Jeremiah's fault. He shouldn't be angry with himself.
"Who is to blame for all this? If you hadn't ruined my plans at the banquet hall in the first place, this situation wouldn't have come to this. So don't complain to me."
Karina shot back with a voice as sharp as thorns.
"..."
Jeremiah had no answer to Karina's words. Karina tried to suppress her anger that was rising again and continued to speak in a low voice.
"I know it's annoying to be treated like a stallion, but what can I do? Just endure it for three months."
"Treatment as a stallion? Do you think I'm doing this because of myself?"
"Don't get excited. Have you already forgotten that after three months of showing the Emperor what he wanted, you decided to divorce me?"
"I don't want a divorce."
"..."
"Yeah. I'm not going to say what I want until the end."
Karina suppressed her pent-up emotions with a sigh.
"I want it. So there's no change in our divorce. You ruined my plans last time, so please cooperate properly this time. Surely you're not planning to ruin my plans again, are you?"
Karina glared at Jeremiah with an expression that said she wouldn't stay still if he refused. Jeremiah rubbed his forehead as if he was embarrassed and asked.
"What on earth are your plans?"
"I'm not really suggesting that we merge. I just need to arrange the situation so that when the attendants come to confirm the merger, we can pretend that we have merged."
Jeremiah continued with a look of discontent.
"Didn't I tell you? I really intend to try."
"You know that's nonsense, right?"
"Why doesn't that make sense?"
"Just adjust the situation as if it were me?"
Jeremiah came closer to Karina and bent down so that he was at her eye level.
"Didn't you say with your own mouth that you would unite with me? Then I just have to faithfully follow your words."
Karina frowned, pulling away from him.
"Just pretending is enough."
"Well, if you want to fool the palace servants who say they'll even check your sleeping arrangements, maybe you can just pretend to do it?"
Karina was starting to get annoyed by Jeremiah's attitude, which kept on spitting on her words. Just a moment ago, he had been so disgusted by the order to merge that he hated it. But he suddenly changed his words and attitude, and she couldn't understand his behavior. It was frustrating because she couldn't figure out what he was up to.
"Stop talking nonsense and just tell me what you want."
Karina's face was filled with wariness and distrust toward Jeremiah. Jeremiah sighed, realizing that no matter what he said, it would not reach her.
"I don't think you'll be able to hear anything I say right now."
'You have to say something like that for them to listen.'
Karina frowned and grumbled inwardly.
"I'll do whatever you want. For now."
There was a conditional statement attached to it, but Karina ignored it.
'It should have come out like this a long time ago.'
Karina squinted her eyes and stood up from her seat.
"Well, while we're on the subject, let's start by making a shared bedroom."
Karina came out of the reception room, went up to the second floor, and ordered the servants to prepare a bedroom for the couple. As Karina was watching the servants busily preparing the bedroom, the chef came to visit her out of nowhere.
"Your Highness the Grand Duchess."
"Why did the chef come to see me?"
"The apple pie is almost done."
"Apple pie?"
'Why apple pie all of a sudden?'
Karina looked confused at the sudden words.
"He told me to make an apple pie and have it delivered to the Grand Duchess right away. But I thought you were busy right now, so I came to ask when you would like to eat it. Apple pie is actually tastier when eaten after it has cooled..."
I asked, overhearing the chef's gossip.
"He asked you to bring you apple pie? Who?"
"Yes...?"
When she asked who he was, the chef answered, looking even more embarrassed himself.
"His Highness the Grand Duke. I heard that the Grand Duchess likes apple pie..."
"..."
Karina arched her eyebrows and made a face as if asking what was going on, then recalled a past memory.
'Ah...'
When he asked her if she liked apple pie, she just brushed it off as an annoyance.
'Do you remember what I said back then?'
Karina wondered how Jeremiah, who had never shown any interest in her, could remember something like that.
'Since when have you been so Interested in me?'
Karina said to the chef, sneering inwardly.
"I'm done, so you guys eat amongst yourselves."
"But I made it especially because the Grand Duke said you liked it...."
Karina cut the chef off before he could finish speaking.
"Yes? Ah... Yes."
"I don't like apple pie. So don't put apple pie on my dinner menu. Not ever."
The chef nodded his head in confusion at Karina's firm order and retreated. Jeremiah, who happened to be going up to the second floor to check on how the bedroom was being prepared, heard the conversation. Jeremiah approached Karina and asked.
"Didn't you like apple pie?"
"I don't like it."
Karina replied dryly without even looking at Jeremiah.
"...Suddenly?"
It wasn't sudden for Karina though.
"Yes. I started to hate it from today."
"Why?"
"..."
Karina couldn't answer right away and just made a face. Every time she saw apple pie, she remembered bad memories from the past, so she couldn't say no. On her first birthday after marriage, before her return. She had worked hard to make an apple pie and waited for him, but that apple pie ended up in the trash. Karina didn't want to recall the miserable feeling she had at that time.
"If I don't like it, then don't. Do I need a reason?"
Karina glared at Jeremiah with a look of discontent.
"If you liked something and then stopped liking it, there must be a reason for it."
"There's no such thing. I just don't like it."
"..."
After saying that, Karina left the room as if she didn't want to talk anymore.
"Phew."
Jeremiah, left alone, let out a deep sigh.
'She suddenly started to hate apple pie.'
Jeremiah looked in the direction where Karina had disappeared. He thought he knew why she was doing that.
'Maybe she doesn't like what I'm giving her. Seeing her avoiding me like that.
He could sense the blatant anger and hostility directed at him. Jeremiah couldn't help but notice it. It was also shocking that Karina had agreed to accept the Emperor's order.
'You're really really angry.'
He was worried that his judgment would be clouded by the fire and that he would do anything without thinking. At first, Jeremiah was going to go to the Emperor and refuse, saying that he could never follow her, but he changed his mind. He felt that he needed time with Karina, who was avoiding him. Since Karina had said it was okay at first. Jeremiah decided to use the Emperor's order. However, accepting an order was acceptable.
Jeremiah's expression sank deeply. If he were to simply follow the order, the Emperor would naturally make ridiculous demands under the pretext of confirming the annexation. He might force Karina into a situation that was too shameful and humiliating for her to handle.
'I can never let it be like that.'
He had to stop it from the beginning. He absolutely could not tolerate the servants seeing Karina in a relaxed state. In order to create the situation he wanted, he had to prepare in advance. Jeremiah was good at predicting and defeating the enemy's next move in the enemy camp. He began to make a solid plan to create the situation he wanted against the emperor.
***
"I'm back."
Max returned to the tower.
"Did you deliver the letter and ring to Karina safely?"
Mikhail asked Max as soon as he saw him return to the tower.
"Yes."
"You even saw Karina putting on a ring, right?"
Max answered steadily, though his expression was a bit shaky.
"... Yes."
Max, who had no choice but to act as a messenger due to Mikhail's coercive and threatening orders, was trying to suppress his lament about his situation that was about to explode. It was annoying to have to deliver a note in the form of a crow and carry a ring, and he was told not only to reply but also to see the Archduchess wear the ring. He was already worried that Mikhail might try to make him do something as scary as a messenger of love.
"What's the reply?"
"Here it is."
When Max handed him the round box containing Karina's reply, Mikhail's expression brightened. It was a pleasant smile that he had not seen in a long time. Mikhail's expression had been gloomy ever since he was captured by the Tower. After hearing the details of what had happened in the banquet hall during the Imperial New Year's Festival, he became even more upset.
***
"What? He said he won't get a divorce?"
An angry Mikhail was about to run away with fire in his eyes but was stopped by the owner of the tower, Pavel.
"Where is this rascal running off to? Can't you just sit quietly and do your piling up work!?"
"Oh, Master! I told you, now is not the time for me to be doing this!"
"No, it's not like that! Whether the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess get a divorce or not, what do you have to do with other people's family affairs!"
"It's because it matters!"
Mikhail grumbled as if he was frustrated, but Pavel dismissed it as if he didn't need to hear it anymore.
"That guy named Next Magic Tower Lord is always slacking off and trying to run away! You're not going out until you finish this, you idiot!"
***
And back to the present. Mikhail was using Max as his errand boy and messenger in place of himself, who was surrounded by work and couldn't go outside the tower. After checking Karina's reply, Mikhail raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.
"I wish Karina would think of me every time she sees that ring."
Before hearing the news of the divorce at the New Year's Festival, Mikhail had created a magic artifact to give to Karina as soon as he was brought to the Magic Tower. He deliberately made the artifact into a ring shape because he thought that if she got divorced, bugs might swarm around her. He then handed it over to Max, saying that it was for bug repelling, and told him to give it to Karina.
Of course, Max was sure that his words about bug repelling were just an excuse, and that it was 100% Mikhail's selfish intentions.
However, he wisely kept it a secret.
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