Don't get married.
Surely he didn't mean for me to live alone for the rest of my life, and it was clear that he was against my marriage to Perdes.
I looked at Sir Aldor with some surprise, as I had never met a single person who opposed this marriage until now.
He too seemed surprised, biting his lips and looking down.
Sshhh...
The sound of the sunset-tinged wind blowing through the lush leaves echoed softly throughout the still garden.
Sir Aldor, who had been looking down silently without saying anything, finally raised his head and looked at me as if he had made a firm decision.
“I... I hope that you, young lady, will be happy.”
From the beginning, it was a series of words whose meaning was unclear.
“Does that mean I’ll be unhappy if I marry Perdes?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what does it mean?”
Sir Aldor remained silent for a moment as if he was thinking about how to explain, and then continued speaking cautiously.
“I... think that it is important to marry a good person, but more important than that is to marry someone you love.”
It may sound a bit tedious, but it was the right way to go.
I, too, once dreamed of marrying the person I loved and living happily like my parents.
That's why I chose Chernosser in my first life.
It's not like I loved Chernosser or anything.
At the time, I had no other choice but to get married as soon as possible, but Chernosser actively courted me, saying that he loved me, so I just accepted.
Little did I know that it was all a charade from the Emperor's meticulous planning.
The result was a horrific hell, as I experienced firsthand.
I recalled my foolish past and laughed softly.
Then Sir Aldor looked at me and asked cautiously.
“Are you thinking of marrying Perdes?”
“No, I don’t plan on doing that right now.”
“So you mean you’re going to do it later?”
Is that how the story goes?
“That’s not necessarily true. It’s just that to have children, I’ll have to get married someday, and it’ll likely be Perdes.”
Yes. Unless a man with more perfect qualifications than Perdes appears, there is a very high chance of choosing him.
Of course, this story was based on the assumption that Perdes' mind had not changed until then.
I had no intention of forcing myself to marry someone who didn't want to marry me.
For a moment, Sir Aldor's expression became heavy.
He bit his lips hard as he thought about something, then continued speaking slowly.
“Mr. Perdes is the son of the Emperor you hate so much. Would you mind marrying him?”
"Ah."
Now that I think about it, that's what happened, right.
I remembered something I had momentarily forgotten and kicked the ground with my toes.
In the past, just looking at Perdes' golden eyes reminded me of the Emperor, but at some point, I stopped thinking of him at all.
I forgot that he was the son of the Emperor, whom I detest terribly, and was seriously considering getting married, so that says it all.
But now that I'm aware of that fact, I feel a little reluctant about marrying him.
Of course, not only had Perdes done nothing wrong, he had actually helped me take revenge on the Emperor, so it made no sense to distance myself from him just because he was the Emperor's son.
But still, the fact that he is the Emperor's son weighs on my mind...
“Yes, that’s difficult.”
I groaned and scratched my cheek.
I told Aldor my worries in an attempt to resolve them, but I felt like they were just getting worse.
“You seem to be worried.”
“I guess so. There is no one better to be my husband than Mr. Perdes.”
“...Is that so?”
Sir Aldor's voice crumbled like a fallen leaf when stepped on.
His complexion also seemed to have darkened.
I see you're worried about me. Anyway, I was worried so much that it was a problem.
It made me feel good that he thought of me that much.
I told him it was okay and not to worry, but he wouldn't stop, so I decided to change the subject.
“But it’s a bit surprising that the most important thing Sir Aldor thinks about when getting married is love.”
I spoke more brightly than usual, trying to lighten the somewhat heavy atmosphere.
“So you haven’t gotten married yet? Because you don’t have anyone you love?”
“...”
But rather, it seemed to have the opposite effect, as Sir Aldor's expression darkened even more than before.
I feel like I touched a spot that should never have been touched... Should I apologize?
“Adele.”
As I was about to do that, I heard a voice calling me from behind.
I looked back and saw Perdes just entering the training grounds.
Sir Aldor also noticed him and bowed slightly in greeting.
However, Perdes did not even glance at Sir Aldor and only looked at me and told me why he had come all the way here.
“Lady Abigail is looking for you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, I haven’t heard the exact reason, but I heard it was because of the dress size.”
I measured all the dimensions this morning, so I wonder if there's a problem.
“If you’re not busy, why don’t you go and see? I don’t like the way that girl keeps wandering around looking for you.”
“I will do that.”
I also don't like Lady Abigail hanging around my mansion, and if she stays in Leopold's duchy for a few more days because of this, it'll be a headache, so it was better to get it over with quickly.
“Then let’s go.”
Perdes naturally put his arm around my shoulder and led me.
I was about to follow Perdes right away, but then I looked back at Sir Aldor.
Normally, he would have followed right away, but for some reason, he just stood there blankly.
“What is it, Sir Aldor?”
When I asked him out of curiosity, he answered with a faint smile.
“I’ll clean up here and go.”
“Yeah, okay.”
There was no need to clean up after him, but it sounded like he wanted to be alone, so I did what he wanted.
After Adele and Perdes left together.
Aldor left alone, looked down at the floor, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.
The reason he couldn't raise his head was because he didn't want to see the two people leaving affectionately.
There was also the fear that if he continued to look at them, he would not be able to overcome the anger that was welling up inside him and that he would pour out everything he had been holding inside.
As Aldor tried to calm his suffocating heart, it was filled with feelings of envy, jealousy, and envy.
All of his feelings were directed towards Perdes.
Unlike him, who was struggling and unable to express his feelings for Adele at all, he felt envious, jealous, and resentful of Perdes, who was able to express his feelings without hesitation.
If there had been no Perdes, Adele would have chosen him.
...Just like back then.
“What a stupid idea.”
Being like that back then meant they would die together.
Aldor wiped his face with a small scoff, feeling ashamed of himself for thinking such a thing even though he knew it well.
“Just do it like you are doing now.”
The only way to protect her was to not be greedy like he was now and to silently stand behind Adele.
He knew that very well, but he was starting to lose his patience.
Every time Alsor saw Perdes express his feelings to Adele without hesitation, he couldn't breathe because it hurt as if someone was stabbing his heart with a sharp sword.
The congratulatory messages about their wedding that he had recently heard from all sides tore at his already torn heart again.
Given the circumstances, he wondered how long he could endure it.
It feels like he's holding onto a time bomb that could explode at any moment.
When this time bomb went off, it didn't matter if he got hurt.
The problem was Adele. Aldor was afraid she would get hurt.
Even though she looked strong on the outside, she was actually more fragile than anyone else.
He was so afraid that he would make the same mistake again if she tried to comfort him out of pity.
I thought they would stay at the Duke's residence longer, making up all sorts of ridiculous excuses, but surprisingly, Lady Abigail and her party left on the appointed day.
Are you really here for the clothes?
No matter how much I think about it, I don't think that's true.
I was suspicious, but there was no evidence, so I had no choice but to let it go.
As time passed, the morning dawned on the day of the Knight Commander's inauguration ceremony.
The sound of horseshoes outside the window from early in the morning was due to the nobles who had come to watch the inauguration ceremony of the Knight Commander.
Most of them were nobles from the northern territories with deep ties to the Duke Leopold family, and they wanted to get their faces stamped on me one more time under the pretext of an inauguration ceremony.
“Where should I put this, butler?”
“It’s a book. I’ll put it in storage for now and sort it out later...”
“This is a necklace. Should I put it in a jewelry box?”
“Oh my, there’s a sword too.”
There were so many gifts coming in that the main hall was busy sorting out the gifts brought by the nobles.
I stood in front of the railing of the central staircase and watched the scene, then returned to the bedroom.
May, who had been waiting in front of the bedroom, came in as if she had been waiting and adjusted my clothes.
“Oh, you haven’t taken up your sword yet, Miss.”
“Today it is not the young lady, but Your Excellency the Duke.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. The title of Miss just stuck in my mouth...”
“It’s okay. Just be careful in front of people.”
I didn't mind being called Miss, but I had to be careful because the prissy nobles would open their mouths.
I turned my head as I put the sword I had prepared on my waist.
There were blunt, decorative swords hanging there, but only one of them was a real sword.
It was the sword I had just brought from the basement.
If that sword is a special sword used only by Duke Leopold, wouldn't it be right to show it to the people at the inauguration ceremony?
Among the nobles who attended today, there must have been some who had seen my father's inauguration, so I thought it was right, and put the sword on my waist.
Surely he didn't mean for me to live alone for the rest of my life, and it was clear that he was against my marriage to Perdes.
I looked at Sir Aldor with some surprise, as I had never met a single person who opposed this marriage until now.
He too seemed surprised, biting his lips and looking down.
Sshhh...
The sound of the sunset-tinged wind blowing through the lush leaves echoed softly throughout the still garden.
Sir Aldor, who had been looking down silently without saying anything, finally raised his head and looked at me as if he had made a firm decision.
“I... I hope that you, young lady, will be happy.”
From the beginning, it was a series of words whose meaning was unclear.
“Does that mean I’ll be unhappy if I marry Perdes?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what does it mean?”
Sir Aldor remained silent for a moment as if he was thinking about how to explain, and then continued speaking cautiously.
“I... think that it is important to marry a good person, but more important than that is to marry someone you love.”
It may sound a bit tedious, but it was the right way to go.
I, too, once dreamed of marrying the person I loved and living happily like my parents.
That's why I chose Chernosser in my first life.
It's not like I loved Chernosser or anything.
At the time, I had no other choice but to get married as soon as possible, but Chernosser actively courted me, saying that he loved me, so I just accepted.
Little did I know that it was all a charade from the Emperor's meticulous planning.
The result was a horrific hell, as I experienced firsthand.
I recalled my foolish past and laughed softly.
Then Sir Aldor looked at me and asked cautiously.
“Are you thinking of marrying Perdes?”
“No, I don’t plan on doing that right now.”
“So you mean you’re going to do it later?”
Is that how the story goes?
“That’s not necessarily true. It’s just that to have children, I’ll have to get married someday, and it’ll likely be Perdes.”
Yes. Unless a man with more perfect qualifications than Perdes appears, there is a very high chance of choosing him.
Of course, this story was based on the assumption that Perdes' mind had not changed until then.
I had no intention of forcing myself to marry someone who didn't want to marry me.
For a moment, Sir Aldor's expression became heavy.
He bit his lips hard as he thought about something, then continued speaking slowly.
“Mr. Perdes is the son of the Emperor you hate so much. Would you mind marrying him?”
"Ah."
Now that I think about it, that's what happened, right.
I remembered something I had momentarily forgotten and kicked the ground with my toes.
In the past, just looking at Perdes' golden eyes reminded me of the Emperor, but at some point, I stopped thinking of him at all.
I forgot that he was the son of the Emperor, whom I detest terribly, and was seriously considering getting married, so that says it all.
But now that I'm aware of that fact, I feel a little reluctant about marrying him.
Of course, not only had Perdes done nothing wrong, he had actually helped me take revenge on the Emperor, so it made no sense to distance myself from him just because he was the Emperor's son.
But still, the fact that he is the Emperor's son weighs on my mind...
“Yes, that’s difficult.”
I groaned and scratched my cheek.
I told Aldor my worries in an attempt to resolve them, but I felt like they were just getting worse.
“You seem to be worried.”
“I guess so. There is no one better to be my husband than Mr. Perdes.”
“...Is that so?”
Sir Aldor's voice crumbled like a fallen leaf when stepped on.
His complexion also seemed to have darkened.
I see you're worried about me. Anyway, I was worried so much that it was a problem.
It made me feel good that he thought of me that much.
I told him it was okay and not to worry, but he wouldn't stop, so I decided to change the subject.
“But it’s a bit surprising that the most important thing Sir Aldor thinks about when getting married is love.”
I spoke more brightly than usual, trying to lighten the somewhat heavy atmosphere.
“So you haven’t gotten married yet? Because you don’t have anyone you love?”
“...”
But rather, it seemed to have the opposite effect, as Sir Aldor's expression darkened even more than before.
I feel like I touched a spot that should never have been touched... Should I apologize?
“Adele.”
As I was about to do that, I heard a voice calling me from behind.
I looked back and saw Perdes just entering the training grounds.
Sir Aldor also noticed him and bowed slightly in greeting.
However, Perdes did not even glance at Sir Aldor and only looked at me and told me why he had come all the way here.
“Lady Abigail is looking for you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, I haven’t heard the exact reason, but I heard it was because of the dress size.”
I measured all the dimensions this morning, so I wonder if there's a problem.
“If you’re not busy, why don’t you go and see? I don’t like the way that girl keeps wandering around looking for you.”
“I will do that.”
I also don't like Lady Abigail hanging around my mansion, and if she stays in Leopold's duchy for a few more days because of this, it'll be a headache, so it was better to get it over with quickly.
“Then let’s go.”
Perdes naturally put his arm around my shoulder and led me.
I was about to follow Perdes right away, but then I looked back at Sir Aldor.
Normally, he would have followed right away, but for some reason, he just stood there blankly.
“What is it, Sir Aldor?”
When I asked him out of curiosity, he answered with a faint smile.
“I’ll clean up here and go.”
“Yeah, okay.”
There was no need to clean up after him, but it sounded like he wanted to be alone, so I did what he wanted.
***
After Adele and Perdes left together.
Aldor left alone, looked down at the floor, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.
The reason he couldn't raise his head was because he didn't want to see the two people leaving affectionately.
There was also the fear that if he continued to look at them, he would not be able to overcome the anger that was welling up inside him and that he would pour out everything he had been holding inside.
As Aldor tried to calm his suffocating heart, it was filled with feelings of envy, jealousy, and envy.
All of his feelings were directed towards Perdes.
Unlike him, who was struggling and unable to express his feelings for Adele at all, he felt envious, jealous, and resentful of Perdes, who was able to express his feelings without hesitation.
If there had been no Perdes, Adele would have chosen him.
...Just like back then.
“What a stupid idea.”
Being like that back then meant they would die together.
Aldor wiped his face with a small scoff, feeling ashamed of himself for thinking such a thing even though he knew it well.
“Just do it like you are doing now.”
The only way to protect her was to not be greedy like he was now and to silently stand behind Adele.
He knew that very well, but he was starting to lose his patience.
Every time Alsor saw Perdes express his feelings to Adele without hesitation, he couldn't breathe because it hurt as if someone was stabbing his heart with a sharp sword.
The congratulatory messages about their wedding that he had recently heard from all sides tore at his already torn heart again.
Given the circumstances, he wondered how long he could endure it.
It feels like he's holding onto a time bomb that could explode at any moment.
When this time bomb went off, it didn't matter if he got hurt.
The problem was Adele. Aldor was afraid she would get hurt.
Even though she looked strong on the outside, she was actually more fragile than anyone else.
He was so afraid that he would make the same mistake again if she tried to comfort him out of pity.
***
I thought they would stay at the Duke's residence longer, making up all sorts of ridiculous excuses, but surprisingly, Lady Abigail and her party left on the appointed day.
Are you really here for the clothes?
No matter how much I think about it, I don't think that's true.
I was suspicious, but there was no evidence, so I had no choice but to let it go.
As time passed, the morning dawned on the day of the Knight Commander's inauguration ceremony.
The sound of horseshoes outside the window from early in the morning was due to the nobles who had come to watch the inauguration ceremony of the Knight Commander.
Most of them were nobles from the northern territories with deep ties to the Duke Leopold family, and they wanted to get their faces stamped on me one more time under the pretext of an inauguration ceremony.
“Where should I put this, butler?”
“It’s a book. I’ll put it in storage for now and sort it out later...”
“This is a necklace. Should I put it in a jewelry box?”
“Oh my, there’s a sword too.”
There were so many gifts coming in that the main hall was busy sorting out the gifts brought by the nobles.
I stood in front of the railing of the central staircase and watched the scene, then returned to the bedroom.
May, who had been waiting in front of the bedroom, came in as if she had been waiting and adjusted my clothes.
“Oh, you haven’t taken up your sword yet, Miss.”
“Today it is not the young lady, but Your Excellency the Duke.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. The title of Miss just stuck in my mouth...”
“It’s okay. Just be careful in front of people.”
I didn't mind being called Miss, but I had to be careful because the prissy nobles would open their mouths.
I turned my head as I put the sword I had prepared on my waist.
There were blunt, decorative swords hanging there, but only one of them was a real sword.
It was the sword I had just brought from the basement.
If that sword is a special sword used only by Duke Leopold, wouldn't it be right to show it to the people at the inauguration ceremony?
Among the nobles who attended today, there must have been some who had seen my father's inauguration, so I thought it was right, and put the sword on my waist.
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