"Your Highness told me to speak comfortably."
Karina quickly added.
"Yes, I did."
David didn't laugh at first. He just raised his hand to cover his mouth and looked down slightly diagonally. And.
"Keugh...!"
"...!"
The previous statement was canceled. His shoulders shook slightly. It was clearly a sign of holding back laughter.
"Among the legends and oral traditions about dragons known only to the Imperial Family... Are there any stories about making deals with dragons or anything like that?"
Karina tried to ignore his reaction and asked him subtly.
"Hmm. Well. It's such a random story... Ugh..."
David quickly shut his mouth to keep from laughing.
"...Yes."
Karina nodded bitterly. It didn't seem like she would get the answer she wanted.
'Yeah. Smile. I would have done the same.'
Karina waited calmly until David's laughter died down.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't know that the Grand Duchess believed in the existence of dragons."
David said with a tone full of laughter as if he found it really funny.
"..."
She desperately wanted to deny that it was like that, but it was a shame that she couldn't.
"I thought the Grand Duchess was a very realistic person, but this part is different from what I expected, which is cute."
Karina almost burst into tears at the blatant teasing.
'I was expecting some new information about dragons, but that's the reaction.:
If it was going to be like this, it would have been better not to have asked. Karina said with a fresh expression as if she had never asked about dragons before.
"If you don't know anything else, that's fine."
"Haha. You didn't mean to say I laughed and got angry, did you?"
"Not at all."
"That's fortunate."
David, with his wonderful smile, seemed much more at ease.
"If you have any other concerns, please tell me."
Hearing those words, Karina opened her mouth out of curiosity.
"Do you remember what you said to me last time?"
"Last time?"
"You said you would help me with my divorce."
Just after returning from the Cursed Forest, David had told Karina that he would allow her to divorce the Grand Duke sooner.
'And I quickly accepted the offer.'
Now, a more important issue than divorce has arisen...
"Phew."
When Karina recalled that fact again, shr sighed.
'No. But Mikhail said he would find a way.'
There was no solution right now, but Karina decided not to be too hasty. She pulled herself together again.
"Yes. Of course, I remember."
In response to her question, David began to explain with a serious face.
"I was already worried about that. In fact, His Majesty's opposition to divorce is more stubborn than I thought."
David said, tapping his fingers on the table.
"Don't worry though. I am currently seeking the cooperation and consent of other nobles to obtain His Majesty's approval."
That probably means that he is creating an atmosphere among the nobles in favor of my divorce. Karina nodded in greeting, grateful for that alone.
"Thank you."
"I am grateful. Now we are special people who share secrets. Of course, I must help the Grand Duchess when she is in trouble."
"..."
She didn't know why he insisted on saying that, but she could have just said he was a friend. But for now, she decided to think of it as a good thing. David suddenly opened his mouth to Karina, who was lost in thought.
"But there is a very simple divorce method other than this complicated one."
"Huh? What is that?"
She quickly asked back as if curious.
"Are you by any chance interested in a position higher than that of Grand Duchess?"
"Yes?"
For a moment, Karina didn't quite understand what he was saying.
"I think becoming a member of the royal family is one way."
"yes??"
This time she was talking nonsense. What kind of nonsense is this? She's planning to divorce and cut ties with the Grand Duke's family, so how can she have no intention of getting involved with the royal family?
"Are you serious about what you're saying now?"
Karina spoke seriously in a low voice.
"Haha. Of course, I'm joking. Just joking."
David laughed heartily, throwing up both hands and saying that he was really just joking.
"I said it to be funny."
"..."
'Are you kidding me right now...!'
Karina wanted to take back all the things she said about being friends.
Phew. Swallowing back her irritation, Karina calmed her nerves.
'It's okay.'
Even if they couldn't get a divorce now, the end was already set.
'Yeah. If Lucia shows up, things will work out somehow.'
Before that, all she had to do was resolve the issue regarding the Dragon's contract, so that she could leave the empire freely.
'Let's stop wasting energy on useless things and focus on taking care of ourselves.'
She made up her mind firmly. But her determination was dashed when David Immediately spoke.
"To celebrate our special relationship, would you like to hang out with me today? I think it would be a good change of pace."
Normally, she would have declined, but Karina stared blankly at the teacup in front of her and thought for a moment. If she were to return to the Grand Duke's house like this, she might have to face Jeremiah again.
'That's a bit... I don't like it.'
Karina thought of Jeremiah quietly. His actions protected her from threats. His warm hands that gently soothed and comforted her. His gentle voice touched her ear. And his serious eyes and expression as he looked at her. All of these things came back to her mind one by one. That made her feel even more repulsed.
'I don't want to face him yet.'
Looking at him now, she felt like she would mistake sympathy for something else.
'I absolutely hate that.'
She will never again make the mistake of expecting something on my own.
"Yea. Let's go together."
Karina accepted David's request.
***
Meanwhile, Jeremiah, who remained at the Grand Duke's residence, was in deep distress.
"Karina..."
His mind was full of thoughts about Karina. Ever since he was on the magic tower.
'Why is Karina pushing me away like that? Is it because of that memory?'
Jeremiah's eyebrows furrowed. The unknown memories she had. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find an answer as to why Karina had those memories. However, the more he thought about it, the clearer one thing became. If that's why she was rejecting him. If that's why she wanted a divorce. He just had to clear up the misunderstanding.
'I have to tell her.'
The Jeremiah in her terrible memories was not him.
'That wasn't me. There's no way I would have done that to her.'
He doesn't know how much he cares for her. What she means to him. He's acting like that because he doesn't know yet.
There was only one person he had ever cared for. From the moment he first saw Karina until now. She was the only one in Jeremiah's heart. And he could swear that it would always be that way.
'How could I do that to her?'
Karina should have known this fact too.
'I have to make this clear to her.'
His resolve was firm. But it would never be easy. Jeremiah recalled Karina refusing to talk to him and following the Crown Prince.
“Ha.”
His sigh deepened. In fact, before David arrived, Jeremiah had heard the entire conversation between Karina and the Marquis. He recalled the shocking situation at that time.
***
Jeremiah, who had gone out of the drawing room at Karina's request, could not bear to leave the drawing-room door because he was concerned about her condition. Her reaction of not being happy at all when she saw the Marquis Millainer also played a part. The Marquis was known to be particularly fond of Karina. That was why Jeremiah, even though he hated the Marquis, had thought that the Marquis was a good father to his child. However.
"A useless bitch that isn't even worth its price."
"...?!"
Jeremiah's expression hardened at the explicit insult that made him frown.
'Could it be that the Marquis's words about caring for her were all a pretense and a lie?'
But what was more concerning was Karina's attitude of accepting it as if she was used to it. The more he listened to the conversation that followed, the more he found it fascinating.
"What my father wanted was a successor to the Grand Duke's family line. Unfortunately, that is impossible."
Jeremiah was a bit bitter when she said she still wanted a divorce, but he wasn't surprised. He already knew that. But.
"I don't want that man's child."
"...!"
For a moment, Jeremiah's head felt cold as if he had been hit hard in the back of the head. Hearing those words directly from Karina's mouth was incredibly shocking.
"I don't like it!"
He covered his mouth without realizing it. It felt like sharp thorns were digging into his wounds. His pupils shook violently as if there was an earthquake.
'That... that's right.'
In a situation where you want a divorce, there's no way you would want the other person's child.
In a way, it was such an obvious statement. But it was a feeling of despair that was hard to describe. The sight of Karina rejecting his child with such disgust was such a great shock that it was hard to come to his senses. But Jeremiah couldn't stay in his thoughts any longer. The situation wouldn't leave him alone.
"This insolent woman... Where did she come from...!"
When the Marquis raised his voice in excitement, Jeremiah, sensing something was wrong, finally opened the door and went into the reception room. Inside, he saw the Marquis with his eyes wide open, raising his hand as if he was about to strike Karina, and Karina standing frozen in front of him.
"...!"
Without even being able to assess the situation, he instinctively pulled her into his arms and protected her. At the same time, he grabbed the Marquis' wrist and twisted it.
"Are you trying to hit Karina just now? How dare you hit my wife?"
When Jeremiah came in, the situation became clearer. Even Karina's body in his arms was shaking like an aspen tree with fear. He could feel her breathing hard and her chest rising and falling rapidly as if she was scared. Judging from her reaction, it seemed like this wasn't the first time this had happened.
'Why is Karina reacting like this?'
At first, he was puzzled, but then he realized. This reaction told him that she had been exposed to violence for a long time without any protection. As soon as he realized that, he felt a maddening rage. His eyes rolled back in red anger. As his grip tightened, a scream escaped the Marquis' mouth.
"Ugh!"
But he didn't care at all. The blazing fire felt like it was burning every blood vessel in his body. He wanted to demand the truth right here and now and kill the Marquis. But. At this moment, Karina was the most important thing to him. He thought that reassuring and calming her down was the most important thing.
After barely calming down his emotions, he asked softly in the most calm voice possible.
"Karina. Are you okay?"
But the question was meaningless. She looked up at him with unfocused eyes, her face pale and pitifully pale.
His heart sank at the sight.
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