Actually, it was Callius who took me out of the party yesterday, so it was only a courtesy for him to check if I got in safely.
Callius's visit today, far from being rude or unprincipled, was considered gentlemanly.
Rather, Andrea's reaction was excessive.
'I guess there really is something there.'
Seeing Andrea make such a disgusting expression, beyond just disliking him.
What on earth did Callius do to Andrea?
'I don't know what it is, but wouldn't anything be good for me? I hate it so much.'
Seeing Andrea's reaction, I wanted to applaud my decision to choose Callius.
'I wonder how crazy Andrea will be if I marry Callius.'
I used to think marriage was terrible, but I never thought I would look forward to it this much.
Andrea made a lame excuse when I asked him to personally admonish the Marquis.
“Her Highness the Princess is not ready to receive guests, so tell him to come back later.”
I didn't bother to stop the maid who was leaving under Andrea's orders.
There was no need for that, because...
“What the heck is this!”
“You can’t enter without permission!”
I heard the guards making a fuss outside the door.
“I will go in, Your Highness.”
Bam.
Because Callius appeared.
For a moment, I thought Karl had appeared in front of me.
'They really do look alike.'
With beautifully proportioned features and delicate eyes that instantly capture the viewer's attention, the golden pupils within them resembled Karl.
Of course, even though he may have a childish side, Callius was much more mature than Karl, who had a playfulness and innocence that couldn't be hidden, and his gaze was somehow overwhelming.
“Hello, Your Highness, the Princess. Your Highness, the Prince is here too.”
He looked back and forth between me and Andrea with his beastly eyes that made my heart pound.
During this time, no one in this room dared to open their mouths.
It was because everyone was frozen, as if the aura of pressure that Callius was radiating had stopped time for a moment.
Maybe that's why he's been through so much on the battlefield for so long.
It felt like a huge wolf had wandered into the room.
Having spent a long time on the bloody battlefield, Callius felt like an invincible warrior.
He walked slowly towards me, his gait refined and unadorned.
'Ah...'
Compared to Andrea, who was dressed extravagantly, Callius was wearing a simple black dress of basic design.
Yet, as he walked closer, his large, sturdy body looked like a beautiful sculpture, and he looked very cool.
'They say the hanger is more important than the clothes.'
Is it my imagination that Andrea looks like a small, insignificant skewer in front of Callius?
I was staring at Callius for a while without realizing it, and when I came to my senses, he was looking at me too.
When I flinched, he, who had been creating a tense atmosphere until then, opened his eyes and smiled brightly.
'What...'
As he smiled, the frozen atmosphere melted away in an instant, and breathing became easier.
Andrea must have felt it too, because he had been silent until now, but now he finally got angry.
“Marquis Rodrian, it is polite to hand over your visitor’s details to the royal attendant at the palace and then wait for permission to enter!”
Callius replied calmly.
"I came here to ask because I was wondering how long I'd have to wait, since they just left people standing there."
Andrea let out a breathless laugh at that absurd and shameless answer.
“If you know now, just stay quiet and wait outside until you’re called!”
“I am a guest of Her Highness the Princess, not of the Prince.”
I quickly joined in on their conversation.
“Marquis Rodrian, my brother has something important to say to you, so I’m glad you came.”
“Are you talking to me?”
Callius looked at Andrea. His gaze was intimidating.
Andrea's throat was seen moving greatly with tension.
“That, that...”
“My honor was tarnished when Marquis Rodrian gave me flowers yesterday!”
I spoke on Andrea's behalf and asked for his consent.
"Right, Brother? What did you say? Because of that one flower, people started gossiping about me, saying I was a mess, and that the Princess wasn't behaving properly."
“Ugh, Chloe, Chloe!”
Andrea tried to interrupt me hastily, but Callius didn't listen and stepped forward.
“If anyone dares to give such an insulting meaning to a flower gift, I will take responsibility and punish them for defaming Her Highness the Princess.”
Callius stared at Andrea.
“Should I take the heads of those who spoke like that and offer them to Her Highness the Princess?”
He seemed ready to draw his sword and run at any moment to cut off the heads of the nobles.
Andrea, who saw that, was afraid that things would get worse and scolded me instead.
"Chloe, what your brother said wasn't that it actually happened, but that it could have happened. You have to say it straight."
“But my brother said you would give Marquis Rodrian, the one who just defamed my honor, a severe punishment...”
Callius crossed his arms with an expression of interest.
Andrea's thin neck was bulging with powerful muscles that seemed as if they could easily break the sleeves.
“Chloe!”
Andrea abruptly cut me off, looked at the clock on the wall, and smiled awkwardly.
"I forgot I have a very important appointment. I'll go first. Excuse me, Marquis. It's a very important appointment."
“Phew!”
As I came out into the garden with Callius, I burst out laughing, having been holding back my laughter.
'There's going to be chaos later.'
I could clearly see how much Andrea would tease and criticize me.
But I was happy right now and didn't regret my actions.
I apologized to Callius, laughing with tears in my eyes.
“I’m sorry, Marquis. The situation just now was so ridiculous.”
"It's okay."
Callius seemed to have a vague idea of what was going on, but he wasn't really smiling.
He just stared at me, smiling.
'...?'
I felt uncomfortable with that gaze, so I coughed a couple of times and looked away for no reason.
“Shall we walk and talk about what we couldn’t finish yesterday?”
I lowered my voice so that the maids following me wouldn't hear me.
“If we keep this distance, no one will be able to hear our conversation.
“That will happen.”
But even as we walked, Callius' gaze was always directed at me.
'...?'
Why are you staring at me like that? As if I'm some kind of spectacle.
I felt my face to check if anything was on it.
'It seems okay.'
I even thought about telling him not to look at me like that.
But even though I didn't know why he was looking at me, I didn't sense any malice in his eyes. Instead, they were infinitely peaceful.
'Is it just a habit?'
Since there was no intention in his gaze, it didn't seem like he was being rude, but rather that I was being overly conscious of his gaze.
In the end, I pretended not to know and brought up a different topic.
“Ahem, are you going to accept my offer?”
"Yes. I'd like to hear about your future plans. I found out you already have a fiancé."
“That’s a bit of a problem.”
“Yes. But the bigger problem is that I have Ronheim blood in me.”
Even without a fiancé, given the local sentiment of abhorring the Ronheimers, it would have been difficult for me, the Princess, to marry Callius.
It was obvious that the father, the Empress, and Andrea would all be vehemently opposed to this marriage.
Not for me, but for their own sake.
'It would be unseemly for the royal family to accept a Ronheimer as a son-in-law.'
Imperial marriages are unions of families for political gain.
Viscount Pelsus was in the process of negotiating my marriage, promising to give the imperial family a huge sum of money.
They won't allow a marriage that doesn't bring any benefit to the royal family.
'Of course, I asked Callius for the gold mine as a wedding present, but it would belong entirely to me, not the royal family.'
I intended to keep the gold mine a secret.
Therefore, there was no way the royal family would approve this marriage.
When I brought up the subject of marriage to Callius, I didn't think about it that far.
'So, I've been thinking about something.'
I was walking side by side, trying to avoid Callius' gaze, but then I looked straight at him.
He was still staring at me, not taking his eyes off me for a second.
I proudly spoke to him.
"I told you yesterday. I'm thinking of marrying you because I think you'll be able to take me as far as possible."
"However?"
“It means that getting me out of the palace is also included in the terms of the deal.”
"Aha."
“I proved my intelligence and potential to you yesterday, so wouldn’t it be fair for you to show me something in return?”
The clever idea I came up with was to leave the tasks I couldn't handle to Callius.
I don't have to do everything by myself to get revenge.
“Show me your abilities, show me that you are worthy of my all.”
Callius just chuckled as if he had been taken aback by my arrogant gaze, and his attitude was relaxed.
“I guess you want to test me.”
“I need a capable partner, too.”
His eyes narrowed gently.
He nodded more simply than I thought.
"Great."
"Is it so."
The unwavering gaze that never left me seemed to make me feel strange. My face felt ticklish for some reason.
"I can't even breathe properly because of that gaze. Are you trying to kill me by making me feel awkward?"
I was so nervous that I almost choked on my saliva.
Callius spoke to me as I was trying to resolve my internal situation as discreetly as possible.
“But what I was curious about wasn’t how this marriage would be recognized by others.”
“Then what is the bigger problem?”
Did I miss something?
Callius made a strange expression as if asking if I really didn't know.
“Your Highness, are you sure it’s okay with me being from Ronheim?”
“I knew from the beginning that the Marquis was from Ronheim.”
“Are you sure you’ve given it enough thought?”
“Are you worried that I’ll regret it?”
"If you go to Ronheim, you'll face many challenges. Do you have the confidence to endure such harsh conditions? Besides, Your Highness will hear the gossip the people here have about me."
It seemed like he didn't want me to take marriage with him lightly.
I was a little surprised to see that there was concern for me in it.
There's absolutely no reason for him to worry about me.
'Are you doing this because you're afraid I'll whine and want to run away later?'
Yeah, that seems to be the case.
'There's no way he'd worry about me.'
I guess he's worried that I'll become a nuisance.
Callius doesn't know what kind of marriage I endured for ten years.
I suffered daily from Viscount Pelsus's violence, and when I finally fell asleep, terrified, I dreamed of being beaten to death by my husband.
And in the end, I was murdered by Andrea, the person I had relied on my entire life. I was left with the painful realization that it was Andrea, the person I trusted, who had left me alone and unhappy.
'There is no worse future for me than that.'
I have already hit rock bottom, so is there any further rock to fall to?
“Don’t worry. I don’t take this lightly, like a trip or a retreat.”
At my firm words, Callius raised an eyebrow as if he was interested, then bent down to meet my eye level.
“Then let me give you one warning in advance.”
“...What is it?”
As I stumbled backwards, he held me tightly and whispered in my ear as the distance became closer in an instant.
“Do you think the cannibalism rumor is just a rumor?”
“...!”
Callius's visit today, far from being rude or unprincipled, was considered gentlemanly.
Rather, Andrea's reaction was excessive.
'I guess there really is something there.'
Seeing Andrea make such a disgusting expression, beyond just disliking him.
What on earth did Callius do to Andrea?
'I don't know what it is, but wouldn't anything be good for me? I hate it so much.'
Seeing Andrea's reaction, I wanted to applaud my decision to choose Callius.
'I wonder how crazy Andrea will be if I marry Callius.'
I used to think marriage was terrible, but I never thought I would look forward to it this much.
Andrea made a lame excuse when I asked him to personally admonish the Marquis.
“Her Highness the Princess is not ready to receive guests, so tell him to come back later.”
I didn't bother to stop the maid who was leaving under Andrea's orders.
There was no need for that, because...
“What the heck is this!”
“You can’t enter without permission!”
I heard the guards making a fuss outside the door.
“I will go in, Your Highness.”
Bam.
Because Callius appeared.
For a moment, I thought Karl had appeared in front of me.
'They really do look alike.'
With beautifully proportioned features and delicate eyes that instantly capture the viewer's attention, the golden pupils within them resembled Karl.
Of course, even though he may have a childish side, Callius was much more mature than Karl, who had a playfulness and innocence that couldn't be hidden, and his gaze was somehow overwhelming.
“Hello, Your Highness, the Princess. Your Highness, the Prince is here too.”
He looked back and forth between me and Andrea with his beastly eyes that made my heart pound.
During this time, no one in this room dared to open their mouths.
It was because everyone was frozen, as if the aura of pressure that Callius was radiating had stopped time for a moment.
Maybe that's why he's been through so much on the battlefield for so long.
It felt like a huge wolf had wandered into the room.
Having spent a long time on the bloody battlefield, Callius felt like an invincible warrior.
He walked slowly towards me, his gait refined and unadorned.
'Ah...'
Compared to Andrea, who was dressed extravagantly, Callius was wearing a simple black dress of basic design.
Yet, as he walked closer, his large, sturdy body looked like a beautiful sculpture, and he looked very cool.
'They say the hanger is more important than the clothes.'
Is it my imagination that Andrea looks like a small, insignificant skewer in front of Callius?
I was staring at Callius for a while without realizing it, and when I came to my senses, he was looking at me too.
When I flinched, he, who had been creating a tense atmosphere until then, opened his eyes and smiled brightly.
'What...'
As he smiled, the frozen atmosphere melted away in an instant, and breathing became easier.
Andrea must have felt it too, because he had been silent until now, but now he finally got angry.
“Marquis Rodrian, it is polite to hand over your visitor’s details to the royal attendant at the palace and then wait for permission to enter!”
Callius replied calmly.
"I came here to ask because I was wondering how long I'd have to wait, since they just left people standing there."
Andrea let out a breathless laugh at that absurd and shameless answer.
“If you know now, just stay quiet and wait outside until you’re called!”
“I am a guest of Her Highness the Princess, not of the Prince.”
I quickly joined in on their conversation.
“Marquis Rodrian, my brother has something important to say to you, so I’m glad you came.”
“Are you talking to me?”
Callius looked at Andrea. His gaze was intimidating.
Andrea's throat was seen moving greatly with tension.
“That, that...”
“My honor was tarnished when Marquis Rodrian gave me flowers yesterday!”
I spoke on Andrea's behalf and asked for his consent.
"Right, Brother? What did you say? Because of that one flower, people started gossiping about me, saying I was a mess, and that the Princess wasn't behaving properly."
“Ugh, Chloe, Chloe!”
Andrea tried to interrupt me hastily, but Callius didn't listen and stepped forward.
“If anyone dares to give such an insulting meaning to a flower gift, I will take responsibility and punish them for defaming Her Highness the Princess.”
Callius stared at Andrea.
“Should I take the heads of those who spoke like that and offer them to Her Highness the Princess?”
He seemed ready to draw his sword and run at any moment to cut off the heads of the nobles.
Andrea, who saw that, was afraid that things would get worse and scolded me instead.
"Chloe, what your brother said wasn't that it actually happened, but that it could have happened. You have to say it straight."
“But my brother said you would give Marquis Rodrian, the one who just defamed my honor, a severe punishment...”
Callius crossed his arms with an expression of interest.
Andrea's thin neck was bulging with powerful muscles that seemed as if they could easily break the sleeves.
“Chloe!”
Andrea abruptly cut me off, looked at the clock on the wall, and smiled awkwardly.
"I forgot I have a very important appointment. I'll go first. Excuse me, Marquis. It's a very important appointment."
***
“Phew!”
As I came out into the garden with Callius, I burst out laughing, having been holding back my laughter.
'There's going to be chaos later.'
I could clearly see how much Andrea would tease and criticize me.
But I was happy right now and didn't regret my actions.
I apologized to Callius, laughing with tears in my eyes.
“I’m sorry, Marquis. The situation just now was so ridiculous.”
"It's okay."
Callius seemed to have a vague idea of what was going on, but he wasn't really smiling.
He just stared at me, smiling.
'...?'
I felt uncomfortable with that gaze, so I coughed a couple of times and looked away for no reason.
“Shall we walk and talk about what we couldn’t finish yesterday?”
I lowered my voice so that the maids following me wouldn't hear me.
“If we keep this distance, no one will be able to hear our conversation.
“That will happen.”
But even as we walked, Callius' gaze was always directed at me.
'...?'
Why are you staring at me like that? As if I'm some kind of spectacle.
I felt my face to check if anything was on it.
'It seems okay.'
I even thought about telling him not to look at me like that.
But even though I didn't know why he was looking at me, I didn't sense any malice in his eyes. Instead, they were infinitely peaceful.
'Is it just a habit?'
Since there was no intention in his gaze, it didn't seem like he was being rude, but rather that I was being overly conscious of his gaze.
In the end, I pretended not to know and brought up a different topic.
“Ahem, are you going to accept my offer?”
"Yes. I'd like to hear about your future plans. I found out you already have a fiancé."
“That’s a bit of a problem.”
“Yes. But the bigger problem is that I have Ronheim blood in me.”
Even without a fiancé, given the local sentiment of abhorring the Ronheimers, it would have been difficult for me, the Princess, to marry Callius.
It was obvious that the father, the Empress, and Andrea would all be vehemently opposed to this marriage.
Not for me, but for their own sake.
'It would be unseemly for the royal family to accept a Ronheimer as a son-in-law.'
Imperial marriages are unions of families for political gain.
Viscount Pelsus was in the process of negotiating my marriage, promising to give the imperial family a huge sum of money.
They won't allow a marriage that doesn't bring any benefit to the royal family.
'Of course, I asked Callius for the gold mine as a wedding present, but it would belong entirely to me, not the royal family.'
I intended to keep the gold mine a secret.
Therefore, there was no way the royal family would approve this marriage.
When I brought up the subject of marriage to Callius, I didn't think about it that far.
'So, I've been thinking about something.'
I was walking side by side, trying to avoid Callius' gaze, but then I looked straight at him.
He was still staring at me, not taking his eyes off me for a second.
I proudly spoke to him.
"I told you yesterday. I'm thinking of marrying you because I think you'll be able to take me as far as possible."
"However?"
“It means that getting me out of the palace is also included in the terms of the deal.”
"Aha."
“I proved my intelligence and potential to you yesterday, so wouldn’t it be fair for you to show me something in return?”
The clever idea I came up with was to leave the tasks I couldn't handle to Callius.
I don't have to do everything by myself to get revenge.
“Show me your abilities, show me that you are worthy of my all.”
Callius just chuckled as if he had been taken aback by my arrogant gaze, and his attitude was relaxed.
“I guess you want to test me.”
“I need a capable partner, too.”
His eyes narrowed gently.
He nodded more simply than I thought.
"Great."
"Is it so."
The unwavering gaze that never left me seemed to make me feel strange. My face felt ticklish for some reason.
"I can't even breathe properly because of that gaze. Are you trying to kill me by making me feel awkward?"
I was so nervous that I almost choked on my saliva.
Callius spoke to me as I was trying to resolve my internal situation as discreetly as possible.
“But what I was curious about wasn’t how this marriage would be recognized by others.”
“Then what is the bigger problem?”
Did I miss something?
Callius made a strange expression as if asking if I really didn't know.
“Your Highness, are you sure it’s okay with me being from Ronheim?”
“I knew from the beginning that the Marquis was from Ronheim.”
“Are you sure you’ve given it enough thought?”
“Are you worried that I’ll regret it?”
"If you go to Ronheim, you'll face many challenges. Do you have the confidence to endure such harsh conditions? Besides, Your Highness will hear the gossip the people here have about me."
It seemed like he didn't want me to take marriage with him lightly.
I was a little surprised to see that there was concern for me in it.
There's absolutely no reason for him to worry about me.
'Are you doing this because you're afraid I'll whine and want to run away later?'
Yeah, that seems to be the case.
'There's no way he'd worry about me.'
I guess he's worried that I'll become a nuisance.
Callius doesn't know what kind of marriage I endured for ten years.
I suffered daily from Viscount Pelsus's violence, and when I finally fell asleep, terrified, I dreamed of being beaten to death by my husband.
And in the end, I was murdered by Andrea, the person I had relied on my entire life. I was left with the painful realization that it was Andrea, the person I trusted, who had left me alone and unhappy.
'There is no worse future for me than that.'
I have already hit rock bottom, so is there any further rock to fall to?
“Don’t worry. I don’t take this lightly, like a trip or a retreat.”
At my firm words, Callius raised an eyebrow as if he was interested, then bent down to meet my eye level.
“Then let me give you one warning in advance.”
“...What is it?”
As I stumbled backwards, he held me tightly and whispered in my ear as the distance became closer in an instant.
“Do you think the cannibalism rumor is just a rumor?”
“...!”
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