SWGMBWD CH 05

This can’t be happening.

Bella took a deep breath and desperately swallowed back the scream that was about to escape her lips.

It’s him!

It was that man.

My destined partner.

The man who had taken her life in her dream.

The gift God had sent her.

And the only savior who could rescue her from this horrible reality.

Who would have thought I’d meet him this soon?

Unable to tear her eyes away from the man’s retreating back, Bella slowly smiled.

Why is everything going so smoothly?

It was almost frightening now.

Had the God of Fate, who had always been so stingy with her, suddenly become generous?

If so, perhaps this was his way of apologizing.

No.

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.

What kind of person is he?

Her gaze returned to the man.

Black hair and black clothes.

At a glance, it was obvious that he preferred monochrome colors.

Even his gloves were completely black.

Huh? But gloves? What season is it right now for him to be wrapped up like that?

Bella tilted her head in confusion.

“Does he get cold easily?”

That was unexpected.

He looked like the kind of person not even a needle could get through, yet apparently he was surprisingly sensitive to the cold.

Of course, it was early autumn, but the days were still quite warm.

She was wondering if it was a little too early for such heavy clothing when—

“Avalan is a place where winter lasts unusually long.”

Evan answered on her behalf.

“But there’s also a rumor that it isn’t because of the climate. Apparently, the duke is a bit of a clean freak or something.”

“……Right. He’s quite a neat-looking handsome man.”

Bella nodded as she watched him take a seat at one of the tables.

Of course, being a clean freak had absolutely nothing to do with being handsome.

This is the first time I’m really seeing his face.

In her dream, she had been too preoccupied with her own lifeless body to properly appreciate the man’s appearance.

She had known that he possessed an extraordinary aura, but she never imagined it would be to this extent.

Even the young ladies who had been following him around in hopes of gaining his attention seemed unable to approach him.

And it wasn’t just the ladies.

The other nobles were keeping their distance as well.

“Is he really that important?”

“He’s incredible.”

Evan nodded.

“What exactly is with that man?”

There was an invisible wall between the capital and the provinces.

Only central nobles were permitted to attend the Imperial Council, so provincial nobles desperately tried to establish themselves in the capital.

And yet, the central nobles were bowing and scraping before him.

“How old is he?”

“Twenty-four this year, I think.”

Bella’s eyes widened in surprise.

“He’s younger than I thought.”

Goodness.

Twenty-four.

“I thought he’d be older.”

Of course, it wasn’t that his appearance made him look old.

Perhaps it was because he was dressed entirely in such gloomy colors.

There was also a heavy atmosphere about him that made him seem far more serious than someone his age.

His expression contributes to that, too.

A young man his age would normally be pleased by all the attention from the ladies around him.

But he didn’t seem interested in it at all.

It was as though time had stopped only around him.

Is it because he became a duke at such a young age?

Perhaps he had simply been forced to grow up early.

Bella came to that conclusion on her own.

“At what age did he inherit the title?”

“Twelve, I think.”

“Twelve? That young? Then the previous duke…….”

“He died young.”

Bella finally understood a little of the melancholy atmosphere unique to the duke.

She had no idea he carried such a tragic story.

“How did he……?”

“He took his own life.”

“…….”

“That’s not all. The duke before him, and the one before that as well—they all ended their lives the same way.”

“What do you mean?”

The story was far darker than she had expected.

Bella instinctively held her breath.

No.

She couldn’t breathe.

She turned her head and saw Evan’s slightly lowered blue eyes.

“For some reason, the heirs of House Avalan are said to end their lives by their own hands.”

“What?”

“That’s why there’s a rumor that they’re a cursed family. Ah, of course, that’s just something people say behind their backs. There’s no real evidence to support it.”

A cursed family.

At the feeling that something much deeper might be hidden beneath the surface, Bella looked at him again.

He still showed no change in expression, while the young ladies around him nervously shifted their feet, clearly growing impatient.

And Bella felt the same way.

She had never experienced such a feeling before.

Yet whenever she looked at him, she became restless and strangely anxious, her heart pounding wildly inside her chest.

“It’s a little creepy to call it a coincidence. It wasn’t just one or two people. Every previous duke ended up the same way.”

Evan added another comment.

But Bella didn’t agree.

Perhaps anyone else would have thought the same.

But not her.

She had already stopped believing in coincidences.

And to Bella, the idea of a curse wasn’t frightening at all.

It was fascinating.

So he has a huge secret like that.

The corners of her lips slowly lifted.

Of course. If he’s the grim reaper who came to kill me, he ought to have a story like that.

Her eyes sparkled even more brightly.

“By the way, if he has such terrible rumors following him, why is he so popular?”

She pointed toward the young ladies squealing excitedly in the distance.

Their faces were flushed as they desperately tried to catch the duke’s attention.

It was almost pitiful to watch.

Bella could understand her own interest.

But why were all those women so obsessed with a supposedly cursed duke?

She had wondered if there was some special reason.

But—

“He’s rich.”

“…….”

“If you marry Duke Avalan, you become the mistress of the North.”

“That’s a much less interesting reason than I expected.”

Evan answered as though it were obvious.

Bella understood, but she was still disappointed.

Apparently, all of this was nothing more than a battle for money—or for the position of Duchess, the pinnacle of high society.

Bella watched the young ladies quietly competing with one another and frowned.

I can’t let those women take him from me.

Anyone else was one thing.

But she absolutely couldn’t let someone like those women take him away.

If she considered their reasons for wanting him, Bella was probably the woman here who suited him best.

At least, she was convinced of that.

She stayed tucked away in a corner, observing the silent battle from afar as she continued watching the situation.

Then—

“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!”

At the attendant’s announcement, the bustling hall instantly fell silent.

The gathered people parted into two lines all at once, creating a magnificent sight.

The Emperor entered with his red robes billowing behind him.

He took his seat upon a golden chair, stroked his long beard, and slowly surveyed the crowd.

Bella subtly raised her gaze and studied the Emperor.

He’s aged quite a lot since I last saw him.

Indeed.

Perhaps there really was no escaping the passage of time.

The countless wrinkles around his eyes made his already sharp features appear even harsher.

The gentle and benevolent impression he had once possessed had disappeared completely, swallowed by the worry and shadows etched across his face.

Even the ease he had carried in his youth was nowhere to be seen.

Now, he looked almost gaunt, as though he were being relentlessly pursued by something.

He was a completely different person from the man Bella had known thirteen years ago.

“Everyone, you may rise.”

The Emperor addressed the nobles who were still bowing respectfully.

One by one, the people who had been bent deeply at the waist raised their heads.

There were hundreds of people gathered in the hall, yet not a single sound could be heard apart from the faint rustling of clothes.

Everyone was waiting for the Emperor’s Founding Festival speech.

“Ahem.”

The Emperor cleared his throat loudly and spread both arms.

“Listen, proud citizens of Argen! You have all heard that the situation in the surrounding nations has recently become unstable. That is right! They envy our prosperous Argen and have become nothing more than bandits coveting our homeland!”

The nobles began murmuring at the Emperor’s declaration.

Everyone had heard at least once that the movements of the surrounding nations had become increasingly suspicious.

While other countries struggled with shortages of resources, Argen alone had always remained prosperous.

It was only natural that others would set their sights upon it.

“But there is no need to worry! For we have those whom God has sent to us!”

At the Emperor’s booming declaration, the door on the left opened.

A group of people dressed in white robes entered the hall alongside soldiers.

Their sudden appearance caused the crowd to erupt into whispers.

Bella was no exception.

It had been a very long time since she had seen those faces.

“My goodness, aren’t those the Morpheus?”

“His Majesty is actually presenting the Morpheus at an official gathering? What happened? Until now, even when people begged him to show them, he always tried to keep them hidden away.”

“It must mean that things are truly desperate. I heard the Temple has turned its back on the Imperial Family as well.”

“They can hardly be blamed. The priests worship the Morpheus, while the Emperor treats them like tools. Of course they wouldn’t be pleased.”

Whispers criticizing the Imperial Family could be heard from all around.

Even so, the appearance of the Morpheus had the desired effect.

Children seeing them for the first time, as well as nobles who had seen them before, all had hope shining in their eyes.

That was right.

They were the hope of Argen.

And they’re also tools that maintain the Emperor’s authority.

Bella smiled bitterly.

The Morpheus were practically a symbol of Argen.

Because of their existence, the surrounding nations couldn’t recklessly invade and were forced to remain wary of the Empire.

If they attacked carelessly and fell victim to the powers of the Morpheus, their entire country could be destroyed.

“So there is no need to worry! We are the chosen ones of God! As long as the Morpheus remain with us, Argen shall be the master of this continent! A brilliant future awaits our Empire!”

The Emperor’s passionate speech was met with thunderous cheers throughout the hall.

Most of the people were enthusiastic.

But there were also many who were far from optimistic.

“As expected, the Fourth position is still vacant.”

“Not only the Fourth. I heard the First Morpheus is barely clinging to life as well.”

“Wait, then does that mean two positions will be vacant?”

“Because of the Fourth Morpheus’s prolonged absence, we don’t know when the surrounding nations might rise against us……”

“This is serious.”

Bella could see the young nobles sighing with worried expressions.

Is public sentiment really this unstable?

Now she understood why the Emperor had decided to show the Morpheus to the public, despite treating them like precious treasures.

Finding all seven Morpheus was the Emperor’s duty.

Yet the current Emperor of Argen, Argen VIII, had failed to find the Fourth Morpheus for thirteen whole years.

Because of that, rumors had even begun circulating among the priests that the Emperor was incompetent.

I’m sorry, Uncle. And Evan, too…….

Bella was confident that she would never allow anyone to discover that she was the Fourth Morpheus whom the Empire had been desperately searching for.

And now, she had very little time left anyway.

Whatever happened after that no longer mattered to her.

The Emperor returned to his seat and let out a weary sigh.

At that moment, an attendant hurried over and whispered something into his ear.

The Emperor soon lifted his head with a surprised expression.

“Well, well. Who do we have here?”

The Emperor had spotted someone and greeted him warmly.

“It’s been a long time, Duke. When I heard you had come to the capital, I wondered if the rumors were true. And it seems they were.”

“It has been a long time, Your Majesty. I hope you have been in good health.”

At the duke’s low voice—the first time he had spoken publicly since his arrival—the young ladies nearby once again erupted into excited squeals.

The Emperor slightly furrowed his brow and cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

It was a subtle warning for them to quiet down.

“I heard you performed magnificently during the war that broke out along the border this time. I was actually planning to summon you because of it, so this worked out well. How long do you intend to stay in the capital?”

“I intend to return immediately after the Founding Festival. I cannot leave the border unattended for too long.”

At the news that he would be leaving so soon, disappointed sighs arose from all around the hall.

The Emperor glanced toward the young ladies who kept interrupting their conversation.

Then, as though he had suddenly remembered something, he smiled meaningfully.

“Come to think of it, how old are you this year?”

“I’m twenty-four.”

“Then it’s about time you started thinking about marriage.”

“……Pardon?”

The sudden turn in the conversation caused a crack to appear in the duke’s composed expression.

Meanwhile, the women’s eyes burst into flames.

They looked exactly like hunters who had just discovered an enormous prize right in front of them.