“Marriage? Am I dreaming right now?”
The Grand Duke earnestly shook his head.
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
The Emperor’s eyes flashed brightly.
“Did you reveal your identity to that woman? When did you meet her? And when did you start dating?”
“We’ve known each other for a while. I registered the marriage under Dylan’s identity as a commoner. As for my true identity, I intend to reveal it soon.”
For a brief moment, a hint of concern appeared on his otherwise expressionless face before disappearing.
So he intended to reveal his identity soon?
Did that mean he was taking this seriously?
“What does that woman do?”
“She serves in the same Knights Order. She is a woman, somewhat short, with a barely noticeable mole beneath her eye, though it is hidden by her glasses…”
Was his younger brother really the kind of person who remembered such details?
The water the Emperor had spat out earlier began dripping onto the floor.
His gaze lost focus and started wavering blankly.
“Brother, listen to me. So…”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I think I may have early-onset dementia. I’ve forgotten what I just heard. Do you understand what I mean?”
Words spoken to the Emperor could never simply be taken back.
But at this moment, the Emperor was conveniently blaming his own memory.
He was giving Dylan a chance to save himself—the chance to immediately retract what he had said.
Yet Dylan simply nodded earnestly and answered honestly.
“Yes. I got married. She is my colleague, and, well…”
The Emperor was about to lecture him.
You have a mission you are currently responsible for.
Are you planning to make that woman the future Grand Duchess?
Can you really decide on a Grand Duchess so quickly?
And so on.
But just as he was about to open his mouth—
The Emperor witnessed something he had never seen before.
A blush appeared on Dylan’s face, as rigid as a wall.
His cheeks had actually turned a lovely rosy red.
The Emperor’s shoulders began trembling violently.
He looked as though he had just encountered a monster from a dystopian world.
“What is this? Is this a dream? I can’t wake up. This is strange, Master.”
At that moment, the Emperor’s teacher quietly spoke.
“Didn’t I… just tell you? People… sometimes have moments when they act out of character. For His Grace, I suppose… this marriage is that moment.”
But the Emperor didn’t hear a word.
What kind of woman is she to make Dylan wear an expression like that?
It was the first time he had ever seen such a faint smile on his face.
Dylan had never smiled like that even once in his entire life.
The previous Emperor had hated Dylan.
He cursed him as the blemish on his own otherwise perfect life, a life envied by everyone.
He had locked Dylan away in a small house outside the Imperial Palace, one that had been placed under a dark-magic spell.
After more than a decade had passed with Dylan living in confinement like that, the former Emperor sent him off to war, intending to send him to his death.
By the time the former Emperor died and the current Emperor learned the truth, it was already too late.
Dylan had grown into an indifferent and blunt young man, just as befitted the curse placed upon the Grand Duke of Castile.
Believing that he had no right to a place in the world unless he proved his usefulness, he had become an almost obsessively upright person.
Which meant that this marriage was probably the one and only exception in Dylan’s life.
The Emperor suddenly became curious about the woman who had managed to make Dylan like this.
“Did you marry her because you like her? In other words, do you have feelings for her?”
At his words, Dylan’s vivid red eyes shook like a ship caught in turbulent waves.
“There is another reason.”
At that moment, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“What? Another reason? What is it?”
Several dozen minutes later.
After Dylan and Duke Savoia had both left—
The Emperor remained alone in his office, replaying their earlier conversation in his mind.
“It isn’t romantic love. It’s simply an ordinary emotion.”
“Really? Then what exactly is the name of this ordinary emotion?”
Dylan was inexperienced when it came to emotions.
He had never even tried to name his feelings in his head.
And, sure enough, he couldn’t easily answer such a simple question.
The Emperor remained silent, giving Dylan time to think.
Dylan lowered his eyelashes honestly and fell into thought.
“Perhaps admiration… something like that.”
Dylan was indifferent by nature, to the point that even his likes and dislikes were not particularly clear.
And yet, he had acquired a completely new emotion called admiration!
It was undoubtedly a remarkable achievement.
But the Emperor couldn’t be satisfied with that.
“Is it really admiration? What exactly is admiration?”
“……”
Dylan apparently didn’t even have a clear understanding of what admiration was.
Watching his younger brother suddenly grow much quieter, the Emperor asked,
“Then, Dylan. Why do you admire the person who will become your w-w-wife? There must be a reason, right?”
For a moment, he realized that he sounded like an embarrassing busybody getting overly excited about someone else’s love life.
But curiosity always had a way of defeating reason.
“I can’t… tell you that yet.”
The Emperor, growing impatient, questioned him with an excited gaze.
But the taciturn Dylan kept his mouth shut and remained silent.
So he got married without even knowing exactly what his own feelings were? My brother, who lives his life by the book and never does anything interesting?
Dylan seemed to be experiencing emotions, albeit faintly.
I suppose I’ll have to look into this more carefully.
The Emperor’s gaze darkened.
In truth, there was also something worrying about Dylan’s “admiration.”
There was a terrorist faction within the Imperial Knights that was plotting to overthrow the Empire.
In the worst-case scenario, the person Dylan had fallen for could even be one of those terrorists.
She could have used dark magic. There’s such a thing as a love potion, isn’t there?
As his brother, wouldn’t it be proper to get to know the woman properly?
The Emperor clenched his fist.
To be honest, he was curious about the woman who had made a smile bloom on his normally expressionless younger brother’s face…
…No.
This definitely wasn’t about satisfying his curiosity.
He merely needed to determine whether she was a terrorist or not.
Everything was for the sake of his younger brother’s safety.
How exactly should I investigate her?
The corners of the Emperor’s lips instantly curled upward.
At the same time, Ishael was also meeting with her family.
Unlike Dylan, however, this meeting was very much against her will.
Lady Martha had summoned Ishael to a coffee house outside the Imperial Palace.
“Hehe, perhaps it’s because we’re near the Imperial Palace, but the air is truly wonderful! Don’t you agree, my dear?”
Lady Martha’s frivolous voice echoed throughout the entire coffee house.
I smiled sweetly at her.
“It really is. Why did you call me here?”
There was only one reason Lady Martha smiled at me like that.
“My dear, your mother has something to say to you.”
In the past, I had been so captivated by the words my dear that I had given her everything I had, even my very heart and soul.
But things were different now.
Just looking at those greed-filled eyes was enough to kill my appetite.
“What is it?”
She probably needs money. Obviously.
“I need some money.”
I knew it.
I should have brought a mat and set up shop for fortune-telling.
“Soldeka’s debutante needs a dress, and we don’t have enough money for it.”
I nodded.
“Hmm… a little later. My payday was delayed.”
“Oh, really?”
The moment her gaze sharpened, I smiled and pushed a small document toward her.
“Of course I’ll give you the money. I’m Ishael, after all.”
Yeah, right. No, I won’t.
“Oh? Is that so? But what is this document?”
“Something good.”
“Hmm?”
“Could you sign here?”
I waved the small sheet of paper in front of her.
It was a document covered in ancient script.
At that moment, Lady Martha’s lips twisted slightly.
“Hehe… heh. Hmm, what is that?”
“You’re such an intelligent woman, Mother. You can read ancient language too, can’t you? You know what it says, right?”
I smiled as I gently flattered her, watching her vanity swell with pride.
Lady Martha rolled her eyes around and stammered.
“O-of course! Naturally I know!”
She doesn’t know, yet she’s pretending she does. Again?
There were two languages commonly used throughout the Empire.
One was the Imperial common language, and the other was the ancient language of the Empire.
Unfortunately, Lady Martha was completely illiterate when it came to ancient language.
She had lived as a fallen noblewoman for more than a decade.
And since she had never been particularly clever to begin with, it was obvious that she had forgotten all the ancient language she had learned back when she was still a noblewoman.
Unlike her, I had easily mastered ancient language thanks to my studies at the Academy.
“As you can see, Mother, the words at the very top say <Salty Turnip of the Salt Fields>. They told me I need my parents’ consent to take out a loan.”
“Hmm? <Salty Turnip of the Salt Fields>? Why would you go there?”
“Why else? To buy you a dress.”
I didn’t know it myself, but apparently I was quite good at acting.
As usual, I held out the document while pretending to be a good, obedient daughter.
Greed appeared in her eyes as she looked at me.
“Oh, really? Even a dress for me?”
She didn’t even suspect that I might be lying.
Well, after all, I had worked myself to the bone for more than ten years since I was young to support the family.
It would have been stranger if she openly suspected me.
“Yes. Your birthday is coming soon.”
Perhaps she was already imagining her new dress.
Lady Martha’s eyes narrowed with excitement.
“Haha, then let’s do that! Of course I’ll sign it. I should make a reservation at the salon.”
<Salty Turnip of the Salt Fields>.
It was a loan shark company with an interest rate exceeding 1,000 percent.
Lady Martha knew perfectly well that it was a vicious, predatory business.
And yet, blinded by her own greed, she readily signed the document.
Even though she knew it was paperwork that would send her own daughter straight into danger.
That was the last chance I was giving you, but you threw it away.
I took the document back and smiled sweetly at her.
You may not know ancient Imperial language, Mother, so you have no idea.
What you just signed isn’t a loan-shark agreement at all.
It’s actually…
