Chapter 6.4

At the long table, King Loen of the Kingdom of Loen sat at the center, his head bowed in shame, unable to meet the gaze of the Marquis of Thruella.

“Thank you for understanding my decision to issue the annulment order.”

Summoning his courage, the King spoke, but a vein popped on the Marquis of Thruella’s forehead. Sitting to the King’s right, the Marquis clenched his teeth and spoke through gritted teeth.

“I did not understand it.”

After that single statement, he firmly shut his mouth. King Loen was deeply intimidated by his vassal, the Marquis of Thruella. Naturally timid, the King found the Marquis’s towering figure and stern demeanor overwhelming. The Marquis’s commanding voice and imposing face made it difficult for the King to issue orders.

The King owed the Marquis a great debt for taking him in and protecting him after he had fled the capital. He didn’t want to give him any orders that would cause disappointment. However, the Empire’s unreasonable demands had forced his hand.

King Loen glanced at Duke Digory, who sat several seats away on the left. The woman with the large scar on her face wore an expression of boredom, staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly, she turned to look at King Loen, startling him into averting his gaze.

The Duke was just as intimidating. Duke Sherry Digory, a confidante of the Emperor, was rumored to have killed her own brother with magic to secure her position as the Emperor’s right hand. Allegedly, she had frozen him alive.

“How much longer are you going to make me and the Princess wait?”

The Duke’s irritated voice cut through the room. King Loen flinched, his lips trembling as he searched for a response. At that moment, Gilbert, sitting beside his father, glared at the Duke.

“I understand that you are a Duke of the Empire and the Emperor’s right hand. But this is Loen. Show respect to His Majesty.”

Duke Digory tilted her head, scrutinizing Gilbert’s face before smirking.

“You’re just a cheeky little brat.”

The Duke uncrossed her arms and placed her right hand on the table. Although she appeared to be around Gilbert’s age, she was actually a mage over 100 years old.

‘Interesting.’

Light began to emanate from her hand. It was the glow of magic, visible only to mages. Neither Gilbert nor the Marquis of Thruella, who were not mages, noticed what she was doing.

However, King Loen, despite his meager magical abilities, gasped in alarm as he realized her intentions.

“Duke Digory, show some respect.”

Another voice joined in, calm yet commanding. It was the Princess, her face hidden behind a white veil.

“Are you giving me an order, Your Highness?”

“You are here as my escort. Naturally, you must follow my commands.”

The Duke glared at the veiled Princess before breaking into a grin.

“Forgive my rudeness, King of Loen. And to you as well, young lord.”

King Loen swallowed nervously and nodded. Gilbert still glared at Duke Digory with disapproval. Receiving his heated gaze, the Duke smiled faintly and asked Gilbert, 

“What is your name, young lord?”

“Gilbert Thruella.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of you. You’re the one who fought to the end at Troskan Castle. Because of you and your father, we had quite a hard time.”

Gilbert’s eyebrows twitched.

“Duke Digory, I believe I told you to show respect.”

“I was complimenting him, Your Highness.”

“When I said to show respect, I meant to keep your mouth shut.”

The Princess turned her head slightly toward the Duke and spoke coldly. Duke Digory shrugged as if she were being wronged, then obeyed the command and fell silent. With her silence, the meeting room became deathly quiet.

Although Gilbert couldn’t see the Princess’s face due to her veil, he was deeply impressed by her demeanor. He had heard that she was around Rizle’s age. However, unlike the mischievous and reckless Rizle, the Princess exuded a calm charisma that subdued others with grace.

This is how a ruler should be, Gilbert thought to himself, nodding internally. For a moment, he wondered if marrying the Princess would be more advantageous for Heizen than being with Rizle. He felt a pang of guilt toward his sister for thinking so.

While Gilbert admired the Princess, King Loen felt suffocated by the oppressive silence. He desperately prayed for Heizen to arrive soon. Fortunately, before the King completely lost his composure, a knight brought the long-awaited news of Heizen’s arrival.

“Count Warkliber! Why are you so late?”

The King scolded loudly as soon as the door opened, clearly intending to make a point to Duke Digory and the Princess. However, his jaw dropped when he saw Heizen enter.

Heizen greeted the King casually as he walked into the meeting room, sporting an enormous, bright red ribbon on his head. Even if King Loen tried to generously interpret it as a new trend among young people, the ribbon was simply too large and ill-suited.

The King’s assumption wasn’t entirely wrong. Recently, there had been a trend among young women in Loen to tie their ribbons onto their lovers or husbands. Gilbert recognized it immediately. However, even within that trend, no one had ever worn such an exaggerated ribbon, let alone presented themselves before the King dressed like that.

‘Rizle Thruella, you’ve truly lost your mind.’ 

Gilbert muttered to himself, cringing at the sight of Heizen with the oversized ribbon.

“Is the ribbon on my head bothering you?” 

Heizen asked, addressing the obvious issue before anyone else could. The King’s lips twitched as he replied, 

“Well, yes.”

The King wanted to be seen as someone who embraced trends, but this one was too much for him to accept, leaving him with a stiff expression.

“If it were slightly smaller, it might have suited you. Yes, well…”

“I chose it to be deliberately large.”

“I see. Hmm, very well.”

“Are you the Princess of the Empire?” 

Heizen asked, turning to the veiled Princess. She nodded slightly.

“As you can see, I already belong to someone. She is a woman who loves me despite my inability to carry a conversation and my magpie-like tendency to collect anything shiny.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” 

King Loen interrupted, trying to signal Heizen to stop with a glance. Heizen took a deep breath and continued.

“I cannot marry the Princess.”

“Count Warkliber! My apologies; it seems there’s been some misunderstanding. Please allow us some time to clarify…”

“No matter how much time you give, my decision will not change.”

The King, sweating nervously, tried to salvage the situation, but Heizen remained resolute. The King looked to the Marquis of Thruella for help, but the Marquis, for some reason, appeared slightly less angry and pretended not to hear.

“Do you think refusing is the end of it? Do you think we came all this way just to be mocked?” 

Duke Digory scowled, her displeasure evident. She loudly questioned the King’s commitment to keeping his promises.

The King, flustered, urged Heizen to apologize and retract his statement immediately.

“I understand your position, Count Warkliber.”

The Princess said softly, letting out a small sigh as she lifted her veil. Her ebony-black, glossy hair and delicate features were revealed. She looked at Heizen with troubled eyes.

“But I, too, have pressing circumstances. I must return to the Empire with a man who will become my husband.”

“There is only one person in this world I wish to marry. I’m sorry, but that person is not you, Princess.”

Seeing that Heizen was unwavering, the Princess sighed again.

“Am I supposed to find another man now, when I need to return quickly?”

Her murmured words carried a note of urgency. Duke Digory slammed her palm on the table.

“Is there really a woman whom you talked about?”

“There is.”

“Name her. If she’s someone you would choose over our Princess, we should at least know her name and face.”

Though Duke Digory spoke as if she didn’t know, her gaze—directed at the Marquis of Thruella and Gilbert—betrayed her awareness. She smirked slyly.

Heizen hesitated, glancing at his future father-in-law and brother-in-law. The Marquis of Thruella looked ready to fight Duke Digory at any moment, his face flushed with anger. In contrast, Gilbert seemed oddly distracted, staring at the Princess with a dazed expression.

A sudden thought struck Heizen.

“If you must marry someone, Gilbert here is unmarried.”

Gilbert’s eyes widened in shock as the attention suddenly shifted to him. King Loen clapped his hands together.

“Gilbert is an excellent candidate for a husband.”

“Your Majesty.”

The Marquis of Thruella called out, his tone questioning the King’s sanity. The King avoided the Marquis’s reproachful gaze and instead tried to persuade the Imperial delegation.

“He is skilled in combat and swordsmanship, and, as you can see, he’s quite handsome. Like his father, the Marquis, who is known for being a devoted husband, Gilbert would undoubtedly treat the Princess well.”

The situation took an unexpected turn. Gilbert glared at Heizen in disbelief, then sighed and nodded.

“If returning to the Empire is truly urgent, I will accompany the Princess.”

“Gilbert, what are you saying?” 

The Marquis of Thruella grabbed his son’s arm, shocked. Gilbert had always resisted matchmaking efforts, claiming he wanted to take his time finding the right partner. Yet now, he was rushing into marriage.

“There’s no other choice. Count Warkliber is being stubborn because of my sister, so it’s my responsibility as family to resolve this. Of course, if the Empire finds this acceptable…”

Gilbert looked at Duke Digory, whose insistence on Heizen had caused the whole ordeal. Surprisingly, the Duke remained composed.

“If the Princess finds it acceptable.”

Duke Digory deferred the decision to the Princess. The Princess let out a sigh of relief and looked at Gilbert.

“If you’re willing to take responsibility, I will accept. However, it would be problematic if you suddenly changed your mind on the way.”

“I won’t go back on my word.”

Gilbert smiled warmly at the Princess, who still seemed skeptical.