Chapter 6 – Change (Part 4)

“It’s difficult to answer with just that information. If the official entered an arranged marriage, there must have been clear benefits. And even though marrying a princess of a country would have offered significant advantages, he still chose an arranged marriage with someone else, meaning he concluded that the benefits from the arranged marriage outweighed those from the royal family.”

As Cassius continued his explanation based on political judgment, Karinsa’s face hardened. Unaware of her change in expression, Cassius continued.

“Even if he had feelings for the princess before, if he proceeded with an arranged marriage with another, the situation wouldn’t change much even if their feelings deepened afterward. So, maintaining the current state would be best for both of them.”

“But! Since they would marry out of interest without confirming their feelings, wouldn’t the official want to break off the engagement and be with the princess if they confirmed their love?”

“Without knowing the exact circumstances of that country, it’s hard to say definitively, but someone ambitious enough to enter an arranged marriage wouldn’t break it off for love. And if arranged marriages are common there, culturally, they might also be tolerant of having separate lovers, so maintaining a romantic relationship while each benefits would be rational.”

“Are you saying to take a princess of a country as a mistress?”

Karinsa exclaimed angrily, unable to hide her displeasure.

“The official would become the princess’s consort.”

Karinsa looked up at the Duke, unable to hide her displeasure. The moonlight slid down his straight forehead and nose as he gazed into the distance, keeping watch. Newly smitten by his appearance, the Princess calmed her irritation and reminded herself of her purpose.

‘I lost my temper without realizing it. The Duke understood my words as someone else’s story, which is why he spoke so coldly. If he realizes it’s about us, his thoughts will change.’

“Do you perhaps have someone you hold dear in your heart, Cassius-oppa?”

The Princess wanted to hear directly from the Duke that he had no one in his heart. Once he said those words, she felt she could break off his engagement, which had no benefits or affection, and make him like her, given their familiarity since childhood.

“I have a fiancée. I’m not sure what you’re implying with that question.”

“That’s just because you chose someone who wouldn’t threaten the royal family as Duke Grendel. Even if I’m not politically savvy, I know that much. So, since you didn’t get engaged to someone you love, I was curious if you had someone you might have feelings for. The late Duke also…”

At the mention of the previous Duke, Cassius’s eyes turned cold. Princess Karinsa realized her mistake and hesitated. Cassius spoke in a chilly voice.

“It’s true that my father had mistresses here and there. But whether that was out of affection is questionable. My father paid no attention to those who weren’t necessary for the family.”

“I apologize for making an unnecessary remark and upsetting you. I’m sorry.”

“And once I’m married, regardless of my feelings, I have no intention of keeping a mistress and insulting my spouse. No wife would like a husband who keeps a mistress, even if the marriage lacked affection.”

Karinsa, interpreting Cassius’s words in her favor, felt pleased. While Cassius meant he would be faithful to his current fiancée, Karinsa took it as a promise to be devoted to the family he would build. This only reinforced her belief that Cassius was the ideal husband, and she fell for him once again.

Princess Karinsa and the Duke stood by the lakeside, looking at each other. The moonlit lake reflected a soft glow, making it seem as though they were enveloped in a sacred light.

King Clois watched them from afar and thought.

‘The atmosphere seems good. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but from the looks of it, Cassius might be swayed by Karinsa. He’s usually hard to read, but who wouldn’t be moved in a setting like this?’

Queen Agnes, too, appeared expectant, her cheeks flushed as she watched the Duke and the Princess with anticipation. Even the usually indifferent head maid seemed slightly hopeful. The Imperial Knights hiding behind nearby columns swallowed nervously, as if watching a critical scene in a novel.

Having completed his survey of the surroundings, Cassius looked down at Karinsa. As she gazed at the Duke, who resembled a statue meticulously crafted by the moon goddess to adorn her garden, Karinsa unconsciously clasped her hands together in front of her chest.

At that moment, Cassius took a step closer to the Princess and slowly raised one hand. As his hand neared her golden hair cascading down, Karinsa barely managed to control her pounding heart and looked at the handsome and composed face of the Duke. As if responding to her expectations, Cassius’s low voice reached her sweetly.

“Karinsa…”

When Cassius called her name in a soft, low voice, the Princess’s heart fluttered so intensely that it made her chest ache.

“Karinsa… Princess.”

Unable to find her voice, Karinsa simply raised her head and gazed at the Duke. Cassius slowly lifted his hand but hesitated at the Princess’s shoulder. Wondering why he paused, Karinsa thought perhaps he was holding back because of her status and stepped closer to him.

This caused Cassius to flinch and step back. Then he spoke.

“There’s a bug on your shoulder, Princess. Shall I remove it for you?”

For a moment, Karinsa couldn’t comprehend Cassius’s words and just stared blankly at his face. Then, following his gaze, she slowly looked down at her shoulder.

There sat a large mantis, perched nonchalantly.

“Ahhh! Eek, eek!! Aaaah!!!”

Karinsa, who had an extreme aversion to insects, reacted almost hysterically upon seeing the mantis on her shoulder.

“Karinsa!” 

At the Princess’s scream, King Clois, forgetting he was hiding, dashed out from behind the colonnade. Despite the commotion, Cassius calmly picked the mantis off the Princess’s shoulder.

“You! What did you do to Karinsa? Did you say something unspeakable? Speak up immediately! It’s a royal command!”

Following the King, the Queen, the Princess’s head maid, and the guards all appeared in a flurry.

Reflecting on the unnecessary caution with so many guards around, Cassius held up the mantis in front of the King’s face.

“There was a mantis on the Princess’s shoulder, so I removed it.”

King Clois halted at the sight of the mantis. Knowing how much Karinsa detested insects, he finally understood the situation.

“Oh, that… I see. …Thank you.”

“So this was the urgent reason for summoning me today. It seems I’ve fulfilled my duty, so I’ll take my leave.”

Cassius tossed the mantis into the distant bushes, bowed to the King, and returned to the palace to use the royal transportation.

“…He seems angry.”

The King muttered to himself, prompting the Queen to ask.

“Pardon? Your Majesty?”

“Cassius seems angry. No, I’m sure of it. He’s really angry.”

“He didn’t look much different than usual to me.”

But King Clois could tell. Before Cassius became the Minister of Administration, he had been Clois’s playmate and study companion, spending many years together. It was an insight only someone who had shared such time could have. Though he appeared calm, the Duke was seething with anger.

***

Meanwhile, Marquis Emiliano van Gottree, who had been practically living at the Royal Academy of Advanced Studies due to his research, had returned to his family home for a long-awaited rest. He would occasionally return home to relax when fatigue accumulated or when research progress stalled.

As the eldest son of the Gottree family, he had become the head of the household, but his younger brother managed the family affairs. Emiliano had declared early on that he had no intention of succeeding the family and would devote himself to alchemical research.

He planned to formally pass the position of head of the family to his brother at an opportune time.

Bang! 

Despite the loud noise of his door being flung open, Emiliano remained in a deep sleep. Even as the door closed again, he slept soundly until he was rudely thrown onto the floor with his blanket, waking him halfway.

“Emil, get up immediately. Something big has happened.”

Cassius had gone to the Academy to find Emiliano, but not finding him there, he became irritable and asked where Emiliano had gone. The unfortunate research students timidly informed him that the professor had gone to his family home, prompting Cassius to head there, growing even more irritable. Thus, he had no patience for the sleeping professor.

Hearing Cassius’s voice, Emiliano, still half-asleep, looked around in confusion. He briefly wondered if he was in his laboratory, but a glance confirmed he was in the cozy room of his family home.

“Uh…”

Even a genius scholar like Emiliano couldn’t respond properly, still not fully awake from several days of lost sleep.

“I need your opinion. Something unusual is happening.”

“Uh… Cassius, you do realize this is the Gottree residence, right? If you need something, you could wait until I return to the Academy…”

“It’s not about that, it’s more serious.”

“…Serious enough to come to my family home in the middle of the night and throw me onto the floor?”

It seemed Cassius only then realized Emiliano was sprawled on the floor and that it was dark outside.

“You were really asleep. I’ll come back during the day.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m awake now anyway, and since you came all the way here, it must be something significant. I’ll have tea brought up.”