I Thought It Was An Arranged Marriage - Chapter 34

Lucas abandoned his desires. There were things in the world that, even if you wanted them, you shouldn’t have. He was a destructive presence in her life. After meeting him, she never smiled and withered away day by day. If his existence brought her misery, one time of ruining her with his selfishness was enough.

So, he decided to remove himself from her life. As planned, Rosaline became the wife of the young marquis of Addis, and he returned to the battlefield. The young marquis had a good reputation, so he thought he would make her happy. They were deeply in love, after all. Wasn’t that what he always said?

But what greeted him upon his return from the battlefield was an obituary. Rosaline, again, had become a cold corpse, entangled in a ridiculous love affair.

Lucas lost his sanity. He had given up on Rosaline for her happiness. But if he had known it would turn out like this, he would never have let that bastard off.

Lucas had been deceived. The young marquis’s inability to bond with his new fiancée and his constant wandering wasn’t due to lingering feelings for his former fiancée. He was just a bastard.

So he tore those filthy people apart, slaughtered the Addis household for their negligence, and ripped apart those who had spoken carelessly.

And then he thought, let’s try one more time. She wasn’t someone who should die so meaninglessly.

Third Life.

Lucas, age 25. He regained his senses again at the victory ball.

For a while, he crazily investigated unmarried noblemen without fiancées. He scrutinized their status, power, abilities, appearance, relationships with women, personality, and family background. Even those not of marriageable age, as long as they were over fifteen, he examined them all.

But no matter how much he searched, there was no man suitable for Rosaline. They were all trash.

The Emperor, noticing his brother’s unusual behavior, had expectations. Perhaps he was looking into a match for the now sixteen-year-old princess as an uncle. But Lucas had no such noble intentions. After hearing everything, excluding only the fact of his regression, the Emperor said,

“If it’s like that, you should make her the Grand Duchess.”

The Emperor, who responded with a smile, soon doubted his eyes. His always arrogant and indifferent brother was trembling. No, his entire body was shaking. As if he was truly terrified, he squeezed out his words with a trembling voice.

“I’m afraid I’ll… make her unhappy.”

Realizing it wasn’t a joke, the Emperor felt relieved. He loved his brother. Despite the political crisis and anxiety, he wanted him to be happy. He was his only full-blooded sibling. Regardless of what others thought, he cherished and loved his brother dearly.

“If you have such feelings, it will be fine. If you know how to be scared and afraid, you are the safest person for the young lady.”

“Brother…”

“Think three times before saying anything to her, and hold back all your actions three times. Then you won’t hurt her.”

Constantly recalling his brother’s comfort and advice, he thought, if he didn’t obsess or monopolize over her, perhaps it would be better for her to live as the Grand Duchess of Bryant. Even if he removed Addis, she would only encounter other trash.

In that case, he might be the better option. He wouldn’t make mistakes anymore; he wouldn’t hurt his wife.

So, Lucas separated Kallen and boldly sent a marriage proposal to Rosaline.

As he said, it was indeed a long story. An absurd and preposterous story. But Rosaline listened to every word seriously. She had her own experiences that made it hard to call his words a lie. And after hearing his story, she understood some of the things that had puzzled her.

‘So that’s why he looked at me like that the first time we met, and why he humbled himself.’

What puzzled her the most was his emotions. How could he pour out such love when he had barely seen her?

Perhaps because he had showered her with overwhelming affection from the beginning, she couldn’t easily trust him and felt burdened by his feelings.

But if he had hidden such a story, if he had spent time with her that she didn’t remember, if he had faced her cold body twice, and if he had turned back time twice, she could understand the irrational amount of affection he had shown. The overwhelming love she felt burdened by was indeed hers.

She felt liberated from all the emotions that had tormented her. The disappointment she felt towards him, the jealousy that had boiled over, and the self-loathing that had eaten away at her. All of it vanished at once, replaced by a sense of awe and love.

‘What a truly clumsy person.’

She looked at the man kneeling before her, unable to raise his head, having poured out everything. He was trembling, unable to breathe properly, his large body hunched over and shaking.

His head remained bowed, his breath wet with tears, and drops of water intermittently fell from his bloodless fists resting on his knees.

She felt like she was going mad with love for him. She knew she wasn’t in her right mind, but she couldn’t help it. She was already in love, and a person in love wasn’t sane.

“Luke.”

At the sound of her gentle voice, his trembling shoulders jumped. The intermittent drops of water fell with a fierce momentum. Four months had been enough for him to melt her heart, and enough for her to understand him.

He seemed happy. Perhaps it was because Rosaline, after hearing everything, had called him Luke, a term of endearment. She didn’t hide her smile as she slowly stood up.

With each step she took, his ears twitched, his head drooped further, and his breath grew rougher. In just five steps, she felt her body lighten.

How fickle humans are. Just a moment ago, even knowing she was pretending to be sick, she didn’t have the strength to lift a finger. Now she felt incredibly light. She let out a small laugh and stood in front of him.

Then she knelt before him. She lifted his head with both hands, meeting his tear-filled blue eyes. She liked the emotions swirling in his eyes and pressed her lips to his eyelids. She followed the trail of falling tears and sucked them gently.

They were salty, but sweet. She remembered how he had licked her tears and laughed out loud. So this is why.

Lucas, unable to adapt to the changed atmosphere, was bewildered but instinctively embraced her as she burrowed into his arms. As he held her, a faint hope sprouted in the fear and resignation that had filled him. And as if responding to it, she declared with a smile in her voice,

“I forgive you, Luke.”

“Rosie…!”

Feeling his large body stiffen, Rosaline laughed again. She loosened her grip and faced him, seeing the indescribable emotions swirling on his face.

His eyes were wide with disbelief, as if he was wondering if he was dreaming. He seemed dazed, unable to believe the miracle unfolding before him. He remained frozen for a long time until she kissed his lips.

“Rosie, I… that is…”

“I forgive you. It’s okay, Luke.”

“This isn’t such a simple matter…”

“I don’t even remember it.”

“But it definitely happened.”