VII. Brilliant Fate, at the Edge of Love

[Estelle Arcis]

Looking at the words written at the top of the report, he leaned deeply against the chair’s backrest. Perhaps because he was accustomed to maintaining proper posture, this uncomfortable position felt awkward, but… after adjusting his seat several times, he just straightened his posture again.

“Arcis……”

The dozens of pages were densely filled with the history and background of her family, along with various incidents large and small. But no matter how closely he examined it, he couldn’t find anything unusual.

‘Lady of a fallen count’s family,’ to summarize, just that, a common, trivial woman.

The saintess, said to be the goddess’s incarnation after hundreds of years, was quite ordinary. She was also completely infatuated with him. That was clearly ordinary. Women’s obsession with their appearance was as natural as breathing. As if a handsome face was some kind of indulgence, they easily forgave themselves no matter what humiliation they suffered.

Something to thank God for. Of course, he’d never properly made excuses, but with just one smile, they interpreted and understood things their own way, so why bother lowering his dignity?

Clicking his tongue, he slammed down the report. He hated sudden incidents. Too many variables.

‘Should I just… get rid of her?’

He considered handling it in the most convenient way rather than bothering with various considerations, but then remembered how much attention she had attracted.

The woman seemed proud of being chosen by the goddess, eagerly showing her face at every invitation that flew in, building meager connections. A woman who didn’t even realize she was being treated like a strange animal—charitably speaking, innocent… by his standards, stupid.

‘Having lived in poverty, she must have wanted to be treated well.’

While he was contemplating what to do with her, a meeting was held regarding the saintess’s disposition. It was extremely rare for all Guardians to gather in one place, and he was somewhat surprised that even Caesar Adrian, who had become a wreck, attended. Though he was probably only curious about matters related to his fiancée, whom he had killed with his own hands.

As expected, he consistently maintained the attitude that he was only curious if there was a way to resurrect his fiancée using the saintess’s power, and that her whereabouts were none of his business.

Right, if he had been buried with his fiancée that day, they both would have been better off. Perhaps due to their opposing abilities, he was a hateful man who gave nothing in return.

‘I see he still isn’t taking the elixir.’

Though it didn’t show outwardly, his unstable energy made the surrounding air feel like it was vibrating.

‘Leave him alone and he’ll self-destruct.’

If he went berserk again, he planned to cut off his limbs. Even if he miraculously regained his senses like before, a second rampage would bring overflowing benefits.

The agreement regarding the saintess proceeded smoothly. No one advocated for her humane treatment.

That was natural. She was an object created by the goddess for the Guardians. Didn’t historical records prove it?

A few days later, looking at the pile of documents stacked on his desk, he finally decided how to use the saintess. This was because disrespectful movements had become noticeably detectable.

The saintess’s appearance was enough to give different ideas to the dukes and their groups who had been dependent on the elixir. The names of nobles pushed out from the center and those who had been wagging their tails at him for a long time were also quite visible.

“Nothing but a bunch of deceivers.”

He felt indignant, but not particularly disappointed. Politics had always been dirty. If there was even one honest person among the central nobles, that would be a miracle. The 6 Houses embedded at the center of power like primordial cornerstones, and all the nobles lined up beneath them were uniformly sinister.

They were opportunists who wouldn’t miss a chance to advance to the center of power, ready to betray at any time, so it would be stupid to be surprised. He himself was no different, perhaps even worse.

The big difference was that while their goal was simply to build up their greedy bellies, he had a future he had dreamed of since childhood.

A more advanced Empire, which required a life where rewards were based on ability, not status. To ultimately create a world where everyone was equal, he had to succeed to the throne no matter what.

‘No one would understand… except for one person.’

Only Asius understood his ambitions. Even without saying anything, he could see through his thoughts like an astrologer. Asius had inspired him in other areas as well. They had established detailed frameworks for unclear plans through conversations together.

No matter what anyone said, Asius was a brother beyond blood. Until that incident.

Dreams alone don’t accomplish anything. He apparently didn’t know that righteousness that condemns dirty hands and bloodstains exists only in nonsensical fairy tales.

Asius was frustrating, but he wasn’t completely unaware of the loss he felt.

‘Even I, who thought I had become numb to emotions, suffered for a while…’

The Grand Duke who had treated him like his own son, the saintess who loved him—all were destined to be sacrificed as stepping stones for a better world, but it was a dream worth that much. They would eventually understand too. The happiness of many obtained through the sacrifice of few.

“The saintess is a threat to us.”

The emperor kept urging him to eliminate the saintess, but knowing this stemmed from his fear, he couldn’t help but sneer.

‘I should marry the saintess.’

It was also an excellent opportunity that could potentially advance his ascension to the throne. The detailed plan for utilizing the saintess was simply decided at a gambling table. While he sometimes carefully reviewed plans, when something wasn’t worth the effort, he would casually determine the future even while drinking tea or playing cards. She was an object, so he could just use her adequately and then discard her.

Things unfolded easily. For him, winning a woman’s heart wasn’t particularly difficult, but he was glad to skip the hassle of having to seduce her. He really hated wasting time on unnecessary things.

When he felt the right moment had come, he proposed with sincere words in a place she would like. Of course, he hadn’t really put true sincerity into it. Her overwhelmed, flustered reaction was so predictable that it was even boring.

He saw no need to embrace a woman who couldn’t bear children, so there was no marital bed between them. She was too innocent, and he felt somewhat guilty about using her to satisfy his l*st.

Despite the insult of even skipping the first wedding night, she just smiled. If she had whined or complained, even the little sympathy he had would have disappeared, but she handled it quite well.

The saintess was more useful than expected. Above all, seeing his father, who had used the elixir as leverage and treated his own son like a dog, burst with anger made him feel as if all the past anger and irritation he had endured were being cleanly resolved.

His father, driven to desperation, tried several times to secretly kill her, but was repeatedly blocked by him. The sight of the pitiful old man still unable to let go of his desire for power and struggling so disgustingly… It was shameful that they shared the same blood.

The fact that she was still alive and well was also evidence that his influence in the imperial palace now surpassed the emperor’s. Though there were still many obstacles to overcome, that was a remarkable achievement.

“Can I go with… oh, is that not possible?”

Whimpering like a puppy needing to relieve itself throughout the purification, his wife finally seemed to have made up her mind and parted her tightly closed lips. Her voice was so small that he pretended not to hear and stood up, but she urgently grabbed his hand.

“I, I want to go too!”

It was the first day he properly looked into his wife’s eyes. The eyes of the woman who had always blushed and lowered her gaze sparkled more than he had expected.

Unconsciously captivated, he stared blankly at her, and she blushed to her ears and lowered her head, and that appearance… well, how to express it, he felt a surge of desire to bite into her deliciously colored white nape.

She was his wife. Come to think of it… he remembered they had never had s*x. His wife might not know, but she was already a woman who had lost her virginity to that Alexis youngster. Promiscuous women were not his taste, and especially, he wasn’t attracted to women who had relations with men he considered beneath him, but that day he was strangely aroused. So in broad daylight, skipping the party, he impulsively took her.