Chapter 4

‘Ha, Dennis…. Are you really not even ashamed?’

Though she had yielded it herself, the Marquis pressed a hand to his forehead as he watched his immature son snatch away and eat his younger sister’s things.

He could have forbidden even that, but just like his son, his daughter too had made a choice, so he decided to simply watch.

‘And today, the result of that choice appeared.’

Since he had heard from Celia that Viviana was reluctant about the engagement, the Marquis had been quietly lingering around her side, observing her complicated expressions, and clicked his tongue as he watched his immature son keep interrupting her thoughts from beside her.

‘Who in the world does that one take after?’

He clicked his tongue at his son, who was both stubborn and oblivious, but even so, the Marquis did not help Viviana. He merely watched to see how she would act.

‘There are several ways. It would be fine for her to get angry at Dennis for acting without any sense, and it would also be fine to bring someone over to stop him.’

Judging by Viviana’s expression, the former seemed more likely than the latter, so the Marquis smiled faintly and watched to see what choice she would make. The result was unexpected.

She utterly crushed Dennis, who had tried to take advantage of her kindness. Perhaps his son was not so lacking in sense that he could not even notice that she was angry, for after staring blankly at the miserably destroyed dessert plate, he left in a sullen mood.

His daughter, who always wore a quiet face and gave the impression of standing one step apart from the world as she observed it, was showing various emotions today, and the Marquis, delighted by that, chuckled under his breath.

‘You are much better.’

At least compared to her older brother, she was smarter and more mature. He felt some regret, thinking that perhaps she was the one better suited to be the heir. She was, at present, the Crown Prince’s fiancée, the future Crown Princess, and in the more distant future, the Empress.

“Viviana, do you not want to become a Marchioness?”

“What?”

At those incomprehensible words, Viviana tilted her head and looked up at the Marquis with a dazed face.

To begin with, becoming the head of a family herself sounded troublesome, so she did not want it in the first place, but,

‘Father knows that I have become the Crown Prince’s fiancée…. So why would he ask something like that?’

Though it was still a matter for the distant future, if Viviana were to become Empress, it would be impossible for her to also inherit and hold the rank of Marchioness.

She could simply keep the title and pass it on to her child, of course.

Naturally, Viviana had no intention of truly becoming Empress, and she would not be able to become one either.

Because she knew that at some point he would discover true love, cast her aside, and make that true love his Empress.

When she failed to understand the intent behind the question and only hesitated without answering, the Marquis lowered his brows and, wearing an apologetic expression, opened his mouth.

“Viviana, if you…. do not want it, the engagement can be undone.”

The Marquis had accepted her engagement partly because he could not refuse the Emperor’s proposal, but also because he thought the proposal would be good for her.

If he had known she would dislike it this much, he would not have accepted it.

The Crown Prince he had seen so far had always been kind and of good character.

It had been too consistent to be merely an act, so the Marquis had judged that he would make a good husband, and that was why he had made that choice, but if it led to Viviana’s unhappiness, he believed it should be corrected before things became more twisted.

Viviana had once said before that she did not want to become a Marchioness, but if this engagement were to be undone today, then even if she disliked it, she would have to become a Marchioness.

That was the only way the anger of the Imperial Family would pass over her.

No noble house would take as a bride a young lady who had rejected the Imperial Family, and even if one did, they might make Viviana miserable while trying to read the Imperial Family’s temper.

So Viviana would have to become the Marquis’s heir, prostrate herself flat, and humble herself by saying that she would remain not the sovereign’s woman, but the sovereign’s subject.

Even if she did that, the Imperial Family would probably still not look kindly on her.

‘They would be furious.’

Everything had already been completed. Only the announcement remained, and most people already knew that the engagement had taken place.

In that state, if they spoke of breaking it off, it was obvious that the Imperial Family would grow angry, asking whether they were being made a fool of.

The anger of the Imperial Family was frightening, but even so, he still wished for his daughter to be happy.

The wealth and honor built up by his ancestors might come crashing down to the bottom.

Even so, because his daughter Viviana’s happiness was precious to him, he wanted to correct the mistake brought about by his own choice.

“If you want it, then say so. This is the only chance you will have.”

If she had only nodded, he had intended to go to the Emperor at once and say that this engagement could not proceed, but instead of nodding, she shook her head from side to side.

“No. It is alright. Do not worry, Father.”

I will not be able to become Empress anyway.

And I do not intend to love anyone ever again, so I do not want to marry either.

If I become engaged like this, marry, and then fail to become Empress and get cast aside, my honor may fall to the ground, but since I do not intend to marry anyone anyway, it does not matter.

If only I endure a little, everyone can be happy, so I am alright.

It is still hard to look at him, but if my family can become happy, then I am truly alright.

Truly.

Pushing all of those words down into her stomach and perfectly hiding her true feelings, Viviana smiled sweetly and whispered,

“Everything will be fine.”

Thinking that as always, he would fall in love with someone else while leaving her behind, and that unlike in the past, if she cleanly withdrew, it could all end without anyone getting hurt, Viviana smiled at the Marquis.

The Marquis looked at her carefully, and once he realized that was sincere, his face darkened, but then he nodded, saying that if that was Viviana’s choice, he would not stop her.

‘Still, since the Crown Prince’s character is not bad, if only their hearts somehow connect, might things not turn out well? His face is handsome too, so it should not be hard for him to win Viviana’s favor.’

He felt sorry, because it looked as though he had forcibly pushed her forward while telling her to be happy, but he truly wished for Viviana’s happiness.

As the Marquis remained by Viviana’s side like that, Viviana found herself hoping that this time, at least, the person he fell in love with would not be a man.

‘If he says he will love that person but have children with me, I will kill them both.’

If this were the sort of country where there was an Emperor insane enough to think something like that, then it deserved to collapse.

In her previous lives, when he had come to love a man, he had never asked such a thing of her, but now he was the Crown Prince, so she could not be sure.

Since he had to continue the line, perhaps he might use her that way, thought Viviana, and she gave a short laugh.

‘…In a past life, I might have said even that would be enough.’

Now that she had cleanly given up on him, she hated the thought. Her foolish past self had clung to him, asking for even just the shell, but now she did not want either the shell or the heart. She hated it enough to make her teeth tremble.

As her face hardened at the thoughts of the past she had recalled yet again, the Marquis gently took Viviana’s hand.

Then a man quietly approached the father and daughter standing there and whispered something into the Marquis’s ear.

At that whisper, the Marquis’s face stiffened, and he gave the hand of Viviana’s that he was holding a slight tug.

“It is time to prepare now.”

At those words, Viviana’s face stiffened for a moment, then relaxed.

‘Since I decided to keep living, we were bound to face each other someday anyway.’

So, telling herself not to worry, Viviana took the Marquis’s hand, walked over to the entrance of the banquet hall, and stood quietly as she waited for him, whom she would meet for the first time in this reincarnation.

Soon, along with the grand sound of trumpets, someone cried out from the entrance.

“His Majesty the Emperor, and His Highness Skyler, his heir, are entering!”

At those words, everyone’s gaze poured toward the entrance. The doors at the entrance, which had stolen even the gazes of Viviana and the Marquis, slowly opened, and a handsome man wearing a golden ceremonial dress walked in, along with a boy who looked exactly like him.

‘That person.’

He was him in this life. Her heart began to pound. Whether from unease or from love, it beat and stirred so strongly that she could not tell, and Viviana placed a hand over her chest and pressed down, soothing her agitated heart.

No one looked straight at the Emperor as he came down wearing a pleasant smile. Everyone lowered their heads and paid their respects, waiting for him to pass the entrance and command them to rise.

The same was true for her. Her face had sunk into such calm stillness that it was impossible to know what she was thinking.

“I am deeply grateful that you have come today to celebrate the birthday of my eldest son, Skyler, who will lead the next generation of this Fatality Empire.”

When the handsome Emperor smiled warmly, warmth spread through the hall, where a hint of tension had been hanging. While everyone smiled in a friendly mood, Viviana did not smile and only looked straight at him.

Skyler, who had been looking up at his father proudly, slightly turned his head at the gaze pouring onto his cheek and met the owner of that gaze.

“Ah….”

The owner of the gaze was a girl around his own age. Despite the splendid clothes she wore, the girl, whose overall colors seemed pale and faded, was looking at him with emotions whose meaning he could not understand.

At the sudden feeling of his chest tightening, Skyler clutched the hand of his father, who was holding his own, more tightly.

Hm? Looking down at Skyler as if puzzled, the Emperor noticed that he was looking at someone.

When he followed that gaze, he saw a girl. And when he saw who was standing at her side, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed.

“That fellow….”

How was it that he had somehow known at once that she was his fiancée and was looking at her?

Even if that was not the case, it was still a good sign.

‘Even if it began as a political arrangement, perhaps it may end in love.’

The two were bound by engagement, so unless one of them died, or something akin to treason occurred, they would marry the moment they came of age.

From now on, they would be people destined to spend their entire lives together, so it was better if their relationship was good rather than bad.

“There is one more matter to celebrate.”

And as he held out his hand toward the Marquis, that seemed to serve as a signal, and the Marquis came forward leading Viviana with him.

The closer the girl, Viviana, came, the more uneasily Skyler’s heart pounded.

“Skyler and the precious jewel of Marquis Orhan are to be engaged.”

At those words, sighs and small cheers broke out.

The former came from houses that had been aiming for the position of the next Empress, and the latter from those welcoming the even stronger unity of the Emperor’s faction.

Either way, good news was good news, so applause poured down upon the two of them.

‘So she is my… fiancée.’

Skyler’s cheeks flushed red.

Even though he looked at her openly, Viviana did not send even a shred of gaze his way, and her expression did not change either.

Does she not like me? Skyler grew sullen at the sight of Viviana showing him no interest.

Unlike what Skyler thought, Viviana’s heart was churning so much that it was hard for her even to remain standing.