Chapter 3

“A man is always influenced by how a woman treats him. Alec keeps his distance because you aren’t kind to him.”

“……”

Yes, yes.

It’s my fault that I can’t even see stars, let alone have a child, Mother-in-law……

Not long after I resigned myself to accepting the marriage.

I began to care about things other than being with my husband and getting pregnant.

No matter how much I wanted it, he wasn’t going to change suddenly. I decided to wait for him, trying hard and taking it slow together.

According to the head maid, Alec also never intended to get married.

He had already given up on marriage because he knew what was impossible for him.

However, my mother-in-law, who desperately wanted a descendant, couldn’t find a daughter-in-law in the Rilt Empire and eventually found me from a foreign country.

Although everyone recognized Alec’s looks, no one wanted to marry him for fear of being marked by a tyrant.

Alec couldn’t stop the marriage that his mother had forcibly arranged.

“Yeah. Alec is suffering because he got into a marriage he didn’t want. Things might get better someday.”

He is the only man in both my past and present life that I fell in love with at first sight, after all.

Where else would I meet such a man again?

With that, I comforted myself and planned to gradually adapt as his wife and the Duchess of Brent.

During the early days of my marriage, I spent most of my time in the Duke of Brent’s library.

Since I had learned the Rilt Empire’s language from a young age, I had no trouble reading books or communicating.

The Duke’s library was as large as two or three reception rooms combined.

I still vividly remember the first time I met my husband by chance in that library.

I made an effort to approach him first back then.

I asked him to recommend books, saying I wanted to learn about the Rilt Empire.

“I’m trying to study my husband’s country. It’s my country now, too.”

He seemed a bit surprised.

Just a few days ago, I was crying alone, regretting the marriage, so it must have been unexpected for him.

Soon, he recommended several books to me.

From that day on, I occasionally received recommendations from him on various subjects in the library.

Naturally, the time we spent drinking tea or talking increased, and I often admired his vast knowledge.

“This man, I thought he was just good-looking, but he’s smart and kind……”

It was almost pitiful that he was so disregarded that he couldn’t find a bride in the empire.

“It’s all because of that guy.”

Whenever I went to the palace, I would glare at Emperor Axen.

Eyes like swirling lava, a forehead and nose like a sharp cliff, and a sharply angled jaw.

His roughly trimmed golden hair seemed to ripple like the sun, and his arrogant gaze had the distinct self-confidence of someone who ruled an empire.

The tyrant didn’t hesitate to mock me, the Duchess of Brent.

The first time he saw me, he stared at me for a long time before bursting into laughter.

“I wondered who would marry that fool, and here’s another one with only an empty shell.”

An empty shell?

It was the first time I had heard such words in my life.

Even my stepmother never called me an empty shell.

Though it was humiliating to be called that in front of so many nobles, I was surprisingly calm.

People say couples are of one mind, but compared to the humiliation Alec had endured his entire life, this was just a scratch.

But after that day, Alec refused to go to the palace.

Even though he knew well what would happen if he rejected a royal invitation, he did not respond to the tyrant’s summons.

Eventually, the tyrant’s soldiers arrived at the duke’s residence, and Alec was taken away.

My mother-in-law blamed and resented me, saying Alec would die because of me, but before she could finish her accusations, I grabbed my coat and went outside.

Facing the tyrant was frightening, but I couldn’t just sit still.

I knelt in front of the tyrant.

“Please release my husband. He was only delayed because he was unwell. I swear this will not happen again if you forgive him just this once.”

I couldn’t bear to look into the tyrant’s eyes.

I really didn’t want to see them.

Just begging for mercy from such a brutal tyrant was humiliating enough.

The tyrant laughed at me.

“Ridiculous. The Duke said he’d rather die than ever come to the palace again.”

“……”

“But if the Duchess looks me in the eye and speaks earnestly, I might believe her once. Your apology lacks sincerity. Show me your true feelings by looking into my eyes.”

What an unnecessarily perceptive emperor…

With the feeling of swallowing a bitter pill I didn’t want to, I raised my head.

I looked straight into his brilliant yet vile red eyes.

Why does he want me to do this? Just meeting his gaze made me feel nauseous.

Outwardly, I politely pleaded for my husband’s release again, but inwardly, I was cursing the tyrant.

You insolent emperor brat.

Do you have any idea how difficult my married life is?

Is it not enough that I can’t have children? Do you have to take my husband too?

After I finished speaking, I kept my gaze fixed on him.

The tyrant’s eyes seemed to harden slightly, as if he sensed my inner thoughts and felt uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the emperor released Alec.

“Go tell your husband. If he defies me again, his head will roll. This is the last time I will spare his life out of respect for the ducal family.”

On the way back after finally getting him out of the dungeon, I couldn’t help but scold him.

“Don’t ever do that again. Why did you do it? You know the emperor has always been like this…”

But what he said was completely unexpected.

“I, I d-don’t m-mind what h-happens to me. B-but I c-can’t s-stand you, L-Louise, being t-treated that way…”

Did he refuse to go to the palace because of me?

I felt a strong urge to smack him on the back. Instead of feeling grateful, I felt like crying.

“Alec. I don’t care what the emperor says about me. Just because he called me an empty shell doesn’t mean I actually am one. The most important thing to me is living happily regardless of that jerk.”

He just bowed his head without saying anything.

He felt terribly sorry that I had become a laughingstock because of him.

I just took his hand first.

Who could understand the torment he had endured for so long?

“You’ve been enduring it alone until now, haven’t you? From now on, let’s endure it together. When we’re with the emperor, it’s like we’re having a brief nightmare…”

“……”

“A nightmare that we can forget as soon as we turn away from it…”

I reached out to gently hug him but withdrew my hand.

His broad shoulders couldn’t possibly fit into my frail embrace.

We had no choice but to endure.

I detested the idea of trying to curry favor with the tyrant like other nobles, and we didn’t have the power to confront him.

Thus, a stormy period swept by.

A few days later, I happened to see him through an open door, practicing pronunciation with a therapist.

It was a routine for him.

He seemed quite exhausted, having been practicing for some time.

But something made me stop in my tracks.

“L-Louise…”

“Lou…ise. Try pronouncing it again, Your Grace.”

“Lou. Lou, Lou…”

“It’s okay. Again—”

“Louise, Lou…”

“……”

Was he practicing my name?

Why was he so desperately practicing my name?

He could call me however he wanted…

I stood there, wide-eyed, unable to take my eyes off Alec for a long time.

Even after that, Alec continued to practice my name. Several seasons passed.

Eventually, the exhausted therapist suggested giving up, questioning why he needed to pronounce the Duchess’s name so perfectly.

For a while, I pretended not to notice his practice sessions.

Who else would call my name so earnestly?

Is there anyone else in this world who wants to call my name so badly?

A deep sense of emotion and shock engraved itself on my heart.

Yet despite all his efforts, Alec couldn’t properly pronounce my name for over the years.

No.

Only now did I realize he had managed to call me by my name just once.

Even though it took a long time, he eventually did it.

“Louise.”

Before taking the poison in the inn.

“I-In the next life, I-I will love you f-fully… m-more than I d-do now…”

And the one I thought would die woke up.