Part 2

What Are You…

Erika quickly changed into comfortable clothes and followed Gerick and Evelyn.

The carriage stopped at the lake park, a place known to be frequented by young couples.

It was lined with sculptures by renowned artists and paths filled with flowers for lovers.

Erika sent her carriage to an inconspicuous spot and hurried to where the crows had directed her.

Soon, she spotted a pavilion specially decorated for an event.

Hiding behind a tree, Erika observed Gerick and Evelyn as they walked out of the pavilion.

The couple, arm in arm and completely inseparable, boarded a boat prepared by the lakeshore.

While Gerick rowed toward the center of the lake, Evelyn couldn’t stop smiling, clearly delighted about something.

In the middle of the lake stood a white arch prepared for proposals.

Gerick steered the boat beneath the arch.

As the red sunset gradually receded, the lights on the white arch lit up one by one, illuminating the couple.

As if they were the only two people left in the world.

Bathed in that light, Gerick knelt before Evelyn and held out a ring.

—”……Will you marry me?”

Evelyn covered her mouth with both hands, squealed, and nodded.

Gerick slipped the ring onto Evelyn’s finger, then pulled her hand to embrace her.

Gerick’s lips covered Evelyn’s…… D*mn it.

Erika’s insides boiled as she watched all this.

She had never doubted that Gerick’s confession of love to her was genuine.

Not until she saw the two of them now.

Though he had said the same words—”I love you. Let’s get married”—to both her and Evelyn, there was a clear difference.

Gerick in front of Evelyn showed a side Erika had never seen.

As if he couldn’t bear to be apart even for a moment, touching, caressing……

Gerick’s hands were constantly on Evelyn’s body, never resting.

He had never been so persistent with his touches toward Erika.

Occasionally he would stroke her hair or fiddle with her face, but most contacts were brief, fleeting.

Moreover, he and Erika hadn’t even shared a deep kiss yet.

Whoosh—Bang! Bang! Bang!

Countless fireworks exploded high in the sky, as if blessing the couple’s future.

Gerick must have prepared them specially for this moment.

‘He really splurged…… that miser.’

Isn’t it said that to confirm a man’s love, look at where his money goes?

Though Gerick had certainly loved and cared for Erika for a long time, he had never spent money so lavishly like this.

‘What kind of political marriage is this……’

Erika returned home, carrying her complicated feelings.

Though it was pointless to continue watching the couple, she still couldn’t easily reach a conclusion.

Perhaps it was lingering attachment, or perhaps she didn’t want to admit she had been deceived.

Eventually, Erika made her decision just as Gerick’s wedding was approaching.

‘If I’m confused, I should just try it myself.’

She decided not to abandon the assumption that, just maybe, this could truly be a political marriage.

This world was different from the one she had lived in, with values that might be as different as heaven and earth.

In a place where the Emperor naturally had multiple wives, perhaps Gerick could behave this way.

But she didn’t want to wait until she was called imperial consort.

“Imperial consort” sounded nice, but in vulgar terms, wasn’t it just a concubine?

She found it difficult to accept being elevated to such a position as if it were an honor.

So Erika decided to try a political marriage herself.

To find out whether Gerick had lied to her, or if she had misunderstood due to different values in this place.

To learn what political marriages—seemingly fated for high nobles—were really like.

After experiencing it, if she became convinced that they weren’t in a political marriage but that he had lied because they had fallen for each other, she wouldn’t let it go quietly.

‘Who should I marry……’

For this, she needed someone who could prove her perspective was correct.

After much deliberation, Erika could think of one person.

‘Ah, that rude prince would be perfect.’

He had been enemies with Gerick since childhood, so he wouldn’t take Gerick’s side.

He was someone who stubbornly held on until something broke, so he wouldn’t easily give up.

He feared nothing, so he wouldn’t lie.

And he didn’t get along with her either, so there was no chance they’d fall for each other.

The Emperor didn’t take imperial consorts apart from the Empress.

That was because he loved the Empress dearly. He merely fathered illegitimate children here and there.

Among his illegitimate children, six were officially recognized as the Emperor’s offspring.

There were actually more, but fearing bloody political strife, they lived in hiding with money the Emperor secretly provided.

Among the six, Gerick and Ion were the same age, with birthdays only a week apart. Such was the Emperor’s virility.

Perhaps because of this, the two were more sensitive toward each other than the other princes and fought fiercely since childhood.

Erika firmly believed that Ion would perfectly demonstrate what she thought a political marriage should be.

‘Where is Ion now?’

The princes who had lost the succession battle had already departed with the territories and titles the Emperor had granted them.

Ion, who had remained until the end, received the highest title but conversely was given the most barren land in the north.

Because of this, Ion—who had much to prepare—remained in the capital to treat the arm Erika had broken, and to accept the Emperor’s strange consideration to witness the Crown Prince’s wedding before leaving.

Late at night, Erika secretly sought him out.

“We need to talk.”

“You? With me? Why?”

“There you go being sarcastic again. Want your other arm broken too?”

Ion scrunched up his face and snapped at Erika.

“Lost the man you were pining after and taking it out on me? Am I that easy to push around?”

Erika shrugged her shoulders and replied nonchalantly.

“I’ve never pined after anyone, but yes, you are easy to push around. Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Somewhere we can be alone.”

Though Ion’s face remained scrunched up, he followed Erika’s lead.

He knew better than anyone that there was no one in this empire who could stop Erika if she went berserk. He had experienced it the most.

Erika took Ion deep into the imperial palace’s rear garden.

It had been a good place for hide-and-seek since childhood. Centered around a small fountain, it was an area with various unattractive bushes tangled together, a place people rarely visited.

“What do you need to say that you brought me to such a secluded place?”

“What, are you scared? Afraid I’ll hit you?”

“This is ridiculous. Just because I’m being considerate since you’re a woman, you have no respect.”

“Heh— So you’re saying you see me as a woman? That you’ve been considerate because I’m a woman?”

Ion let out an incredulous laugh.

“Of course you’re a woman, what else? Biologically, you are a woman.”

“Right. Do you have a lover? Or have you promised marriage to someone, or is there a family with whom political marriage talks are ongoing?”

“……”

Ion could only blink at Erika’s sudden question, unable to respond.

They weren’t close enough to have such candid conversations.

From when they first met at the academy as children, Erika had only ever dealt with Gerick, while Ion merely lingered around to enjoy watching Erika beat Gerick with her sword.

Ion had wanted to spar with Erika too, but it never happened because of Gerick’s possessiveness.

Not only did Gerick prevent others from approaching Erika, but Erika herself was rather oblivious in this regard, indifferent to Gerick’s obsessive isolation of her.

Since Ion and Gerick were practically mortal enemies, he had even fewer opportunities to become close with Erika.

“I guess not? Since you can’t answer.”

“Did you guys ever give me a chance? Especially you—between avoiding the traps you set and blocking the sword you openly swung at me—did I ever have the mental space to meet women?”

“That’s true. I admit I was a bit harsh. So, want to marry me?”

“What?”

“Political. Marriage. Let’s do that together.”

Ion narrowed his brow, stared blankly, then raised his hand to place it on Erika’s forehead.

“No fever…… Did you eat something bad?”

“No, nothing like that. Gerick is getting married, so I should too.”

“You…… Weren’t you planning to become his imperial consort when he becomes Emperor?”

Erika’s face suddenly contorted.

All the irritation she had been feeling about this place’s customs—where it seemed so natural for Erika to take the position of a concubine—finally exploded in front of Ion.

“Imperial consort sounds nice, but isn’t that just a concubine? It’s just a nicely packaged term for a concubine. In a regular noble family, it would just be a concubine. Why should I accept that?”

Ion’s eyes widened at Erika’s cynical criticism.

He had never thought about it from that perspective, but it was true that in ordinary noble families, anyone besides the legal wife was called a mistress or concubine. And those titles were very shameful.

“……So you won’t become Gerick’s imperial consort?”

“Are you crazy? What am I lacking that I should become a concubine? And why should I share my husband with another woman? When you get married, you should only look at each other. My principle is that you shouldn’t turn your eyes to someone other than your spouse.”

Ion’s pupils flickered rapidly.

Hidden within them was a burning desire that Erika failed to notice.

“Does that apply to me too?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, if we have a political marriage, will we only look at each other?”

Erika blinked rapidly, looking Ion up and down.

“You, is it true you haven’t met women because you didn’t have time? Or were you actually a womanizer all along? Are you an easy man who falls for women who bat their eyelashes and act coy? Even if that’s the case, hold back while you’re married to me. One year is enough. I’ll divorce you after we finish this, then you can do whatever you want.”

Trying to suppress his twitching lips, Ion grumbled instead.

“Geez, your temperament is something else. Of course not. But you, until recently…… um…… liked Gerick. It might even still be ongoing……”

Ion continued speaking while carefully observing Erika’s constantly changing expressions.

“……Since you liked him enough to consider marriage, your feelings won’t change overnight. What if after marrying me, you can’t forget Gerick…… Ahem, ahem, I don’t like ‘my wife’ yearning for another man……”

‘Is this about a one-year contract marriage? That’s enough.’

Erika glared at Ion, who was spouting nonsense about how her feelings for Gerick might still remain, failing to notice the shallow scheme forming in his eyes.

“Hey. Do you think it makes sense to continue liking someone who broke a long-standing promise overnight, and without warning announced his own wedding just 5 minutes before? Isn’t that crazy?”

Ion covered his mouth to hide the laughter that he could no longer contain and said primly:

“Well, I suppose so. I’d probably feel the same way. Alright. Let’s match our conditions then. Since it’s a political marriage, we should write something like a contract.”

“Of course!”

At Erika’s energetic response, Ion inwardly rejoiced.

‘Erika has chosen me!’

He never thought there would be a day in his life when he’d be grateful to Gerick, but today was that day.

Gerick, thank you. Really, really thank you.