Chapter 4

“Ah, yes!”

I hastily placed my hand on Julian’s arm. I felt his body flinch slightly.

As expected, he’s not very good at escorting.

Thinking that made him seem a bit cute. Though embarrassed by my thoughts, I followed him, pretending to be calm. As I tried to follow him, my father urgently grabbed me.

“Laila, before that, I need to talk to you…”

“Father.”

I straightened my back and looked at my father.

“I am no longer a little girl clinging to your side. I want to choose my own husband.”

My father’s eyes wavered significantly. He seemed to ponder for a moment, looking down at the floor. But soon, he realized he couldn’t break my will. It seemed he just wanted to be on my side.

“Laila, don’t forget. We will always help you if you ever want to turn back.”

My father whispered very softly. I held back the tears that were about to fall and nodded. I felt overwhelmed by his love, and it pained me that I couldn’t immediately reciprocate that love.

“Your Grace, Grand Duke Zan, please follow me to the drawing room. Would you like to have a conversation with my daughter?“

“Of course.”

My mother seemed to want to stop us, but she held back and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. After bowing deeply to her, I asked Anna to guide Julian.

It took only a moment to leave Julian alone in the drawing room. We were genuinely alone after asking Anna to prepare a paper for the contract.

Julian was quietly looking down at me. I stood there blankly, not knowing why he was staring until I realized our arms were still touching.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

As I hurriedly withdrew my hand, Julian said it was fine in his low voice. But he seemed to be thinking about something. Did he dislike being touched? It was possible since he wasn’t used to human contact.

Silence flowed between us. Feeling uneasy about making a mistake, Julian was the first to speak.

“Lady Winsley, I also know my situation.”

I nodded at his words.

Julian had long been looking for a marriage partner with the title of at least a count. However, finding a count’s daughter willing to marry a man rumored to devour people was not easy.

Even so, the Emperor did not allow Julian, a duke, to marry a baron or commoner. People whispered that the Emperor deliberately hindered Julian’s marriage because he cherished his nephew too much. Regardless of the truth, the Emperor was intentionally obstructing Julian’s marriage.

Amid such difficulties, I appeared before Julian.

“I’d like to know why you want to marry me.”

This was the most crucial question at this meeting. I thought being the most honest would be the most convincing. With my hands neatly folded, I spoke clearly.

“To gain the power to intervene in the fight for the throne.”

Julian looked at me sharply. It was a statement that could easily arouse suspicion. Anyone would react that way if they dared to mention the fight for the throne.

Julian tapped his teacup and asked.

“Doesn’t the Winsley Count’s family maintain neutrality?“

“Yes. I also ultimately desire neutrality.“

“Then why?“

“I heard that His Highness, the Second Prince Cain, has misbehaved in the struggle for the throne. I simply do not want to serve such a person as Emperor. If a prince with the right intentions ascends to the throne, I will follow him.”

Julian continued to gaze at me. His eyes were full of suspicion about me. However, it didn’t feel rude. It just felt like he was profoundly analyzing me.

“You want to serve the rightful Emperor?“

“Yes. After all, I am also a knight who has been knighted.”

It wasn’t a wrong statement. I did not want to see someone like the Second Prince, who behaved like a street thug, ascend the throne. It was even more unacceptable for my family to be sacrificed because of him.

Even if my life only had a year left.

“So, if we get married, I hope you will support me unconditionally in the fight for the throne. That is my condition.“

Julian’s lips curled slightly. Was it not working? Maybe he thought it was ridiculous for a mere count’s daughter to talk about the fight for the throne. As I was secretly wiping the sweat from my palms, Julian spoke.

“Alright.“

“Really?”

Realizing I was too happy, I covered my mouth. But it was too late. Julian’s gaze seemed to pierce through me. Hastily brushing my hair, I tried to act calm.

“If Your Grace has any conditions, please let me know. I know I’m not the first to propose to you. Was it because the conditions didn’t match?“

“Yes.”

Julian replied somewhat bitterly. He extended his right hand, not his perfectly fine left hand, which was covered with a thick glove.

“Take a look.”

When Julian removed the glove, his skin was far more inhuman than I had expected. It couldn’t be considered human skin at all. It was covered with rough stones, and not a hint of white flesh was visible.

As Julian removed the glove, the friction sound also gave me chills.

He slowly moved his firm, thick fingers. There was a sound of stones grinding against each other.

“Some women run away just seeing this.”

Julian said it calmly, but I could see inside his mask. He must have been hurt at that moment.

It wasn’t just a stranger, but a woman who had come to promise marriage. He had seen that even such a woman wasn’t prepared for this.

“And what about you?“

“I…”

I placed my hand over Julian’s. His hand flinched and tried to pull away, but I interlocked my fingers with his. It was rough and cold, but it wasn’t frightening. Even if his body was made of stone, what did it matter? He was more scared than I was.

“I’m not afraid.”

Julian seemed quite shocked by my response.

“Really, I’m not afraid of you.”

Perhaps if I had seen him without resolve, I might have been scared, too.

But I had a goal and a determination to achieve it, and above all, I had received his salvation in a previous life. Wanting to comfort him as much as I had been comforted in my previous life, I spoke firmly.

“What’s the big deal? Are you scared of a big rock by the roadside?“

“But…”

Julian seemed to want to argue but then shook his head self-deprecatingly.

“Let me tell you my condition.”

With that, he freed his hand from mine. In his movement, I could see he was worried about scratching my skin. I felt a pang of regret as our hands parted. Did I want to comfort him more?

“I want an heir.”

“An heir…”

Perhaps thinking I was hesitating, he quickly added,

“I won’t rush you. I’ll wait until you’re ready. And once we have a child, I won’t force you to share a bed, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

That wasn’t a concern. Julian would probably wait a year or two until I said I was ready. At least the Julian I knew was like that.

But I was the one running out of time.

In my past life, the child I bore was very unhealthy. It was uncertain if I could even give birth safely.

I had no intention of having another sick child. I would die in two years, so if I married him, I could ignore his condition and focus on mine.

In this deal, I would win ultimately.

But why did I hesitate? It must have been guilt.

“Do you have a specific reason for wanting an heir?”

I asked to ease my guilt. Julian’s reply was cold.

“Why do you need to know?”

It was the only moment he seemed distant. Strangely, I felt pretty disappointed. So I replied curtly,

“No, I don’t. Fine, let’s make the contract.”

I had asked, after all.

Feeling overwhelmed with an inexplicable emotion, I wrote down the contract terms. Signing it quickly, I handed it to him, noticing he was watching me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?“

“It’s nothing.”

Julian signed the contract with his left hand.

“You’re left-handed.“

“You ask the obvious.“

“Why is that obvious?“

“My right arm…”

Could it be unusable? Just as I felt embarrassed for asking a rude question and was about to apologize, Julian stopped me with his hand.

“It’s not unusable. I’m used to my left hand because I can’t reveal my right.”

People would be shocked if he showed it.

After writing and sharing the contract, we stood up. Naturally, I positioned myself on his left side and looked up at him.

“Please escort me.“

“…Alright.”

He offered his arm, and I placed my hand on it. As we naturally walked out together, my family looked slightly surprised.

“The engagement with the Grand Duke has been settled well. The wedding…”

I suddenly realized something and turned to him.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t set a wedding date.“

“That’s true. When would be good?“

“The sooner, the better. How about this week?“

“Laila…”

My parents and the whole family looked flustered at my seemingly joking suggestion. Julian glanced at them and chuckled softly.

“Let’s do it next month.”

I realized that he was considerate of my family.

I felt anxious because I didn’t have much time left. However, since it was for my family, it would be better to consider them. I stood on tiptoe and whispered to him.

“Thank you.”

He stood still for a moment, then slowly replied.

“You’re welcome.”

It seemed like he was smiling.

Am I really going to marry him? I was so excited that I couldn’t understand; considering it was a contract marriage, I smiled back at him. However,

Thud!

My father knelt on the ground so hard that it made a loud noise. I wiped the smile off my face and looked at my father. He was bowing his head towards Julian.

“Your Grace, I know this is obscene behavior. But I’m not yet ready to let my daughter marry. As Your Grace might have guessed, this marriage is solely my daughter’s decision. Isn’t marriage the union of two families? I… cannot allow it yet.”

My father spoke with a voice that seemed to be boiling with emotion. Julian looked down at my father without saying a word.

No. I was afraid Julian might storm out of the room out of pride. But he stayed in place for quite a while.

After a long period of contemplation, Julian finally spoke.

“Count, I need this marriage. The contract has already been completed, so I can’t back down easily.“

“But Your Grace…“

“But you’re right. We can’t completely disregard the parents’ opinions, so we will put this marriage on hold for now. However, it is only a postponement.”

When Julian said that much, I didn’t have the courage to push any further. It was the first time I had seen my father like this, and just managing my emotions was difficult enough.

When I kept my mouth shut, Julian glanced at me and looked away.

“Your Grace, thank you so much for your understanding. My daughter and I will do our best to discuss this marriage.”

At that moment, my father was sincerely expressing his gratitude to Julian. Julian nodded briefly to my father. As he turned, his cloak swirled.

All I could do was stare blankly at his departing figure.