Chapter 106

106. Let’s Run Away

“……”

The faint glimmer of hope that briefly appeared quickly vanished. Shayla looked at the faint scars on the back of her hand and gave a sorrowful smile.

“Let’s talk.”

It was a tone she hadn’t heard since becoming an adult. When Shayla didn’t respond, Julian grabbed her wrist and led her to the back of the temple.

Julian stopped in a secluded spot where no one would pass by and finally let go of her hand. He rubbed his face with his hand, which had dropped limply like a mannequin’s.

He had brought her here in a fit of anger but couldn’t figure out what to say. Suppressing the urge to tear off the veil covering her face, he spoke.

“Show me your face.”

“……It’s ugly.”

“It’s okay, just let me see your face while we talk.”

Reluctantly, Shayla lifted her veil. As expected, her face was covered in tears.

It was driving him crazy. Julian, who had been holding back his anger, lost control and hugged her.

“Hhic…”

Shayla, burying her face in his chest, finally burst into sobs. Julian silently stroked her thin back.

This was inevitable.

When Lucid jokingly told him to propose to Shayla, he should have listened. He shouldn’t have given up, thinking he couldn’t covet his lord’s woman.

‘Julian Uclaire. You’re a coward.’

If it wasn’t too late, he wanted to turn things around now.

“I’m sorry, Julian. For some reason, I cry whenever I see you.”

Shayla raised her head and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Julian handed her a handkerchief from his front pocket.

“Here, wipe it.”

“I didn’t return the one from last time…”

Taking the handkerchief, Shayla carefully wiped the tears from her eyes and asked cautiously.

“You heard the news, right?”

“I did.”

“But you didn’t say congratulations. Everyone else congratulated me.”

She pressed the handkerchief to her swollen eyelids and forced a smile.

She had learned that an imperial woman should not show her emotions, whether she was happy or sad, and she had lived that way until now, but this time, she couldn’t manage it.

“It’s the position I’ve always wanted to attain… but I’m not happy at all.”

More tears fell that hadn’t quite stopped.

“Please, don’t cry.”

Julian consoled her, wiping her wet eyes with his rough hand.

Unlike Lucid, who had always been unbeatable in verbal fights since they were children, Julian was a man of few words and lacked conversational skills. But his heart was not like that.

“This feels like when we were kids.”

“……”

“When we were young, when my brother made me cry with his pranks, you comforted me while His Grace scolded him.”

“……”

“Back then… I was really happy.”

Shayla struggled to lift the corners of her mouth into a smile.

From deep within, something crumbled with a sound. Julian grabbed her shoulders abruptly.

“Shayla.”

“……”

“Let’s run away together.”

Shayla stared at him with a blank expression. Julian spoke again with a determined tone.

“Let’s go somewhere no one can find us. Let’s hide and live together. I’ll figure something out―”

“Thank you, Julian.”

She took a step back as if the weight of his hands on her shoulders was too much, and she smiled sadly.

“Hearing that comforts me.”

“It’s not just comfort; it’s my true feelings.”

“Julian, if I weren’t the daughter of Duke Lephisto and you weren’t the second son of Marquis Uclaire… I would gladly take your hand.”

Shayla continued as she looked down at the handkerchief he gave her.

“But we carry too much burden.”

If she disappeared just before the national marriage, the Emperor would search the entire empire to find her.

If she were caught, her life would be at stake, and even if they successfully ran away, Duke Lephisto would surely retaliate. The same would happen to Julian and the Uclaire family.

“It would also harm His Grace.”

Julian couldn’t say anything more.

“Unless I die, there’s no way to avoid this marriage.”

The harsh reality constricted her more and more, and she struggled to escape.

Shayla handed back the handkerchief he had given her. Then she lowered the veil she had lifted.

“I’ll be going now.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Returning to the mansion after completing the marriage ceremony, Adelaide was speechless at the drastically changed scenery of the mansion within a few hours.

The bedroom, the toilette room, the study, the reception room, even the hallways and the bathroom were all filled with flowers.

“Jensen, what’s with all these flowers?”

Adelaide asked Jensen, who had returned to the mansion ahead of her. Jensen, who had a rose tucked into his front pocket, answered with a broad smile.

“His Grace ordered it.”

“I thought you might like flowers.”

Callion smiled gently.

Margaret would always bring back a bunch of flowers whenever she met Sycamore, and seeing that there were always flowers in the vases, he must have thought she liked them.

‘Not that I don’t like it.’

Despite the difficulty of procuring such a variety of flowers in this cold season, Adelaide couldn’t help but let out a laugh as she admired the colorful blooms.

“Don’t you like them?”

“They’re beautiful.”

Callion finally looked satisfied with her straightforward response.

She had thought it was just a formal procedure, but it seemed Callion and the household took this wedding ceremony much more seriously than she did.

“You both must be hungry. Why don’t we start with a meal?”

“Oh, yes, let’s do that.”

Had it been a formal wedding, there would have been a grand reception, but since it was an abbreviated event, a lavish feast replaced the banquet.

The dinner, attended by the manor’s knights and servants, was lively. Callion didn’t refuse any of the drinks offered by the knights and even drank the ones poured for Adelaide.

Having accepted a couple of drinks herself out of politeness, Adelaide’s face turned a rosy red.

Feeling the effects of the alcohol, she quietly stood up.

“Are you heading in already?”

“Yes, I’d like to wash up.”

“Alright. I’ll join you soon.”

Callion responded with a heavily slurred voice.

She flashed him a small smile and headed to the bathroom.

Locking herself in the bathroom until the mansion was quiet enough to avoid being caught in the middle of a drunken brawl, Adelaide cautiously stepped out of the bathroom.

She was met with a startling sight.

“Your Grace?”

Callion sat on the bed, wearing nothing but a robe. His hair was damp as if he had washed it, but his eyes were still unfocused from the alcohol.

“Adele.”

Callion staggered over and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Ugh.”

It felt more like being captured than embraced.

Callion, as if he wouldn’t let her go, buried his face in her neck. He sniffed her like a beast examining its prey, his lips tickling her collarbone as they moved.

As she squirmed from the sensation, he lifted his head.

“Adelaide.”

His languid eyes roamed over her, making her feel as if they were piercing through her.

“I’ve been thinking, and I realize we’ve skipped a very important step.”

What had they skipped?

“What step?”

“Well, that would be…”

In an instant, Callion’s lips captured Adelaide’s. Without giving her time to refuse, their tongues entwined and their saliva mixed.

The strong smell of alcohol made her head spin, and she couldn’t gather her thoughts.

When she couldn’t stand the sensation of his tongue teasing the roof of her mouth, Callion finally pulled away.

“A kiss of vows.”

He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, smiling mischievously.

Damn.

Adelaide silently screamed and tried to steady herself.

Callion was drunk.

Callion’s drunken habit was being overly affectionate. She had experienced it twice and was certain of it.

This isn’t good.

A warning signal blared in her mind. Adelaide decided to put him to bed.

“Your Grace, please go to bed.”

“My wife is quite impatient.”

Misunderstanding her intentions, Callion staggered to the bed.

Just as she was about to escape after successfully getting him to sit on the bed, he pulled her down and trapped her between his legs.

“I’m in bed now. What should we do next?”

…Why is he doing this?

Adelaide looked at Callion in exasperation.

“Do you dislike a husband who asks such things?”

It was clear he had no intention of behaving. Adelaide resorted to her last tactic.

“I’m in pain, Your Grace.”

“Where does it hurt?”

His teasing expression turned serious. Adelaide put on a pitiful face.

“My feet and my legs hurt too.”

“Ah, I forgot.”

Callion furrowed his brows and got off the bed.

Her relief was short-lived as he knelt at her feet and started licking her wounds.

“What are you doing?”

“I heard this makes it heal faster.”

“Who told you such nonsense?!”

Adelaide yelled, curling her toes. Callion laughed and stood up unsteadily.

He stumbled over to the bedside table. After rummaging through the first drawer, he tilted his head and opened the second.

He scattered neatly folded handkerchiefs everywhere before reaching for the third drawer.

“Hm? Why won’t this open?”

Adelaide’s eyes widened. The third drawer was where she kept important letters, locked to prevent the servants from accessing them.

“Your Grace, not that one―!”

She was a moment too late.

The bedside table tipped over with a crash, unable to withstand Callion’s force.

Callion, holding the broken drawer handle, turned to her.

“Adele, this bedside table is strange.”

“…Stop making a mess and come here.”