Chapter 5

A maid set up a makeshift table next to the bench and placed a teapot and snacks on it.

“You say you’re not on bad terms.”

“Yes… yes.”

Perhaps “uncomfortable” would be a better term. 

Viola smiled slightly as she picked up her cup.

“So, have you two… shared a bed?”

“…Pardon?!”

Marie’s eyes widened as she reached for her cup, grumbling inwardly that she’d had enough tea for one day. She then understood the question. 

The answer was a definite “no.”

“It’s hard to speak about such matters…”

Some truths can be poisonous, so Marie decided to keep it hidden. She felt like Viola might already know this part too.

“Fine. Have you at least kissed?”

“We… we have!”

At the wedding.

“Not at the wedding.”

“Uh… no, not yet…”

“Have you held hands?”

“What? Oh… yes!”

They brushed against each other while passing a sauce container two weeks ago.

“So, your best history together is hand-holding, then.”

Marie’s face turned red.

In the first year, she could use the excuse of being shy or not yet accustomed, but by the third year, there was no room for excuses. By now, she was curious about how Kalik was navigating this obstacle. What answers was he using to get through it?

Surely, he wasn’t claiming to be a harmonious couple, and given his personality, he probably wasn’t lying either.

“Are you sure you’re on good terms?”

“…I’ll bear it in mind.”

Saying she would try was too much. To utter those words would be to admit she hadn’t tried until now.

Marie hid her face in the cup to avoid Viola’s gaze. Imagining herself getting along with that man made her thirsty. Holding hands, kissing, and doing even more while giggling…

Ugh.

The image felt alien to her. 

Physically, there was nothing wrong. With his deep-set eyes, sharp jawline, thick eyebrows, straight nose, and soft pink lips, he was, by anyone’s standards, quite a handsome man. In fact, outwardly, he was perfect.

The issue was always the mental aspect. Marie thought that just as she found Kalik uncomfortable, he disliked her too. No, it would be fortunate if he merely disliked her. He might even detest her, and there was a high chance he was eagerly waiting for an opportunity to leave.

Because… Albrecht taught his children that Escael was Odillia’s main enemy…

Who could guarantee that Escael wouldn’t have done the same?

Of course, this too might not be free from the possibility of being the result of her father’s persistent brainwashing.

So how did they manage to kiss at the wedding, one might ask.

She took medicine before the ceremony. Her brothers procured a tranquilizer, and she gulped it down, standing in a daze. By the time she came to her senses, everything was over. So she only heard about whether the kiss happened and how or where it did.

“I think we can get along well.”

“Yes…”

Marie nodded with a solemn face. Whether that satisfied Viola, she didn’t know. She just assumed so because Viola responded with a gentle smile.

Marie tried to gauge whether her situation was really the worst by recalling her father’s words.

Divorce had always felt like a distant matter, but if these kinds of events were going to continue, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

* * *

Pitiful.

Admirable.

Or dutiful daughter and son.

The words surrounding Marie Odillia and Kalik Escael were mostly poetic and extremely positive praises.

Everyone sympathized with the only daughter of Odillia and the eldest son of Escael. Besides the well-known reason of being innocently caught up, there were rumors subtly circulating.

It was the story hidden beneath the conflict. A poignant love story of two people overcoming obstacles.

That in truth, despite being enemies, Marie and Kalik loved each other, and the Emperor, unable to bear their unfortunate situation, united them under the pretext of reconciliation.

This was a completely baseless, utterly ridiculous rumor born out of their unique appearances, capable of creating a story out of nothing.

Initially, it was just that they looked good together. Since the children were innocent, when viewed alone, they seemed like a very fitting pair.

Marie didn’t take after the rugged Albrecht but resembled her mother, Elise, being a slender and voluptuous beauty. Because of her upturned eyes and straight posture, she seemed somewhat haughty, but that aura was one pillar supporting the plausibility of the story. She must have been so passionate that she overcame the money-obsessed Albrecht to marry the enemy’s son!

Kalik was the same. Before becoming famous for his aged appearance, Peter Escael was known as an extraordinary handsome man, and perhaps thanks to that, Kalik was also renowned for his looks. Moreover, he had surpassed Peter in swordsmanship at a young age, attracting the attention of various families early on. With such outstanding abilities, wouldn’t the money-obsessed Albrecht have permitted it?

When Marie first heard the rumor, she laughed heartily. No matter which side of the story you looked at, her father was the ultimate obstacle. If Albrecht knew, he’d be furious, but since it was true that he was money-obsessed and indeed was overcome, he couldn’t say anything.

She leisurely enjoyed the rumor. There was no need to correct it as it wasn’t a bad reputation, and the incorrect parts actually helped the marriage, so there was nothing to fix. Compared to the truth that the children also became enemies due to the forced marriage, Kalik’s name was a reward.

Above all, she neither liked nor disliked it. Saying she matched well with Kalik sounded like she was his equal, and interpreting it as a high evaluation of herself made her feel proud.

Of course, it didn’t mean she loved him. Not at all.

Marie was as cold as she appeared and knew how to distinguish between grace and resentment. She only got angry when there was a truly justifiable reason.

This meant she didn’t act on trivial reasons, simultaneously explaining her lack of any feelings toward Kalik while criticizing Albrecht’s magnanimity.

It was a tit-for-tat situation, so Albrecht had no words.

How long would they drag out the ‘insignificant blacksmith’ comment? Indeed, the spark was provided by the other side, but having brought things to this point, there’s no room for grievance.

When Marie gave up trying to defend him, she also gave up siding with him.

She didn’t know Kalik’s intentions on this matter. She could only guess he had similar thoughts since he treated her without showing any dislike.

Anyway, what she had to worry about now was whether to follow her father’s words or maintain loyalty to the Emperor.

Revenge against Escael was abandoned without ever being attempted.

Because she believed even anger had a statute of limitations.

That morning, she suddenly felt like divorcing. It was precisely at the end of summer. A perfect day to make a fresh start.

The stream of consciousness was simple. It was because today was the day to have a meal with Kalik. Again, they’d spend meaningless time, suffocating in that tense atmosphere, only watching each other’s reactions.

Thinking about this made her breath catch. It felt like a water-soaked cloth was crumpled and stuffed down her throat, making a choking sound. Natalie even ran out, thinking something serious had happened, to call a doctor.

That’s when she realized it was time to put an end to this marriage full of sacrifices.

As soon as she made up her mind, Marie took out her bag. She intended to be ready to leave at any moment.

‘Just informing him during mealtime will be enough.’

In fact, since she had never had a long conversation with him, she intended only to notify him. But something unexpected happened.

If things had gone as planned, Kalik would have returned late in the afternoon, washed up, prepared for the next day’s schedule, and then come to the garden.

Kyaaaaaah!

Heeeeeeeeng!

A strange roar struck the mansion. More precisely, it struck the annex, not the main building.

Marie, who had dozed off while waiting for Kalik’s return, grabbed a decorative sword and rushed out, thinking a war had broken out.

The annex entrance was a complete mess. The broken front door lay crumpled like a piece of paper, and the culprit sat down, crying loudly enough to shake the mansion.

“What on earth happened?!”

Natalie, who was confronting Lily, pointed to a spot.

Just then, Dawson, supporting Kalik, reached the bottom of the stairs, passing through the empty entrance.

Marie threw the sword and went down.

“Why, what’s wrong with him?!”

Kalik’s body was limp, draped over Dawson like wet laundry. His eyes were tightly shut, looking as if he were asleep, but his disheveled appearance and messy hair made him seem…!

“Dead… dead… dead…!”

“No, he’s not. He fell off his horse.”

Dawson blocked the words with a vague expression.

Feeling embarrassed, Marie wrinkled her nose and stepped back.

“Oh… fell off a horse?”

“He just lost consciousness for a moment.”

Now that she heard it, it did seem so. He looked too healthy, fine, and clean to be mistaken for a dead person.

Then why on earth was Lily crying?

“Is his condition serious?”

“There’s no visible external injury… but he kept fainting on the way here, so we’ll have to monitor him for a while.”

Dawson cut off Marie’s lips, which were puckering with concern, by firmly stating that he wouldn’t die. Indeed, he wasn’t the kind of man to be defeated by a mere fall. The man hailed as the strongest knight since the founding of the nation couldn’t possibly be undone by a simple fall.

She tried to calm her racing heart as she watched Dawson and Kalik’s backs ascend to the third floor. Her immediate thought was concern rather than dissatisfaction about intruding on her territory. No matter how much she disliked him, she hadn’t abandoned her humanity.

Above all, he needed to recover to proceed with either a divorce or anything else.