Chapter 50

Marie, driven by that single thought, poured out the words she had been holding back.  

It was a lie. We were never on good terms, not even once. You and I were nothing more than a political arrangement, no more and no less. If I had to define our relationship, it would be that of cohabitants, or perhaps a hostage and her captor. But that was in the past, and now it’s a little different. No, I think it’s changed.  

Now, I…

As he listened to her flood of confessions, Kalik gently stroked the back of her neck. She managed to say “I…” but the next words lingered in her mouth, unspoken.

It seemed she had only planned to confess the lies, as she kept stumbling over her words.  

At any rate, she wasn’t saying she wanted a divorce.  

“I didn’t tell you that my memories had returned either, so there’s no need for only one of us to feel sorry.”  

“If I hadn’t deceived you from the start…”  

“Marie. Listen to me carefully from now on.”  

“…”  

Father is an idiot. If he had just left it to me instead of making such a fuss about divorce, this could have been settled so easily.  

Marie waited for Kalik’s words with the mindset of a condemned prisoner awaiting judgment.  

Amid the chaos, Kalik found a clean spot. It was like making a decision, a resolution to start anew.  

“It’s proper to prepare a formal setting on a good day, but we’ll do that later.”  

The moment had finally come. Marie bit her lip as she looked at Kalik’s rarely seen crown of his head.  

“Even if it started with lies, hasn’t it become true now, just as you said?”  

What lie had I told again? 

For a moment, she couldn’t understand his words and thought back. 

Wasn’t the lie that we never loved each other?  

It felt like a single ray of light shining into a dimly lit puddle. His voice concealed guilt and a sense of debt.  

Could it be that this man was now lying again, this time to exact some terrible revenge?  

This time, it would surely be a lie she would fall for.  

So she couldn’t help but ask.  

“…Do you love me?”  

“I don’t hold women I don’t love.”  

Once, she might have believed him. But now, thanks to Natalie’s crude s*x education, she knew better.  

Men can conquer an empire with nothing but the strength to lift a spoon. In other words, they possess infinite s*xual energy.  

Moreover, they can ej*culate without an er*ction or have a full er*ction without ej*culating. Don’t view men too morally.  

That includes Kalik Escael.  

“Marie, say it yourself. Do you love me?”

Marie tightened her arms around his back, trying to push Natalie’s words out of her mind. And, of course, she said it out loud.  

“I… love you too.”  

Kalik’s low laughter sounded like the notes of a musical instrument.  

“I feel the same.”  

As he stepped back, his foot crunched on a sheet lying on the floor, making a sound like stepping on snow. The narrow space left behind was just enough for one person to stand in.  

Kalik bent his knees slightly to meet her gaze. And then:  

“Marie Odillia. Will you marry me again?”  

He proposed in the middle of this mess!  

But Marie thought Kalik looked incredibly dashing, standing in the chaos she had created. The background was dirty, and his dark skin and armor-like attire gave him an odd intensity.  

He had always been strange since three years ago, so her answer was already decided.  

“Of course!”  

What she hadn’t known had now become the past. The vague idea she had about Escael based solely on her father’s words was also in the past. Even the thought that it would never come back was in the past.  

A great woman doesn’t care about things that have already passed.  

“Ah!”  

Kalik pulled Marie into his arms as if to devour her. Though he wanted to have her right then and there, he felt it would be wrong to act on his desires before resolving the important matters.  

Instead, he kissed her lips over and over, consuming the red pigment that had stained her lips until it transferred to his and disappeared.  

Now that he had gained strength from her kisses, his next task was clear: convincing Albrecht Odillia to give his daughter back to him.  

Marie expressed her concerns. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Kalik, but her father, who had gone so far as to forcibly separate them, didn’t seem likely to comply.  

On top of that, her eldest brother Aaron, for reasons unknown, had sided with their father, silently observing everything.  

To overcome this obstacle, they would need strength of a similar level—or they’d have to do something utterly outrageous.  

“It might actually be simpler than expected.”  

“Simple, you say? Well, I suppose it is simple since all they want is a divorce. But still……”

Kalik silenced Marie, who had once again brought up divorce, by covering her lips with his own. The muffled Marie flailed her arms, signaling she wouldn’t bring it up again, and was released.  

“Let’s try everything we can first.”

“Then, what should I do?”  

“Stay just as you are.”  

“That’s too useless, though.”  

“Not at all. You’re probably doing more than you think.”

Honestly, Marie didn’t need to do anything. Just her trying to return to Escael was already enough to infuriate Albrecht. As long as she maintained that stance, Albrecht would never have a peaceful day, nor would his hostility toward Escael subside.  

“In any case, I’m just glad to see my wife again.”  

Kalik wrapped his arms around Marie’s waist as she busily plotted her amusing plans and playfully squeezed the belly she was self-conscious about. Despite all the mental and physical stress caused by the divorce situation, her figure had grown softer compared to when she was staying in the annex.  

“It’s just bloating.”  

Hearing her grumbled excuse, he leaned his face against her neck.  

Then, without realizing it, a mischievous impulse arose, and he lightly nibbled on her neck before nodding.  

“So it is.”

***

“Bring me the pills.”  

Emperor Bernhardt II pushed away the glass filled with a brown liquid and ordered something else. The attendant covered the glass, which emitted a strong smell, with a lid and hurriedly brought over a medicine box.  

This was the Emperor’s personal medicine box, a panacea containing every internal medicine in the empire.  

From it, the attendant took out a green pill and prepared lukewarm water to present to the Emperor.  

“Are you trying to kill me? If it’s like this, I might as well have drunk the potion! If it melts in my mouth, how is it any different from a potion?”  

“My foolishness caused me to neglect your needs, Your Majesty.”  

The Emperor managed to swallow the pill with cold water. What he had just taken was stomach medicine—a quick-acting painkiller for abdominal discomfort.  

And it was all because of Albrecht Odillia.  

That bastard made his stomach churn so much he thought he might die. While Albrecht had always been a troublesome friend, lately, his antics had become so creative that the Emperor had started smoking again and drinking alcohol to cope.  

He could tolerate the lack of rest, but now it was becoming a problem as it was physically affecting him.  

Like a demon whose seal had been broken, Albrecht was wreaking havoc, and the Emperor didn’t know who to hold accountable for this mess.  

“Where’s Peter?”  

“There’s been no significant movement from him.”  

“Are you sure?”  

“The Marquis of Escael attended a meeting at the castle just this morning.”  

“Hmm…”  

So it was just Albrecht dancing alone.

Would it even matter if his opponent wasn’t paying him any attention?  

As an Emperor who had never stooped to such petty antics, this was difficult for him to understand.  

He had even asked Peter the same question before—why do you let him torment you like this? Peter had replied that it was the price he was paying as an adult for the mistakes he had made in his youth.

In other words, the only one who hadn’t grown up was Albrecht.  

Ignoring Peter’s countless apologies, Albrecht had even begun defying imperial orders.  

And now, he had gone so far as to kidnap his own daughter to force a divorce!  

“Do I have time?”  

The attendant pulled out the Emperor’s schedule from his sleeve and presented it to him.  

“How much time are you referring to, Your Majesty?”  

“About three or four days.”  

“If we push back a few matters, it should be possible.”  

“Good. Then prepare my horse.”  

The journey from the Royal Capital to Odillia would take about three days on a fast horse. If they switched horses without stopping, it could be done in two days. Of course, this assumed that the accompanying party would be limited to two or three people at most.  

Moreover, by now, Kalik Escael would likely have arrived, and it was already late to stop the chaos that would ensue.  

“Delegate most of the pending matters to Windsorus.”  

In the end, the Emperor left the castle, entrusting his duties to the chancellor. He took only two attendants with him, prioritizing mobility. These attendants were selected from the knightly order for their exceptional riding speed, with no consideration given to their swordsmanship.  

As Kalik Escael was the second fastest rider, the third-ranking knight naturally joined the group, but the fourth-ranking knight, Vincent Almore, caused a slight delay by screaming in frustration over being left out. The Emperor made a note to remember the name of this troublemaking knight.  

Thus, even the Emperor set off for Odillia. Meanwhile, news arrived that an ally who could rein in Albrecht was also on their way.  

Mendel Hinsward was heading to Odillia.