Chapter 274
“I was wrong. I’m sorry. I’ll spend my whole life asking for your forgiveness. I’ll live grateful just for having you by my side. I’ll never again…”
“Don’t say that. You’re going to do better from now on. I believe in you, Eren.”
He swallowed hard, his breath caught by the words of trust.
“I love you, Macy.”
Eren pulled Macy into his arms.
Though it wasn’t the first time he said it, Macy’s heart pounded like an earthquake—both painfully and vividly.
With tears streaming down, Eren spoke sincerely.
“In a life filled with lies, loving you is the only truth.”
The arrogant man who once looked down on Macy and exploited her feelings was gone. Though he’d still have to tell many lies ahead, he vowed to be blameless before Macy.
It was his own solemn vow of love.
Eren took a deep breath, inhaling Macy’s scent.
“How could I have fallen for my own lies? Foolishly…”
Macy gently stroked the head of this foolish, pitiable man. Hot tears slid down her cheeks.
* * *
Macy woke up to the chirping of birds and warm sunlight streaming through the window.
Next to her, the man she loved and their child were peacefully asleep—lying on their sides, each with an arm bent behind their head.
She laughed at the sight—father and son sleeping in the same posture.
Her gaze caught on the long scar near Eren’s eye. Gently tracing the scar, he slowly lifted his eyelids.
Eren wrapped her hand with his own, lacing their fingers together, then brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
“So I fell asleep like this.”
Last night, Adrian had woken at dawn and cried as if begging the whole Duchy to go.
Eren soothed Adrian and brought him back to the bedroom. He tried to put the baby to sleep and carry him to the nursery, but ended up dozing off himself.
“Sleep some more. It’s still early.”
Though it was early, summer meant the sun rose sooner.
“We said we’d go there today.”
“Ah…”
“You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
There was no way she had forgotten. Amid the busyness, she had been quietly looking forward to it.
“But is it really okay to go?”
“Of course.”
Eren leaned slightly over Adrian and gently kissed Macy’s forehead.
“No matter how much the order changes, newlyweds should enjoy themselves.”
* * *
A lot has happened since then. First, a man named Varmon’s body was found at Yannick’s mansion.
According to Catherine’s statement, Varmon had been killed during a physical fight with Yannick, who had been drawing paintings on his behalf.
As a result, Yannick faced charges not only for copyright infringement and assault but also for murder.
“The defendant, Yannick Horton, is sentenced to death.”
“Why should I die?! Why!! Aaah!!”
He fought until the end but was dragged away. His face, wild with madness, was terrifyingly grotesque.
Kallen Krygen also stood trial on attempted murder charges. Though citizens in the gallery shouted for his death sentence, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Rumors spread that despite his faults, Ottilie Krygen protected him because he bore the Krygen bloodline.
People lamented but agreed that living life as a dangerous criminal would be a harsher punishment for Kallen than death itself.
Meanwhile, the ever resilient Eren regained consciousness and recovered quickly. However, the stitched wound from the stabbing and the long scar running from his eye to cheek remained raised and raw.
Though his face was still handsome, the scar gave him a somewhat wild aura—graceful and beautiful, but suppressing a primal instinct beneath.
Women who once admired the flawless Duke Krygen now felt their hearts cool. Those attracted to his raw, secretive side took his place.
Furthermore, the nude sketches of Eren drawn by Macy, revealed in court, only fueled their fantasies day by day.
“His chest was bigger than most women’s, right? The painting showed it broad and firm.”
“To have so many scars like that… he’s the first Duke whose scars I find sexy!”
Wherever they went, talk of Duke Krygen stirred excitement. Romance novels featuring him as the male lead became popular among noblewomen.
The title was something like My Beastly Duke…
Macy shuddered at the title—it was largely her fault his reputation had taken such a turn.
“Well, it’s good for me—I don’t have to wear layers in summer anymore.”
Eren himself seemed to take the situation lightly.
“Sorry for all this, it’s because of me…”
“You probably didn’t care about the rumors and never noticed, but I’ve been mentioned in those noblewomen’s gossip lists before. People whisper behind my back all the time. Honestly, the rumors now are closer to who I really am, so I feel at ease.”
Eren’s expression wasn’t meant to reassure Macy—it looked more like relief, as if he was glad things turned out this way.
“That’s a relief. But, Eren…”
“Hmm?”
Macy took the chance to bring up something weighing on her mind.
“Aren’t you about to marry Princess Christian?”
Macy had accepted Eren, but she knew their union wouldn’t be easy or fully legitimate.
Eren had made deals with the imperial family to find Macy, and Macy knew he recently met the princess at a dessert cafe.
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