Chapter 3.7
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Had he been too greedy? Roxias Akbar thought, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the Emperor, Chaser. According to his calculations, it shouldn’t have been a big problem. Since Princess Adelheid was the one who had overstepped her bounds, a diplomatic dispute with Solaris would not occur. The problem was Chaser.
“Please, Roxias! Have you even thought about how heartbroken Adele must be?”
“……I don’t recall saying anything particularly hurtful to her.”
Chaser’s mouth hung open at Roxias’s utterly unabashed attitude.
“You certainly have a silver tongue for someone so cold……. Look, Adele sobbed her eyes out that day. Even the maids she brought from her home country couldn’t comfort her.”
“I didn’t realize she was so fragile.”
“She is! She’s incredibly delicate. So, Roxy, why don’t you go and comfort her a little? Hmm?”
“Why should I…….”
Roxias stopped mid-sentence and let out an blatant sigh.
“Don’t tell me you still want to marry me off to Princess Adelheid?”
“It’s all for your own sake.”
Chaser spoke sternly, adding one more thing.
“It is an order.”
“……If you insist.”
Roxias shook his head slowly.
“But you are truly mistaken.”
“Why? Are you planning to marry that commoner girl or something?”
“……That is not it.”
Roxias denied it immediately. Marrying Caitlyn Hardick was an absurd notion. It wasn’t simply because of the status gap between an Archduke and a baronet’s sister. To him, those were just names given by humans anyway.
The real truth, the one that mattered to him, was that whenever he looked at Caitlyn Hardick, he felt like he was going mad. Her appearance, her voice, her gestures, the way she spoke as if tossing out words, her attitude of accepting him actively rather than rejecting him even though she disliked him…….
Every single thing that composed Caitlyn Hardick drove Roxias insane and ignited an impulse to bind her. Therefore, marriage was out of the question. He could not give Caitlyn the status of an Archduchess, someone who could stand alongside him, nor did he wish to.
By human standards, Caitlyn must always remain a lower being than him. Only then could he keep her bound to him forever.
“See?”
Chaser let out a hearty laugh.
“My dear cousin, you can have as many mistresses as you want. If you really want to keep that girl by your side, just pick a suitable noble from the North and marry her off to him.”
“…….”
Roxias did not reply. Taking his silence as agreement, Chaser grew even more excited and even patted Roxias on the back.
“And your real wife, the one who becomes the Archduchess of the North, will be Adelheid. She came here with the dream of becoming a perfect wife; sending her back empty-handed isn’t how one treats a guest, is it?”
“Your Majesty.”
When Roxias, who had been staying still, finally spoke, it felt as if the surroundings vibrated. Chaser winced. He recognized that the situation had turned somewhat dangerous. Roxias did not anger easily, but the moment he did, the repercussions were enough to shake the entire Empire.
‘……No way.’
Chaser couldn’t understand. Was it possible that Roxias had actually come to like a common girl?
Because there was a considerable age gap between them, Chaser had watched Roxias since the days when the current Archduke of Akbar was still toddling through the palace. From a young age, the Archduke had shown an uncommon nature and kept himself apart from those around him. The only one who could truly speak with him—and at times even play with him—had been Chaser himself.
Thus, he believed he knew Roxias Akbar better than anyone in the world……. He had lived with that pride for over a decade. And now, the Emperor of the vast Britannia Empire, Chaser, found Roxias incomprehensible for the first time. To kick away a marriage prospect of this caliber because of a fiancée who was practically a commoner?
If he truly loved her, there shouldn’t be a single person who didn’t know that by now. However, far from showing off Caitlyn Hardick to the world, Roxias hid her away tightly. Even the news of the engagement wouldn’t have leaked if it weren’t for someone with a loose tongue.
Furthermore, since he had just stated he had no intention of marrying her…… it didn’t seem to be a case of being blinded by love and insisting on marriage at all costs. The mystery only deepened.
“If Princess Adelheid and I were to marry…… we would both certainly be miserable. Does Your Majesty have something to gain from this marriage?”
Chaser winked at him. If there was any misunderstanding that there was an under-the-table deal involved in the marriage between Princess Adelheid and Roxias, he intended to clear it up completely.
“I gain my cousin’s happiness.”
Roxias furrowed his brows. He looked as if he couldn’t comprehend it at all.
“Your Majesty’s mother is already from Solaris. If I were to marry someone from Solaris as well…….”
“There would be too many Solaris people in the Imperial family?”
“Such concerns could arise.”
Chaser crossed his arms and looked straight at him.
“And.”
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