Chapter 67
Thinking she’d misread it, Lilien sounded out the letters again.
“Marriage… maaarriage?”
She stared at Cairn, silently demanding an explanation, but he just gave a slight tilt of his chin.
When two wealthy families married, it was customary to draw up a contract before any vows were made. Things like the dowry portion, property to be inherited by a widow, child custody in case of divorce—all were settled ahead of time, just in case.
But the contract Cairn had prepared with his lawyer was a little… different.
It outlined the amount of property Cairn would grant Lilien upon marriage, made divorce almost impossible with complex conditions, and emphasized that neither side could cancel the contract for any reason.
There wasn’t even a clause for dissolving it.
“What are you doing, Cairn? I’m not in the mood for games right now.”
“Games?”
Cairn’s reply was icy cold.
“Do you think I’m playing around with you right now?”
Lilien gripped the contract, glaring at him. When she didn’t move on to the next page, Cairn kindly handed her a different document.
“Then the marriage certificate?”
“All you have to do is sign.”
“But this is the kind you sign in front of the priest on the wedding day.”
Cairn’s gaze shifted toward the smoking room connected to the parlor. The bishop was in there. So was the lawyer.
“They’re both listening. The Empire’s god is always with us, after all.”
Lilien let out a deep sigh, setting the certificate aside.
“Putting all this aside, why would we even get married, Cairn?”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re—”
“Because you’re not Miss Frederick? Is that why?”
“Even if I’m not, you deserve a perfect woman as your partner.”
“Why?”
Cairn felt like he was talking to a brick wall named Lilien.
“Because… someone beautiful and perfect would suit you.”
It sounded plausible, but she was just making excuses because she didn’t want to marry him.
“And what about you? Who do you think you deserve?”
“I don’t know… Maybe someone like Lord Regid? Someone who doesn’t want children, who has their own flaws, and wouldn’t care about my lack of social skills or anything else.”
There it was again—Regid. Why did she always bring up that guy, as if to make it clear that someone like him was as far as she’d ever reach?
“Well, the same goes for me. I don’t want children either, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you.”
“But you don’t have any flaws. Compared to you, I’m…”
Lilien fidgeted nervously with her fingers.
“You really think I don’t have any flaws, Lilien?”
“Yes. You can do anything, you’re a Headington, and you’re… well, good-looking.”
“If anyone knows my biggest flaw, it’s you.”
“Huh?”
“You know better than anyone that I’m different from other men—physically and otherwise.”
“What do you mean?”
After a short silence, Lilien suddenly realized what Cairn meant and sat up straight.
‘There are people who have healthy bodily reactions but mentally reject s*x, just like you…’
Her mouth dropped open.
“No, Cairn. That’s not necessarily true. I mean, sure, you seemed a bit odd that day, but… Maybe it would be different with someone else. It’s too soon to say. You’ve only slept with me once—and we didn’t even really finish.”
Cairn bit his lip and shook his head.
“Do you want my reputation to end up like Baron Bercy’s?”
People in Baltan openly criticized Lady Denisa for divorcing over ‘bedroom issues’, but privately, they were much more interested in Baron Bercy’s s****l performance.
And Lilien was no different. She was curious too, and found herself seeing the baron in a new light.
“That’s not it…”
“Do you want everyone gossiping about my ‘problem’?”
“No, of course not…”
“Or do you want me to end up divorced because I couldn’t satisfy my wife?”
“Cairn! I care about you! I’d never wish that on you!”
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