11-20

11

Rezette sighed in frustration.

“Even if we get married, I have told you that it will be difficult to see a
successor.”

“They say that a woman will give you as much as you need.”

“I don’t know if there is a human woman who can bear the seeds of
Yongin. Even if she is conceived, she will die before she is full.”

“Try it. I'm going to select and send women with moderately strong
bodies. If I send them all back this time, I will no longer be swayed by
them.”

Neuer did not break his stubbornness. Rezette resisted Joso's

attempt to come out.

That man is his master. He was the Emperor of the High Van Yella, a
half-blooded brother and a benefactor.

And he was also a greedy indeed.

“Isn’t that what my mother did too?”

“……”

“It was my mother who gave birth to you, Rezette. Isn't that just proof
that it's not impossible to conceive Yongin?"
:
 “It’s cowardly.”

In the end, a laugh that couldn't be hidden appeared on Rezette's face.

Emilia. After the woman, who was their mother and the Emperor's
lover, disappeared overnight, what happened to her for a year and what
kind of end she faced, their brothers know well.

Neuer's mouth closed like a clam. Rezette lightly lifted his shoulder.

“If you are greedy, I will give it a try. But don't blame me, even if the
results aren't good."

Rezette bowed to the emperor with impeccable manners and left the
audience. Neuer, who was staring at his stubborn back, exclaimed
loudly.

“Starting this evening, a celebration will be held to commemorate the

victory of the Northern League. If you don't know anything else, you
must attend the event, Rezette!"

But the Archduke disappeared out of the audience before he could

even finish speaking. Neuer slammed the throne with his fist angrily.

“If you do not want to get married, die of old age alone! Damn it, it's
hard to deal with like that!"

Rezette could not help but laugh as he exited the corridor of the
imperial castle. From the audience room, the sound of the emperor's
anger toward the servant he was begging for could be heard as it is.

Hearing the imperial demands of the emperor is annoying and

annoying at any time.
:
 He felt little emotion in the chores, but Neuer's obsession was getting
stinky.

Does he have a baby one day soon? Wherever I want it to be

Rezette was well aware of the terrible end of the woman who bore the
dragon's seed and gave birth to Yongin. It was my story, not anyone
else's.

He and Neuer's mother, Imelia, were ordinary humans.

The woman, who was the lover of Emperor Van Yella, disappeared after
giving birth to Neuer. Only Rezette knows her end.

The woman died horribly.

Rezette remembered every single one of his memories of the moment

he was born. Since his mother could not get him out of the body even
after a long labor, he tore me out of the jade chains with his own hands
and came out into the world.

All Yongin, who have hardened their roots in the human womb, are
born that way.

All women who conceived Yongin died like that.

Rezette clicked her tongue briefly. He wasn't something he wanted to

see and go through, no matter how many times he was.

So, there will be only one kind of tolerance that Van Yella can have in
this generation.

Rezette was about to leave the Imperial Castle as it was, but suddenly
:
 stopped at his face filled with his mind.

'The dungeon...'

Must visit once.

As soon as the princess set foot in the capital, she was surrounded by
the imperial knights and she left his hand.

Rezette stopped in his seat, contemplating his thoughts for a moment.

While he paused his steps, countless eyes of nobles entering and

leaving the imperial castle clung to him. Most of it was fear, a mixture
of hate and contempt.

It's the eyes of the lowly.

In the original continent, Yongin was treated like that, and it was also
because he was a genius. Even though he has almost doubled Van
Yella's territory, is there any other reason why he is a war hero and not a
war hero?

These were familiar reactions, so Rezette didn't even pay attention. He

was reminiscing about the time when the Princess of Argan lay ill with
an excruciating fever.

Exactly, the words she whispered to him desperately at that time.

"When you arrive in the capital, sir."

"It's not too bad..."

"Consider this as your last struggle."

:
 "Because you can think of me as a crazy person..."

That uninterrupted voice kept leaving unnecessary residue in my heart.

After thinking for a few more seconds, Legette made a decision.

Seeing his face one more time doesn't change anything.

His head made perfect judgment, and he took his steps as reason
dictated.

It took less than an hour for the horse carrying the commander-in-
chief and the knights that followed him to completely escape from their
nature.

***

Three days have passed since Elysee was imprisoned in the dungeon
of the Van Yella Palace.

A roaring noise was heard day after day through the open side
windows. Presumably, the troops dispatched to the South returned
with the victory of the Northern League, so they were having a party to
celebrate the victory.

Elise put her arms around her knees and rested her head against the
stone wall. The prison was cold and wet.

Three days before her, Van Yela's army, led by the Archduke of
Kyrstan, handed her over to her Imperial Knights. Elysee was dragged
down to her dungeon without even looking at the emperor's face. The
emperor of Van Ella, unlike her archduke, seemed unwilling to show her
respect for her.
:
 Somewhere there was the sound of a rat gnawing at her grate. Her
prison, in which she was confined, was on the clean side, but the foul
smell of sewer wafted from behind her iron bars.

Elysee had never even set foot in such a harsh environment. Thanks to
her, she was able to see clearly how luxurious she had been during the
past month and a half under the protection of the Archduke, not the
Archduke himself.

She stuck to the grate all day, eavesdropping on the guards'

conversations. Thanks to her, she learned many things.

She said, 'After the festival, there will be a four-form.'

The death penalty was said to have been erected in a square in the
middle of the capital.

Argan The moment the last royal family hangs on the neck, the era of
Argan will come to an end. It was the death penalty that marked the
end of an era.

‘Three days have passed, so two more days.’

That was the time left before Elise was taken to her death row.

The sound of her fluttering footsteps echoed in her hallway, which was
chilly without her warmth. A servant was walking in, packing her
luggage. Elise desperately moved her body, which was not able to
enter her power, to move closer to her iron bars.

Two men who met nearby were chatting.

“Come on, the head chef told us to share the leftovers with the users. I
:
 brought some of yours.” “Wow, do you like the victory banquet?”

“It was good. Her eyes are delightful, her mouth is strong, and her
ears pricked up.”

“What kind of topic were the noble lilies talking about this time?”

“What? The Princess of Argan, which the Archduke captured this time.
trapped in me.”

Elise put her hood on and held her breath.

“The prince of the barbarians secretly besieged His Majesty. I promise

to detain her in her Ugel camp until her death. It's a camp, the Ugels
are staying in a separate palace right now, aren't they? What else could
she do with a woman in a solitary room in a separate palace?”

“You see inside.”

The jailer pretended to vomit that he was sick. Elise's face turned pale.
She glanced at the inside of the prison cell as the attendant glanced at
her.

“…but are you that pretty? She is a princess.”

“I don’t know, ma. She has been wearing a hoodie since she was
brought in. She never took it off. I could barely see her hair. She
couldn't have been a frail princess who couldn't wash her hair properly,
and her torment could not have been enough, but her hair looked as
soft as silver thread."

The jailer bit her taste as if he couldn't be bothered.

:
 "I'm dying to wonder, I can't even force her to take off her hood..."

"why? Is she a princess? After all, she's going to die soon, so what's
wrong with her?"

“Not that. She left the High Duke's warning not to touch the
prisoners.” Elise was startled as she lifted her heavy hand and
squeezed the front of her hood.

'Did that man give such an order...?'

A heavy chain slid under her wrist.

The Archduke of Kyrstan himself handcuffed her before handing her

over to her imperial knights.

Perhaps because her handcuffs were too large for her bare wrists, he
sighed softly and pulled out her handkerchief, tying her handcuffs and
her wrists together. And handed the long chains hanging from her
handcuffs to the knight.

Elise looked down at her wrists that were tied together. With every
move she made, the bones of her wrists throbbed against the crude
metal.

But she wasn't so sick that she couldn't stand it.

Although her handkerchief on the surface appeared to be handcuffs

and wrists, it was actually wrapped around her bare wrists and the back
of her hands twice. That's why it's as good as this, with no ripped or
torn areas.

Did she do this on purpose?

:
 I don't know about that. It is not the person who reveals her original
expression.

Elise fiddled with the knot that reached her hand. Thanks to the man,
she was also spared from being the focus of the guards' eyes.

'Somehow, I'm covering my face like this, but no one is saying

anything...'

Was the Grand Duke originally like that? Elise was a little curious.

What the hell does he think of her? With her emotionless face, her
tossing ho, do you know that her righteousness keeps instilling her
hope in her?

Will she ever forgive her if she tells his master a blatant lie?

12

The victory celebration banquet attended by the Prince of Ugel and his
vassals was not very pleasant.

Not only Rezette, but also all of the Van Yella nobles, including the
Emperor and Empress, felt that way.

The conduct of the barbarians was indeed dignified and frivolous.

Dozens of empty drinking glasses were scattered on the same table
they occupied. No matter how much they belong to the same Northern
Federation, no nobles want to be treated like such people.

Of course, in Rezette's eyes, accustomed to being despised, there

seemed to be no difference between this one and the other. He was
the main character of victory, so he could not attend, so he kept his
:
 seat, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

‘I emptied the estate for too long.’

Relatively south of Van Yella, Rotier was Van Yella's granary. It is one of
the few places in the north that is considered warm and fertile.
Naturally, it was difficult to manage.

When receiving the title for the first time, Rezette deliberately chose a
small piece of land in the northern tip that no one cares about or seeks.
However, the emperor forced him to give him the land of the yolk
called Rotier. It was obvious that the intention was to keep it closer to
the capital.

In addition, he received a quarterly management report of the estate

under the pretext of being an important area in Van Yella, and when he
found even a small gap, he said that this is the time, and cast that
damned nagging.

Is it because the hostess is not present in the estate, or if I make a

successor, I will take care of the management of the estate even if I
neglect it a little.

Neuer's nonsense was multifaceted, and as a result, 15 years after he

was conferred the title of Grand Duke, Rezette had written a complete
report without a single error or error.

However, with this expedition, the territory has been vacated for nearly
a year. When you return, you will have to work like crazy until the
harvest festival.

As a courtesy, it was enough for three days to stay in the ecliptic. By

:
 tomorrow morning he was planning to depart in Loti.

But there was only one thing on my mind.

The death ceremony of Princess Argan.

will you go see

Unlike three days ago, this time, Rezette also hesitated briefly. It's
embarrassing even if you don't see it.

To make me worry about such useless things until the very end. That's
when I thought she was definitely a woman with a lot of hands on her
hands.

“So, lord of the Brotherhood. Are you really not going to give up on the
Princess of Argan?” As if reading Rezette's mind, the Prince of Ugel
shouted out loud from the table opposite. “I think it would be fun even
if I dragged it out here, what do you think!” "Her princess's wife's form
is scheduled in two days."

Neuer covered the displeasure with a gentle smile and pointed it out
softly.

"You will be able to return home with her princess' neck as you wish."

So it was a warning not to think any more. Rezette watched Yanok

Sihart slurp something in the Ugel language.

The author has shown excessive interest in her princess for the past
few days.

Isn't she content with publicly executing the princess in her square?
:
 Maybe you need something other than her princess's body? For
example, what?

beautiful face? A body white and covetous as if she had ground her
pearls? Perhaps her magical powers might be her remnants of her?

Legette looked at him sharply. Indeed, around the time the banquet
was in full swing, Yanoch Sihet left the place to avoid the gaze of those
around him. His gait was more loose than before, probably because of
the increase in alcohol.

What a rudely drunken man would do to a beautiful prisoner in prison.

“Uh, my lord? Where are you going?”

Ruben suddenly stood up from his seat and looked at his superior in
bewilderment. Rezette turned her back and left the banquet hall
without answering.

***

Elise woke up to the sound of someone staggering and walking.

As she lay her body on the uncomfortable stone floor, the muscles in
her body screamed. Her hood, which she had never taken off since
she was imprisoned, obscured her view.

Shaking her head, her hood fell behind her. Her mind was flashed.
Elise hurriedly raised her head, and she met someone's bloodshot
eyes and her gaze with authenticity.
:
 “……!”

Elise's terrified face reflected in the dark pupil embedded in the

bloody, yellowish white.

Seeing her features fully exposed under her moonlight, her man gave a
blank expression for a moment.

But for a moment, the corners of her man's lips rose grotesquely.

"indeed...."

He shrugged in admiration, and suddenly reached out his hand

through the iron bars of the prison. Elise was terrified and stepped
back from her. She was a stranger, but she instinctively knew her
identity.

Yanok Sihart. He was the 4th prince of the Kingdom of Ugel.

The one who had come to take her in person three days before her.

He shoved his fur-covered hands through the cage.

“The emperor also had a handsome face for a man, but four years is
nothing compared to him.”

“Don’t touch me.”

Elise clenched her teeth and glared at Yanok Sihat. Her pride did not
allow her to be humiliated in the face of the enemies of her motherland.

The man greedily glanced at her, trying her best not to fall.

“Is four years real?”

:
 "What?"

“Slicing shichimi. You don't know we don't know that the Emperor has
stolen my sister and poured all of his magic into you?"

Pour out your magic? Elise was the first she had heard of it.

Are you talking about the magic circles Andrei carved on her body?
But how do you know that this is her replacement? The invisible magic
circle engraved on Elise's body was a secret only she and Andrei knew.

Yanok Sihart giggled and waved the key pack.

“Before I kill you, I need to check. Whether four years is really a wizard
or not. If it's an empty can, just cut the beautiful hair and take it. If it's
the princess's head, it's sure to be a great bait."

The key snapped into the hole in the door. I was horrified by the sound
of the latch turning. Elise squeezed her eyes shut.

But the door to the prison did not open.

Instead, a blunt pounding sound resounded.

It was a threatening sound that made me wonder if the bone had gone
out. At the same time, the lamp that had lit her prison was temporarily
extinguished. Darkness swallowed the opponent's face.

Elise opened her eyes, but she saw nothing in her eyes devoured by
darkness.

“Cuckoo! Whoa, what a bastard…”

:
 Somewhere, Yanoch Sihart was struggling with a choking sound. He
was being dragged around somewhere. A painful moan gradually
moved away with the sound of someone else's heavy footsteps.

Elise opened her lips involuntarily.

“Ki, Sir Kyrstan…?”

She couldn't figure out why the man's name popped up.

It's just the sound of footsteps.

Because the presence felt so large that it was impossible to ignore, but
not intimidating. or....

Because he was the only man in the land of Van Yella who would give
Elysee even a small favor.

But no answer came from beyond the darkness.

The footsteps stopped for a moment and then resumed. It was a

constant sound without hesitation or regret.

Yanok Sihart's breathless moan gradually diminished and then

completely subsided.

Elise raised her trembling hand and grabbed her iron grate and shook
it. The door was still firmly locked. A cool stillness came again.

“……”

The man answered her call without answering a word. Elise, she still
:
 couldn't understand his intentions.

Is it part of humiliation to take care not to injure the wrist of a prisoner

who will soon be hanged on the death row, and to deal with the impure
so that he does not get raped the night before his death? Or simply
because it is the duty of a knight to help the weak?

Or, perhaps, is he sympathizing with him?

please i wish it was like that

She grabbed her grate for a while and paused dazedly, then muttered
belatedly.

"thanks."

The return was still gloomy. Elise swallowed the words she couldn't
finish.

‘And I’m sorry.’

Ever since she was captured by the Archduke, Elysee thought and
thought about how she would survive.

No matter how many times I worry, that man is the only one. He never
answers her calls, but nonetheless the most merciful to her in her van
Yella.

Elise leaned her tears-soaked cheeks against the iron bar. Rezette
Kyrstan. She could never miss him.

***
:
 The morning of the death penalty was bright.

Elise sat in the middle of the prison where the sunlight was the size of
her spear and calmly made up her mind.

Maybe today will be the last day of her life.

Biting her lips, the material tasted her blood. Elise, she prayed
earnestly that she please, that her absurd plan for today's nonsense
would succeed.

The thin sunlight fell over her head as she closed her eyes and clasped
her hands and recites her prayers. Light powder flowed down the skein
of her hair and her slender shoulders, as fine and soft as her silver
thread. It looked like it would come out of a torch.

Suddenly, Elise opened her eyes.

She opened herL locked neck to her guard who was spying on her
frantically outside her prison. “Could you tell me that the Princess of
Argan is asking the Emperor of Van Yella for her final audience?”

It was not expected that the emperor of Van Yella would take this blue.
Although it is now an enemy country, it is a request from the last
imperial family of a country that once commanded the era with equal
shoulders. Even if Elysee was the emperor of Van Yella, he would have
allowed it.

Her expectations were not wrong. The emperor's permission was

granted, and the prison doors were opened wide in five days.

Elysee followed her knight, holding the chain ends of her handcuffs,
out of the prison. She walked out the unfamiliar corridors of the Ban
:
 Yella Palace, which continued endlessly.

I think while walking. Already too far from her glorious death.

But maybe she was far from her nobility from her days.

Elysee was not even a strong imperial family, and she lacked the pride
she had as an imperial family. From the moment she was born she lived
only hiding under the shadow of her twins. The people of Argan
worshiped and loved her princess whom they did not know her face,
but she did not leave a single achievement to live up to their
expectations.

No one in her first wanted to show her to her world, so maybe her
parents and her Andrei knew her early on.

The fact that Elise was not an imperial family worthy of the brilliant
Argan.

So she could do anything to survive.

It doesn't end with saving this one life, but one day I must return to the
land of Argan...

I have to make a grave for her twin sister, who died lonely.

I have to go to heal the souls of Argan people who have lost her king
and have been trampled by barbarians.

So I can tell such nonsense lies without hesitation.

Elise struggled to bring her trembling hands together.

:
 In order for her to survive, she must prove her worth in this van Yella.
In the most shocking but effective way.

'you can do it. I have to.’

I've imagined this moment hundreds of times over the past month.

Across such a splendid foreign castle, at last under the throne of her
kneeling Van Yella, she spoke to the emperor of an enemy nation.

She “had the child of the Archduke of Kyrstan.” One word that will
change my destiny.

13

Rezette checked the clock on the outer wall of the chapel in the
distance. It was only a few minutes until noon.

His residence outside the Imperial Palace was quite a distance from
the square. The front of the mansion was bustling with knights, their
seeds, and users preparing to return to their territory.

There were about a thousand enlisted men led by Rezette from Rottier.
Arcel, the leader of the Knights of Rottier, led most of the infantry and
returned to Rottier first, and the remaining number was a little less than
two hundred.

In front of those who lined up to wait, Rezette's black steed was

strutting. Reuben, who found him, reported.

He said, “Sir, everything is ready. We only need to carry the spoils that
His Majesty has given us.” "okay. Once we have loaded all our
luggage, we will leave immediately.”
:
 "Yes. ...But don't you go to the plaza?"

“Why the square?”

“Oh, that’s right. Isn't today the day? The execution form of Princess
Argan. I think it will start soon.”

“……”

“Since morning, a huge crowd has gathered in the square. Rumors

have already spread throughout the emperor.”

Rezette's gaze slowly turned to Reuben. Ruben did not notice the
clear eyes of his superiors, and chimed in.

“The execution of the most beautiful woman in Grandel. Isn't it just the
right material to go up and down in the mouths of luxury people? She
is even more so if she is the princess of an exiled country.”

“……”

“And… I wondered if the princess would use her magic to make her
disappear from her death row or strike her with a thunderbolt. Some
people are expecting such a miracle. Why isn't it a scene from the
Gallian mythology? It is said that the hero Gallian called a thunderbolt
to save his comrades and cut the death row in half….”

“Until there. I can't listen to you anymore.”

Rezette mercilessly cut off Ruben's story that continued without

knowing the end.

“Don’t listen to useless things, and look carefully to see if you have
:
 forgotten anything. For the time being, I don’t plan on even going to
the zodiac.”

Ruben scratched his chin smartly.

“I didn’t mean to listen, it’s just that people are talking all over the
place. Anyway, are you really not going?”

“Why am I going there?”

“Oh, but you haven’t seen me for almost two months. That too...."

Ruben swallowed dry saliva without continuing his words. Also, pretty
close. intimately. secretly...

She's been so close that a man and a woman in their prime of

extraordinary beauty can't be closer for a month and a half or more,
and how could she not have licked her lips?

But the boss was still apathetic.

“I don't know what that has to do with it. Stop talking nonsense and
get ready to go.”

“Uh, yeah…”

did you get it wrong Ruben tilted his head.

'It didn't seem like they were in a normal relationship... didn't you have
any feelings?'

Meanwhile, the work of putting a cover on the wagon full of loot was
finished.
:
 Just then, the noon bell rang. Rezette's hand, which was gripping the
saddle, stopped.

“……”

The cold bell rang twelve times.

After the echo of the last bell had subsided, Rezette resumed her
broken thoughts.

From the capital to Lotire, he rides his horse and arrives in three days.
Even if the schedule is delayed, five days will be sufficient.

Returning this time, he had no intention of coming to the capital for at

least the next three years. Rezette climbed to the military horse
without any regrets. He did not look back at the clock in the chapel.

"depart."

It was just the moment Rezette pulled the reins of his horse.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Grand Duke!”

Someone rushed this way. He was the vassal of the Imperial Palace.

“You should go to the main palace right now. Your Majesty is looking
for you urgently.”

“What’s going on?”

"that is...."

The mayor expressed his displeasure. He looked around with anxious

eyes. I had a lot of ears to listen to, so I had to be careful.
:
 “It has to do with the Princess of Argan.”

“Princess?”

Rezette wrinkled her brow and checked the time again. Both clock
hands were pointing to the sky.

Suddenly, the minute hand was clearly tilted to the right. It was past
noon. It was the time when the princess's neck was still hanging.

The chaplain added an explanation hurriedly.

“There was no execution. Just before the princess was dragged out to
the square, she said she had something to tell the Emperor, and she
asked for an audience…”

A deep trough was cut in Rezette's forehead. Even though he did not
listen to the chieftain's answer, an unfamiliar feeling of uneasiness
enveloped him. I had an uncomfortable feeling that things were not
going as planned.

“So, why is His Majesty looking for me?”

The waitress approached with hesitation and said in a low-pitched

voice that those around him could not hear him. His intuition didn't go
astray.

“Me, my lord?”

Reuben panicked and called his superior. It was because Rezette cut
off his horse's head abruptly. The look on the boss's face, as if passing
by, was terribly hardened.
:
 ***

When the princess first entered her audience, Neuer was astonished
inside. This was the first time he saw the face of Princess Argan in
person.

The face of her princess was haggard and the clothes she wore were
poor. On her wrists, unusually large-looking handcuffs and chains were
hung heavy. However, none of them could cover her natural beauty.

Neuer also understood at once that the Emperor of Argan did not hide
his sister for nothing until she reached the age of majority.

Elizabeta Aseika was born to be loved and loved by someone all her
life. At twenty-two, even though he was well past the age of majority,
his immaturity was noticeable here and there.

Watery eyes, uneasy gaze handling, and also unstable breathing. I

could clearly see that I was on the verge of collapsing in the fear of
death that weighed on me.

Even Neuer, who mercilessly cuts her off if she is useless, was
trembling sadly to such an extent that she felt pity for a moment.

‘It’s difficult to even hang on to save my life.’

It's as beautiful as the name suggests, but that's it. A princess was
worth more after she died than when she was alive.

In exchange for handing over her body to Ugel, Van Yela agreed to take
over part of Argan's territories occupied by Ugel. I do not know the
intent of the savages to take the head of the dead as loot, but from the
van Yella's point of view, it was a surplus business. Because the North
:
 always needs fertile land.

She said, "She heard that the princess has one last word to say to me."

So, originally, she had no intention of listening to anything the princess

had to say.

However, as soon as she heard her words flowed from her beautiful
lips, her original decision was completely forgotten.

"what?"

Neuer doubted my ears. He forgot his torso and barely put up with the
fact that he almost nicked his ear.

“Princess, what did I just say… If I wasn’t deaf, I think the princess just…
gave birth to the Grand Duke’s child.”

“You just heard it.”

The princess said vigorously. Neuer's facial muscles twitched slightly.

“So, that means the Grand Duke and…”

He pondered for a moment whether he should use her explicit

expression, or whether he should be purified by considering the face of
the princess. The princess added hastily

“I tempted him first. It's not his fault, so don't hold the Archduke
responsible."

After a while, Neuer burst out laughing as if he was clogged up.

"Haha... The princess doesn't seem to know my brother well."

:
 Rezette Kyrstan succumbed to the temptation of a woman and spent
the night? It was as unreliable as saying that he was suffering from
defeat.

She usually wouldn't even sneer if she were a woman.

But isn't that woman an ordinary person?

Neuer stared at her princess, then turned her head, pretending to wipe
her chin with her hand. And he gave the order to the chieftain.

“Call the Archduke right now. Wherever you are and what you are
doing, please come to the audience immediately.”

No matter how much Rezette Kyrstan treats women as stones on the

road, it must have been difficult for them to be moved by such a woman
in front of them.

Besides, the attitude of the princess was also a concern. Although she
shivered intermittently, her back was straight and her gaze trembled,
but she did not avert her eyes. She had something bizarre about the
princess that made her others believe her words.

Neuer looked at her slowly.

“The Archduke of Kyrstan is not human. he's a dragon Does the

princess say that, knowing that it is extremely difficult for a human to
bear the seeds of Yongin?”

Elise shook her head. As she entered the full-fledged newspaper, her
face, which had been so far away, was getting tired of blue. Neuer
sharply pushed her away.
:
 “Is it something you didn’t know? So how did she know she had a
child? It was only two months ago that you were caught by Ban Ye La.
Do you have any convincing evidence?”

“My twin brother was a wizard.”

The princess answered with a small pant.

“I used to check her body condition by examining the magic flowing

through her body,” she said. I'm not that much of a wizard, but I can
feel a little bit of magic."

Elise stretched out her left hand and held it in front of her. A flash of
bright light appeared on her palm for an instant and then disappeared.

She was a shining light from a magic circle engraved on the inside of
her left forearm, but to Neuer, who was ignorant of her magic, it looked
mysteriously like a broken star.

She said, 'She hadn't heard that a princess could handle her magic.'

14

The princess spoke with a trembling voice.

“So, where in my body there are abnormalities and what changes are
occurring, and to what extent can I know.”

“Can you swear before God?”

“I swear.”

“Isn’t this just a temporary measure to avoid the death penalty?”

:
 “It is for your Majesty to judge.”

At the end of those words, the princess bit her mouth. Transparent
tears glistened under her eyes as she slowly lowered them.

From a distance she heard the bell ringing her hour. It was exactly
twelve times, noon.

The death row inmate did not appear at the time when the execution
should have started.

It was obvious that they were the ones who would be most angry at the
situation different from what was planned. The impatient savages will
run straight to this place and accuse him of giving up her princess.

Should I give it up or not?

Neuer leisurely tapped the armrest of the throne.

“It’s for me to judge… No, Princess. Judgment should be made by the

Grand Duke.”

He was well acquainted with the nature of Rezette Kyrstan. If he was

doing something as cruel as the rumors circulating, it was certainly not,
but Rezette had a cold side.

He mercilessly cleared away anything that was in the way or in the way,
whether man, beast, or object. He almost never took back what he had
once thrown away.

So, if the princess's words are false, the Grand Duke will not appear
here, no matter how dark it is. At the very least, I'll just pass on an
insincere message that it has nothing to do with me.
:
 But what if there is something that bothers you?

'If only it were true. This is a golden opportunity to gain acceptance.’

It is also the successor of Rezette Kyrstan. It was worth incomparable

to just a piece of land.

So if you wait, you will know naturally. Are the words of the princess
true or false?

Neuer slowly buried himself on the throne.

Now, who will arrive first?

There was an ominous silence in which no one spoke. Elise closed her
eyes to restore her blurred vision.

She had not even opened her eyes again. The door to the audience
was wide open without permission.

“……!”

Elysee felt a sense of intimidation emanating from behind her back.

Her body began to tremble like a quaking tree, in spite of all her efforts
to win her heart.

'The sound of footsteps...'

Throughout her journey to Van Yella, she envisioned today's situation

dozens and hundreds of times.

What kind of words will she take her fortune, for what reason and how
she will surround her, and how will she respond to the emperor's
:
 inquiry? But actually, they weren't as difficult as I thought.

It was this moment that scared me the most.

Rezette Kyrstan, how will that man react to this nonsensical situation?
It just wasn't predictable.

A cold voice came from behind.

“Did you call me, Your Majesty?”

“…you came early.”

Neuer straightened his back and checked the time again. Just before
noon he sent him an attendant. She didn't even last an hour. As if he
had just departed for Lotier, Rezette was dressed in a suit.

He was wrong when he thought it was much more likely that he

wouldn't show up. If so, maybe? “You must have heard about the
situation. Grand Duke, please explain.”

“……”

“Is what the princess said true?”

Rezette's chin clenched tightly. He looked at her kneeling her knees as

he slumped down on her carpet.

Elise tried her best to withstand the gaze that pierced me. She knew
without looking back. There is life mixed in her eyes. Her gaze was so
intense that I didn't have the courage to raise her head and check it.

She wasn't afraid of her yard who had come this far, but her pretended
:
 contempt was unbearable as she shredded her last move. Even though
she was determined, she had no choice but to disappear from this
place.

‘What kind of woman do you think I am?’

Even when her life was at stake, she felt a sense of shame.

shame, humiliation, guilt, and regret followed her. It wasn't just

Elysee's honor that this absurd lie was defiled. It would have been
better if she did.

She had turned that man into an irresponsible servant who took
prisoners blinded by his desires. No matter how much she claims that
she seduced herself first, the result does not change.

“Get up.”

A fog floated in her sight. Desperately holding on to her whole body,

Elise didn't even know that her words were meant for me.

Her right forearm was caught in an accident. Elise was forced to stand
up from her seat as if she was almost lifted by her strong grip. She
looked up at him in embarrassment, but her man's gaze was not on her.

Rezette asked Neuer, with one hand clasping her forearm in her
slumped elise.

“I ask you to take a stand with your Majesty the Princess.”

“Answer the questions first, Grand Duke.”

“All she got was a couple of words from her servant's mouth. Please
:
 give me time to figure out the situation.”

“...hmm.”

“Let me talk first.”

His tone was respectful, and it was no different than asking for her
permission. A gleam flashed in Neuer's eyes. But before he could say
anything, Rezette shook her head.

“Then I understand that you have allowed it.”

Lesette slipped her hand down, which was holding her Elise's forearm.
She grabbed her hand like a noose and he turned around without
hesitation.

Neuer stared at her half-brother's back as she dragged her princess

away. Outside her door, the knight following her superior stomps her
feet in embarrassment.

Neuer called out to the knight who could neither do this nor that. “Sir
Reuben! Come in.”

"Yes? Oh yes! your majesty."

Ruben hurriedly knelt before the throne.

Neuer commanded, not taking his eyes off the closed door until the
end.

“Report in detail what happened between the princess and the

archduke on the way from the border of Argan to the imperial capital
here. Don’t miss a single little thing, everything!”
:
 ***

“Are you crazy?”

These were the first words Lesette spit out, grabbing both of her
hands and wrists at once and pulling her out of the audience.

This time he didn't even have time to answer. Elise was swept away by
her rough hand and pushed to her pole. Her shoulder blades squealed
as she hit the stone pillars, but she resisted the scream. She was not in
a position to express her pain.

“What are you thinking?”

The third storm in Rezette Kyrstan, witnessed by Elysee, did not

subside as quickly as the previous ones. It had been two months since
she had known him, and for the first time, the Archduke had shown
hostility to her.

“I asked what he was thinking and what plans he had in his head, Your
Majesty.”

The honorific words, which had never been at odds, were mixed in a
mess. It was proof that his composure was shaking.

“Don’t we both know that it will never happen?”

"first...."

Elise gasped a little. The sting of her authenticity was so strong that it
seemed as if her lungs were being ripped to pieces.

“I’m sorry, sir. Apologies…”

:
 “Are you apologizing for doing things your way? That's not what I
want. Why did you tell such a useless lie, I am asking the third
question, Your Majesty.”

“You know what I want the most.”

“Speak straight. If you go round and round, this stupid person will not
understand.”

“I want to live, I want to live.”

Elise twisted her body away from his hand. As she fell, she could
barely breathe. Rezette saw her bloodless complexion and reluctantly
took the life she had spread out.

“Is that all?”

But her low voice still harbored hostility. Her blue eyes seemed to
rebuke her. Do you want to live like that? Do you want to beg so far
without her pride?

right. Yes. All of a sudden, Elise's cheeks were stained with tears. Her
heavy iron clasping her wrists pressed her down endlessly.

“I don't want to die. I want to live anyway. I have work to do, so I can't
hang my neck like this..."

“It is something you have to deal with on your own. You are not going
to drag me in.”

“……”

“Maybe there was another smarter way. Did you say last resort? It's a
:
 shame, but for me it's nothing more, nothing less than the worst
number."

“If I had tried to come up with a different method, would you have left it
alone?” "at least...."

Rezette closed her eyes for a long time and then opened them.

“At least if I had known that you were making a plan like this, I would
have come up with an alternative…”

"no. It can't be. Don't lie, sir." This time it was Elise's turn to let her
laugh.

“You wouldn’t have pretended to have heard.”

“……”

“No matter how much I did or what I said, Kyung-eun would have
turned away. Because I've already said many times that you don't want
to help me. You, I…”

"majesty."

“Because I think I should have died in that plaza outside today.”

The man did not respond immediately this time. It was only a brief
exhalation of his cramped sigh. For Elise, it was nothing like a
confirmation kill.

Rezette Kyrstan delayed her execution date by nearly two months. He

was obviously merciful in some respects. But he was just that cruel.
:
 Elysee didn't know that the kindness he showed me was meant to
enjoy the rest of the time to the fullest because he was going to die
anyway.

15

'So he must have left for the estate without looking back.'

Because he has no value for him. Because he has no intention of

saving his life even if he shows little kindness to his pitiful heart.

So Elysee did not tell him what she was going to do in the Imperial
Palace. He deliberately waited for him to face the emperor.

and he said The seeds of Yongin are growing in my belly.

The king heard that. Whether that's true or not doesn't matter right
now. The important thing is that he planted an expectation of ‘what if’
in the emperor.

“The emperor of Van Yella desperately wants your heir.”

So, the emperor will not be able to send Elysee to death until she
proves the truth of her claims.

For such a short time, Elysee had to convince this stubborn man in
front of her eyes. She said in her trembling voice.

“I will give birth to your child.”

“……”

“I don’t think it’s bad for the Lord either… it’s not a bad number. I don't
:
 know how annoying and annoying it is to be called upon to have an
heir."

Andrei often received such urges from the nobles. On days tormented
by her aristocrats, he always poured out his sloppy grudges against
her.

“…will you give birth to my successor?”

Rezette did the same thing with her. Fear and her hope alternately
bloomed like flowers in Elise's swaying golden eyes.

Rezette, who witnessed this, immediately burst out into a short smirk.

“Do you know what I am talking about?”

“If my words were difficult to understand…”

“You said that you want to die in the most miserable way now, Your
Majesty.”

Elise bit her lower lip at her mild reaction. Rezette couldn't stop
laughing at her.

Do you see hope in me? He sees now that she was a stupid woman.

"I'm really sorry for damaging your reputation. However...."

"Reputation?"

The princess kept saying something else. Rezette didn't even laugh
anymore.

“It's not that important. Even if you choose a method, you are saying
:
 that you have chosen the wrong one.” Without time for Elise to
respond, he fired again.

“Do you know why Your Majesty wants my successor so much?”

“Perhaps because you are Yongin…”

“Then do you know why it hasn't been successful yet?” “...that too,
probably for the same reason.”

“I mean, I don’t know exactly. Haha, if I had known in the first place, I
wouldn't have made such an offer." Rezette repeated her words
cynically.

“That’s the only way a person who wants to live came up with it.”

Rezette glanced over the princess's body, knowing that it was her
rudeness.

It had only been five days since she had just entered the Imperial
Castle, and she was markedly drier than he remembered. He took a
step back from me and grabbed the woman's wrist and lifted it up.

Her boneless body almost broke easily if he put even the slightest
amount of force in her grip. Rezette's lips twisted.

“In your eyes, I must have looked pretty good. Or maybe I'm
misunderstanding something right now."

The princess seemed to have misunderstood that he was her upright

and stoic knight, and that she had never touched her.

If you know what he's thinking every time he sees her princess since
her days at the lakeside, she wouldn't provoke him to give birth to her
:
 child with such an ignorant eye.

“I made it clear that I didn’t want to see blood even in bed,” she said. It
seems she didn't take it as a warning.”

This was a proposal she could make, as she had never seen or heard
of a human and a non-human occlusion. There are no words to
describe her other than that she is not afraid.

Rezette did not know how the princess found out that Van Yella wanted
an heir to the Grand Duke. However, it is true that the emperor has his
eyes on his heir, so it was not a bad number to earn a few days right
now.

No, in fact, you can't even earn until a few days. The imperial member
will be visiting today, and her lies will soon be revealed.

Are you telling lies that no one will believe, just to earn an extra day or
two? For Rezette, her thinking was in the realm of incomprehension
from beginning to end.

A cold voice pierced her like a blade toward Elise, who shrugged her
shoulders.

“I knew that he knew nothing and that he didn’t know anything about
the world, but this was too much.”

“……”

“I never said that I could not help, but I never said that I was going to
interfere with my life. So, if it were me, I would have risked everything I
had and made a petition to His Majesty. Argan's secrets, treasures, and
dragon myths that only you know.”
:
 At one point, the tone of voice that abandoned the extreme honor was
harsh. The man who spoke in an unfamiliar tone felt much bigger and
more intimidating than usual. Rezette Kyrstan was genuinely angry.

Elysee's two hands that were holding the sleeves of his clothes
loosened. She lowered her head and murmured her heartlessly.

“I can sell my face and pride, but I cannot sell my country, sir.”

“……”

“I cannot sell the country that my brothers and people risked their lives
to protect to an enemy country to save my own life. No matter how
ruinous it is.”

“Then didn’t you think that it would be more worthy of Argan’s pride to
commit suicide with honor? It sounds contradictory.”

It means that it would have been better if he died gracefully in the first
place.

That's right. When you are given poison, do it neatly.

No matter how hard she tried, she had no power to change the world
anyway. Even if she returned to Argan, she had neither the ability to
rebuild the empire nor the way to bring the scattered Argans together.

However, Elysee was an imperial family that was like the symbol of
Argan. As long as she's alive, she's not defeated Argan, she said, so
she's just doing what she can.

Besides, she couldn't even pick up the words she spilled anyway.
When she said that she had a child of the Grand Duke, and when she
:
 showed only a fraction of her magical powers, she saw clearly her
greed in the eyes of the Emperor.

Elise barely opened her tight throat and whispered.

“Remember that I am a direct blood relative of Argan, Sir. What kind of

people are Argan's imperial family? Although I'm not a wizard like my
brother, I'm not saying I can't use magic. I am definitely different from
ordinary women.”

“If you could handle even the slightest bit of magic, you wouldn’t have
been easily brought to Van Yella.”

“……”

“More than anything else, I have no desire to hold a woman who can’t
handle even a single part of my body properly.”

Elise's lips, who was about to add her words in a hurry, were bitten like
her conch.

It was then that she realized how ugly Elise would cry now. Her outfit
was filthy and haggard, and her face was wet with cold sweat and
tears. The nape of her neck heated up.

“I will give you time to think again.”

Rezette Kyrstan still couldn't see a hole big enough to fit a needle in.
He was cold and stubborn.

“One thing you should know. I may be able to buy a few days or
months of time right now, but one day I will surely regret that it would
have been better to die quickly and cleanly now.”
:
 After finishing her words, Rezette let her go. Elysee gave her both legs
strength to keep her from staggering.

“I have no regrets. There is no other way for me than you.”

“……”

“So you don't have to come back tomorrow, sir. I made a suggestion,
so the decision is yours. Accept it or not.”

All of a sudden, the servants were waiting in line. She was going to
take Elysee. Rezette realized that it was Neuer's instructions and
kicked her tongue wildly.

He turned around without saying goodbye. Elysee looked at the back

of the man who was moving away quickly, and then sat down as if
collapsing in her seat.

Now nothing can be undone All I could do was wait.

***

“Is that true? Rezette.”

It was the first word the emperor uttered when Rezette returned to the
audience. As if Neuer had made up his mind, he fiercely questioned
him.

“Did you sleep with the princess?”

“I never...”

She swears to the sky that she never touched her princess' fingertips,
:
 she tried to do so, but her momentary memory stopped him.

Strictly speaking, she hadn't touched a single fingertip. Same bed...

Yeah, I did.

But that was all. Nothing happened.

The fact that he climbed onto the princess's bed, but did not do
anything unwholesome, how to wrap it in a line that does not diminish
the face of her princess.

Thinking about it, Rezette missed an opportunity to deny it. Neuer's

eyes widened.

“You did it!”

“Not like that.”

“You would have simply denied that it was not in your nature. But I just
hesitated until I counted to five. There must have been something,
right?”

“……”

“I heard that we were alone all the way to Van Yella, my God.”

Rezette quickly turned her head. Ruben was startled rather than
scratching his chin, and he stiffened his waist.

16

“What did you say to your Majesty?”

“I only reported what I saw and heard…”

:
 “So, what?”

“For almost a month and a half, the two of you spent the entire time
alone... day or night. Well, that's not true! Don't stare like that...!”

An unsatisfactory protest was read from Reuben's eyes. Rezette felt

rapidly exhausted.

“He, and last time, on the shore of the lake…”

“Okay, stop.”

It was only then that I remembered what had happened on the shore of
the lake that day. He forgot for a moment that nothing had happened,
but that it wouldn't look that way to anyone.

Neuer exclaimed as if to see it.

“Are you saying there’s no relationship after all? don't lie Where do
you lie in front of the emperor?” “I said it was a misunderstanding, Your
Majesty.”

“Then what did you go to the dungeon to do yesterday?”

“I didn’t go.”

Rezette responded immediately without blinking an eye.

‘Did anyone see it?’

It was confirmed that there was no tail.

Neuer, exasperated, raised his voice.

:
 “Yanok Sihat, the 4th Prince of Ugel has blood bruises on his face. It
had been sent to request the imperial physician. I heard that a few
molars were broken at once, how can a person's face look like a
person's face if they are kicked without mercy?"

“It has nothing to do with me.”

“Then you are saying that there is no other person in this Van Yella
other than you who dares to make the emperor’s guest like that?”

“Find them and ask them.”

“Are you saying that your absence from the banquet hall was just a
coincidence?” "Yes."

“Speak up, Rezette Kyrstan. Is Hwang Myung joking?”

“……”

“Why did you go to jail yesterday? Did you go to check what's going
on with the woman with your baby? yes?" "I said no... If you're so sure,
why did you call me in the first place?" “When you ran back and
opened that door, the answer was already there.”

Neuer shook his head with an awakened expression.

“Even a man like you was forced to surrender in front of his off-white
face. Haha, it's only if you're not that beautiful to make me feel like
you... I've been thinking wrong for a while. She is not a woman with a
strong body, but the beauties of the continent that should have been
sent to you by asking questions.”

"your majesty."
:
 Rezette was impatient and disrespectfully cut off the Emperor's words.
If he went on like this, Neuer's empty legs had the momentum to
stretch out to a place he couldn't catch.

But, of course, Neuer did not pretend to have heard.

“Once I sent a legislator to the princess. Whether you are really

pregnant or not will be known when the doctor's opinion comes out.
But it is.”

Neuer suddenly looked at Rezette with a strange gaze.

“If true, can you be sure that the child is yours? Rezette.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Maybe she was expecting a baby before then.”

Rezette's thick eyebrows twitched slightly. Neuer continued to speak

slowly, exploring the subtle changes in his brother's expression.

“It is impossible for a lawmaker to find out what kind of man’s seed he
is. The princess's claim alone is not enough. What do you think? Were
you the only man she knew?”

Rezette remained silent. He was closer to the lost side. Neuer urged
nervously.

“She said she seduced you first. It's odd that she's locked up in the
Imperial Castle and that a woman who lived only under my sister's
protection knew how to light her man on fire."

“……”
:
 "I'm asking if Elizabeth Aseika knew her man, Rezette. You have to be
so sure that you don't want me to put an end to our savage
brotherhood on my own."

Neuer nodded towards the audience door. The Ugels, led by Yanok
Sihat, were approaching with loud footsteps. The attendants quickly
closed the door to the audience.

“Was she a virgin? Answer me, Rezette.”

The topic was going to the point where I couldn't control it. Rezette
felt the branch boiling in an instant. He doesn't know why he has to
ponder an answer to such a counterproductive question. He gritted his
teeth and spit it out.

"I do not know."

“Can you not know? Rumors circulated around Argan that the twins
were more than siblings. Maybe before the emperor dies, with my
sister…”

"your majesty."

Regret's voice filled with anger. As she listened, she was overly rude.
No matter how much no one is present, it is too much.

Aside from what she's been up to, she wasn't the only one who, at
least, deserved such a bottomless insult.

“Are you aware that you are insulting the Princess of Argan right now?”

“If she tells a lie, or if the child she conceived is not yours. She
wouldn't be able to say anything worse than this."
:
 But Neuer snorted.

“It’s not enough to kick the mercy that made me choose an honorable
death, so dare you tell a lie to my face? Then she wouldn't let the
woman die her in her van Yella. I will hand it over to Prince Ugel, who
passed away alive.”

“……”

“She is guilty of fooling the Emperor of Van Yella, and she will never die
in peace. Then the twins will walk the same path together.”

Rezette already knew how the emperor of Argan, captured by the

warriors of Ugel, met his end. He finally replied reluctantly.

“The princess has never had another man.” “Did you confirm?”

“……”

“When you see something so sure, have you seen it with your own
eyes?”

“...I don't even know how he lived in Argan, but in my personal

judgment, you are not one to engage in promiscuous and hedonistic
things. That is what his body has to offer, and in his poor health, he
would have struggled with his daily life.”

“You know the details. For some reason, I wondered why I had to delay
the arrival of the next child.”

This time, Rezette chose silence. The more he added, the more he
was crossing a river of no return.
:
 Neuer looked at his stubborn mouth and guessed that he had nothing
more to dig up. It was not easy for him because the harvest was so
good.

“First of all, we need to check whether the conception is correct. Let's

discuss what's next."

Rezette greeted him by bowing his head.

He left the audience without looking back, recognized me and grabbed

the servant who bowed his back.

“Where is the Argan princess detained?”

“The West Tower.”

The western tower was the place where the guilty nobles were
imprisoned. With one lie, he came up from the underground to the
ground.

How many lies will she have to paint in front of her before she can
escape from under the blade of her neck hanging around her neck?

It's something I don't really want to know.

However, she could not control her body, and the back of the woman,
who was kneeling with her hands on the floor, kept stepping on her
eyes. An unnecessary afterimage remains in her mind.

The teardrops that were constantly sliding down the bloodless cheeks
drew an annoying ripple.

The handkerchief that Rezette had wrapped around her two slender
:
 wrists had been swept away by the iron and was already torn and torn.
Between the fishy smells of iron and blood, there was a faint scent of
fresh flowers.

His golden eyes, which were constantly pouring tears, catch him.
There was a soft pleading in it.

Just ask for help once.

Rezettes stood still and wiped his tired eyes with his hand.

Someone who sat in a higher position than anyone else in the world,
someone who seemed like a shining symbol of nobility.

The woman who had once vaguely coveted herself to hold it in her
hand if she wanted to be herself once, shook him up to the root with
her blind eyes.

“I have no regrets. There is no other way for me than you.”

"...Shit."

In the end, that's what I want to do.

Rezette eventually swallowed a swear word and turned him away. It

was on the way to the west tower. He grabbed the imperial member
who had just come out of there.

03. Contracts and Obligations

A member of the Van Yella imperial family visited. The legislator, who
took Elysee, tilted his head slightly.
:
 “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone with such a weak Mac.”

“Is that so?”

I pretended not to know, but I know. Even in her argan, when her
doctors treated her, she was always struggling with her.

“It’s a shame, but it’s a pulse that can only be found in patients today
and tomorrow…”

These are the words she heard from her earliest childhood she
remembers.

Even today and tomorrow, she has lived for 22 years, so won't she
continue to live as precariously as a candle in the wind in the future?
Elise took her hand from the 20,000 doctor.

“Your body is like that. It doesn't interfere with my daily life, so I hope
you don't mind and get a diagnosis."

“Yeah… I can’t easily confirm a diagnosis like this.”

The senator, unable to contain her sighs as she looked around her,
drew a little bit of her blood from her fingertips and backed away.

At that moment, Elise was lying on her bed as if collapsing. As soon as

she relaxed, the world began to spin.

The sun has already set completely to the west. If it was, it was the
time when hyung would have finished by now. The decapitated head
was hung in the square, and the crowds watching would have been
scattered.
:
 Oh no. He would have activated the magic circle behind her ankle
before being dragged to her execution table. Either way, her existence
as hers would not have remained in the world any longer.

Tears streamed down the corners of her eyes.

‘You’ve earned a day.’

Her case is a matter, so the result will come out as early as tomorrow.

Elysee recalled the cynical face of her last seen Rezt Kyrstan. “Would
you mind helping me?”

So she talked to herself, but her tears didn't stop.

“If it were me, I would have risked everything I had and made a petition
to His Majesty.”

“I have no desire to hold a woman who is not able to properly control

my body and squat.”

It broke her heart, even though she was cold-hearted enough to

expect it.

17

As the Grand Duke said, there is nothing he knows, there is nothing he

can do, and he lives without knowing how the world is going. I was
stupid and helpless, so I had nothing to show for outside of my body. It
was Elise herself who knew it better than anyone.

So Rezette Kyrstan is right. These four months are coming when I try
to force myself to live a life where I have to die. Elise's hands still had
:
 heavy shackles called death.

She didn't even have the energy to raise her hand to wipe her eyes, so
Elise shed tears of sorrow and misery for a while.

And he decided again.

‘Let’s commit suicide when everything is revealed.’

When her imperial knights drag her out and take her before her death
row. at that time.

***

But neither the next day nor the next day, Elise was taken to her
execution site.

Elise couldn't close her eyes even once for three days. Instead of her
drowsiness, the sensations of her whole body passed, but she stood up
sharply.

Naturally, she did not take a single step out of the bed of her custody,
Elysee. Her maid, who took care of her, was unable to keep up with the
situation as she could not speak. Her whole body was gnawed at her
by her despair.

She rubbed the engraved pattern behind her ankle with a fading force.

In the end, she said that she couldn't stand her body, which had been
pushed to the limit, and she raged. Another day passed, Elise couldn't
stand it any longer and she fell asleep.

It is better that she fainted than that she fell asleep.

:
 While she was restlessly in her sleep, she seemed to have heard her
sigh.

“What about Mac?”

“It’s hard to believe that it belongs to a living person…”

“He’s resting well, but his pulse is barely palpable?”

"Yes. Yesterday too, I finally had blood drawn for that, but the result
was…”

I could even hear someone talking in a low voice. But the irresistible
Suma swallowed her consciousness again.

how much time has passed

When Elise woke up again, she was lying in an unfamiliar place.

Staring from a distance at the delicate ceiling paintings splendidly

spread on her ceiling, she slowly got up. She felt dizzy and her eyes
turned black.

“Be careful, my lord.”

Someone gently wrapped her stuttering fingertips around her.

“Who, who…”

“My name is Ybethsa. She is the exclusive maid who will serve the
Crown Princess in the future.”

waiting woman? are you a maid?

:
 It took a few more minutes for my vision to return to normal. The
black-haired maid with good eyes supported Elise.

“I think it’s because you got up all of a sudden. Her hands are very
cold, can I help her bathe?”

“No… the bath was done, and I went out.”

Elise involuntarily stopped to give her instructions. The futon was just
as comfortable as her bedroom in the Argan Imperial Castle, so I was
almost mistaken for a moment. Now, as in her days as a princess, she
shouldn't be chasing people naturally.

As if reading Elizee's heart, Yvessa spoke warmly.

“If you have anything to command, don’t worry, just say it. She has
commanded the Princess to prepare whatever she wants.”

"who...?"

“Oh, you are the High Duke. You will soon become Your Majesty’s
concubine.”

"what?"

Elise opened her eyes wide. The surprise didn't end there.

“The Grand Duke has asked to see you. Would you like to prepare and
leave? You are in the living room.”

“Kyrstan wonder?”

"yes. Actually, you came in the morning, but His Majesty hasn't
:
 coughed yet, so he said he'll wait..."

did he wait?

Elise jumped up and walked to the door. As soon as she opened her
door wide, she was met head-on with Rezette, who was just about to
knock.

Seeing Elise's outfit, Legette calmly said.

“If you are not ready yet, I will wait for you.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Elise hastily shook her head. She is the one who brought her destiny.
She would rather hear something quickly and shake off this despair
that is devouring her.

However, the archduke was savvy.

“I am not very good. Nor is it urgent enough to force a woman who has
just woken up onto her couch. Prepare yourself and come out.”

“That… I’m sorry. I fell asleep for a while.”

“Wait, did you sleep?”

Rezette asked, seemingly absurd. An unbelievable fact fell to Elise,

who blinked blankly.

“You have been lying in bed for three full days.”

"yes...?"
:
 “You were very ill. I'll come back after you wash her body and finish
eating. then."

Rezette Kyrstan has really turned around. Elise glanced at the back of
her man straddling across her hallway.

Six days have passed since her execution and she is still alive.

“What happened...?”

Yvette, who came in haste, draped a thick shawl over her shoulder.

“Your Highness is right, Your Majesty. You were very ill. His Majesty
the Emperor was also very concerned. I was afraid that the baby in the
womb might be hurt.”

As soon as she heard her words, everything became clear.

She was frozen like a stone statue in the middle of her room. Yvette
saga led her and took her to her bed.

“So, for the time being, you need to be absolutely calm. First of all, eat.
Please wait a moment, my lord.”

Elise was dragged helplessly like her doll and laid back in the blanket.
Still, after staring blankly at her cloth for a while, she suddenly grabbed
Yvette's sleeve.

“Yvessa. Can you prepare a pen and paper?”

***

During the half-day given by the Archduke, Elysee barely finished her
:
 meal. After all she had swallowed, even if it was a meal, she only had a
few spoonfuls of watery porridge.

“While in prison, she had very little to say to her mouth, so her
stomach was very weak,” she said. It may not taste good, but you
should still eat it.”

Elysee quits trying to tell her that it wasn't because she was
specifically locked up. Even in her argan, her most familiar food was
clear stew or porridge.

After Elise did her best to finish her meal, she calmly laid out her plans
for the future.

Just because she saved her life right away doesn't mean everything
has been resolved. She has passed one hurdle, so this is where she
really started.

The Archduke returned again in the late afternoon. Elise sat in the
drawing room and moved her pen, but when she entered, she saw him
and quickly got up from her seat. Her archduke glanced at her with her
sunken eyes.

“Are you all right?”

"yes I'm okay."

Elise took her luck as soon as her Rezette sat across from her.

“Sir, the fact that I’m still alive…”

“It was true that I needed a child.”

:
 Rezette bluntly interrupted her words. He also didn't seem to have any
intention of starting with a sluggish introduction.

“What you said is correct. It's quite annoying and annoying to be

asked to succeed. If I could free myself from the shackles of the
Emperor in one transaction, it wouldn't do me much harm either."

“……”

“And maybe your Majesty is really my answer.”

His tone was dry and clerical, as if announcing a decision had already
been made.

“Your Majesty is a direct descendant of Gallian. I am a descendant of a

hero who defeated a dragon, and I am a half-blood that inherited the
dragon's blood, so maybe Your Majesty can suppress my unwelcome
nature.”

“…I think so.”

“Then there would be no reason to take dozens of innocent women in

front of the most likely options. All I need now is the one woman who
can stand me and my bloodline.”

“……”

“Now that things have come to pass, I can see your successor, and you
can save your life.”

His voice was no different from when he succumbed to her plea. No,
on the contrary, the pitch seems to have gotten lower.
:
 As if the Grand Duke was reciting someone else's business, he spoke
indifferently.

“I told His Majesty that it was true that I had slept with him. The
lawmaker has been purchased, so he will continue to treat your Majesty
from now on. Continue in Roti.”

"okay."

“If it is customary, it is right to hold the ceremony right away, but it

seems difficult to proceed according to the norm under the
circumstances.”

Elise awkwardly touched her two fingertips to each other. She was
right to talk about the future, but she didn't expect that she would lead
to her marriage so soon.

She even had something to say before that.

Elise took the moment Rezette paused her speech and licked her lips.

“Sir, thank you for accepting such an unreasonable offer…”

“You don't have to thank me. Do not think of it as offering unmerited

mercy.”

“……”

“It’s just a contract marriage. using each other by agreement.”

Her man's blue eyes stared at her stiffened. He laughed as if it was

funny that she was suddenly bewildered by her.
:
 “Isn’t your Highness what you wanted?”

"...Right."

Elise took a deep breath. Cold eyes, unkind words. Even the
atmosphere that was subtly different from what she had known for two
months was her own.

‘I’m prepared, so it’s okay.’

As she did this, her callous voice fell over her head as she exhorted
herself.

"half a year. Is it possible?”

The archduke's gaze was still as relentless as it seemed to penetrate

her. Elise froze like a fish stuck in her harpoon. Her back groaned.

'half a year. Until the harvest festival.’

Even so, it was a car I expected to be limited to.

The Emperor is very interested in Rezette's heir. Even if he leaves for

the Lotier estate, he will not be able to completely avoid the Emperor's
eyes.

As time goes by, if she doesn't bring Elysee's stomach, of course she
will find it suspicious. So she had to have this man's child in at least
half a year.

18

“If things don't go as planned, I'm going to tell His Majesty the truth.
:
 After that, Your Majesty's disposal will be decided by Your Majesty."

That meant that after the promised half year, Elise wouldn't care no
matter what.

If he fails to take office in due time, he will tell the emperor about her
Elise lie, and the emperor will cut off her hair as scheduled and send
her to the kingdom of Ugel. She didn't even know that she might not
have killed her and left her alive to Prince Lougel.

One way or another, the end is her death. Elise nodded her head
calmly. However, she suddenly became anxious at the cool spirit of the
man she was facing.

she added hastily.

“I promise to cooperate.”

“For the half-year I promised, Kyrstan and Lotir, including me, will
protect Your Majesty.”

“Not that.”

Elysee said that the man didn't want to hug a woman like him very
much, and she kept on liking her. If her Archduke had no intention of
helping her, this contract was one mana.

Elise licked her pouty lips, and her Rezette's eyebrows narrowed
slightly.

“If not?”

“…Blood, you can’t avoid it.”

:
 He was not in a position to feel her embarrassment. As soon as Elysee
broke her fortune, she laid out her words without hesitation.

“I know you may not like me, no, you may hate me. It must be hard
work for a lord to hold an unwilling woman. Promise me she won't
refuse."

It was then that Rezette seemed to understand what she meant. He

muttered as if in surprise. "I'm glad she knows that the child isn't
falling from the sky."

"...she's not that stupid."

Elise was a little startled. She was twenty-two, not twelve. No matter
how inexperienced she is, there are words picked up from within her.
She remembered all the words her maids had whispered with a
mischievous smile.

Rezette Kyrstan was now looking somewhere between fun and

annoyance. Elise couldn't shake her anxiety at all, so he blinked her
eyes and pointed to her paper on her table.

“If you are worried, write it down. Would it be a contract that specifies
the obligations and responsibilities to be fulfilled by each other?”

Elysee's face turned red. Even so, I was thinking of leaving the
evidence somewhere. All she would believe Elise was she had nothing
but written evidence of this marriage.

She soon began embroidering her neat handwriting on the paper.

After translating all the stories she had shared earlier into text, she was
stuck at a similar point in Elysee. Her hand holding the quill stopped in
:
 mid-air.

"Relationships, if you have at least five times within the period your
doctor tells you..."

Rezette's right eyebrow raised slightly. Elise flinched and blurted her
words.

“…Is it too little?”

If you have a constitution that is difficult to see after all, five times may
not be enough.

If you say that it is five times a month, the sum of half a year is only
thirty times. Besides, my body isn't in very good shape right now.

Elysee shattered her memories of her days when she lived in Argan.
One of her full-time maids remembered how saddened she was when
one of her maids said she wouldn't lift a child several years after her
marriage. She said that having a child come was a miracle from God.

“It may be difficult to hope for a miracle with just 30,” she said.

As soon as the thought reached that point, Elise changed her words
quickly.

“Then how about double?”

This time, however, her archduke's response was not very positive. He
finally closed her eyes and opened them.

She couldn't read a man's mind at all, and she became impatient with
Elise.
:
 “Then three times…”

"majesty."

Rezette cut her off adamantly. Elise's absurd plans exploded. “...Then
how?”

Looking at Rezette, her face was as clean and innocent as the sun on a
clear morning. Rezette looked at her pale golden eyes for a while and
spoke slowly.

“‘As much as possible’. Just write it like that. I don’t want to do my

homework by specifying the number of times.”

"Oh, I see. Then it can be done.”

Elysee was pleased and revised her contract. She didn't notice that
the man's gaze was nailed to my face rather than the letters I wrote
down.

Rezette was doubting that the woman had really understood what I
was saying.

It was obvious that he knew nothing about occlusion between a man

and a woman. Even his numerous warnings had never been heard with
the back of his ear.

Her princess wouldn't know what he was thinking about how he would
hold her so that neither part of her would be torn or broken. And that
she doesn't see too much of a chance that she'll survive out of her
hands.

I also don't like it very much. Rezette swallowed his cramps behind his
:
 neck.

“It is unlikely that this will happen, but a child born under the
assumption that a child is born and conceived safely will follow the
surname of Kyrstan. Your Majesty cannot claim any custody of the
child. Do you agree?”

"yes."

“And it won’t happen either, but…”

The words Neuer had been pondering about remained in Rezette's

mind.

“If true, can you be sure that the child is yours? Rezette. It is
impossible for a lawmaker to find out what kind of man’s seed it is.”

Elise repeated his words curiously.

“It won’t happen, but…?”

"...it's nothing."

Rezette quit. It wasn't a pleasant imagination, but whoever the

princess put in her was not her business.

If the child to be born is not Yongin anyway, the princess will no longer
be a useful hand for Neuer. If that happens, Elysee will be brought
back to this capital city.

She doesn't know how she will survive another half year, but that's
none of Rezette's business. It was at this point that he stopped
thinking about this precarious marriage and contract.
:
 Meanwhile, Elise completed the contract.

“Then it’s done.”

Elise finally read the letters on the paper. And I wrote my name at the
bottom of the contract.

Rezette signed the contract without even reading it carefully. His

name was written next to hers in angled letterpress.

After repeating that one more time, two contracts were completed.
Elise's chest swelled greatly.

'finished.'

Until the first day of October, Elysee was safe and free within the fence
of Rezette Kyrstan.

The probation she could have had increased from six days to six
months. If she becomes pregnant, the probation will increase to ten
months. It was enough time for her to find her way back to Argan while
at the same time hiding herself safely from the threat of the Ugel
Kingdom if she used it well.

Elysee struggled to grasp her heart, which was about to collapse

without her control over her sense of relief. How did she get half a year,
and she shouldn't let a single moment of her be wasted.

The Archduke who glanced at Elise taking her deep breaths said
indifferently.

“If you are afraid, you can run away anytime.”

:
 “Anytime, you mean?”

"Yes. If only you could.”

Is there anywhere on the continent to escape from the clutches of the

infamous war-ear?

This was a warning. An unspoken warning that she will have no more
mercy if she fails to fulfill the terms of the contract. Her cynical voice
fell to the stiff Elise.

“So, it would be better to conceive as soon as possible. Before His

Majesty's lies are exposed to the world."

I even drew my signature on her contract, and the man was dry as if he
was not a party to it. She straightened her back as if he was about to
leave her seat.

“I am going to leave for the Rottier estate in three days. I'm thinking of
using a wagon, would you mind? If you need time to recover, we will
delay the schedule.”

"it's okay. For the past three days, it's just because I haven't slept until
then."

“……”

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

Again, it was a brief silence. Conversation keeps breaking The

Archduke seemed a little pathetic about her.

Elise looked up at him softly. “I want to ask you something, sir.” “Say
:
 it.”

"If the...."

Elise bit her lips for a moment to choose her words.

If a child is conceived and born safely. After that....

The man had no idea what to do with their marriage after that.

The child belongs to Kyrstan. Then he himself?

After giving birth to her child, he wanted to ask how he would handle
her. Will she let him go wherever he wants to go, or will she tie him up
by his side.

But before that, if you really do have a child... Can you leave the child
behind and leave for Argan forever?

It was an area that Elise's imagination had not yet reached.

The man blinked to indicate that he was waiting. Elise shook her head.
“No, nothing.”

That's too far away.

She decided to think later. later.

***

Rezette suddenly came to her senses. He was talking to the emperor.

“There is no need to publicize the marriage between the Princess of

Argan and the Archduke of Van Yella. If by any chance the princess
:
 dies before giving birth to her child, you will become a bereaved man
that day. There's no need to devalue you that much. right?"

Neuer has already come up with a way to proceed with this absurd
marriage. There is no ceremony, and no official engagement is
announced.

Rezette had little interest in ceremonial procedures, so he was half

listening to the plans.

However, he could not ignore Neuer's self-talk that followed.

“No, no, do you really need to get married in the first place? You can
only have children.” "your majesty."

“She gave birth safely, and if she ever wants to give birth to her second
child, let's keep her alive. And how about marrying a woman from an
aristocratic family worthy of Kyrstan's honor? Duke Irene's only
daughter, isn't that girl still unwilling? then...."

In the end, it was said to leave the princess as her sibling and separate
her from his wife’s position.

19

It's embarrassing for one person, but two? Rezette nervously cut off
Neuer's words. “It feels very vulgar for a scheme designed by the
owner of Van Yella.”

“Are you only going to be a princess? She must be prepared to treat

her like this, and she must have done her job.” “I’m sorry, but I don’t
think so.”
:
 "why. Did you give me your heart?”

“I just don’t want to lie to God.”

“Do I look relaxed now? I know your faithfulness so well that you allow
it this far, Rezette.”

As the horse's tail continued to be caught, Neuer eventually became

annoyed.

“Even if you touch it, you are touching the princess who will soon die.
Ugel's savage brothers must give up the princess's neck right away. A
woman who asks her to take her back and hold a woman who shouldn't
touch a single finger of her. Is she a tree frog?”

If you've even touched her real hand, she's not embarrassed. Legette
rubbed her forehead tiredly.

“What excuse are you going to give Ugel if you keep her princess
secretly mistress? There would be nothing like Kyrstan as an excuse to
surround them.”

“It’s… it is.”

“Take the oath of the Confederacy. Prisoners and loot are held by the
first one to acquire, and Rezet Kyrstan refuses to give up her princess.
Roughly speaking, I'll be fine with her excuse that I'm obsessed with
her."

“…Really?”

“It’s all right, so think whatever you want.”

:
 Neuer paused for a moment and then shook his head.

“You are right. If so, let's just take an oath of oath in front of the
Archbishop. Don't force me to stay. Instead, if the child in the womb
goes wrong, we should get a divorce.”

“……”

“Assuming all the months are filled, a child will be born around the end
of winter next year, right? Then eight or nine months. It won't be too
late to endure that period only and see the state of the princess and her
child after giving birth and send them to Ugel ...."

“……”

“Why are you looking at me again, Regette? You can kill two people
just by looking at them.”

Rezette was looking straight at Neuer without blinking an eye. He did

not dare to shoot at the master.

It is difficult for even an emperor to perform in front of such an

overbearing force. Neuer did not doubt Leggett's loyalty, but he always
kept in mind the slightest possibility that he would turn his back on Van
Yella.

It is more effective to pacify a person like that and grow old rather than
trampling on it.

“Of course, if you gave me affection, the story would be different.

Don't look too far Is it because I have bad feelings for the princess?”

“You have no ill feelings for her, and you treat her like her seed.”
:
 “It’s something the princess brought on her own. Does she think she
seduced you with her pure intentions?”

“……”

“It must have been a ploy to survive. She is a clever woman.”

Rezette just listened silently.

“Please, she shouldn’t have died until the princess is gone.”

“……”

“But… you mean it feels good, doesn’t it?”

In fact, Neuer has been in a very good mood these past few days. The
great cause he's been hoping for for nearly 20 years may finally come
true within this year, but he shouldn't be excited.

“Maybe Rezette, she might be able to hold on to your seed. It's

Argan."

“……”

“A disciple of the light dragon Semeshita, a clan of the hero Gallian.

The only human descendant who succeeded in dealing with dragons.
It must be different from an ordinary woman.”

“You have to be different.”

Rezette replied reluctantly. It's like that in that she's so weak that she
can't even be half the average woman. She did not pray in a position to
fully understand her constitution and health.
:
 Neuer let out a cheerful smirk.

“Is that what you see? Haha, take good care of it. Rezette. I wish he
was a boy if possible, but it doesn't really matter if it's a girl. Only if
they inherit your power properly.”

Neuer's face filled with her greed. Rezette suppressed the rising
feeling of rejection like an insult and spoke coldly.

“I don't think we need to wait until late winter. It is likely that the Crown
Princess will return here again in the fall.”

"What?"

“It would be better not to demolish the execution platform in the

square.”

“Wait, Regette!”

“In the fall, do whatever you want. I will not get involved.”

Rezette bowed her head. And he coldly turned his back on his half-
brother who called him urgently from behind.

***

“Your Majesty is really getting married, I can’t believe it.”

It was the way out of the auditorium. Reuben, who was strangely
excited, could not bear it and eventually broke his luck.

“Rumors spread among the knights. do you know Uh-huh, but I didn't
know you'd be willing to accept it. Aren't you disgusted with
:
 marriage?"

“It’s still disgusting.”

Reuben flinched at the eyes of his superior who was staring at me. It's
like you're talking nonsense to the emperor, so things have come to this
point, or something like that.

Ruben was sweating profusely, picking up a word and serving him.

“It’s time for a hostess, even for Lo and Lotier. Mrs. Pettison will
welcome you more than anyone. And maybe the baby will be born
safely...”

“It’s not going to happen.”

Rezette cut off Subha's words coldly.

ah ah Ruben was bewildered. He said that he was going to marry me,

so I thought he really lost his heart. What do you mean by those cold
eyes?

He was one of those who firmly believed that something had

happened between the two of them.

In the eyes of the Archduke of Kyrstan and the knights who had been
on the battlefield for many years, Rezette Kyrstan was particularly fond
of the princess. Of course, it would be strange to see it as an act of
paying homage to Argan, but wouldn't it be an expression of worship to
even attend the bath?

Even the Princess of Argan has a terribly dazzling appearance. If she

was not a princess but she was a prince, would she have done the
:
 same?

‘Ah, that. Well, you must have acted exactly the same.’

The emperor sent famous beauties to Rottier once a month. However,

until the rumors spread that there were many beauties in Lotier, the
Archduke did not pay any attention to them. Rather than shun her
woman, he seemed to feel disgusted by her behavior with them.

It's a natural thing. The fact that Yongin was known to be closer to a
beast than a human was partly due to her terrifying disposition, which
was unable to control her sexual desire, went into heat, and terrified her
regardless of gender. Of course, the master wouldn't want to be like
that.

“It’s fine, my lord. Your Majesty, aren't you fundamentally different

from other dragons?"

“What is different?”

“Hey, where do you compare? People who don't know what to do are
jealous and talk about monsters and savages. He never lost his temper
and never went wild.”

“……”

“So your Majesty can love, marry, and have children like ordinary men.
Isn't that the way God has blessed him?”

Rezette glanced at Suha with a pathetic look. Even though he and he

have been working together on the battlefield for over 7 years, he
quietly talks like that.
:
 “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“It’s useless. The baby to be born will be even greater than Van Yella
and Argan's royal family. It is natural for a character to be outstanding,
and if he resembles His Majesty, his abilities..."

“Because the fall is the limit for making such a mistake, it means don’t
go around needlessly fluttering.”

"Yes...?"

Is autumn the limit?

Reuben, who quickly understood the meaning, turned blue.

Surely the lord won't let my child be born?

Or do you think the princess is going to die after not completing her
half year?

Ruben stopped stuttering.

"majesty. Surely... he's not going to die on his own, are you?"

“In the worst case, that would be the case. Before seeing more blood.”

Rezette's expression did not change much from beginning to end. But
Ruben now saw the man in front of him differently.

Not as a man who is upset by an unexpected affair and a sudden

marriage, but as a murderer who glares at the victim in the middle of
the battlefield.

‘Oh, my God. Our Highness is the one who can do it...'

:
 While Ruben was making a sign in his mind, a cool command fell.

“Send a letter to Rottier. Be prepared to meet your Majesty the

Princess. Prepare yourself with luxury, without lack.”

“……”

“It seems that you have a lot of regrets left in your life, so let’s end this
short half year happily.” It was only then that Ruben realized it clearly.
The princess of Argan could not escape the crisis of her death. Maybe
she didn't even know that her feet were one step closer to her worst
death.

***

Before departing for Lotier, the two had an informal wedding ceremony
in the chapel of the Van Yella’s Imperial Castle.

The ceremony was held not in the main hall, but in a small separate hall
used only by the priests.

It was only a rough assortment, but in reality it was a very shabby

marriage. There were no gifts, no rings, and no bridal veil.

No one could have imagined that the marriage between the Princess of
Argan and the Grand Duke of Van Yella would be so urgent and dry like
beans being fried in lightning.

Elise stood blankly in front of the ceremony and thought. ‘If Andrei
sees this, he would have gone mad…’

20
:
 The younger brother used to make promises to Elysee, like a habit.

“For my sister’s husband, I will find the best man on the continent. A
man with a friendly personality who only looks at my sister.”

“Is there such a man? No man would want a sleazy wife like me.”

“That's a very humble joke, Elizabeth. What man in the world can
reject you?”

When Andrei praised her beauty with all kinds of rhetoric and praise,
Elise was embarrassed and did not know what to do. Andrei probably
wanted to make her feel that way.

“My sister will wear the most beautiful dress and have a happy
wedding with everyone’s blessings. I'll make it more grand and
luxurious than the emperor's wedding. So let's get her a little bit
healthier. Promise."

“Will Elizabetta Aseika accept Rezette Kyrstan as her husband and

cherish and love him for the rest of his life?”

Elise suddenly woke up from her thoughts.

“Yes, I swear.”

It had only been a few minutes since it started, and the wedding was
already running towards the end.

However, the parties to the wedding were more comfortable this way.
There was no time to waste in the ecliptic for several months preparing
for the wedding. At least Elise did.
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 “Will Rezette Kyrstan take Elizabeth Aseika as her wife and cherish and
love her for the rest of her life?”

Rezette remained silent. The archbishop sternly insisted on an answer.

"grandee."

"...Yes."

He uttered only one short word and then shut his mouth.

Yvessa, Elise's handmaiden, told me that Rezette Kyrstan was

surprisingly deeply religious.

It would be no hard work for such a person to dare to swear false love
before God.

The Archbishop recited it clerically.

“As God's representative, I accept the marriage vows of two people.

The two share an oath-kiss, and make sure that the promises made
before God are not false.”

Elise showed her bewildered look for the first time in her life. It was a
natural process for her, and she had no idea. The archduke turned
towards her. Elise turned her body one beat later.

She whispered to him in a voice so low that it could not reach the
Archbishop.

“You can just pretend you do, sir.”

There were eyes to see, so I couldn't ignore it at all. If you twist her
head well to create an angle, it will appear as if you are kissing her, even
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 if your lips do not necessarily touch.

But soon it occurred to me that he might be reluctant to kiss me first,

no matter how fake a kiss might be. After all, no one seemed to want to
kiss a woman like him.

Then it would be better for her to approach. After all, what is strange
about the fact that the word spreads around the waist and shows an
active appearance? Elise lifted her heels, guessing the difference
between Rezette and her own height.

Rezette stared at the approaching woman, her gaze fixed on my lips.

Words about this marriage quickly spread beyond the imperial castle
and throughout the capital. Rezette knew how the public was
criticizing Elizabeth Aseica.

She is a beauty who seduced the ears of war. She is a woman who
hides the nature of a clever yobu in an angelic shell.

Is she really possessed?

The princess tilted her head slightly to the side. It was a natural move
for not knowing her man at all.

As if she was about to touch the corner of his mouth that Elise had
bitten silently, she brushed her lips only briefly. Then she hurriedly took
it off.

Rezette's judgement was twisted.

‘To do it, you have to be straight.’

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 He wrapped his hand around the nape of her delicate neck as she was
about to retreat, then immediately looked for her lower lip and gripped
it.

It was an impulse. It was also instinct.

What he got from this marriage was an indulgence for daring to take
the princess of Argan at will, so there was no reason to hesitate if he
agreed.

Elise, who was chewing the inside of her lips, took a small breath.

Her tiny teeth were biting hard against her delicate mucous
membranes. Rezette took the flesh entirely from me. The inside of his
wet lips was hot and dry in contrast to his cool body temperature.

Elise's heels, which she had heard the most, slowly came back down
to the floor. Elise looked startled, but she did not turn her head or she
pushed him away.

The scent of the flowers of courtesy mixed with each other's breath.

After Rezette pulled her lips off her with difficulty, she hurriedly
lowered her head.

The princess's earlobes were red. It was completely different from the
way he asked Rezette to sleep once every two days. Her bosom
fluttered loudly, wrapped in her plain white dress.

Rezette unconsciously scanned the lines of her body.

Since it was a dress that wrapped both sides of her chest like flower
buds, the valleys of her mounds, which drew soft curves, were
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 exposed.

I don't know who wore that dress, but it wasn't particularly appropriate
for a reverent occasion. I'd rather understand if it's to arouse a desire
for her man to take off her dress as if opening a flower petal.

It's so beautiful, I wonder if anyone would have such an impulse.

It was an instant that she came to the conclusion that it would be

better to hide her princess from her world so as not to be seen by
anyone except herself. Rezette's face, which had hardened slowly, was
slightly relaxed.

The Archbishop recited the Proclamation of Marriage in a clerical

manner.

“They declare that the marriage is consummated, since they have

vowed to be married in the presence of God and several witnesses.”

Elysee, not knowing how the Archduke looked at her, pressed her hand
against her pounding left chest with her palm. He could barely resist
the urge to tinker with his deep-seated lips.

It was the first time she had kissed a man. Her first kiss was neither
romantic nor heart-fluttering. It was hot and wet.

It stayed briefly and then disappeared, as if a soft touch had ignited

the inside of her lips.

“This concludes the officiating ceremony.”

The Archbishop closed the proclamation. The wedding, where

everything was the first for Elysee, ended so quickly that it was
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 heartless.

***

The Archduke and the Knights of Rotier were going to leave

immediately for the estate. Neuer persuaded Rezette and Elysee to go
enjoy dinner, but Rezette refused.

“The estate has been empty for a long time. Even if we leave now, it
will take ten days by carriage, so we want to leave as quickly as
possible.”

“I don’t mind.”

Neuer regained his appetite, but he did not hold them any longer. It's
because she knows that the princess doesn't like staying here long.

Neuer greeted Elysee in a friendly tone.

“Then, take care of yourself. lest the day come when I regret that I
saved you.”

The emperor's greedy gaze touched the flat belly of Elysee. When she
finds out that nothing is growing in her womb, she is ready to take up a
knife and mash it herself.

‘If the emperor finds out, I will die on the spot.’

The chatter was cool. Elysee fervently prayed that the emperor would
not visit Rottier unexpectedly.

Leaving her chapel, Rezette snatched her robe from her waiting maid,
snatched it from her and placed it on Elysee's shoulder.
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 Yanok Sihat was still in Van Yella. Rezette vehemently refused to force
herself to attend the wedding ceremony. Nevertheless, the barbarians
who never gave up were encamping in front of the chapel.

Rezette put her hood on Elysee and tied her straps tightly.

“There is nothing good about staying long, so I want to start right away.
Are you okay?” "does not matter."

Her slender face was more than half covered by her hood. All he could
see was her lips and chin, but Rezette wasn't very nice. Today, her lips,
which are particularly watery, bright red, opened up hesitatingly.

"kyung...?"

Before Elysee could even express her question, her unpleasant voice
interrupted.

“You thought something was strange, didn’t you know that they would
eat it together?”

Yanok Sihart, who approached with a touch, glanced at Rezette up and

down. Elise's shoulders stiffened when she heard his voice.

The swelling and scars still remained on Yanoch's face. The day she
secretly found her prison where her princess was imprisoned, her
jawbone was cracked after being beaten by a thug in her darkness.
Because of that, the rough impression was even more pronounced.

Yanok Sihart groaned.

“There is talk of having a child, Princess.”

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 “……”

“It means that he doesn’t hesitate to commit prostitutes to survive. If

the Emperor of Argan had seen this, he would have loved it. Isn't that
right?"

Elise's body was covered by Legette, making it almost invisible.

Lesette reached out her hand behind her back and pushed her
princess to Ruben. But she flinched and came a little closer to him.

It's instinctively looking for the safest place. She unconsciously

grabbed the hem of his cloak.

Rezette grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from me. Elise groaned a
little at her grip strength until she kicked it.

"ah...."

“Reuben, take me with you.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Rezette nodded to the knights behind her. Ruben hurriedly

approached and naturally cut off between Elysee and Yanoch.

“Shall we go? The carriage awaits.”

Elise hesitated and took her steps away. Even though she knew in her
head that she shouldn't rely on her like a child, her gaze continued to
follow the Archduke. He was the safest of those who were not on
Elysee's side.

But the man who pushed her away with her ferocity never looked back.
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 Rezette remained until the appearance of Elysee and her knights
completely disappeared. Almost all of Yanok Sihart's chattering dogs
could be heard.

“Ha, will you continue to ignore me?”

Yanok Sihart opened his eyes and tapped Rezette's chest with his
index finger and pressed it down.

“Duke, did you know something and intercept that girl?”

“I know something, La.”

“What do you know about Elizabeth Aseica? Did the princess confess
to you? The reason why the Emperor of Argan loved his sister more
than himself.”

In Yanoch's tone, there was a hint of skepticism about him.

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