I Will Become the Ex-Wife of the Beast - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Heave-ho!”
Rose had dragged a chair over from behind to reach the doll, and she stopped several times along that short trek to wipe the beads of sweat from her brow. She was the one who used to wipe my sweat with her sleeve, once upon a time. But now, fixed on one thing only, getting her doll back, she gazed up at the enormous table.
“My doll, my bunny doll. Big sister Rose is coming!”
Heave, heave! She chanted the words under her breath like a battle cry, but climbing onto the tall chair was already a challenge. She flopped onto her belly first, then kicked her legs and wriggled and whimpered as she scrambled across the seat.
Whoosh! Every time her little feet flailed from side to side, the knights held their breath. It wasn’t a lake, so no water had splashed, but Lord Jerome’s face had already gone thoroughly drenched in worry.
“…My lady, if you’ll permit it, allow me to do it for you.”
“Huh? The wooden doll is talking!”
“….”
“Dolls aren’t supposed to talk, you know. Aren’t you a doll?”
Doesn’t look like it to me. Rose tilted her head and couldn’t tear her eyes away from Jerome. Lord Jerome hurriedly turned his head away, but Rose was no less stubborn, shaking her head back and forth as she chased his face.
Judging by Lord Jerome’s face, flushed all the way to the tips of his ears, one could say he had tumbled headfirst into a lake he could never escape.
“Wow, my doll! It’s right there!”
Whether anyone cared or not, Rose finally draped herself over the table. She couldn’t quite climb all the way up, so she hung halfway across it, stretching her arm toward the doll, only to lose her attention to something strange.
“Hm? That’s me!”
Her own face reflected in the marble, gleaming like glass, made Rose forget what she had been trying to do. With that peculiar short-lived memory children have, she forgot the doll entirely and simply peered at her own face in fascination.
“It’s Rose! Big sister, look at this. Here I am, it’s Rose!”
And right in front of the twins, no less.
“…Your hair’s all messed up. A lady can’t go around like this!”
“Hup.”
Every time Rose referred to herself as a lady, the twins looked at each other and steadied their nerves. Meanwhile, the little kitten grew busy with her reflection in the marble. Tap, tap, she kept poking at her mouth, then, while looking down at the floor, she pulled out the ribbon pin that had slipped down to one side.
“Oh, my.”
She clearly meant to pin it back in place, but how could she manage it? The pin was made of such cheap material that even when I held it firmly in shape, it lasted barely a few hours. With Rose’s little fingers, she couldn’t catch more than a few strands of hair, and the pin kept sliding loose again and again.
In the end, Rose achieved only half a success. With the ribbon dangling from her bangs, she gazed at the table and beamed with delight.
“Hee-hee.”
“Your Highness, perhaps you might consider what Lady Eliya has to say?”
“I feel the same way!”
“…Aiden, Devon.”
“Please hear us out, Your Highness!” The twins spoke with such perfect synchronicity that the Grand Duke lifted his gaze toward them.
He had only spoken their names once each, yet the overwhelming power in that voice was impossible to conceal. Lord Jerome, standing behind them, went pale and stepped forward to shield his younger brothers.
“Your Highness, please forgive my brothers’ rudeness.”
“…Jerome.”
“But I can’t help thinking that Lady Eliya, too, may have made an unavoidable choice for the sake of her younger sibling, just as I did.”
Well done, my handsome big brother! She pulled out the handkerchief he had used so many times in the carriage and discreetly covered her mouth with it, while Lord Jerome’s face was full of pity.
“…Your Highness, with all due respect.”
“If you know that you’re speaking out of turn, then refrain from saying anything more.”
“….”
“To be swayed by sentiment and cloud your judgment like this. Where have all the knights who conquered Aren and Pelona gone?”
The moment Kiers’s words fell, the scattered atmosphere of the hall froze solid. The very flow of the air shifted in an instant. He hadn’t exerted any force at all, yet with that imperious tone of his, no one dared to raise an objection.
“…Hm?”
Even Rose, who had been happily playing alone, lifted her head and blinked.
That’s it, it’s over. Afraid the child might be startled, I immediately got to my feet and scooped Rose up in my arms. Even so, I’d held a sliver of hope, but I could already feel keenly that the knights were powerless to act. So this must be the power of the protagonist. The story that had been unfolding so smoothly, as if everything would fall into place, was ended by a single word from him and one cold glance, and it was utterly hopeless.
“…Big sister, did I do something wrong?”
“No. Rose did everything right.”
“Mm, but…”
Rose glanced around nervously and nestled her face against my chest. How long could a five-year-old keep herself entertained on her own? Sooner or later she’d need to be held, I knew that, but I hadn’t expected that man to push so hard. …That heartless, tearless beast.
Even grinding my teeth felt too timid, so I swallowed my anger and returned to my seat. Perhaps because of his piercing gaze, Rose quickly lost her spirit. I’ve met plenty of people in my life, but never one who couldn’t thaw Rose’s heart. I’d wondered yesterday, upon first seeing him, whether he was a man or a beast, and now I finally had a definite answer.
“If you have anything more to say, then say it, Your Highness.”
My voice now rang through the hall with considerable poise. As if you’re the only one who can say things like that.
When I lifted my head toward him, the Grand Duke’s expression seemed to grow newly intriguing. Or rather, since I couldn’t see his face, I couldn’t be certain, but the way he leaned deep into his chair and tilted his chin slightly upward made it seem exactly so.
“Hmm.”
It was as though he’d been waiting for me to react exactly like this. When I tightened my gaze without yielding, the knights surrounding him grew tense in turn. But it seemed he had taken all the help he could get from them, so there was no need for me to linger on them.
They had fallen so completely under my little sister’s spell, yet as supporting characters, they were more than excellent, overflowing with usefulness.
“That is precisely what I’m trying to do, though you don’t seem entirely pleased with the idea.”
Look at how relaxed his tone is, as if it’s none of his business.
I pulled Rose even tighter against me, pointedly, for the Grand Duke to see. It was tantamount to a protest that we would never be parted, yet the harder I held on, the more lazily the corners of his mouth curled. What does that man expect? I steeled myself, eyes flashing. Did you think it was all over here? Did you expect me to fall flat again like yesterday and cling to your trouser leg?
Not a chance!
“Naturally, it can’t be helped. I assumed Your Highness had some willingness to marry me, so isn’t it only natural to be bewildered now that you say otherwise?”
If Rose doesn’t work, I’ll step in myself. Except I don’t have Rose’s innocence or natural charm, so now there’s only one thing left I can rely on.
“What do you mean by that? You have no intention of marrying?”
Yes, I thought you’d say that. It’s only been a single day, and already I’ve grown used to watching the corner of his mouth twist. Anyway, if our Rose gets thrown out, I won’t survive either, so whether he twists his mouth or his heart is none of my concern. I didn’t stop there. I lifted my chin in the same way.
“Rose isn’t just some child. She’s my younger sister, my family.”
“…There’s no need to repeat what you already know so well.”
“I’m only saying it because Your Highness doesn’t seem to know.”
He pulled his back away from the chair he had been leaning against.
“Your Grace!” Every knight flinched at his slightest movement, but he raised one hand and waved them all back. The unreadable smile on his lips only deepened.
“And what exactly is it that I don’t know?”
“According to the Law on Marriage Between Nobles, as a rule, a marriage between two houses requires at least one immediate family member from each side to attend and stand as a witness!”
“….”
“…And it’s written right here, plain as day.”
With a gentle smile, I drew the law book I’d bought at the bookstore out of the envelope. I opened it to the page I’d marked beforehand and held it out from behind Rose. A tension of a different density settled over the hall.
Of course, the text wouldn’t be visible from where they sat, but it mattered more that I had come prepared like this.
Ahem. I cleared my throat and lowered my eyes to the book.
“If there are no immediate family members, or if one has formally severed ties with them, then relatives within the eighth degree or two or more guarantors may stand in… so it says. What does Your Grace think of that?”
“…Lady Eliya.”
“Oh, but I’m afraid I’ve never severed ties with my family.”
Tap. His fingers drummed one after another on the wooden armrest, producing a heavy sound. Yes, that’s the reaction I wanted. I pressed a hand to my chest, like a bewildered new bride.
“Though it’s because of my father’s debts, you were the one who first proposed the marriage, so I mistakenly assumed Your Grace shared that same intention. Not knowing any of that, I rushed three days and nights to fulfill my duty as a wife, and I can’t begin to describe how empty it feels now.”
“…Who said that? That I don’t share the intention.”
“Isn’t it your intention, Your Grace, to send my younger sister along as the witness? The law doesn’t specify any age requirement for witnesses.”
I widened my eyes and asked him back. He rose slowly from his seat. With each step he took toward me, my heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst, but I calmly drew Rose into my embrace.
And what exactly would you do if I did?… I swallowed hard, but I didn’t back down. Whatever his reasons, once he had made up his mind, no one in this place could stop the Grand Duke. No, not even if everyone here joined forces.
“Oh my… To think you would assume such a thing. I’m afraid there’s a great misunderstanding here.”
“…Your Grace.”
“I didn’t want to say anything, since you already seem to know the marriage law far too well. But there’s no help for it if we’re to clear up this misunderstanding between us.”
The law book in my hand passed into his before I could blink. Keeping his gaze fixed on me, Kiers’s finger traced down the bottom of the page and then stopped at one particular spot.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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