I Will Become the Ex-Wife of the Beast - Chapter 20

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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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The print was tiny, and I squinted at the details, but Kiers handed it back to me as though I didn’t need to look at it at all.
“The age of the immediate family witness hasn’t been set, but at the very least, you should be able to recite the Marriage Declaration.”
“…Excuse me?”
“It seems you weren’t aware of the most important duty of a witness. A witness at a solemn wedding isn’t supposed to show up scattering flower petals, after all.”
What? When did they add this? I bit down on the inside of my cheek, and for a moment, my vision went dark. No wonder that beast had been approaching me with such composure.
Honestly, everything about the witness business had surfaced when I was desperately racking my brain for details from the novel. There was a passage about how, at his grand wedding years later, the bride’s witness arrived late and the groom, the Grand Duke, grew more anxious than Cecil did. That’s when I’d thought, I’ll put this to use.
“…Ah.”
My confidence drained away in an instant, and I stared blankly at Rose’s hair. At a glance, the oath document was clearly far more than a line or two. With the small print running over half a page, even if I’d brought Father or my eldest sister, they wouldn’t have qualified as witnesses either.
The more despair took hold of me, the calmer and more cheerful his voice became.
“That’s exactly why I wanted to skip the complicated process. In these ‘unavoidable circumstances,’ the document can be sent over and a signature used in its place. Of course, that’s only if you agree.”
“…Wh-wait a moment.”
“If you’d rather not, then have your father or one of your other younger siblings memorize it. As you can see, we’re starting right here. Marriage Oath Document, Article One.”
“…I, as a witness to this solemn wedding, shall swear before the goddess Teia to every rite conducted from here on.”
Huh? What’s he talking about?
“Article Two. The bride and groom have stood here with the consent of both families.”
Surely that wasn’t the inner voice ringing from the depths of my soul, was it?
It had clearly been a voice echoing from my own chest, so it was understandable that I might mistake it for that. But my mouth hung wide open, and I couldn’t even get my tongue to move properly.
“R-Rose?”
“Rose knows that! It’s the Marriage Declaration!”
Rose, who had been buried against my chest, shook the hair from her face and lifted her head with a bright little bounce. The red ribbon still dangling from her hair looked strangely unreal against the current situation.
“…Big sis went to buy the cake yesterday and told you to watch carefully, right? So I watched carefully!”
“Ah. Yes… She did say that, but that’s not the point, I—”
“Rose always listens to big sis! Because big sis said she needed help! So I watched super, super carefully!”
I held my breath and barely steadied my emotions before turning my body around. My treasure, my hundred-carat diamond, my super-smart, world’s finest little kitten. All the overwhelming admiration could wait until later, but right now there was something I absolutely had to say to this insufferable Grand Duke.
“Um… you heard that, didn’t you?”

◇ ◆ ◇

The silence that now swept through the hall was different in nature from the silences that had fallen each time the Grand Duke revealed his true self. Of course it was different, since the one who had provoked this silence was a child far smaller, far more adorable, and far sharper than any comparison to the Duke could allow.
Good people of the neighborhood, come and see our Rose! I set her down so everyone could see, and smiled sweetly.
“Rose, will you say it once more? Article One, I…”
“As a witness to this solemn wedding, I shall swear before the goddess Teia to every rite conducted from here on!”
Yes. That’s it. I wouldn’t know, but it must be right. Otherwise that heartless man wouldn’t be keeping his mouth shut like this. Ah, I feel like I can live again. I could die right now without a single regret! The mere fact that he could no longer smile so smugly had washed away the exhaustion of three days’ travel completely. Well, I suppose I’m not a person who lets things go easily either.
I set aside the joy of victory for a moment and met the eyes of our dear Rose. Did I do well? The youngest’s innocent smile, looking up as if waiting for praise, lit up the hall.
“Just as I’d expect from our Rose.”
“…For someone who claims that, you looked quite astonished just now, didn’t you?”
“Me? Surely not!”
At his voice, still tinged with suspicion, I fearlessly snapped my head toward him. He really does have a keen instinct for these things!
Before he could find another thing to pick at, I demurely lowered my eyes.
“I’ve never once lost faith in our Rose. And do you know how much she practiced? All because she wanted to be of help at my sister’s wedding.”
After our youngest had gone this far, how could I, her older sister, let all that effort go to waste?
“Your Grace the Grand Duke heard it too, didn’t he? Her perfect recitation. I’m sure she won’t make a single mistake at the wedding ceremony either. Of course, as the bride’s official ‘honored guest.'”
“….”
“Why? Is there some other problem?”
Excuse me? You’re doing a fine job of talking, aren’t you? I tilted my head as if to make a show of it and took a step toward Kiers. Look at this. I have no idea where this courage came from, but in this mood, I felt I could conquer the entire world. I lifted my head sharply right beneath his chin.
“No, why are you saying… um.”
A faint fragrance, one I hadn’t noticed while we were apart, swirled suddenly beneath my nose. Like the scent of wind, a cool, green trace of his scent spread softly. So he really is a man, or rather, a human being. It’s hard to put into words, but it was at the very least not the scent one would expect from a beast.
“Ah…”
Why is he suddenly smiling like that? Startled to see the corners of his stiff mouth curl up, I quickly stepped back. I have a tendency to raise my voice a little when I get flustered.
“Ha! You’re not going to tell me you didn’t hear our Rose recite the oath, are you?”
“Your Highness, with these two ears of mine, I heard it clearly. The young lady did not make a single error.”
Oh, Grandfather Count. I knew you’d step in! The Count, who had been standing silently behind Kiers, finally made his presence known. Once the Duke’s gaze settled quietly, not only the Count but the others joined in too.
“It was the same to my eyes as well, Your Highness.”
Following the hurried words of Lord Lear, the Twins nodded eagerly, as if they’d been waiting for their cue.
“That’s right. It was flawless.”
“She was truly composed, Your Highness.”
Oh, come now. Why go so far? I felt both puffed up and embarrassed, and bit my lip as though they’d been praising me personally. When the crowd surrounding us all started speaking up at once, Rose flinched her shoulders at the sudden commotion.
“…Sister.”
Aww, my little kitten. The moment Rose realized everyone was staring at her, she squeezed her eyes shut, and I felt my own heart start to flutter. There was no good in dragging this out. While that man was keeping his mouth shut for once, I had to get out of here as fast as possible.
“Well then, I’ll head up to my room now! I do hope Your Highness keeps the weight of this marriage as deeply in your heart as I do.”
“….”
Don’t stop me, please!
I finished my bow to perfection, then grabbed Rose’s hand and hurried out of the hall. With every step, I could feel the anxious gazes of the knights chasing after Rose, but right now, avoiding that man came first.
Still, who knew who might be watching? This entire Grand Duke’s Residence was Kiers’s eyes and ears. Even after stepping out the door, I deliberately kept my chin high. I held myself stiff all the way down the corridor until I reached my room, and the moment the door shut, I slid to the floor as if collapsing. “Drained” might have been the better word for it.
“Aaaah, my puppy, my kitten, my baby! Look at your big sister!”
“Ugh, sister.”
I pulled Rose into a tight hug. Rose, desperate for air, forced her head out through a gap and shook her tangled hair with a shudder.
“Sister, did I do well?”
“Of course you did! Need you even ask? Anyway, wait a moment.”
A sudden thought struck me, and I finally pulled Rose out of my arms and held her by both shoulders. This girl, blinking her big eyes without the faintest idea what was going on, was undoubtedly our youngest. And yet, how…?
“Rose, how did you memorize all of that? Do you actually remember it?”
“Hm? Remember what?”
“That Marriage Declaration from earlier! It wasn’t as if there was that much time before the cake.”
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know her. I had raised her with my own hands, fed her, dressed her, and tucked her in at night! Sweet, gentle, docile Rose had said something in that place, and I was completely bewildered.
“How on earth did you…?”
“I just… you said I had to watch carefully if I wanted to help you, so… I kept on watching and watching, and then it just came to me… Did I… did I do something wrong?”
“No. You didn’t do anything wrong. Though, well, not wrong, but…”
Sweetheart, I watched it too, you know. I just couldn’t remember it. And now is not the time for that!
Something flashed through my mind, and I quickly pulled the law book out of the envelope again. I flipped to the Marriage Declaration section, then stopped and gazed quietly at Rose.
“…Hey, do you happen to remember what Chapter Seven is?”
“Chapter 7? ‘Husbands and wives shall keep their loyalty to one another and never forget the courtesies owed to each other,’ that one?”
“Ah…”
Yes, that’s right, but it all feels a bit too…
“…Wait. What about this one?”
The more this went on, the stranger I felt. I flipped open to whatever page my hand landed on and held it out to Rose. Surely not, right? Still, I couldn’t stop there.
“Rose, can you memorize this one too?”
“This? Is this important to you too, sister?”
“Yes. It’s incredibly important.”
Penalties and disposition for financial fraud, huh. Well, if I ever end up committing fraud, this might come in handy. For now, I nodded vigorously. Of course, the truly important part was something else, but I had to say it was important to catch Rose’s interest.
“Hmm.”
Rose pouted her plump lips and peered quietly at the book. Conscious of me, her big sister, she blinked, but she clearly couldn’t make sense of it, and she tilted her head to one side.

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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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