I Will Become the Ex-Wife of the Beast - Chapter 35

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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 bishop hurriedly straightened himself and drew out the Holy Scripture and the Imperial Marriage Consent Document. No matter how busy things grew up front, Kiers kept his mouth shut.
All I could hear now was the rustle of black casual clothes, the same as mine. Curious, I looked at him, and Kiers turned his head in an instant. There wasn’t even time to dodge.
“…Why, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you’re pretty.”
What on earth was that supposed to mean? My cheeks, and even the tips of my ears, flushed red as I opened my mouth, but he was more than composed, he was downright matter-of-fact. Some thick, hard-to-describe air swirled up within his scent.
“I said before, didn’t I? That I thought you were quite decent.”
“….”
“It seems I’ve been mistaken all this time.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“Seeing that you’re this pretty, even so.”
His voice was quiet, as if it had captured me. Kiers’ crimson gaze, which wouldn’t even let me look away, grew deeper still.
“It seems you were more than that from the very beginning.”
…What on earth is this man going on about?
A so-called groom had arrived at this hour and kept muttering nonsense. Even the one phrase I could make out did nothing to help me accept this situation.

“You’re pretty.”

Hmph, as if hearing something like that would melt my heart?
Like anyone here doesn’t know that. If you think I’ll waver just because you say the same thing I’ve heard a thousand times, then, my lord, no way! You’ve badly underestimated the iron-hearted woman!
“…Sis, why are you smiling?”
“Huh?”
Rose gazed up at me with wide, bright eyes, so I quickly loosened the corners of my mouth.
Oh, you! I’d just signaled that it wasn’t like that, and yet I was still aware of Kiers standing beside me. Gazing only at the bishop straight ahead, he looked more solemn than ever.
Half hidden behind the mask, yet his facial lines were sharp, his mouth set firm. A man for whom the black, shimmering like the darkness before dawn, suited better than anyone.
Not even the fame of the war hero renowned across the entire Empire could fit him any better than this.
And yet, at the same time, he felt strange.
Surprisingly fond of smiling, and surprisingly considerate. Could this really be the famous Beast? More than once he had left me wondering, and yet today I couldn’t find that man anywhere.
What could have happened?
With a hint of regret, I stole a glance at him, and at last Kiers spoke.
“…Eliya.”
“Yes?”
“You should be facing forward.”
No sooner had his low words ended than the bishop cleared his throat with a loud “Hmm-hmm.”
Right, this is a wedding ceremony.
I jerked my chin up, but my neck soon began to ache. The clothes were casual, there were no proper guests, and above all, the man beside me was so unlike himself that it all felt utterly unreal.
Is this a wedding or a school assembly on the playground?
Even the most forced marriages in dramas look more cheerful than this. I didn’t expect that, but I was still flustered. Worse, Count, the grandfather who had arrived late, wore such a dark expression that I couldn’t help but notice.
I felt bad for the bishop, who was earnestly reading the Holy Scripture up front, but I cautiously called out to Kiers.
“Um, Your Grace. About the Count… he looks rather odd today…”
“Please concentrate.”
“….”
“This is our ceremony, is it not?”
Kiers’ head, which had been unmoving as if nailed in place, tilted slightly toward me. His voice was courteous yet heavy. He wasn’t threatening me or trying to frighten me in any particular way, yet I couldn’t help but flinch.
“…It is a ceremony that happens only once, so I would prefer that you take it a bit more seriously.”
“Ah, yes, well.”
Kiers frowned as if he’d just realized his mistake and lowered his voice, but I was already sulking.
Well, it’s not just once for you, is it? I wanted to scoff at him, but if I did, he’d turn around and lecture me again about concentrating or not.
This man is surprisingly picky.
In the novel’s descriptions, he was portrayed as a cold, bloodthirsty war maniac, so in the early chapters he barely had any dialogue to speak of. At most, a “Kill them.” or a “Don’t kill them cleanly.” That was about it. Usually, all he did was wipe the enemy’s blood off his face with indifference or gaze coldly over a battlefield soaked in red.
And now that same man was telling me to focus or not focus on a wedding. It was infuriating, yet it unsettled me all the same.
While I struggled to adjust to Kiers, who seemed suddenly different, the bishop had quietly set aside the Holy Scripture and spread open a law book and the marriage contract.
“Now, the immediate family members of both houses must recite the Marriage Declaration. Since Your Grace’s side has received the Imperial Edict from His Majesty the Emperor, that shall serve in its stead. And Lady Eliya, perhaps you have a document bearing your father’s seal, or other family members…”
“Here, I’ll do it! My little sister will!”
“…Huh? Me now?”
When I gestured, Rose, who had been eagerly waiting for someone to call on her, instantly filled with excitement.
That’s right, I still had our Rose!
My precious treasure was right here, so there was no reason to feel gloomy over something so trivial. As she came smiling toward me, I took Rose’s hand, and the bishop’s face filled with doubt.
“…You want this little one to do it?”
“She isn’t a little one. She’s Lady Rose.”
“U-Your Highness.”
At Kiers’s firm voice, the bishop quickly bowed his head. Why is he speaking so fiercely? Honestly, the bishop isn’t entirely to blame.
Well, that’s because I know our Rose.
Suddenly, I remembered the part-time job I’d taken at a children’s career experience center back when money was tight. I’d watched parents dress three- or four-year-olds in doctor’s coats and beam with pride, as if their kids were about to perform real surgery. The look in my eyes back then was exactly the same as the bishop’s.
But they’re ordinary children, while our Rose is different!
She’s the world’s best smart ultra cat, you know!
“Hmph, Sis. It’s too high. I can’t do iiit.”
Though, to be fair, she couldn’t even climb the dais in one go and was struggling and grunting at the bottom.
“Rose, lift your leg a little higher. Sis will catch you, Your Highness!”
“…Someone has to hold her anyway.”
I don’t know when he’d turned around, but Kiers had lifted Rose high. He supported her with one arm, as lightly as if she weighed no more than a single piece of cotton candy, and calmly faced the bishop.
In that brief moment, the gazes sweeping past me grew even more intense, but he was already fixed on Rose alone.
“Lady Rose, if it’s too much, you don’t have to do it.”
“….”
In Kiers’s arms, Rose seemed tense; her dangling legs, which had been kicking every time he held her, went quiet and obedient.
Well, a father like that should have held his child at least once. Her small hands, clutching the hem of an adult man’s clothes for the first time, trembled as though she might slip free. Because Kiers was so tall, she looked a bit like a cat clinging to a cliff.
“I-I can do it, Grand Duke Brother-in-law!”
“….”
As if he’d expected exactly that, Kiers nodded, and a smile returned to Rose’s face.
“Um… Article One: As a witness to this solemn wedding, I shall swear before the Holy Scripture of Teia to every rite that follows. Article Two: The husband and wife…”
Crisp and clear, Rose’s dainty voice made the bishop flinch.
See? That’s what I’m talking about! I couldn’t hide my pride, and I bit my lip.
Such a precious thing.
As I gazed at Rose with overflowing affection, my eyes met Kiers’s head-on.
…What’s with that pitiful look on his face?
The newly complicated look in his eyes made me stop short. Did we really look that pitiful?
I tried to sniff my clothes to see if they smelled of smoke, only to pointlessly tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear, and Kiers’s gaze returned to Rose.
“Article Twelve, regarding the titles of the family…”
Clear and steady.
Her hands, which had been trembling so badly, slowly settled, but Rose was very shy. Each time the bishop stared at her in fascination, she couldn’t hide her embarrassment and buried half her face in Kiers’s chest.
Shh.
He jerked his chin slightly toward the bishop, sending him away, then said nothing and simply looked down at Rose.
“….”
At the sight of the little creature burrowing her face into his chest and chattering away, his eyes darkened once more. Rose smiled shyly up at him, and now she had begun to recite the final lines.
“Um… Article Twenty: The bride and groom shall cherish and care for not only their own families but also the families and relatives of one another.”
“As though they were their own family, I swear to love and protect them.”
“….”
…Wait, why is he stealing the lines?
Rose clapped her hands in delight, as if he’d gotten it right, while Kiers solemnly recited the final line on her behalf.
Well. It was undeniably a beautiful, heartwarming scene, but I found myself puzzled as to why Your Highness was the one reciting that vow.
The bishop seemed to feel the same, as he hurried on the moment his vacant-looking face met mine.
“Now, next, you may exchange your gifts.”
“…Your Highness.”
Count came forward, holding a black velvet cushion before him. When had he prepared it? At the sight of the diamond ring, dazzling enough to hurt the eyes, I was momentarily left speechless.
No, if you had something like this, you should have given it to me sooner.

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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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