I Will Become the Ex-Wife of the Beast - Chapter 7

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

If this child didn’t hesitate even when told she’d be going to the Grand Duke’s Residence, that monstrous place, then how else could she have taken my hand without a second thought?

“Sister, thank you. Thank you for saying we can go. Sniff.”

I had been worrying over how to convince her if she hesitated, but Rose threw her arms around my neck right then and sobbed. The way her trembling hands clung to me told me just how frightened she was.
Remembering that moment left my mouth dry, so I wiped the bread crumbs from the corner of Rose’s lips.
“Rose, are you really all right with this? If you follow me, you’ll suffer a great deal.”
“Mm. I’m fine with it.”
“It’s not something to agree to so easily. Remember? If we’re going to do this my way, you might struggle at first.”
“I really am fine, Sister.”
Does she even know what she’s agreeing to?
When I handed her the water, Rose gulped it down eagerly, yet she left a few sips in the cup without finishing it. She glanced at me, signaling for me to drink too, and then a faint, lonely smile tugged at her lips.
“…Father won’t even notice I’m gone, you know.”
“….”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that wasn’t true. Our father, Viscount Mayfield, was exactly the kind of man who would do just that and not think twice about it.
“Rose.”
I pulled her into a tight embrace, my face set with resolve. Outside, the light was already fading, and Jerome might come up and peer into the carriage at any moment. Before I sent this little girl back into that shabby box, I had to quiet the fire burning deep in my chest.
“…Let me promise you this much. Even if we end up enduring every kind of hardship and abuse there.”
“….”
“At the very least, it will be better than now.”

2. A Land of Opportunity, Read as a Gold Mine

The Grand Duke’s Castle, seated in Liden, the heart of the North.
Within it, the office at the innermost end of the third floor was unusually bustling. Supposedly it was where the lord himself issued orders and held meetings, but most of the work fell to Count Hellas, his chief advisor.
He was somewhat past his prime to be entrusted with all the affairs of the vast, sprawling North, yet few enjoyed the trust of Grand Duke Valencia as he did.
He belonged to the retainers of the Duke’s maternal family, Leard Ducal House, and had pledged his loyalty to the Grand Duke from the very moment of his birth. He had never once left Kiers’s side from the time the young man grew up and conquered the continent to the day he settled in the North. Serving Kiers was his lifelong fate, and so long as he drew breath, he would simply remain faithful to his duty.
“Hmm.”
Count Hellas turned around with a peculiar expression, a telegram just arrived in his hand. The silver hair swept back without a single strand out of place made him look exceedingly stern.
“According to Jerome, it seems she’ll arrive today.”
“Chief Advisor, I still don’t understand. How could the Grand Duke’s marriage be arranged in such a manner!”
“…Lear.”
The man’s chest was still heaving, as though he couldn’t contain his indignation.
He too was a loyal retainer who had charged through battlefields alongside Kiers, sharing life and death with him. The number of times Kiers had personally saved his life exceeded five fingers, and to him the Grand Duke was worth more than his own life. It was only natural, then, that he harbored discontent over this marriage.
“She isn’t a duke’s daughter or a marquis’s, but the daughter of some Viscount no one has ever heard of! And didn’t they say the family was utterly ruined and drifting about in some backwater countryside?”
“Then what do you propose? Do you really expect a duke’s or marquis’s daughter to come all the way here?”
“….”
“Moreover, even if that side agreed, do you think His Majesty would permit such a marriage?”
“Ah… that is…”
At the Count’s sharp tone, Lear finally seemed to grasp something and let out a sigh. Well, if the marriage had been arranged by none other than the Chief Advisor himself, there was bound to be a reason for it.
Still, understanding a thing and finding it fair were two different matters.
“But… if only our Lord had stayed in the capital, this would never have happened. No, if only the late Empress Consort were still alive, a marriage like this would never—!”
“Let’s leave that subject be.”
“Count.”
“It’s a subject His Highness forbids. We need only follow orders, that’s all.”
It was advice and, at once, a stern warning. Lear faltered and in the end lowered his head. A mere knight like himself could not presume to meddle in matters concerning the Lord.
“…So what sort of person is she? Her father said he knew the family from the capital, didn’t he?”
“His reputation is quite widespread, after all.”
“Then the family must be prominent in its own right, even if the title isn’t high.”
“No. It’s not so much that, but rather his conduct is so…”
Trailing off there, the Count turned away with an unreadable smile. The way he pressed the bridge of his spectacles and looked down at them with lifted chin carried considerable presence.
“I never expected to see that man again here, yet he hasn’t changed a bit. They say a person can’t be remade, and it seems they’re right.”
“Eh? Then…”
“In any case, as the daughter of such a man, she won’t be a bad choice for us. If anything, she’s the best we could hope for.”
The Count’s eyes gleamed behind his silver-rimmed glasses, and the look in them was meaningful. Sir Lear, who had been tilting his head as if half-puzzled, could only nod in agreement.
“Well, I suppose so. If we want to draw the Emperor’s and the central nobles’ attention away, we’d better hurry the Grand Duke’s marriage along. Isn’t His Majesty losing sleep over the Grand Duke, after all?”
“There’s only so long a delay can last. If we don’t take this chance, His Majesty will simply send over a bride of his own choosing. Better a noblewoman with no backing and no grudges to bring than some obvious spy. That’s the lesser evil by a long shot.”
The Count folded Jerome’s letter and tucked it away. The economy of his movements matched his reputation for thoroughness perfectly. Sir Lear, who had been watching with a kind of fascination, suddenly remembered something and looked up.
“By the way, the bride will be arriving soon. Where is the Grand Duke?”
“….”
“On the way here I noticed the stables were empty. He must know she’s arriving today, so I can’t imagine what he’s thinking.”
Come to think of it, while he had been so indignant, no one had actually asked the Grand Duke, the very person at the center of this marriage, what he thought. He kept to himself so stubbornly and was so impossible to pin down that, ironically, even on a day like this they had to go searching for him.
“He hasn’t gone off somewhere again, has he? He can’t stand being cooped up, after all.”
“Well. How could anyone know what that man is thinking?”
“….”
For the first time, regret clouded the Count’s face. He had softened his words as much as he could, but the unease in him was impossible to hide.
“Perhaps it would be better for the bride if he weren’t here at all.”

◇ ◆ ◇

We had been traveling for well over three days, yet the carriage’s pace hadn’t changed a bit. I would have felt a little better if I could at least look outside, but in case the knights caught wind of Rose’s presence, the window and even the black shade had been drawn down tight.
“Ugh!”
Being shut in like this made even stretching feel timid. I couldn’t tell night from day, and it felt like being buried in some underground tunnel. Even if I drifted off on the plush velvet, my uneasy mind made it feel like I wasn’t really sleeping at all.
“My lady… if you’re awake, may I have a moment of your time?”
“Hm? Oh, just a moment, please!”
At Jerome’s voice from outside, I hurriedly put Rose, whom I’d been holding, back into the box.
Sorry, Rose.
I had no idea how many times I’d repeated this routine, but every time, my heart ached. A new bride who has to hide her little sister inside a box—it was a wretched situation, every bit as dreadful as a tale of a stepsister having her skin flayed.
“…Yes. Go ahead.”
“We’ll be entering Liden shortly.”
“Really?”
At this unexpected news, I finally threw open the window. A rush of cold air slammed in and filled my lungs all at once.
Ah, I can breathe again!
My heart had been pounding nervously inside the carriage, and a cold sweat had been trickling down me the whole time. If Jerome weren’t watching, I’d have loved to turn my head and stretch out every stiff joint, but for now I had to keep up appearances.
He was supposedly the Grand Duke’s closest confidant, after all. The moment I let my guard down, who knew what he might pin on me. The first rule for not becoming a pushover: don’t give him an opening in the first place!
“Liden is the heart of the North, isn’t it?”
“You know it?”
“It’s where I’m going to live from now on, after all.”
I smiled brightly at just the right moment, and Sir Jerome, who had been so businesslike all along, flinched.
Goodness. So this big brother is weak to this sort of thing.
I stifled the urge to giggle and focused on a bubbly, bright-eyed new bride’s smile as best I could.
“Then the Grand Duke’s Castle is still farther on from here?”
“It’ll take at least half a day more.”
“Oh… I see.”
Even the act of looking disappointed was quite the masterpiece.
Admiring myself for no reason, I glanced around at the increasingly noisy surroundings. I had already flipped through all of Melanie’s books, but now that the North was actually coming into view, a light thrill swept over me.
Unlike the quiet countryside, where you could go anywhere in peace, the people passing by were bustling and loud.
“It’s noisy, isn’t it?”
“Oh, no. I like it.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Would you mind waiting here for a moment? I need to see to the horses and I have some business at the checkpoint here.”
Sir Jerome asked my permission with an apologetic expression.
I had lived my whole life among people who caused trouble first and left others to clean up after them, so even such a small consideration touched my heart.

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