I’m Going to Change My Husband With a Predatory Marriage - Chapter 108

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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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Chapter 108

The wrist Arpard extended for me to see still bore Agrippina’s Tear that Hillia had given me.
When the two divine artifacts made contact, divine resonance erupted once more.
A deep, resonant hum.
Mysterious harmonics and sparks of light scattering like fireflies.
Archbishop Pio’s eyes gleamed as he observed this phenomenon.
“That pearl—could it be Agrippina’s Tear?”
“Indeed. My wife gave it to me as a wedding gift.”
Arpard gracefully swayed his wrist once. The gesture was unmistakably one of pride.
The teardrop-shaped pearl suspended from the chain glimmered and swayed. Archbishop Pio’s gaze followed its every movement.
“How extraordinary—to behold two such precious divine artifacts at once. It is truly an honor beyond measure.”
The Archbishop murmured while stroking his smooth chin.
“Now that I think of it, Her Highness the Crown Princess’s maternal lineage traces back to the royal house of Iliaden, the island kingdom of the east, does it not? This treasure must have been passed down from that realm.”
This time, it was Hillia who answered.
“That’s correct. You’re quite knowledgeable. My maternal family was incorporated into the House of Delphin in my mother’s generation, and since she passed away early, the details have not been widely known.”
Arpard wanted to interject again, but Hillia’s slender fingers lightly scratched the back of his hand.
‘Let me handle this.’
Understanding her meaning, Arpard fell silent.
With that, Hillia was able to direct her intended question toward the Archbishop.
“It seems Your Grace takes considerable interest in the divine artifacts of the Five Goddesses?”
“…!”
Archbishop Pio smiled gently.
“It is only natural for a priest to follow the fragments the Divine has left upon this earth.”
Hillia recognized this as a lie.
‘Why would a priest of the Temple of the Supreme God concern himself with the divine artifacts of the Five Twin Goddesses? It would make sense if they were artifacts of the Supreme God himself.’
According to mythology, Agrippina and Statillia were two of five sisters born between the Supreme God and the Mother Goddess.
Even the temples of the Supreme God and the Mother Goddess lacked considerable influence on this continent.
What dominated the entire continent was the Istrid Empire.
And the authority of the Istrid Imperial House derived not from gods, but from their ancestor—Dragon Artanus.
‘This is entirely different from Earth’s medieval period.’
At the coronation, the Imperial Emperor had no need to receive imperial authority from the gods through a priest’s hands.
Instead, he directly wore the crown—woven from dragon bone and scales, embedded with a dragon heart the size of a fist.
Beneath the statue of Artanus gazing down upon the throne.
The abundance of the Artanuian Plains, which could sustain the entire continent, was what Dragon Artanus had promised to his descendants.
Because of this, imperial authority was supreme, while divine authority was diminished.
Moreover, unlike medieval Europe, the faith was not unified under a single monotheistic religion.
With multiple sects each venerating different gods, divine authority could never be consolidated into one force.
Archbishop Pio was a man dissatisfied with this state of affairs.
He had made this argument repeatedly.

“Since the Lord of Gods is the master of all deities, all temples must surely gather under the name of the Lord’s temple.”

His goal was to unify all temples under the name of the “Pantheon,” thereby strengthening his authority.
And Ludwig, whose legitimacy and bloodline were both tenuous, strove to fill the gaps in his authority by clinging to the temple.
Naturally, the one orchestrating this from behind was Evangeline.
The Archbishop smoothly evaded my point.
“It’s simply the divine relic most widely known to the public, so any priest cannot help but take interest in it.”
A fundamentalist answer.
Unlike the sharp gleam in his eyes from moments before or the greed he’d briefly revealed, Archbishop Pio retreated with ease.
“Ah, but an uninvited guest has stolen precious time from you distinguished guests.”
“Not at all. I was delighted to meet you.”
“Next time, I shall request a formal audience and apologize for my rudeness today.”
The Archbishop vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.
Though it was a brief encounter and an unremarkable conversation, I could be certain of one thing.
‘It’s clear. When I asked if he was interested in the Goddess’s divine relic, he tried to evade.’
In my past life, I had attributed his interest in the Goddess’s divine relic solely to Evangeline.
To offer it to the woman he revered.
But perhaps that wasn’t the case at all—this thought occurred to me for the first time.

* * *

After Archbishop Pio departed, the tea party resumed its cheerful atmosphere.
One of the invited noblewomen spoke with an animated expression.
“So that rumor was true after all.”
“What rumor are you referring to?”
“That if you attend Her Highness the Crown Princess’s social gatherings, you can see the faces of the handsome men everyone talks about.”
Those whom I had invited today were middle-aged noblewomen close to the Duchess of Muzen.
Unlike the young ladies who blushed shyly upon seeing Arpard or Muzen, the Young Count, they spoke far more openly.
“My eyesight has been failing lately, but this feels like a miraculous restoration.”
“Exactly. And just now, we even saw that rarely-appearing Archbishop Pio, didn’t we?”
“He must have wanted to confirm the rumors he’d heard about Her Highness.”
At these words, Arpard’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
The change was so minute that no one noticed it.
The noblewomen’s laughter and chatter finally reached the main purpose of today’s gathering.
“By the way, it’s truly enviable that the Countess has become Her Highness the Crown Princess’s maid.”
“Indeed. Congratulations, madam.”
“It is an unparalleled honor, so I must do my very best.”
The purpose of today’s tea party was to spread the rumor far and wide that I had taken the Duchess of Muzen as my maid.
Following my acquisition of the platinum key, I had now absorbed even the Muzen ducal family, the rulers of the South.
Those invited to today’s tea party would spare no effort in spreading this news throughout the imperial court and across the empire’s social circles.
Watching them, I should have been brimming with satisfaction. After all, the archbishop—that source of painful memories—had finally disappeared.
Yet I found myself watching one corner of the tea party with anxious eyes.
In this gathering dominated by women, two high-ranking men were conversing separately.
Arpard and Aaron.
And it was Arpard who had called Aaron over first.

“Mujin, the Young Count. Shall we have a private word?”
“It would be my honor, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

Arpard was a handsome man with lines as if sculpted by the gods themselves—artistic and refined—while Aaron possessed thicker features and a cheerful demeanor, with bronzed skin that exuded the typical charm of a southern nobleman.
The sight of these two handsome men standing together was nothing short of a painting.
Any woman would have found her gaze captivated.
Especially since most of the noblewomen present were favorably disposed toward me and the Duchess of Muzen.
They admired without any intention of flattery, speaking from genuine hearts.
“When Dragon Artanus took human form, he was said to be so beautiful that words could scarcely describe it—I wonder if he might have resembled His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Indeed, His Highness the Crown Prince possesses such an otherworldly beauty that it’s rather difficult to approach him closely.”
“That’s true. And given how much majesty he radiates, it’s only natural that one finds it challenging to be in his presence.”
I smiled back at them.
‘They’re certainly wrapping up his terrible personality quite skillfully.’
Still, compliments about his face required no such embellishment.
Because it was genuinely true—he was that handsome.
Then came words I hadn’t anticipated.
“But I never expected to see His Highness the Crown Prince make such an expression.”
I tilted my head in confusion.
Such an expression? What expression?
“Lately, he’s been wearing expressions so surprisingly tender and gentle that I momentarily forget he’s the heir of the Dragon bloodline.”
“He’s only like that when he’s beside Her Highness.”
“It’s as if he becomes an ordinary husband right before Her Highness’s eyes.”
….
I couldn’t help but feel heat rise to my cheeks.
My chest tingled.
Because this sounded precisely as if Arpard were truly in love with me.
The tingling sensation that began in my heart traveled through my veins and reached my left ring finger—the very finger adorned with Statillia’s star.
For some reason, I felt that finger flutter with my heartbeat.
I immediately denied my own excitement.
‘No. I can’t let what others say deceive me like this. This is nothing more than a gift given to a cooperative partner who did well.’
And perhaps also a means of displaying to everyone that “we’re on good terms.”
Yet I couldn’t simply deny it.
If I did, it would shatter the rumor that we were a devoted couple.
‘Right. I absolutely must not let myself be swayed by how pleasant it is to hear such things.’
Before I could even fully comprehend why I was blushing, the conversation continued unabated.
The noblewomen remained busy with their admiration and well-wishes for the Crown Prince.
Next to be brought up in conversation was Aaron Muzen.
“The Young Duke has grown so splendidly. The Countess must feel quite assured.”
“Having already won the tournament at fourteen, it would be fitting to call him the Empire’s finest knight.”
“You’re too kind.”
The Countess demurred while making no effort to hide her pride.
“I came to the capital to arrange my son’s betrothal, and I’m truly grateful that Her Highness has granted us the honor of serving close to her.”
I naturally picked up the conversation.
“Even without my intervention, there will be no shortage of young ladies vying for the Young Duke’s attention, but I shall lend my support nonetheless. Once a bride is chosen, I shall take her into my service as a maid and bestow a gift upon her.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The warm and harmonious atmosphere shattered unexpectedly when discord erupted from an unforeseen quarter.
It arose precisely between the two men whom the noblewomen had praised to exhaustion.
Arpard’s brow had furrowed without anyone noticing.
Before him, Aaron Muzen wore a combative smile as he formally dropped to one knee and issued a bombshell request.
“I am Aaron Muzen, heir to House Muzen. Might I humbly request the honor of receiving instruction from Your Highness the Crown Prince?”
It was a challenge to duel that came out of nowhere.

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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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