I’m Going to Change My Husband With a Predatory Marriage - Chapter 8

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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 8

That’s right.
The reason I deliberately spouted nonsense and acted to provoke Ludwig was precisely for this moment.
‘I knew the Emperor would come!’
My wedding to Ludwig was personally arranged by the Emperor himself.
The Emperor, distrusting his own son, wanted to build power for his cousin Ludwig.
And I was chosen as the means to accomplish that.
That’s also why the wedding ring on my finger is an Imperial treasure.
At the betrothal ceremony, the Emperor called Ludwig and me together, offered his blessings, and presented this ring as a gift.
Because of that, the Emperor made a surprise visit this morning on the wedding day to bestow his blessing.
‘Of course, I remembered that timing perfectly!’
If my calculations were correct, the Emperor would have heard our quarrel.
That would make it perfect for him to misunderstand Ludwig as a libertine who abandoned his bride in her hour of need the day before the wedding.
Actually, it wasn’t a misunderstanding.
It was the truth.
And with my scream thrown in, it was no wonder the Emperor was confused.
The Emperor strode forward and pulled my wrist from Ludwig’s grasp.
Then he rolled up my sleeve and clicked his tongue.
“What in the world caused these bruises?”
‘Your son did this to me.’
I couldn’t say that.
So I simply evaded the question.
“It’s nothing at all.”
As I pulled my sleeve back down to hide the bruises, it must have appeared to the Emperor like this.
‘She’s trying to protect her betrothed.’
Indeed, the Emperor erupted in fury at Ludwig.
“I am deeply disappointed in you, Ludwig.”
“No, Your Majesty! I did nothing!”
But Ludwig’s excuses sounded pathetic to the Emperor.
There was no atmosphere of belief whatsoever.
The Emperor warned his cousin in a low, grave voice.
“You know best that I was the one who arranged this marriage. You also know what it means.”
“Your, Your Majesty!”
“If you disappoint me even once more, I will have no choice but to consider other alternatives.”
Ludwig’s face drained of all color.
Unlike when he was alone with me, he couldn’t press or criticize me further in front of the Emperor.
‘What a coward.’
Ludwig suppressed his frustration and carefully placed the veil on my head.
Yet even as he did, he cowardly lowered his voice to a whisper, not forgetting to threaten me.
“We’ll see about this tonight.”
Beneath my veil, I curled my lips upward and raised my middle finger inside the bouquet.
‘If I end up alone with you again, I’ll cut off my own hand!’
With Ludwig and I sharing the same unspoken wish, the fourth wedding procession began.
The familiar sights of the Imperial Capital and crowds of people streamed past the carriage window.
By now, I was utterly sick of it all.
Clop, clop—the sound of hooves striking the pavement.
And with the rumble of carriage wheels, my heartbeat grew louder and louder.
Before long, the bridal carriage began to pass before the Imperial Palace.
It was the very place I had promised to meet Arpard.

* * *

The ignorant masses cheered toward today’s bride.
Their blessings sounded like curses to me.
“Hooray! Congratulations!”
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess!”
“What a perfect pair you’ll make!”
“May God’s blessing be upon you both!”
Though I hated hearing it, there was a simple reason I kept the carriage window wide open.
I had to search with eyes wide open.
‘Where is the Crown Prince? Is he there? Here? Over there?’
The promised place, the promised time was noon.
But scanning every corner of the square, I couldn’t spot a single strand of the Crown Prince’s golden hair.
Anxiety suddenly surged through me.
‘Surely… surely he’s not going to skip it?’
The Crown Prince must have realized yesterday that Agrippina’s tears I gave him had no effect on his madness.
Naturally, the credibility of my words should have increased.
I had shown him a way to become Emperor without losing his mind—he couldn’t ignore that.
‘But what if he still doesn’t believe me?’
My heart pounded ominously.
‘If that’s the case…’
The chance of failure was greater, but I would have to execute the backup plan I’d prepared…
Then.
Crash!
An unexpected impact struck, and I nearly tumbled forward.
“What… what is this?”
The carriage came to an abrupt halt. Outside, I heard the murmur of the crowd.
Barely collecting myself, filled with anxiety and anticipation, I leaned my head out the window.
And then I saw it.
A man sitting atop a dazzling white horse, brazenly blocking the bridal procession.
‘Arpard!’
Bathed in the midday sun, Arpard’s hair shone even more brilliantly than The Emperor’s crown.

* * *

“What, what is this?”
“What on earth is happening?”
The people were bewildered.
The wedding of Ludwig, The Emperor’s nephew, and Hillia, the sole heir of House of Delphin.
This was a grand affair second only to an imperial marriage.
Naturally, a massive crowd had gathered to watch, and they all became witnesses to an event that defied belief.
Someone had single-handedly blocked the bridal procession heading toward the Imperial Palace.
Naturally, the knights should have shouted and subdued him, driving him away.
If only the man blocking the bridal procession were anyone else.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
The commander of the knights escorting the bride called out in shock.
“Your Highness. What brings you to travel this way…?”
He gestured awkwardly to a servant.
‘Go at once and inform the Duke!’
He was Ludwig’s knight. It was only natural that he move to inform Ludwig of this situation.
Just as the swift servant was about to rush toward the Imperial Palace.
Twang!
The Crown Prince raised a crossbow with lightning speed and shot the servant’s leg.
“Ahhh!”
The servant clutched his leg and rolled across the ground.
The knights’ faces went pale.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
Arpard’s eyes gleamed red as he laughed wickedly. His gaze, overflowing with murderous intent, sent chills down the spines of all who beheld it.
“What do you mean? I merely caught a little mouse that dared to scurry forward without my permission.”
“That is a harsh way to speak!”
Unable to bear the insult, Ludwig’s knight moved his hand toward the sword at his waist.
But he could not bring himself to draw it.
‘There are far too many eyes watching.’
For him, Ludwig’s knight, to draw his sword before the Crown Prince would be nothing short of treason.
Not only the knight, but Ludwig himself faced a high likelihood of being implicated. And Ludwig would never accept such a fate.
That was when it happened.
While the knight hesitated, someone else moved first.
Surprisingly, it was not the Crown Prince, but another—someone no one here had anticipated would step forward.
A soft rustle as a white veil swept down beneath the noon sun.
“My lady!”
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess!”
Amid the gasps of astonishment, the bride of the day—Hillia—walked forward alone, composed and serene.
She greeted them in a measured voice.
“The daughter of House Delphin pays her respects. Your Highness the Crown Prince, what brings you here?”
Seeing the bride step forward, the knight felt a measure of relief.
‘Surely even a mad Crown Prince wouldn’t dare commit further outrages before his cousin’s bride.’
The knight deliberately ignored the fact that he had positioned a delicate noblewoman in front while hiding behind her.
Then came an exchange of pleasantries that seemed cordial, yet somehow strange.
“So you are the lady of House Delphin. We meet for the first time. How delightful.”
“I have scarcely participated in society, Your Highness. I beg your pardon.”
And then a situation even more incomprehensible than the bride’s intervention unfolded.
The Crown Prince—who had blocked the bridal procession and committed the madness of firing crossbows—suddenly dismounted from his horse.
His white cloak swept elegantly about him. Only then did the knight understand.
The Crown Prince was dressed in the immaculate formal attire one wore only at New Year ceremonies or grand banquets.
And though the knight had not considered it until now, it was customary for the Crown Prince himself to wear similar garments at his own wedding.
The lady of House Delphin—today’s bride, Hillia—made her request in a calm voice.
“At this rate, we shall be late for the ceremony. Please, step aside.”
Hope flickered across the faces of the escort knights.
A noble and pitiable lady had made the request herself. No one who valued honor could refuse such a plea.
Yet there was one fact all had momentarily forgotten.
That there was no pairing more ill-suited than a mad Crown Prince and the concept of honor.
The Crown Prince strode forward toward the bride and committed an outrage that shattered all their hopes.
With a swift motion, he tore the veil from the bride’s head.
For a man other than the groom to remove the bride’s veil was a grievous dishonor.
An act of barbarism for which one could not refuse a challenge to duel.
“Your Highness, please!”
“This cannot be!”
“What is the meaning of this—!”
Amid the cries of alarm, all eyes were stolen away by astonishment at the bride’s beauty.
The white veil that had been drawn back revealed the lady’s pale, delicate face to all gathered.
Her luxuriant rose-tinted hair was adorned with a laurel wreath crafted from diamonds and silver.
Her cheeks, flushed with a rosy hue, were utterly enchanting.
Each time her eyelids, framing those large violet eyes, fluttered, they shimmered with every subtle hue between blue and crimson.
‘Like… like a fairy…’
Even the Crossbow Soldier, struck by such agony, found himself momentarily forgetting his pain, lost in a daze of such thoughts.

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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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