Please Repay Me with Marriage! - Chapter 19

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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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Your reward had better be marriage!
Chapter 19
As expected, the ring Irene had prepared fit his finger perfectly.
Still marveling at the fact, Leonard gazed down at his left hand, and Irene pressed the remaining ring into his palm.
“Now you have to put one on mine too.”
The hand she held out before him could not have looked more self-assured.
He let out a soft laugh, carefully took her fingertips, and slid the ring onto her left ring finger.
As if to prove it was an expensive piece, the crimson gemstone caught the light and glittered beautifully, though it could not quite outshine the brightness in Irene’s eyes.
“Lord Leonard, may I kiss you to celebrate our engagement?”
“Huh?”
“Did you just say yes?”
Before he could ask whether that hadn’t been a question, her slender arms wound around his neck.
He could have pulled away if he’d wanted to. But how was he supposed to touch such thin arms, the kind that looked ready to snap at the slightest knock?
Leonard could do nothing but squeeze his eyes shut as Irene’s face drew closer.
Along with the soft give of her lips pressing against his, a pleasant fragrance drifted into his nose.
His hand twitched, and Leonard nearly pulled her into an embrace by the back before he realized what he’d been about to do. Startled, he hunched his shoulders.
Did she read it as him being embarrassed? Irene pulled her lips away and wore a playful smile.
“This time you really stole it, Lord Leonard’s first kiss.”
“…Was that really it?”
“Oh my, shall I make it a little deeper?”
“No, no. That was a slip of the tongue.”
His face felt like it was on fire. Leonard shook his head frantically and bit down gently on his lower lip.
It had passed so quickly that he couldn’t quite believe he had actually been kissed.
Without realizing it, Leonard drew in a deep breath, as if trying to savor the scent he’d caught just moments ago.
“Now then, the sword is received. Since we’re truly engaged, I’ll call you Ray from now on. Is that all right?”
“Do as you like.”
He didn’t bother saying that it sounded far more pleasant than “darling.” If he did, she’d probably start calling him that.
“You should call me Lin from now on too, Ray.”
“Lin?”
“In unofficial settings, I go by the alias Lynia. That name feels a little more familiar to me, you see.”
A faint, wistful longing settled into Irene’s smile once more.
All at once, Leonard realized something. What mingled in that longing was a tender ache for someone who could never be seen again.
‘Could it be… that the person she truly loved is already dead?’
Perhaps I was chosen because I resemble that person.
“Ray? What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing at all.”
Rather than voicing the question aloud, Leonard simply shook his head.
“By the way, what happens if the terms of the contract are broken?”
“Oh my, you signed without reading it properly, didn’t you? It’s written right there. If either party violates even one clause, the offender forfeits any claim to bodily freedom, even if confined by the other party.”
“…What? Confined?”
Leonard, who had assumed it was something sensible like the return of the dowry gold, went pale with alarm.
“That’s right. If you show even the slightest friendliness toward another woman, you’ll be locked in the sunniest bedroom in this estate. You’ll get three meals a day with snacks and tea time, and you’ll be allowed only one hour of walking per day. That’s the sort of confinement you’ll be living under.”
…Isn’t that actually rather nice?
It was a tempting enough condition that, on days when life grew weary and exhausting, he could almost think he might as well go see another woman.
Blissfully unaware of what Leonard was thinking, Irene took a fresh document from the drawer and brought it over.
“There, this is the very same document you just signed. Read it through carefully this time.”
Just as Irene had said, the final section of the document stated that upon breach of contract, the offender must submit meekly to confinement by the other party.
She would indeed confine him, but there was no mention of restraining his hands or feet. What’s more, family members were even permitted to visit.
‘I suspect she’s misunderstanding the meaning of confinement.’
If confinement were this comfortable and peaceful, wouldn’t everyone be clamoring to be subjected to it?
Surely the other clauses weren’t like this as well. Worried for his own sake, Leonard finally began to examine the contents closely.
Sure enough, there wasn’t a single item that worked against him. He had signed right away without even reading through every clause, a gesture of trust in return for the sincerity Irene had shown. One might even wonder whether it had meant anything at all.
“Will the Marquis Consort be given Imperial Private Funds?”
“Of course. A separate allowance is set aside for maintaining your dignity, so don’t buy clothes or accessories on your own. Just call the butler and have him handle it.”
The more she spoke, the more it felt as though she were practically frantic to hand him money.
In contrast, there was very little he was required to do. Simply keeping his fidelity and chastity as her fiancé, more or less?
“Is there nothing else you want? It’s normally impossible to add terms once everything has been signed, but if there’s something you wish for, I’ll add it for you.”
“There’s nothing.”
What on earth more could she possibly do for him here?
If the other party had been anyone but Marquis Blair, Leonard would have seriously taken her aside and tried to talk some sense into her. You know that at this rate your entire fortune will vanish in an instant, don’t you?
“Really, nothing? This is your last chance, so think carefully.”
“There’s really nothing. According to this contract, we’ll live as husband and wife for the rest of our lives, and you’ll only be bearing my children, won’t you?”
“Rin, it is.”
Of all things, that’s what she chooses to correct first.
Leonard searched Irene’s face, wondering whether the rest was truly acceptable, and spoke again.
“Rin, you’ll only be bearing my children, correct?”
“Of course. Once I’m yours, there won’t be another man in my life.”
Won’t be? Does she mean that no other man will exist in this world anymore?
“…That will suffice.”
If Leonard had resolved anything in his life, it was that he would never father an illegitimate child the way his own biological father had. Nor would he sell a child like a piece of property.
That was also why he had never taken a woman to bed. For a mercenary, he was remarkably rare: a man who held to chastity before marriage.
“So when should we hold the wedding? I’d like to do it as soon as possible.”
“Whenever suits you.”
“Would a month from now be all right?”
A month?
Leonard, who had been about to nod without much thought, froze.
“A month? Is it even possible to marry that quickly?”
“Of course! All you have to do is move in. I’ll take care of everything else. And then…”
Just then, someone knocked on the door of the drawing room. Irene’s brow furrowed at the interruption at such a crucial moment.
“My Lady, a messenger has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”
“From the Imperial Palace?”
Yet her expression had no choice but to soften. The messenger had come bearing the Emperor’s summons for her to present herself at the palace at once.
“Ah… so I’m being summoned after all.”
Even an emperor doesn’t summon someone on the same day for anything trivial. That meant Irene’s summons was no ordinary matter.
The only small mercy was that, despite the sigh she let out as if put out by the inconvenience, not a trace of unease showed on her face.
Thanks to that, Leonard was able to ask Irene a question.
“Do you have any idea why His Majesty summoned you?”
“Hmm, most likely.”
Irene sidestepped giving a definite answer, but Leonard somehow thought he understood.
“It’s because of me, then.”
“How would I dare presume to guess His Majesty’s intentions?… But if I’m being fair, it isn’t your fault. It’s the Second Prince’s fault for playing such a nasty trick on you, isn’t it?”
She must know about the deal struck between him and the Second Prince, after all.
By now, the fact that she knew didn’t surprise him much. Still, Leonard looked at Irene with a worried voice.
“Rin, please don’t provoke His Majesty’s displeasure on my account.”
“Oh my, are you actually worrying about me?”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re being dragged to the Imperial Palace this early in the morning.”
“Don’t worry. Your fiancée is far more doted upon by His Majesty than you think. Just you wait. I’m going to give that brat a proper scolding and come back.”
Whether it was early morning or late at night, one could not dawdle when the Emperor said to come at once.
As Irene rose from her seat, saying they’d talk about important matters later, Leonard offered her his arm.
“Then allow me to escort you to the Imperial Palace.”
“Really?”
Even as she asked, Irene had already laid her hand on Leonard’s arm.
Leonard glanced at the hand resting on his arm, as if to ask whether there was any point in asking. Irene pretended not to notice the meaning of that look and smiled sweetly.
“Once we live together, Ray will be escorting me like this so often, won’t he? How lovely.”
“Well, yes… I suppose that will be the case a month from now.”
“Oh my, a month from now?”
At Irene’s puzzled voice, Leonard grew even more puzzled himself.
“Didn’t you say we would marry in a month?”
“Hm? Did you not read it through to the end?”
Irene opened the second page of the contract Leonard held and kindly pointed to a particular passage.
Once this contract is signed, Irene Blair and Leonard Elpias shall immediately enter into an engagement, and both parties must undergo Bride Training and Groom Training to ensure a healthy and happy married life.
This training shall be conducted at the Blair Marquis Residence, so Leonard must move into the Blair Marquis Residence and live there until the wedding ceremony.
Should an urgent matter arise that makes it unavoidable for Leonard to be absent from the Blair Marquis Residence, he must seek prior permission from Irene Blair.
“…Groom Training?”
“Your room is already prepared. All you have to do is move in.”
His room is already prepared.
Leonard imagined what would have happened had he refused to sign the contract to the very end, and before he knew it, he had laughed helplessly.
No matter how he thought about it, he doubted he could have held out against this woman until the end.
“What exactly does this Groom Training involve?”
“Well, what might you learn? Don’t be impatient, just wait a little. We’re starting tomorrow, right away.”
Why is it that Irene’s face, laughing away, feels more terrifying than the master’s face did when he first taught him the sword?
Still, it’s not like he’s doing it alone; they’re doing it together, so it should be fine, right? Leonard thought, feeling at ease.

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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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