Standard Contract Guidelines for a Fraudulent Marriage - Chapter 39

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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 39

“No, you must be careful about this.”

Henry’s tone suddenly turned grave.

“You are the face of Rigan. Young nobles like you must lead this nation forward from now on, and for that to happen, you cannot afford a single blemish to your name.”
“Your Majesty, though I speak out of turn… it is true that my wife and I have exchanged vows, whether or not we have formally registered the marriage. Many people know the circumstances.”

Though of course, they could never know the real truth.

Loauston expected Henry to change the subject here.

Though he shared something of Claria’s nature, he was still a king, and surely not quite as headstrong as she was.

“I am not inclined to recognize your marriage, to be frank.”

Loauston felt the ground drop beneath him.

Damn it. So much for changing the subject.

He had been hoping against hope for nothing.

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“You know how much my Claria cares for you, do you not?”
“I believe there is someone far more suitable for the Princess.”
“More suitable than you in this realm? Who in blazes could that be? I should like to hear a suggestion.”

Loauston kept his lips pressed together, fighting to maintain a smile.

He was trapped either way—whether he named someone or refused to.

Henry’s thoughts were surely identical to Claria’s.

That Loauston ought to have married Claria from the beginning. That it was the right thing.

What good would any suggestion do under such circumstances?

“I must remind you, Your Majesty, that I am already a married man.”
“I too am married, but Dorothea has always stood by my side.”

At the mention of Dorothea’s name, Loauston tensed.

He felt a creeping dread that Henry was about to make demands that made even less sense.

“…Yet Lady Dorothea has since departed the palace, has she not?”
“Ah, that was unavoidable. Claria did not… care for her.”

Did not care for her?

Loauston suppressed an inward laugh.

Everyone in the palace knew how deeply Claria despised Dorothea.

It was likely that Dorothea’s own decision to leave the palace owed more to Claria than to the king.

Henry spoke.

“Still, Dorothea is my woman.”
“Yes, she is quite devoted to you.”
“Is your wife not equally devoted to you? Surely she must be.”

Loauston’s brow furrowed slightly.

Something began to churn beneath the surface, and he could only pray that Henry wasn’t saying what he thought he was saying.

“Your Majesty, I confess I do not take your meaning. Forgive my dullness.”
“I believe you understand perfectly. I am not asking you to divorce your wife. But a man of your station—a duke—need not limit himself to one wife. Such an arrangement would not be unseemly, and should it raise any eyebrows, I shall smooth them away.”
“Preposterous, Your Majesty. I could never—surely not the Princess—”
“As a second wife, you mean? Well, that is only natural, is it not?”

When Henry suddenly laughed, a terrible headache crashed over Loauston.

“You could remarry Claria and keep your current wife with you. What objection could there be?”

This is unbearable.

Loauston closed his eyes without thinking.

The king’s presence mattered nothing.

“Your Majesty, you jest too far. It cannot be done.”
“As her father, I can no longer bear to watch my daughter suffer on your account.”
“The Princess is my friend. I have never regarded her as a woman.”
“Is that the truth? Even knowing how lovely she is?”

Loauston forced down his rising irritation and replied with measured calm.

“…The Princess is indeed beautiful, but I think of her only as a friend. And I cannot now ask my wife to become a second wife. To act so cowardly, so without honor as a man—what would my late mother and father think of me?”

Henry stroked his jaw as if lost in thought, though clearly he was not listening.

“Hmm, your late father, the previous Duke of House of Insel, would certainly not have approved of such talk.”
“No, he would not. So I beseech you—”
“Then let us do this instead.”

Loauston wanted to bolt from his seat immediately, but he forced himself to breathe.

Henry continued.

“You must help me wean Claria from her attachment to you. Truth be told, I too am seeking a suitable match for her. It pains me to watch her cling to you indefinitely.”
“How may I be of service?”
“Bear a child.”

Loauston’s eyes widened.

“I beg your pardon?”
“Why do you look so startled? It will happen eventually anyway. Have a child. Once you do, Claria will let you go. With a Legitimate Heir to House of Insel already in existence, she will understand how politically complicated it would be for her to remove you and marry you herself.”

Would she, though?

Loauston doubted it deeply.

Even if a child were born tomorrow, Claria would not blink an eye.

She would brazenly argue that a child born of a princess carried greater legitimacy by default.

Given the circumstances, Loauston saw no choice but to play his strongest card.

“If Your Majesty truly insists, then I shall leave Rigan with my wife and seek exile.”
“What did you say?”

The king’s hand slammed against the armrest. His face flushed with sudden rage, but it was already too late.

Besides, Loauston could never use Adelia in such a way, could never sacrifice her.

“I speak in earnest, Your Majesty. You may confiscate every asset of House of Insel and banish my wife and myself from Rigan forever. I will not object.”
“Must it truly come to that, Loauston?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Loauston’s eyes gleamed with absolute resolve.

“I will do whatever it takes to protect my wife.”

The king’s knitted brow gradually relaxed. He studied Loauston with an odd expression, then let out a soft laugh.

“You are quite smitten with her.”
“I pledged to give her my life. Surely that is the least I owe her.”
“Hmm, and yet Claria will not abandon her hopes.”

She will, Loauston thought with grim certainty.

“Very well. I shall not interfere between you. But neither shall I actively aid you. Do you understand what I am saying?”

All too well. It meant he would stand by while Claria wedged herself between them and made trouble.

This would not do. Loauston realized he would have to devise some strategy.

‘Damn it. I cannot simply sit idle now.’

Had his marriage to Adelia been genuine, had she truly been someone he could call his wife, perhaps Henry’s offer might have held some appeal.

Unpleasant though it would be, if only Henry had promised to convince Claria—

But to ask Adelia to bear his child?

No human being could make such a request. He would not.

Of course, if Adelia truly desired him, he would have enough will to tear up any Contract and become her husband in earnest, even now.

‘But she is not that kind of person. She must not be bound to me.’

Even as he thought this, Loauston found himself imagining a child who bore Adelia’s likeness.

He need not see himself in the child. If only another living being existed in this world bearing Adelia’s features, he would be filled with boundless joy.

But the fantasy faded quickly, and heavy reality clamped down on him.

He and Adelia were not that sort of pair. Both of them knew it.

They were not even the kind of couple who could responsibly raise a single puppy together—in practical terms—so a child? It was absurd even to speak of.

“Do you truly understand my meaning?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I understand.”
“Do not worry. I do not speak in jest. There will be no further remarks from me regarding you as a couple.”

Loauston bowed his head. Yet words of gratitude would not come.

‘That stubborn girl.’

The king, observing Loauston’s silence, spoke again.

“I know well my daughter’s stubbornness. I am her father, after all.”
“Might you counsel her against this? The Princess seems convinced she will become your successor. This is loyal counsel from a vassal.”
“Ha! She said that? How bold. And yet her elder brother stands in good health.”

Loauston wanted to say: precisely because you pay so little attention to that healthy son of yours, she speaks so recklessly.

But he restrained himself with every ounce of will he possessed. He would not dare assume he could weather the consequences of such a remark.

“It is true that I wish to name Claria my successor. My son Klute is rather timid, is he not?”
“The Princess is not timid, but she desires far too much.”
“What good is a Legitimate Heir to the throne who harbors no such ambition?”

This was a matter on which the king could not be reasoned with.

Whether he truly intended to place Claria on the Throne or would follow proper succession and pass it to his son remained unclear, even to Loauston’s keen eye.

One thing was certain, though: the moment Claria became king, taking Adelia with him and emigrating to another land would be the wisest course.

Adelia could conduct her research anywhere. There were many nations where she could achieve scholarly renown beyond Rigan.

But it seemed like too much bother. All he could do was hope that King Henry would make the wise choice.

“You may withdraw.”

At the king’s word, Loauston rose without hesitation, performed a formal court bow, and exited the Audience Chamber.

The stifling air seemed to transform in an instant. He stood in the middle of the corridor taking several deep breaths, then pressed his lips together and sank into thought.

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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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