Chapter 6 (2/2)

He had decided that none of his retainers needed to attend the wedding. Fabian thought of the few people who would be shocked senseless and felt pity for them.

The current Lord and Duke of the Taran family ruled like a dictator. There was nobody else that could act as prideful and self-righteous as Taran’s Duke.

Fabian honored his Lord as the Duke, but as a human being, he wanted nothing to do with him. The Duke easily stepped over people’s lives. One should not even hope for something like consideration or benevolence.

He felt great sympathy for the princess who would become the Duke’s wife. If the Duke’s wife was hoping for anything out of this marriage, she would live a very sad life.

“Didn’t we have an island? With a mine?”

“…Are you talking about the diamond mine at archipelagos islands at Saint?”

“Yes. Prepare that as the dowry.”

“…Your Grace, that is too much….”

Fabian couldn’t keep quiet as usual. This wasn’t just extreme, this was severe. Fabian had been in charge of investigating, so he was aware of every detail of the situation. That was a lowly princess whom the Emperor could not even remember. Her birth mother’s identity was ambiguous, and she didn’t have a single relative.

“I’ve already concluded the discussions with the Emperor. We won’t hold a separate wedding. We will settle everything with documents.”

“…”

He was at a loss for words. This wasn’t a simple bill; how could the nation’s Duke not hold a wedding ceremony? Although he was not someone of royal birth, she was still a princess. Wouldn’t it be the same as mocking the royal family? All the same, he was just as equally speechless regarding the father who exchanged his daughter with a diamond mine so easily.

It wasn’t unusual for a marriage to be concluded informally. Sometimes the situation was too urgent, like during warring periods; informal marriages were common. A single thought passed through Fabian’s mind.

“Is that why you are returning to our territory right away?”

The Taran territory bordered a very violent group of barbarians. There was never a safe moment. They always had the excuse of urgent business in the Kingdom.

“It’d be good and we might as well.”

“…Is there really something going on in our territory?”

The Duke answered with a light laugh. Fabian understood him well. There wasn’t anything going on in the Taran territory. The reason they were skipping the wedding was because the Duke thought it was too troublesome. A proper wedding took at least half a day. He definitely didn’t want to do something so annoying.

“I will pass over some things for you to take care of. I don’t like annoying things so make sure rumors don’t spread.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Fabian easily submitted to his Lord’s decisions. He knew his place very well. He simply needed to assist in tying the loose ends of the Duke’s decisions. He had no place assisting the Duke in making those decisions. He never crossed the line while working together, thus he was able to continue serving under the Duke for so long.

‘Is it… because of his son…?’

It was the only reason the Duke would think of marriage.

‘What a pitiful princess.’

He drew a mental image of a lonely princess crying every night while trapped inside the mansion of the monster Duke. If Jerome knew that Fabian considered their Lord a monster, he would punish him to death.

It was because Jerome never saw their Lord in action. If he saw the Duke fight for himself… Fabian suddenly shivered as a cold chill ran down his spine. But it was not like Fabian wished for Jerome to ever see that side of their Lord. He hoped Jerome would see the Duke of Taran as nothing but their noble Lord.

How long would the princess be able to endure under that selfish and heartless man? Women were beings who lived for love. That was what Fabian’s wife had taught him all these years. She would become like a flower slowly wilting away as the Duke continued to ignore her.

She would probably become an alcoholic to endure her loneliness. Maybe she would try to fill the emptiness inside her heart with luxuries. There was only one thing that would be guaranteed. No matter how much the Duke’s wife changed or despaired, the Duke would not care one bit.

The day the Duke visited Lucia was the day she was told to move out. She was moved from her detached palace to a beautiful small palace that was within the central palace, where those of high status resided. Although the place was considered small, it was more spacious than the detached palace she had lived in for all those years.

It was a small corner of the central palace known as the Rose Palace. The Emperor had great affection for that place. The palace represented the respect and honor he held for his loved ones. The small palace was surrounded by a huge rose garden. In the late spring, every sort and color of roses could be seen in full bloom. The plentiful roses would spread a gentle fragrance far out into the distance.

Lucia would probably not be able to see that view. It was such a pity, she thought.

Her life in the inner palace was very comfortable. All the palace maids acted as her arms and legs, and she felt like an extremely important person, whose life was drowned by nothing but luxury. Different from his warning, guests did not come and visit her. There was only one person who consistently came to bother her.

“Please tell them I am ill.”

Today, the Grand Chamberlain was here. Lucia was sitting at a table on the terrace and drinking tea like always. No matter how one looked at this situation, she was feigning illness at the moment. The Grand Chamberlain was having a hard time.

“Princess, His Majesty is not feeling well and hopes Princess could come visit him.”

“What a pity. Please send him my regards. I hope he will regain his health soon. I’m feeling ill as well and am unable to move.

“Princess.”

“Please see yourself out. Let’s not waste our energy here . You already know I won’t go there.”

Lucia didn’t care that the Grand Chamberlain would be getting an earful from the Emperor. Although it was trivial, it was her own way of exacting revenge.

‘Since you’ve never turned around to see me, I will not look for you, either.’

When the Emperor had sent some people to her, that was what she had decided in her heart.

The Emperor didn’t want to see his daughter. The person he wanted to meet was The Duke of Taran’s fiancée. That position held high prestige. Although she was a mere 16th princess, the Emperor couldn’t forcefully drag her out.

The maids didn’t seem to be aware that she was the Duke of Taran’s fiancée yet. Even so, she was able to treat the Emperor so rudely yet nothing happened to her. The palace maids all struggled to perform their best as to avoid offending her.

It was laughable. Her status had changed overnight. She began to understand why the Duke was so arrogant. If anyone was surrounded by such people all their life, anyone would turn out like the Duke.

Time passed; no one knew this girl would be getting married the next day. Lucia thought he did not wish for senseless rumors, so she didn’t say a word about it to anyone. No matter how much the palace maids sucked up to her, Lucia maintained her distance from them.

It was already late into the night, but she couldn’t fall asleep. She sat by the window and gazed at the moon in the night sky. Her heart was restless.

All this time, he had not come to visit again. From time to time, he would send some people to check if she needed anything. She already had everything she needed in this place, but just one time she requested for something.

‘I don’t want to meet with the Emperor. Please protect me from him.’

She was afraid he would appear as a witness during their informal wedding. She had requested this two days ago and she had yet to receive a response. However, it seemed he had gotten the message and had sent out his people to make it happen.

The moon was very bright today. She felt a bit regretful. One of her wishes in life was to live out a happy life together with her future husband, surrounded by their children.

‘I’m the one who chose this road.’

She was not going to regret anything. No matter what came rushing into her direction, she would not do such a thing as regret. She had already regretted more than enough inside her dream.

***

“Will you really be this way?”

Kwiz yelled at the top of his lungs. The smooth gentle approach had not worked, so it was time to use anger. If he failed once again, he would try the gentle approach one more time. These days, it was a repeat of this situation.

“Whatever you say is useless, I’m going.”

Hugo calmly drank his tea while Kwiz continued to jump around in his seat.

“Why now? Don’t you know how many people are aiming for my throat…?”

After Hugo informed Kwiz that he was returning to his territory, he had been acting like a begging child. ‘You can’t go like this, you’ll have to kill me before you can go, how can you be this way?’ If anyone heard, they would think he was trying to court a lover.

The Crown Prince’s servants were embarrassed, but like Hugo, they maintained a blank expression.

“The Taran family has owned that territory in the North for tens and hundreds of years already. Just because the Duke takes a leave for a while, the land won’t disappear.”

“A store owner who leaves his shop empty will be in trouble.”

He had left his territory for too long due to the war. If he wanted to rest a bit, Kwiz would hold onto him without letting go. He had promised to help the crown prince, but he had no thoughts of protecting him from each and every political enemy. His base was in the north.

“Then you’ll leave in two days?”

“I’ve told you many times already.”

“Even when I beg you in this state?”

“Please stop with your crying. Just because I’m not here, it doesn’t mean anything will happen to you. Even if I remain here, there’s nothing I can help you with.”

“Why not? Just by standing there, people will feel wary of me!”

“And you like that? They should feel wary of the Crown Prince. Why should they feel wary of me?”

“It’s better that way. Since the war has ended, people will start officially making their move. Do you know how much they are fighting over the spoils of war at this moment?”

“The spoils of war?”

Hugo laughed through his nose.

“Everything is mine.”

“Yes, everything is mine.”

“I’ve told you it’s mine.”

“Everything that belongs to the Duke belongs to me.”

Hugo let out a small sigh. His mind was probably filled with nothing but devilish snakes. But Hugo did not dislike the crown prince’s character. It was better than the ones who were overly cautious.

Among those with power, Kwiz was the first person to treat him the same upfront and behind his back. Up until now, he was the only person with such a personality. Thus, he had decided to hold hands with the Crown Prince.

“I’ll remain there for only two years.”

“Too long! Only one year!”

“Two years. Who knows what will happen after the next Emperor is enthroned. His Majesty’s health doesn’t seem good these days.”

“With all the chronic illnesses, his body’s age should be in the 80s. Just a few days ago, he had a girl by his bedside. That old geezer. He only has energy for such things.”

The Crown Prince’s lieutenant faked a cough from embarrassment. The Crown Prince glared at the lieutenant for interrupting his chatter.

The Crown Prince always referred to the Emperor as: that old man, old geezer, horrible vice-emperor. No matter how many times they heard this, they could never get used to it. The only person who could listen with a blank expression was the Duke of Taran.

“I’ll take my leave.”

“Why don’t you eat dinner before you go?”

“I’m busy.”

“You never let anyone hold you back.”

“Oh. I’m getting married tomorrow.”

For a moment, silence hung over the room. The Crown Prince and everyone else in the room was frozen solid.

“…What will you do…? Duke, what will you do?”

A diamond on a dunghill was still a diamond. As an Emperor, he was one through and through. The Emperor had promised his wedding date would not be known to anyone. Until the end, not even the Crown Prince had been aware of the marriage. Although the Crown Prince spoke badly of the Emperor, he never took action to go against him. If he acted rashly, he would only suffer a backlash.

“I’ve already discussed it with the Emperor. The wedding will be held informally, so there is no need for you to attend. Oh by the way, the person I’m marrying is a princess.”

“Duke!”

The crown prince shouted, but Hugo just bowed and left the room. Once Hugo left the room, the spoiled brat-like behavior of the crown prince disappeared at once. His expression was as fearsome as a demon(3). He roared at his adjutant.

“What are you doing?! How is the Duke of Taran getting married tomorrow, yet I wasn’t aware until he personally told me?”

“I apologize.”

The adjutant’s face paled.

“Hurry and figure out what the hell is going on!”

“Yes! Your Highness!”

His eyes burned with rage as he fumed, breathing roughly.

“Princess? Bullshit. How many princesses are in this place? If he was interested in princesses, he should have told me sooner. I would’ve gladly given him my sister.”

When Hugo informed him that he would be getting married to a ‘princess,’ he could imagine what had happened.

“…That wretched old geezer.”

Kwiz gritted his teeth. The Emperor seemed aloof from worldly affairs as he kept to himself within the inner palace, but behind closed doors, he controlled everything from the dark shadows. He imagined the Emperor’s smug face, ‘No matter what you do, you’ll remain in the palm of my hands.’

Kwiz loathed the Emperor. He hated him to the core of his bones. Although the Emperor was aware of this fact, he still gave Kwiz the position of Crown Prince while laughing mockingly, as if asking for a fight.

‘Let’s see how long you’ll be able to remain this way.’

Kwiz’ blue eyes burned with rage.

(end)

Foot Notes:

(1): Hugo would often imagine slicing this guy’s chest open to see it filled with nothing but guts. – In Korean, Guts/Liver/Bravery is spelled the same. In the Korean text, it said his chest was filled with nothing but liver. This is a sarcastic pun implying Fabian is stupidly brave.

(2): “Taran Family” – I don’t want to spoil the story. But as we already saw, Hugo pretty much lives alone with servants in his mansion. But still, I add ‘family’ for the sake of including all the past people before him.

(3) (Kwiz’) expression was as fearsome as a demon: The Korean text said ‘a female demon.’ But, it just doesn’t translate too well. LoL.

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