Chapter 32
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After the grand meeting ended.
Before the after-party banquet, the nobles dispersed to rest.
Kaiden and I entered an empty room in the palace. Kaiden told the servants not to come in, and as soon as he closed the door, he asked.
“How on earth did you do it?”
I shouted in an excited voice.
“It’s aura!”
Kaiden looked at me with a bewildered expression. I explained as Bled had told me.
“We usually coat our swords with aura to fight magical beasts, right? But during the wyvern attack last time, since I can’t stand the sight of blood, I fought with aura wrapped around my whole body. It let me sense the flow around me, so I could fight with my eyes closed!”
Kaiden nodded, half-understanding.
“Right. I do coat my feet with aura when I want to move quickly, but…”
“So, aura is fluid. It can be transformed however I use it!”
“You mean…?”
I placed my hand on my lower abdomen.
“I concentrated aura in my stomach and made it pulse like a heartbeat. Like there were two heartbeats coming from my body.”
“…….”
Kaiden fell silent. He looked down at me with an expressionless face. I felt a bit dejected.
‘I thought he’d be happy…’
Would it have been better to just admit, as Kaiden thought, that I lied about being pregnant and apologize?
Maybe it would’ve been better to honestly confess my fault. That might’ve been what Kaiden wanted. My head gradually lowered.
Kaiden let out a sigh.
“Haa… Marion.”
I must’ve caused unnecessary trouble. I should’ve just stayed quiet.
“You’re a genius!”
“Eek!”
Kaiden grabbed my waist and lifted me up. My feet dangled off the ground. It was like an adult playing with a child.
“W-What?! Put me down!”
When I shouted in surprise, Kaiden grinned broadly and set me down. It was the first time in ten years I’d seen his bright smile.
As I tried to calm my racing heart, Kaiden suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. I was startled again.
“Ha, Marion, Marion.”
“Seriously, what’s with you?!”
Flustered, I pounded on Kaiden’s back. Laughing, he hugged me tightly once more before letting go. My heart felt like it would burst, so I quickly stepped back.
“You scared me!”
“Right. Can’t let the baby fall.”
“W-What nonsense is that?!”
My face was burning red. Kaiden, looking relieved, plopped down onto the sofa.
He gestured for me to sit beside him. Hesitating, I slowly shuffled over and sat down.
Kaiden said.
“I knew you were a genius, but this is truly amazing, Marion.”
“…I’m a genius?”
When I asked with a puzzled expression, Kaiden countered.
“You became a swordmaster at thirteen, and you’re asking that?”
“…….”
I couldn’t respond.
I knew I had a talent for the sword. But I thought it was just about being good at fighting.
Somehow, I felt strange.
[Feeling shy?]
Bled’s words made me realize my emotions. To shake off the embarrassment, I cleared my throat and spoke.
“So, what do we do now? People are going to be shocked…”
“I’m sorry for deceiving those close to us, but we have no choice until we hold the wedding.”
I nodded. It couldn’t be helped. But when I thought of the former Grand Duke Leopold or the image of a wife, my stomach churned.
Kaiden and I fell into silent thought for a moment. I didn’t know what Kaiden was thinking, but it was probably similar to my own thoughts.
“I’ve been thinking.”
“About what?”
“If you were actually pregnant, how would I treat you?”
I looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
Here I was, drowning in guilt, and he was thinking about how to act! Sure, it was a necessary thought, but still!
Kaiden said with a serious face.
“I wouldn’t let a single drop of blood touch your hands. And I’d make sure your feet never touched dirty ground.”
My face turned red in an instant.
“D-Don’t exaggerate!”
“I’m not exaggerating.”
Kaiden looked at me as if I were the strange one.
“If my wife were pregnant with my child, isn’t that the least I should do? My father did even more for my mother.”
…Is that so? Is that normal?
As I sat with a confused expression, Kaiden let out a chuckle. The sound annoyed me.
“…Your Grace, why do you keep laughing?”
“Because you’re funny.”
“In a good way?”
When I asked with a suspicious look, Kaiden turned toward me, resting one arm on the sofa. He said with a serious face.
“I’m not sure. Think back on everything you’ve done today.”
I immediately became subdued, given my many sins.
But wasn’t Kaiden the root of all this? Sure, I went along with it for my own benefit, but… still, I felt a bit wronged.
“This all got so big because you proposed to me in the first place!”
“I’ll admit that.”
“Then it’s both our faults!”
“Fault… Do you regret it?”
I froze. Kaiden looked at me with steady eyes.
“You don’t want to marry me?”
For a moment, I couldn’t say anything. Somehow, I felt an illusion of pleading in his tone.
“It’s not that I don’t want to…”
As I answered in a shrinking voice, Kaiden said, “Then that’s fine.”
My chest tickled again. I wanted to shake off this feeling.
“Are you okay with it, Your Grace?”
“With what?”
“Marrying me.”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay with marrying you?”
“I’m kind of… you know, as you’re aware.”
Kaiden furrowed one brow.
“What.”
“A scoundrel, and…”
“They call me a madman. What was it, a berserker or something?”
Pfft! I burst out laughing. Kaiden chuckled too.
But soon, my mood sank. I hesitantly brought up what I’d been holding back.
“I’m a commoner… with no parents.”
“Marion.”
Kaiden called my name immediately. I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face.
In the grand meeting hall, the nobles’ whispers were all too clear to a swordmaster like me.
Every single one of them mentioned my lowly birth at least once. No matter how foolish or shameless I was, I couldn’t be unaffected by so many people saying the same thing.
Kaiden spoke quietly.
“Marion. Did you hear what I said to Princess Caroline before the meeting started?”
I nodded.
“I said I wanted to marry someone I’ve respected since childhood. I meant it.”
“…You respect me?”
When I asked with genuine confusion, Kaiden looked at me with a serious expression.
“Yes.”
“Because I’m a genius?”
Kaiden laughed. His frequent laughter today made me feel oddly strange.
“That’s part of it. And anyone who’s watched you for a long time would respect you.”
Is that so…?
It’s true that knights tended to respect me. Those who revered martial prowess and honed their bodies looked up to me for surpassing human limits.
Everyone wants to overcome their limits. I’d experienced that, and so had Kaiden.
Only then could I accept Kaiden’s words.
“I respect you too, Your Grace.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. I’ve always felt there’s a lot to learn from you.”
To be honest, I’d once resented Kaiden for being too perfect, feeling inferior. But now, we were in the same boat. Digging up the past would only waste time.
Kaiden looked at me for a moment, then nodded and said.
“Right. Even though we’re not marrying out of romantic love, I respect and care for you as a friend. So I swear to be faithful in this marriage.”
It was like an oath made at a knighting ceremony.
I liked that. We might not be in love, but so what? If we respect and care for each other, it’ll work out somehow.
And though Kaiden said he had no intention of divorcing me, if he ever found someone he loved, I’d happily grant him a divorce.
By then, my retirement would likely be settled, and Caroline, who was pursuing Kaiden, would probably be married to someone else.
With a lighter heart, I looked at Kaiden.
“I swear to be faithful in our marriage too, Your Grace.”
As I extended my right hand, Kaiden clasped it.
“Here’s to our future, Marion.”
“Here’s to ours.”
We shook hands and smiled at each other.
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By Anna 💓
