TRTMWGM - Ch 60 - The Ruffian and the Mad Warrior Get Married

A few minutes later, we arrived at the Imperial Palace.

Since it was officially known that my health was poor, I rode in a carriage instead of on horseback.

The Grand Duke’s residence in the capital and the Imperial Palace were not far apart, so we arrived quickly.

“Marion.”

“…Thank you.”

As I was about to get off the carriage, Kaiden, who had alighted first, extended his hand and waited for me. It was the posture of escorting a noble lady wearing a dress.

For me, who was wearing trousers, it was an escort I didn’t need to accept, but since nobles passing through the palace were watching us, I matched Kaiden’s gesture.

We headed straight to the audience chamber where the Emperor was waiting.

“Grand Duke Kaiden Baltstein and Lady Marion Krugman have arrived!”

When the attendant announced us, the doors opened. In the audience chamber were the Emperor, the Crown Prince, Prince Lucas, high-ranking nobles, the captain of the imperial guard and knights, as well as the chief mage and other mages.

There were unexpectedly quite a lot of people.

“We greet His Imperial Majesty.”

Kaiden and I bowed to the Emperor seated on the golden throne atop the dais. The Emperor lightly raised his hand and told us to lift our heads.

He spoke.

“Why has Grand Duke Baltstein come together with Marion? I had ordered you to assist Marquis Fernandi in the east.”

At the Emperor’s displeased mood, Kaiden responded nonchalantly.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. However, Marion’s physical condition is poor after she risked her life for the Empire to defeat the demonic beasts, so I could not bear to leave her side. I believe it is my duty to remain by her side.”

It was a remark that publicly emphasized how I had sacrificed myself for the Empire.

If, in this situation, he ordered Kaiden to depart for the east immediately, only the Emperor would look like trash.

As if only now realizing he had been hasty, the Emperor cleared his throat for no reason.

“Ahem. Very well, Marion. I have heard of your exploits. You must have suffered greatly. Is your body all right?”

I looked up at him. Standing below the Emperor’s dais, the Crown Prince and Prince Lucas came briefly into view.

I felt the Crown Prince’s piercing gaze but ignored it and slowly opened my mouth. I couldn’t risk meeting his eyes and arousing murderous intent by mistake.

“I am recovering.”

“I see. I know well how hard you have worked for the Empire. I should grant you a fitting reward, but….”

Huh? Why is he ending it like that? The Emperor’s tone felt off.

“However. Some disturbing rumors have reached my ears.”

…What is he talking about?

Unable to grasp the situation, I glanced sideways at Kaiden beside me. But Kaiden only shook his head slightly, indicating he didn’t know either.

“Bring him in.”

The Emperor gestured to a servant. Then two soldiers dragged in a filthy, disheveled man. Noisy commotion echoed through the hall.

“Let me go! Do you know who I am?!”

The man’s face was caked with grime, his curly brown hair tangled and matted with dirt. And most importantly, he was missing one arm.

‘Damn it.’

I squeezed my eyes shut.

The one-armed knight shouted.

“Do you know who my daughter is?! She’s one of only two Sword Masters in the Empire and a notorious rogue knight! Huh?! I’m the one who raised her to become a Sword Master!”

It was the one-armed knight whom Kaiden had told last night to sever ties with. My head started throbbing.

As the one-armed knight noisily shouted my name, the people in the audience chamber began to murmur.

“Did Lady Marion have a father?”

“I heard the rumor that he’s not her real father, but someone she met and raised in the slums.”

“But look at him… you can smell the alcohol from here.”

“It’s awful. So the rogue didn’t become a rogue for no reason.”

I bit my tongue, wanting to die. I was so ashamed and devastated by the sight of him drunkenly yelling without even knowing where he was.

To think I had even briefly considered inviting that man to the wedding.

“Marion.”

At that moment, Kaiden tightly grasped my hand. When I looked beside me, he was staring at me with resolute eyes. Looking into those eyes, I tried to calm my agitated heart.

“Marion, you know! Huh?! Do you know how much she cares about me?! Let me go! How much do you want! Marion said she’d give me money!”

‘Ha, damn it.’

A curse slipped out naturally.

As the one-armed knight rambled incoherently, the soldiers beside him scolded him to be quiet in front of His Majesty.

But a man soaked in liquor wouldn’t listen. He probably didn’t even realize he was in front of the Emperor.

“Noisy.”

At that moment, the Emperor spoke in a cold voice. Then one of the soldiers holding the one-armed knight gagged his mouth with a cloth.

The one-armed knight struggled with muffled “Mmph! Mmph!” sounds, but being drunk and old, he was quickly subdued.

I glared at the Emperor with cold eyes. I didn’t know why he had brought the one-armed knight here, but one thing was clear.

He was desperate to find any dirt on me.

I immediately opened my mouth.

“Your Majesty. That man is not my father.”

As soon as I disowned him, the Emperor said with a slight smile.

‘He’s smiling?’

I clenched my teeth.

“However, Marion. It seems you have been regularly giving money to that man.”

“…When I was young, I pitied our connection and gave him a few coins, that is all. More importantly, I do not understand why that man is here disturbing Your Majesty’s peace.”

It was a demand to state the purpose of bringing the one-armed knight. The Emperor spoke in a deliberately stern voice.

“One of only two Sword Masters in the Empire, and my knight, Marion. As a knight of the Empire, you are another face of mine. Is that not so?”

Why is he acting like this.

I glared at him in disgust.

“Yet the man who claims to be your father killed people and covered it up using your name.”

“Pardon?”

A bewildered voice escaped me.

The Emperor added.

“That man has already committed murder five times and used the money you gave him to hush it up. All of the victims were powerless and innocent people.”

Ah….

“Can you say you bear no responsibility for the crimes that man committed?”

My mind went blank.

“Good heavens, he was a murderer!”

“What kind of world do we live in now….”

“But did Lady Marion really not know about this?”

“Exactly. It wasn’t just once or twice; there’s no way she didn’t know.”

The nobles gathered in the audience chamber buzzed. They all thought I had known and helped him. It certainly looked that way.

I had been giving large sums of money to the one-armed knight regularly for quite a long time. There had been several occasions when he demanded unreasonably large amounts.

If every one of those times had been to cover up murders….

I stared blankly at the one-armed knight. He was looking around with hollow eyes. It seemed he had only now realized he had been dragged to a dangerous place.

Soon our eyes met. He immediately started struggling fiercely with “Mmph! Mmph!” sounds and made a pitiful face at me, just like when he begged for money.

‘He killed people and used the money I gave him to pay for their lives.’

It felt like my head was going to explode.

“Your Majesty. That man is not Marion’s father.”

At that moment, Kaiden, standing beside me, stepped forward and spoke.

“Your Majesty is now trying to frame Marion with absurd crimes.”

My mind snapped back, and I looked at Kaiden. His profile was terrifying. His mere presence seemed like it could pierce through the Emperor.

The Emperor spoke in a regretful voice.

“Grand Duke. You should come to your senses as well. Do you truly believe Marion is pregnant with your child?”

Instantly, the hall erupted in commotion.

“Good heavens, does that mean the rogue isn’t pregnant with the Grand Duke’s child?”

“Then the rumor was true?!”

“What rumor?”