Chapter 53

Chapter 53

“…Count Miles certainly isn’t in a position to attend someone else’s wedding.”

At this point, getting his son out of trouble was the least of Count Miles’s concerns.

If necessary, he would have to abandon his son entirely and find a way to save himself.

If things went even slightly wrong, he could end up being branded as someone who sponsored an assassins’ guild. What did his good-for-nothing son’s safety matter compared to that?

“So that’s why you gave Harry Miles 30 million Larcs?”

Her question carried an unmistakable implication: ‘Did you deliberately set him up because of me?’

Of course, that was exactly why she had done it.

Irenea remembered every single cruel thing Harry Miles had done to Leonard in the past.

The moment she accepted Leonard’s love, everything that belonged to him became hers as well.

Along with his heart, she had taken all his wounds upon herself.

And that meant she had every right to seek revenge on his behalf.

The only person who could take that right away from her was Leonard himself, the one who had died and disappeared.

As long as he had no memories of his past life, even the Leonard standing before her now had no right to do so.

And so, Irenea slipped her arm around Leonard’s and spoke shamelessly.

“Don’t you dare tell me there was no need to go that far. Harry Miles brought all of this upon himself. He’s the one who took the money despite refusing to believe you when you told him you’d repaid your debt. And he’s the one who rushed off to the gambling den after being tempted by the promise of a surefire way to win…”

“Wait a moment. I think you’ve misunderstood something. I’m not trying to blame you.”

“Really?”

Irenea tilted her head slightly and looked up at Leonard.

Leonard gently slipped his arm out of her grasp, wrapped it around her waist, and rested his head lightly against her shoulder.

“You did all that for my sake, didn’t you?”

The mercenaries who had raised Leonard lived by a simple motto: ‘If you want revenge, take it with your own hands.’

Of course, when Leonard was still young and got into trouble with someone stronger than him, they would step in and take revenge on his behalf.

But once he had grown strong enough to defend himself, they stopped doing that…

“You really are something else. The more I get to know you, the more…”

“More what?”

When Leonard trailed off, Irenea impatiently urged him to finish.

Just as Leonard parted his lips to answer—

“Marchioness, His Highness the Second Prince has arrived!”

“Ah, damn it.”

What absolutely atrocious timing.

As Irenea silently ground her teeth, Leonard looked at her in surprise.

It wasn’t just the vulgar word itself, but the way she spat it out with such venom that sounded unmistakably like a mercenary.

‘I’m probably only noticing it because I used to be a mercenary myself.’

Without giving the odd feeling any further thought, Leonard straightened up and offered Irenea his hand.

“His Highness the Prince has graciously come in person. We should go and welcome him.”

“I want to throw him out…”

With a long sigh, Irenea wore an expression that made it abundantly clear how very, very reluctant she was.

Nevertheless, she allowed herself to be led along by Leonard’s escorting hand.

‘Fine. I can overlook the fact that he deliberately arrived late.’

But why did he have to show up at that exact moment?

She had been so certain that Leonard would say something wonderful, something like how beautiful she was, how utterly captivating, or how he might just fall for her all over again.

With those expectations crashing down around her, Irenea continued cursing inwardly in every way imaginable, even as the distance between her and the Second Prince grew shorter.

Yet when she stood before him, gathered the hem of her skirt, and bent her knees in a curtsy, her movements were nothing short of exquisite.

Needless to say, the smile gracing her lips was dazzlingly bright.

“It has been a long time, Your Highness. I trust you’ve been in good health?”

“And what if I haven’t? Are you going to prescribe me some medicine?”

Before Leonard could even offer his own greeting, the Second Prince snapped at Irenea with a thoroughly displeased expression.

What angered Irenea more than his attitude was the fact that he had completely ignored Leonard.

‘So you came here against your will, did you?’

Only after noticing that more and more guests were turning their attention toward them did she put on a look of surprise.

“My goodness! You’ve been unwell? No wonder! I was just wondering why Her Majesty hadn’t come herself, especially since she personally told me that Your Highness would attend our wedding on her behalf and deliver her gift.”

Just like that, Irenea exposed the fact that the Second Prince had come as the Emperss’s errand boy and had even arrived late.

A few people who caught her meaning leaned toward those beside them and whispered deliberately within earshot, stealing occasional glances at the Second Prince.

“You insolent—!”

The Second Prince’s face turned bright red, and he was just about to roar at them when the attendant standing behind him clamped a hand over his mouth a split second before he could.

“Your Highness! You are attending in Her Majesty’s place…!”

Fortunately, the Second Prince possessed just enough reason to calm himself after hearing those words.

Although he glared at Irenea with furious eyes, he tried his best to keep his voice composed.

“As the Marchioness said… I haven’t been in good health lately, so I’ve been resting. I’ve only recently recovered, and Her Majesty the Empress Mother asked me to come here on her behalf as a way to get out of the palace for a change.”

Having passed off his enforced confinement as a period of recuperation, the Second Prince held out his hand to his attendant.

The attendant handed him the box he had been carrying.

The Second Prince accepted it with one hand and passed it to Irenea in a manner bordering on indifference.

“This is a congratulatory gift from the Empress Mother. You should receive it with due gratitude.”

“I am deeply honored by Her Majesty’s grace. May I open it here?”

“Go ahead.”

Irenea immediately opened the box to see what was inside.

Nestled within was a necklace centered around a jet-black gemstone, lavishly adorned with tiny diamonds arranged like a chandelier.

“My goodness, what a magnificent necklace!”

“Her Majesty wishes to see you wearing it sometime in the near future, Marchioness.”

“Hehe, I would be delighted to. I’ll make sure to express my gratitude to Her Majesty in person.”

Irenea hugged the box containing the necklace, looking positively thrilled.

“Please tell her I’ll pay her a visit within the next few days.”

“No, what I meant was—”

The Second Prince’s brow twitched.

After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to be more direct.

“Isn’t there a major event taking place a week from now? Her Majesty will be extremely busy with it and won’t have time to grant you a private audience.”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to see Her Majesty in a week, at the railway’s opening ceremony.”

“Yes, exactly.”

He nodded rather hastily, and there was something unnatural about the movement.

Almost as though he’d been waiting for her to say that.

While Leonard quietly studied the Second Prince’s face, trying to identify the source of his unease, Irenea beamed brightly.

“Very well. I’ll be sure to wear this necklace that day.”

Her eyes sparkled as though she could hardly wait for the day to arrive.

That night.

‘There’s definitely something going on.’

Even as he poured hot water over his body, Leonard couldn’t relax his furrowed brow.

‘The fact that he volunteered to attend the wedding in the Emperss’s place was suspicious enough.’

He couldn’t seem to forget the way the Second Prince had looked at Irenea.

Perhaps an arsonist who took pleasure in watching things burn would have the same expression when striking a flint.

The Second Prince had worn that very same look on the day he had tried to force Leonard to put the Raise Messer up for auction.

‘Could he have done something to that necklace? But it was a gift bestowed by the Emperor.’

If he really was plotting something, what could his objective be?

To drive a wedge between the Empress and the Marchioness of Blair?

But what could the Second Prince possibly gain from doing something like that?

Whether he succeeded or failed, if he were caught playing games in the Emperss’s name, not even he would be able to escape the Emperss’s wrath.

‘…There’s no point in trying to figure it out on my own.’

After soaking in the hot water for so long, he was beginning to feel a little dizzy.

Tonight was his wedding night.

If he were to collapse in the bath, it would be an embarrassment beyond compare.

Leonard rose from the bathtub and dried himself with a towel.

‘Wedding night…’

Even just turning those two words over in his mind made his face feel strangely hot.

He must have stayed in the bathtub too long.

Making that excuse to himself, Leonard stood before the door leading to their marital bedroom.

He could sense Irenea’s presence on the other side.

She had finished bathing before him and was waiting inside.

Leonard nervously clenched and unclenched his fists as he imagined one scenario after another in his mind.

Only after taking a deep breath did he feel some of the tension begin to ease.

He cleared his throat loudly enough for Irenea to hear before slowly opening the door and stepping inside.

“Lin.”

“What took you so long in the bath? I nearly fell asleep waiting for you.”

Irenea was sitting on the bed, her damp hair falling loosely around her shoulders.

She was wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

Leonard, who had naturally assumed she would be sitting at the table, froze on the spot.

This wasn’t one of the scenarios he’d imagined beforehand.

‘What about the wine…? Isn’t she going to drink any? It’s right there on the table.’

His lips remained firmly sealed, and only his eyes wandered helplessly toward the table.

As though she knew exactly why he’d turned into a statue by the doorway, Irenea smiled mischievously and patted the space beside her, urging him to come over.

“You’re not planning on standing there all night, are you?”

“Unfortunately… I don’t have that kind of talent.”

Why couldn’t he have that kind of talent?

Muttering to himself, Leonard slowly approached the bed where Irenea was sitting.

He had no idea why his stiff, creaking steps, like those of a rusty hinge, looked so unbearably adorable.

Irenea waited until Leonard had just settled down beside her before giving an enthusiastic little shove to his shoulder.

“Hey! You’re letting yourself fall so easily? Aren’t you being a little too defenseless?”

“On our wedding night… what exactly was I supposed to defend myself against when it came to my bride?”

Lying on the bed, Leonard let his gaze follow the silver strands brushing against his cheek before suddenly catching Irenea by the waist and turning their positions over.

“Come to think of it, my wife did say she had a thing for rough men.”

“I don’t think my husband is quite rough enough to be my type yet.”

He should have kissed her right away.

Whispering those words, Irenea wrapped her arms around the back of Leonard’s neck and pulled him down toward her.

And then, their breaths mingled as one.