Chapter 26
* * *
Kaiden was getting a headache.
“Your Grace, I heard you’re in marriage talks with Princess Caroline. Congratulations!”
“They say it all started when you saved Her Highness from a wyvern during that last terrorist attack? How romantic!”
“They say your hearts connected at that moment!”
“A legendary couple is about to be born!”
Every noble in the banquet hall was saying things like this whenever they saw Kaiden.
Kaiden had no intention whatsoever of marrying Princess Caroline, yet rumors were spreading as if their marriage was a done deal.
It was definitely Caroline’s doing.
Kaiden hadn’t expected Caroline to go this far.
When their eyes met, Caroline stood up with a radiant smile.
Kaiden’s instincts kicked in.
‘It’s today.’
His instincts, honed as a Swordmaster, were rarely wrong.
Caroline approached him. Kaiden looked at her with an impassive face.
“It’s been a while, Your Grace. You haven’t come to the imperial palace even once in the past week.”
“I’ve been busy. More importantly, Your Highness.”
“Did you like my gift?”
Caroline only said what she wanted to say. It happened to be the topic Kaiden wanted to address.
“I’ll return the gift.”
“Oh, why? Oh! Is it because your pride is hurt by receiving such a lavish gift from a woman? Don’t worry about that. I’m not just any woman—I’m a princess of the empire.”
Her pride was remarkable.
“That’s not the issue. It’s too excessive—”
“Don’t worry, Your Grace. It’s merely a stepping stone for our future.”
Kaiden was starting to get annoyed.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“In the future, what’s yours will be mine, and what’s mine will be yours. What’s excessive about that? Don’t mind it. Hoho.”
At Caroline’s words, the nobles who had been eavesdropping gasped. It was practically a proposal.
“Did you hear that?”
“She said, ‘What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours,’ right?”
“Kyaa! So romantic!”
The nobles whispered and spread the word among themselves.
Kaiden was irritated.
How was he supposed to deal with this woman in front of him?
“Your Grace.”
“Marion.”
At that moment, Marion approached with curious eyes.
Seeing Marion, Kaiden felt like he could breathe again. In that instant, an impulse surged from his spine to the back of his neck.
“Your Highness, I appreciate your kindness, but I have someone I love.”
It was a bombshell statement.
Everyone present widened their eyes and stared at Kaiden.
He spoke slowly.
“For various reasons, I kept it hidden, but I hope there will be no more misunderstandings. For the sake of the woman I love, I want to make it clear here and now.”
Kaiden looked at Marion. Marion was staring back at him, her face full of question marks.
Kaiden smiled gently. And then he knelt on one knee.
“Marion, will you marry me?”
It was a monumental event.
* * *
Is something wrong with my ears?
Kaiden was looking up at me with earnest eyes. Those eyes truly seemed like those of someone looking at a beloved.
“Good heavens, did the Archduke just propose to that reckless fool?”
“Then what about the marriage rumors with Princess Caroline?”
“What in the world is happening?”
The nobles’ whispers reached my ears. My mind went blank. I had never imagined this situation. It wasn’t in the original story either. I was completely panicking.
[Oh no. It seems like Kaiden beat Caroline to the punch before she could propose.]
Bled muttered in my head. Only then could I start to grasp the situation. A sense of injustice welled up.
‘Why did he drag me into this?!’
[He must’ve been desperate.]
Bled, too, was flustered by this unexpected turn of events.
The whispers around us grew louder. Kaiden was still kneeling, holding my left hand.
When did he grab my hand?
Flustered, I looked at him. Kaiden was gazing at me with unwavering eyes.
For a moment, his handsome face irritated me, and my lips started to pout.
‘Dragging me into this just because he doesn’t want to marry the princess! This Archduke!’
Anger began to boil inside me.
Perhaps sensing the subtle shift in my expression, Kaiden lowered his eyebrows slightly as he looked at me.
His eyes were pleading, ‘Please don’t reject me here.’
‘Marion, I’m begging you.’
‘How am I supposed to react when you propose out of nowhere like this?!’
We didn’t say a word, but we exchanged an unspoken conversation through our eyes.
Just as I barely suppressed the urge to sigh and opened my mouth,
“Your Grace, please stand up for now…”
“What is this nonsense?”
The Crown Prince, whom we’d ditched earlier, strode over.
For once, his timing was perfect. The Crown Prince’s arrival gave me an excuse not to answer Kaiden’s proposal right away.
I tugged at Kaiden’s hand, signaling him to stand. Kaiden rose willingly.
“Greetings to Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
The surrounding nobles, including Kaiden and me, greeted him. I tried to let go of his hand, but Kaiden held on tightly.
‘Hey, let go already!’
‘Later.’
We bickered silently, unnoticed by others.
The Crown Prince ignored the nobles’ greetings. His gaze was fixed on Kaiden and my clasped hands. He spoke slowly.
“What is this nonsense at the sacred Founding Festival, Archduke?”
“I could no longer hide my love for Marion at this sacred Founding Festival.”
Kaiden responded shamelessly. I barely stopped myself from gaping.
[He’s saying you two have been in love for a long time? This is fun.]
‘You’re having fun? I’m losing my mind!’
I snapped at Bled’s words. I wanted to shout and argue, but the situation wasn’t ideal.
Every noble in the banquet hall was staring at us. And Princess Caroline was glaring at me with eyes that could kill.
‘I haven’t done anything wrong, so why am I getting these looks?’
[Caroline likes Kaiden. Can’t be helped.]
I felt wronged. And Kaiden only made my sense of injustice worse.
“Haven’t there been nobles who proposed during the Founding Festival before? I wanted to muster the courage too.”
I knew right away. He was mimicking his father, the romantic of the century.
At that, the nobles started chattering with varied comments.
“Well, considering Sir Marion’s low status, they had to keep it hidden, didn’t they?”
“So romantic. Come to think of it, couples who propose and marry during the Founding Festival are said to live happily for a hundred years, right?”
“Even so, how could he choose a commoner…?”
“Exactly. The Archduke of Baltstein, of all people.”
My stomach started to churn.
It felt similar to when I first stepped into a banquet hall in a dress at sixteen.
Back then, I wanted to run away because I felt ridiculous.
Now, I wanted to run away because I was so embarrassed I thought my face would explode.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Your Grace, I need to talk to you, so if you’ll excuse us…”
“Prince Lucas and Lady Stella Brightner have arrived!”
A herald shouted loudly toward the banquet hall. My senses snapped to attention. I whipped my head around to look at the entrance.
The doors opened, and Lucas and Stella were entering.
The female lead had arrived.
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By Anna 💓
