Contract Marriage Rewritten
Chapter 14
“Pardon?”
The attack was because of him? What on earth did that mean, when he wasn't the one who had sent the intruder?
“After you returned from meeting me, another group of ministers came and wagged their loose tongues about our marriage. So….”
Hyperion hesitated briefly before continuing.
“Since you hadn't given me a definitive answer yet, I told them I had no intention of divorcing you. I thought being firm would keep them from pestering me… but it seems they interpreted it a bit differently.”
Hyperion went on to explain the rest.
* * *
“So… the ministers went back believing that Your Highness loves me dearly and will never agree to a divorce. And one of them sent the assassin.”
Summarizing what Hyperion had just explained, Laniakea let out a long sigh.
“To think they would jump to such a misunderstanding….”
“…….”
At Laniakea’s murmur, Hyperion remained silent. Assuming his silence stemmed from guilt over how convoluted things had become, Laniakea spoke with a troubled look.
“Can we not clear up their misunderstanding even now? If you proceed with the divorce right away….”
“No, they would only believe it even less.”
As if he had anticipated her suggestion, he answered without a beat of hesitation.
“Having maintained until now that I would never divorce you, if I suddenly changed my stance right after an assassination attempt, they would assume I truly… cherish you so deeply that I am sending you away solely to keep you out of harm's way.”
At Hyperion’s answer, Laniakea’s expression hardened.
He had a point.
From what she had gathered, he had adamantly shot down every single demand for divorce from the ministers so far.
To reverse that stance overnight? It was only natural they would assume he had changed his mind out of fear that she might get hurt in another attack.
Lost in thought after hearing his words, Laniakea’s face grew increasingly dark.
“Then… that means I would remain in danger even after a divorce.”
Even if Hyperion remarried and lived peacefully with a new Empress, this misconception would not fade so easily.
Moreover, if an assassin could infiltrate the palace, what would happen once she was divorced and stepped beyond the Imperial Palace walls? Wouldn't she be killed before even leaving the Capital?
For a brief moment, the image of assassins lining up one after another to end her life flashed through Laniakea’s mind.
‘What am I supposed to do now?’
Just a few hours ago, she had been imagining what to plant in her garden and how to furnish her home. Yet now, every single dream was dissolving like foam.
As she stood speechless before the crushing bleakness, Hyperion took a step toward her, dropping to one knee as he lowered himself.
“Laniakea.”
Hyperion met her gaze and called her name.
In that instant, Laniakea remembered that he had called her by name when he burst in to save her as well.
As if it were something he had done countless times, her name rolled naturally off his tongue.
“You may think me shameless for bringing this up after causing such a mess, but could you reconsider my proposal one more time?”
“Your proposal….”
Hyperion’s expression grew even more solemn as he spoke.
“Stay here as my wife and as Empress, and bear me a single child. If you do that for me, I will never ask or demand anything of you ever again.”
Hyperion spoke as though pleading, like a man begging for the one wish he had in the world. His demeanor stirred a strange feeling within Laniakea.
The wedding had already taken place. It was a legally binding, unquestionable marriage, and in a union with royalty, producing an heir was an obligation that took precedence over all else.
Hyperion had every right to demand an heir from her whenever he wished. Even by force, if he so chose.
Even if he did, no one would have dared to reprove him. On the contrary, people would point fingers at Laniakea for failing to fulfill her duty.
The moment she signed the Marriage Contract, Laniakea had agreed to uphold that very responsibility.
Yet despite all that, Hyperion had consistently left the choice entirely up to her from the very beginning.
Telling her that if she truly did not wish to, he would let it go.
“I will also grant you whatever you desire. If you wish to leave the Imperial Palace and live elsewhere, the knights of the Empire will guard you at all times. If you wish to live quietly, they will protect you without revealing their identities.”
As Laniakea fell silent in contemplation once more, he added one more condition.
“I will not hold you against your will for long. Please, just one year. Would you stay by my side as my wife for just one year? If a year passes and we still have no child, I will not hold you back any longer. And of course, even without a child, I will grant everything you wish for.”
Laniakea weighed the terms he laid before her.
Because of this attack, the dream of divorcing, leaving, and living a quiet, peaceful life had become practically impossible.
If she fulfilled her original duty and bore an heir, as the mother of imperial blood, she would be entitled to formal protection from the imperial knights.
For one year, a single child. Between Hyperion and herself.
It was not a thought that had never crossed her mind before. When she came to the Empire, she had already prepared herself for sharing a bed with him.
Yet after spending three years doing nothing more than sharing a few meals, the thought of spending a night together had completely slipped from her mind….
Laniakea looked down at Hyperion kneeling before her.
His tall stature and broad frame, his aloof and slightly intimidating yet strikingly handsome features. And how, despite being in a position where he could easily force his will upon her, he considered her feelings above all else.
‘A child… with this man?’
She knew what took place in the bedchamber. She was an adult, after all, and had received the requisite royal education.
Yet she had never imagined herself engaging in such an act.
When she first learned how a child came to be, merely thinking about it had filled her with deep aversion.
Though that revulsion had dulled slightly as she grew older and realized everyone entered the world that way, it was still never an act Laniakea could view with pleasure.
Born a royal, it was simply an unwelcome duty she would have to carry out someday. It had felt like nothing more than that.
Seeing Laniakea keep silent, Hyperion spoke with a slightly dejected look.
“I suppose I am not to your liking. With looks like mine and a temperament that can hardly be called pleasant, it is only natural you would be reluctant. To make such a request on top of that must be utterly revolting—”
“That's not it!”
Laniakea hastily denied his words.
“It's not that I dislike Your Highness. It's just that the situation changed so suddenly that I'm having trouble processing it all….”
She meant it. She did not dislike Hyperion. She hadn't spent enough time facing him to harbor any dislike in the first place.
Besides, hadn't he come to her aid at every turn since returning to the Imperial Palace? Both when the Empress lunged at her in the funeral hall, and when the assassin broke into the Detached Palace.
He had thrown himself into harm's way to protect Laniakea.
There was no reason to hate such a person. In fact, she felt a profound fondness toward him.
What was more….
Embarrassingly enough, the idea of having a child felt entirely possible if it were with him.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Laniakea’s face flushed bright red.
‘What on earth am I thinking?’
Hurriedly composing herself, Laniakea asked the question that had been lingering in her mind before giving him her answer.
“By the way, Your Highness, why haven't you asked me about the Spirit?”
When she was brought to his quarters, she had expected him to inquire about that before anything else.
If spirits could be summoned even within the Empire, it would be of immense help in stabilizing the Imperial Palace once he became Emperor.
Furthermore, he had killed the assassin the instant the man mentioned the Spirit. Witnessing that, she had wondered if he meant to keep the knowledge of the Spirit entirely to himself.
So she had expected him to interrogate her about the Spirit the moment he brought her here, yet he had only brought up yesterday's proposal without uttering a single word about it.
As though he had seen nothing at all.
To Laniakea’s question, he answered without a shred of hesitation.
“Because it seemed you did not wish it to be known.”
Laniakea’s eyes widened at his reply. Because she did not want it, he had no intention of forcing the truth out of her.
In that moment, Laniakea’s eyes welled with heat. Whether it was the tension melting away from a body that had been frozen stiff by the assassin, or the realization of the unexpected consideration shown by the man before her, she could not tell.
“Laniakea? Are you all right?”
Seeing Laniakea suddenly on the verge of tears, Hyperion raised his voice in alarm.
Looking at her husband, who was thrown completely into disarray by nothing more than the rim of her eyes reddening, she parted her lips.
“…I will accept Your Highness's proposal.”
She felt certain that this was a man who would keep his word.
* * *
The following day, the Emperor passed away.
