Contract Marriage Rewritten
Chapter 8
My wife.
There was only one person in the world who could call her that.
A man who rarely ever visited the Imperial Palace. A man who, even when he did, would leave in a hurry without staying so much as a full day.
Yet, he was still a man who always made sure to share at least one meal with her before departing.
Laniakea slowly raised her head. He was holding her, wrapping his frame around her as if to shield her in an embrace.
Standing with the sun at his back, his face was obscured in shadow, but she did not even need to see him to know who it was.
“Your Highness Hyperion…?”
Laniakea murmured the unfamiliar name.
Though her vision had yet to adjust to the blinding backlight, she distinctly felt his blue eyes gazing down at her the moment she spoke his name.
“Prince Hyperion?”
Someone standing nearby muttered in a daze.
As if that were the cue, a murmur instantly rippled through the funeral grounds.
“Prince Hyperion… How is he here…?”
“What do you mean, how? He is the 1st Prince, so of course he would attend.”
“Well, that may be true, but—!”
Unable to close their agape mouths, the crowd stared at Hyperion embracing Laniakea.
Hyperion glanced at them with unfeeling eyes, then held Laniakea in his arms and gently helped her stand upright.
“Thank… you.”
Not knowing what else to say in such a situation, Laniakea bowed her head slightly as she spoke to him.
Then, catching the faint scent of blood drifting from him, she flinched in surprise.
As if noticing her reaction, Hyperion clicked his tongue softly and released his hold on her.
“My apologies. I came in quite a rush.”
His words reminded Laniakea of the rare occasions when he had returned to the Imperial Palace.
Though they had not met often, Hyperion had always looked disheveled each time.
There were times when his clothes were stained with blood, and times when they were splattered with mud. It was never difficult to notice his hurriedly tidied hair, either.
Today was no different. If anything, he looked even more unkempt than usual—like someone who had truly ridden like a madman to get here.
Laniakea stepped out of his embrace and took a step back.
Just as Hyperion was about to say something at the sight, a knight shouted loudly from behind him.
“Your Highness! What should we do about this matter?”
At the call, Hyperion turned his head. Laniakea also peeked out slightly from beside him to look.
The ‘matter’ the knight referred to was the Empress, who stood surrounded by her maids with a flustered expression.
Hyperion watched the group for a moment before speaking in a frigid voice.
“She seems beside herself with profound grief, so escort her back to her palace. And…”
Hyperion turned his gaze back to Laniakea and spoke.
“You must be quite shaken, so I believe it would be best for you to return to your palace as well.”
At Hyperion's words, Laniakea nodded quickly.
The funeral was still underway, but it seemed nothing good would come from lingering here any longer.
Seeing the Empress’s fierce glare, she had no desire to stay either.
Noticing the Empress glaring as if ready to lunge at Laniakea again at any moment, Hyperion bent down slightly and whispered into her ear.
“Let us talk at our leisure once the funeral is over.”
Then, offering a faint smile ill-suited to the solemn venue, he added,
“After all, we will have plenty of time now.”
* * *
Afterward, Laniakea returned to the Detached Palace.
Fortunately, Lucy was also able to return with her under Hyperion's orders.
‘Ordinarily, that would have been completely out of the question.’
Simply shoving the Empress was an offense worthy of immediate beheading, yet the imperial knights had released Lucy without a single word upon Hyperion's command to let her go.
As if it were now only natural to obey Hyperion's orders rather than the Empress’s.
“Her Highness the Consort, I… committed capital crime.”
Seeing Laniakea’s solemn expression, Lucy bowed her head, looking uncharacteristically dejected. Laniakea offered a bitter smile and consoled her.
“No, Lucy. If it weren't for you, I would have been seriously hurt.”
Laniakea recalled the sight of the Empress tumbling to the ground when Lucy swung her arm.
No matter how strong Lucy was, the Empress had taken an exceptionally violent fall. That must have been why the maids had made such an even bigger fuss.
“Lucy, you should rest for today. Go back and get some sleep.”
At Laniakea's words, Lucy dropped her shoulders and nodded.
Once Lucy left, Laniakea quickly changed her clothes. Then, throwing a thin outer robe over her shoulders, she stepped out into the Rear Garden.
Before she knew it, the sky was dyed in the orange hues of sunset. After gazing at the sky for a moment, Laniakea walked deeper into a secluded corner of the Rear Garden and whispered softly,
“Mole, come on out.”
The moment Laniakea finished speaking, the ground beneath her feet stirred. Soon after, parting the dirt, Mole poked its face out.
[Did you call me?]
Mole looked up at Laniakea with sparkling, expectant eyes.
“You did that earlier at the funeral, didn't you?”
[Huh? Me? Did what?]
Mole shook its head as if it had no idea what she was talking about.
“Don't play dumb. Even if Lucy pushed her away, the Empress fell far too hard.”
[I have no idea what you're talking abooout?]
Mole crossed its front paws and whistled. Its attitude practically screamed that it was guilty.
Laniakea squatted down and tapped Mole’s head with her finger.
“I appreciate that you came out because you were worried about me, but didn't you say your very existence would be in danger if you appeared without being summoned?”
[You're grateful, right? You're thankful to me after all, aren't you?]
“Stop listening only to what you want to hear.”
Laniakea pressed her index finger firmly onto Mole’s head. Mole flapped its short front legs as if telling her to stop, but it wasn't as if its paws could even reach her finger anyway.
When the Empress had fallen at the outdoor funeral grounds, Laniakea had seen it—the ground beneath the Empress’s foot caving in. That had caused the Empress to stumble even more violently.
The Empress hadn't realized it back then because she was crying and screaming, but by now, she was likely suffering from a severely swollen ankle.
When Laniakea drew her finger back, Mole pouted and grumbled,
[How can you treat me like this when I helped you!]
Its stiff whiskers twitched back and forth, but sadly, it wasn't the least bit intimidating.
“I'm telling you to be careful. What am I supposed to do if you disappear? Besides, I told you no one can find out that I can summon spirits.”
[I know that, but… Still, that crazy human woman…!]
Mole’s whiskers bristled again, as if growing furious all over at the thought.
Even so, having no excuse for showing its power in front of so many people, it offered no further defense.
“Other humans will surely cause an uproar, saying a spirit was summoned. And if that happens…”
Laniakea’s voice trailed off.
What would happen if it were discovered that she could summon spirits even outside Priatra?
‘Someone will definitely try to exploit it.’
Since Mole was a lowest-tier spirit, its power was not grand. However, even a small power could become formidable if utilized well.
Take Mole right now, for instance. What if someone were having a secret conversation in the Empress’s palace gardens? Mole could easily eavesdrop on that conversation.
If its power were used in such a manner, the applications of a spirit would be endless.
That was why she could never let it be discovered. People would truly try to ‘use’ the spirit.
‘Besides, I don't know how Priatra would react either.’
Laniakea thought of her family, from whom she had not received a single correspondence in three years.
It was neither surprising nor particularly sad. She had expected as much all along.
However, if word spread that she could summon spirits even far away from her homeland, they would undoubtedly dispatch someone immediately.
And perhaps…
‘They might try to take me back.’
The Priatran royal family took immense pride in the power of fairies. Knowing that such an ability had fallen into the hands of another empire, they would not sit idly by.
‘So I must keep it an absolute secret.’
Returning to Priatra was the one thing that must never happen.
As Laniakea was lost in thought, Mole spoke up as if suddenly remembering something.
[By the way, your husband is back. Does that mean that human becomes the Emperor now?]
“I suppose so?”
Since Hyperion was the only surviving child, wouldn't that be the natural course of events?
Mole twitched its whiskers again and asked,
[Then does that make you the Empress?]
At those words, Laniakea’s eyes widened. She waved her hand dismissively as if the idea were completely absurd.
“What are you talking about? We'll get divorced.”
It was only natural, after all.
