59 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
Alisha looked at Reikart, only saying insincere words in her mind.
A face that firmly hid its secrets.
She realized as she looked at his cold face, trying not to reveal his secrets.
Alisha also had secrets.
Understanding his position, she couldn't tell her own secrets and just hovered around the truth.
Hoping the other person would trust her and tell her, but like the other person, she couldn't spit out her own secrets.
Who was blaming whom?
It was hard to tell secrets.
That's what secrets were like.
Alisha, who was looking at Reikart, impulsively said, "Your Highness has a secret. I have a secret too."
Reikart looked at her face, which had completely wiped away her tears, and his heart sank.
Alisha, who had been crying so sadly a moment ago, was spreading a subtle smile.
Then he suddenly realized.
That Alisha hadn't let go of his hand even while slapping his cheek, yelling, and getting angry.
"..."
Reikart stared intently at Alisha.
"It would be fun to have a bet to see who guesses the other's secret first. I think I already know what Your Highness's secret is."
"What a bluff."
Reikart retorted bluntly at Alisha's words.
But he kept his eyes fixed on Alisha the whole time.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Alisha asked as sullenly as possible.
"Because I like you."
Reikart confessed calmly.
Alisha felt both a flutter and a surge of emotion at the same time.
"...Why do you like me?"
"I don't know."
"You don't even know that?"
"You're being informal."
Reikart grumbled quietly, but Alisha didn't care.
She focused only on what she was curious about.
"Really, do you like me?"
"I like you."
At the firm confession, Alisha continued to voice her doubts.
"Since when?"
She thought he would say he didn't know this either.
Alisha was annoyed but tried to understand. Because she didn't know either.
"From the moment a strange man I met for the first time asked for help and suggested sitting on the lovers' chair, and you hesitated but still sat on the chair named the lovers' chair. Even though it's called the lovers' chair, it's all superstition, so I shouldn't care, I shouldn't believe in superstition, but you seemed to be agonizing over it for a moment when you offered the chair. Even after sitting on the chair, you seemed very conscious of having sat on the 'lovers' chair' where happy couples are made, and you were restless, but I liked the face you were trying to pretend to be okay with it."
It was a very detailed explanation.
Alisha furrowed her brow as she listened to Reikart's words.
"You knew that was the lovers' chair?"
"Yes."
It was the day they went to the ruins of Dolore.
The chair that Reikart had offered, asking for help, was called the lovers' chair.
It was superstition, so she shouldn't believe it, but she was still bothered by it.
Realizing that he had noticed her thoughts and still deliberately offered it, Alisha recalled the moment she had agonized over it dozens of times that day.
"But why did you ask me to sit there?"
"Because it was the closest chair."
Reikart said casually.
He was this kind of person.
Alisha gripped Reikart's hand in hers as if she would crush it.
He only slightly moved his eyebrows, probably because it wasn't enough strength to even register for a man.
"You like me?"
"Yes, I like you."
Reikart repeatedly confessed to Alisha's doubtful muttering.
"I don't like Your Highness."
Alisha said suddenly.
"..."
Reikart stared blankly at Alisha for a long time.
Alisha steeled her gaze and firmly met the amber eyes looking at her.
The amber eyes wandered here and there for a moment.
The wandering gaze stopped at Alisha's hand holding his hand.
Then, what is this?
That was the meaning contained in his gaze.
"A new season is coming soon, Your Highness. You need to hear the new prophecy. Your Highness will marry me."
"What..."
Alisha let go of Reikart's hand and stood up.
Reikart's pain and symptoms would worsen and his attacks would become more frequent.
So he had no choice but to make a marriage vow with a sacrifice to take on his pain.
"This is just treatment."
Alisha kissed Reikart's left cheek, who was bewildered and stunned.
Soon after, she kissed his right cheek as well.
Reikart didn't move for a moment at the lips touching his cheek.
"..."
Alisha slowly backed away and said.
"I'll be going now."
And she rushed out of the room like the wind.
Alisha could tell without looking that her cheeks were flushed as if they would burst.
The Emperor and his two brothers, Marquis Lennox and Count Istevna, had tea time before starting their day.
So the first guests in the Emperor's private Audience Chamber were always his brothers.
"It seems Reikart is finally getting married."
Count Istevna said with a carefree smile.
"That's right. Your Majesty must have seen it yesterday too, right?"
Marquis Lennox chimed in vigorously.
"The two of them went into the terrace and stayed there for more than 20 minutes. They say they took the Imperial carriage home together, as if they were in a hurry."
The Emperor pretended to be indifferent as he lifted his teacup.
Marquis Lennox and Count Istevna's eyes met in the air.
The two were pleased with the Emperor's words.
"When they get engaged, they said they would hold the wedding after the youngest sister-in-law turns 21, but what's the point of that? The sister-in-law seems to be very proactive these days, like a lady. She didn't let go of his hand when leaving the party."
Count Istevna chuckled and sought agreement from his two older brothers.
"I saw it too. There have been rumors that the sister-in-law has been following the youngest well for a long time."
Marquis Lennox quickly agreed.
"Was that so?"
At the Emperor's question, the Marquis and Count nodded and loudly said that it was.
"That's right. Haven't you heard what the Tessen servants are saying? They say that Reikart was worried about Lady Alisha coming to the harsh Tessen, so he deliberately treated her coldly, but the sister-in-law went to see him every morning. When Reikart sent the proposal, he gave her everything, so I wondered what he was trying to do, but I was wrong."
Count Istevna looked surprised at Marquis Lennox's words, as if he didn't know that had happened.
"It's already April, and July will be here soon."
Count Istevna said, clearing his throat.
Throughout his speech, a smile of relief and satisfaction floated on his face.
"July will be here as soon as we come back from the spring hunt."
Marquis Lennox also laughed heartily and chattered.
"It's too inconsiderate to get married on the bride's birthday."
The Emperor said seriously, putting down his teacup.
The three royals had already memorized Alisha's birthday, who would become the youngest sister-in-law.
The three men thought there was no need to wait until Alisha turned 21, but they thought she needed to be at least 20 years old.
"A week after her birthday is too far away."
Count Istevna replied in a thoughtful voice.
"How about the day before her birthday?"
At Marquis Lennox's words, the Emperor and Count Istevna's eyes sparkled.
"That's good. We'll write the marriage vows and the next day is her 20th birthday."
"That's right. If her birthday is the day after the wedding, then she'll have good days in a row for the rest of her life."
The three brothers laughed, sharing the joy of finding a good day.
They admired their ability to find such a wonderfully good day.
The brothers finished their tea time pleasantly and parted with smiles.
"I'll be going now, Your Majesty."
Count Istevna left first.
"See you later, Your Majesty."
Marquis Lennox also stood up.
"Marquis."
"Yes."
"Did the owner return to Ludern last night?"
"As far as I know, no."
"Good work. You may go."
The Emperor sent away Marquis Lennox, whom he had called back.
"I'll be going now."
Marquis Lennox paid his respects and left the Audience Chamber.
The Emperor, left alone, poured tea into the empty teacup himself.
According to the captain of the guard, Reikart had returned home in a carriage with Alisha.
But the servant who went to the Grand Duke's Residence this morning said otherwise.
Alisha was not at the Grand Duke's Residence, and when the servant asked Langse if he could expect good news since Alisha had returned home with him yesterday, Baron Langs claimed that Alisha had taken the Grand Duke home and left immediately.
But the Ludern watcher said that Alisha had not returned at night.
"Should I call Henrik in?"
The Emperor tapped the teacup with his fingertips and muttered to himself.
The one who was lying was Henrik Langse of the Grand Duke's Residence.
It was a natural flow for Henrik to become Reikart's man.
It was much faster than expected.
It may not have been an attempt to lie, but rather a measure taken in consideration of the position of an unmarried lady.
"The conclusion is that they're getting married."
He took a sip of the slightly cooled tea.
As spring came, Reikart spent more days not coming to the Imperial Palace when he had no special business.
He had often done so since the year had changed and he had come to Baden.
He had often been away before, but it had become more frequent recently.
This meant that the restrictions imposed on Reikart were becoming stronger and stronger.
As a simple piece of evidence, after Reikart returned yesterday, his adjutant asked that the Grand Duke be allowed to return to Tessen at any time.
The reason the Emperor sent a servant to the Grand Duke's Residence this morning was for a permit to go to Tessen at any time.
Then why Alisha?
It was natural for Reikart's close aides to know about some phenomena.
But not Alisha.
As far as the Emperor knew, Reikart thoroughly kept his surroundings away during the period of restriction.
It wouldn't be of much help to have anyone around anyway.
"Could it be."
Everything about the Imperial Family was kept strictly secret.
Unless they said it themselves.
"That can't be."
The Emperor's face, which had been shaking uneasily, quickly regained stability after taking a sip of tea.
"We have to get them married quickly."
The beautiful face, which muttered the determination as if it were a vow, gradually frowned.
The Emperor frowned and pondered.
For some reason, Reikart's face as he firmly held Alisha's hand and left last night strangely wouldn't leave his memory.
"What are those guys hiding from me?"
The beautiful face, which grumbled to itself, frowned again.
The face, which had been alternating between worry and reluctance, soon frowned deeply and then slowly relaxed.
"It's not the time to be stubborn, Reikart. You have to get married right away."
The Emperor spoke as if Reikart were in front of him.
No one answered, but his expression hardened as if he had heard a refusal.
He emptied the teacup completely and stood up.
These days, Lufkin Street in Imperial Capital Baden was becoming very popular.
It was about a 10-minute walk from the main street, so you could take a carriage, get off near the main street, and walk for a short while.
In addition, it was on the side of the main street, so you didn't have to go deep like the back streets, so the street atmosphere was bright.
With excellent accessibility, you could lose track of time while looking around the colorful boutiques and cute dessert shops in every alley.
Small private galleries, ateliers, music stores, and workshops continued like works of art.
Cynthia, standing in front of a boutique with its shop window decorated in a deep sea-like blue, had a sullen face.
Angela's face next to her was also not bright.