80 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
Alisha trailed off, her fingertips touching the ice-cold nape of his neck.
Her flustered face shook slightly.
“I caused a ruckus in the Emperor’s Audience Chamber.”
Reikart looked down at the worried face in his arms and gave an ambiguous smile.
Unlike his polite face, his words were destructive, leaving Alisha puzzled.
“A r-ruckus…”
Alisha had so many questions to ask Reikart.
How severe was the pain?
Was he perhaps in his Lua Cycle? If so, was it alright for him to be like this?
Even a member of the Imperial Family couldn’t enter the Emperor’s Audience Chamber armed.
They couldn’t even bring in anything that could be used as a weapon.
How could he cause a ruckus there?
Alisha struggled to suppress her absurd curiosity.
Reikart whispered to her curious face.
“Everyone’s looking at us.”
gazes were pouring in on them from all around.
“……!”
At his words, Alisha startled and removed her arms from around Reikart’s neck.
Quickly stepping back, Alisha was surprised again and grabbed Reikart’s hand.
gazes were still fixed on them.
Reikart, who often said he was fine for a short while, clasped Alisha’s hand in return.
His actions pained Alisha.
She felt sorry for Reikart, who was enduring unbearable pain.
She wanted to hide her changed hand a little.
“Will you guide me through the Marquisate?”
“Yes.”
Alisha shook off her thoughts and nodded.
“……”
“……”
Originally, the plan was to take Grand Duke Tessen straight to the hall upon his arrival.
The new Marquis Rein and his vassals were to properly show their respect to the Imperial Family.
Reikart had been looking only at Alisha since he was on the horse.
As soon as he got off the horse, he headed straight for Alisha.
Alisha’s action of running to the Grand Duke had startled everyone.
Since returning to the Marquisate, Alisha hadn’t said a word about the Grand Duke.
So, they thought it was a political marriage needed by both families.
Alisha turned towards the South Manor after whatever Reikart said.
That was Alisha’s residence.
Reikart’s eyes were full of affection as he held Alisha’s hand.
The area in front of the fountain was silent for a long while.
“……Y-you know, these young people these days……”
Breaking the silence, a disgruntled voice grumbled.
The face that spoke held more a sense of loss than reproach.
“Lord Elgin…”
Someone called out, their voice filled with a sense of dissuasion.
It wasn’t just the vassals who were shocked.
Marinne, the Marchioness, Felix, and Harry also seemed greatly shocked by their youngest’s romance.
Everyone in Reine was momentarily stunned by the shock of Alisha being taken by Grand Duke Tessen.
Roderick stepped forward into the silence.
“Marquis, I am Roderick Rosa, aide to His Highness the Grand Duke. May I discuss His Highness’s schedule in Reine?”
Roderick had an impression that was appealing to men, women, the old, and children alike.
“Lord Roderick. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Harry Reine. Does His Highness the Grand Duke leave the work to his aide while he romances the lady?”
Harry replied with a slight smile on his lips.
His voice was soft, and his tone was mild, but his words were sharp.
Harry extended his hand for a handshake.
“Yes. His Highness is a Grand Duke, what’s wrong with that? I hope His Highness meets the lady more often.”
Roderick replied leisurely, not backing down.
The sound of bones cracking echoed from their clasped hands.
Walking through the Maze garden, Alisha looked to the side several times.
Each time, she met Reikart’s eyes.
“Are you not in pain?”
Each time she met his amber eyes, Alisha’s brow furrowed with worry.
“I’m fine.”
Reikart swallowed a strange feeling as he looked at her worried face.
There were many around him who worried about him.
But no one tried to care for him as purely as Alisha did.
Everyone wanted something from him.
At the very least, they wanted him to take responsibility for his duties.
“Shall we go inside if you’re in pain?”
“Go inside where?”
Reikart asked sternly at Alisha’s words.
“To the room.”
Alisha replied cheerfully.
“Don’t say things that will cause trouble, let’s walk.”
Reikart turned his gaze away.
Alisha followed the direction Reikart was walking, only expressing her bewilderment.
Reikart held Alisha’s hand tightly and walked straight along the maze.
He only glanced at the purple eyes that were sending him suspicious gazes and paid no attention.
Judging from Alisha’s actions, it seemed like the area in front of the fountain was a silent battlefield.
Since the Imperial delegation departed for Reine, there had been constant mentions of the Grand Duke’s residence in Reine.
They would accommodate him in the best and most private place in the Marquis’s residence, or they wanted to accommodate him in the largest and most luxurious room in the Marquis’s residence.
It was obvious in their words that the South Manor, which was a separate residence, was not an option.
There must be countless rooms in the separate residence as well.
He didn’t care how the invisible war of nerves between the Reine Marquisate went.
“Lua is about to rise soon. I plan to return to Baden from Reine and then go to Tessen. I want to spend this Lua Cycle alone. You don’t have to worry about it. I know Alisha has a lot to do here. So, don’t mind me and stay here. By the way… how is it?”
Reikart stopped where the glass greenhouse was visible.
At his words, Alisha opened her lips and then closed them.
She tried to speak again, but she hesitated.
It was difficult to decide what to say first.
“Have you ever taken revenge, Your Highness?”
Alisha asked with difficulty.
“Yes.”
The answer came back too quickly.
Alisha almost asked, When? On whom?
But it wasn’t an easy matter to ask about.
“How far can you go for revenge?”
Alisha’s question was cautious.
“I can do anything.”
“Anything?”
Reikart gestured for Alisha to sit on the wooden bench.
He lowered himself in front of Alisha, not next to her on the bench.
Reikart knelt on one knee and took Alisha’s hand.
“When taking revenge, I can swing a sword myself and cut off the enemy’s head. Even if it’s not revenge, the path I’ve walked is one where I would chop down the head of a seemingly ignorant boy soldier with an ax just for the sake of my duty. Pushing someone to their death was my job. That’s why everyone calls me a demon behind my back.”
His quiet voice calmly recited his sins.
“I don’t hesitate to kill others just for the sake of duty, so what wouldn’t I do for revenge? I owe so many lives. But unlike what others say, I don’t consider myself a demon. I try not to become one. Alisha, do you need an ax to cut off the enemy’s head?”
His low whisper felt absolute.
It felt like he would instantly bring the head if Alisha pointed to the head that needed to be brought.
“No.”
“Is that so?”
“I can do it.”
Alisha said calmly.
Anxiety still lingered in her deeply sunken purple eyes.
“Don’t hesitate to take revenge. Don’t feel sorry or guilty. If the other party considered you an enemy and acted accordingly, they must have been prepared to be avenged. If they acted without such preparation, they’re taking the world too lightly. So, Alisha, when you take revenge, look further ahead and don’t leave any room for the other party to retaliate. You’ll do well.”
Reikart, who was encouraging her, looked like a beautiful death god.
“Don’t people usually give advice like, ‘Forgiveness, your own happiness is the most important, it will be forgotten over time, or revenge begets revenge’…?”
Alisha said with a questioning look.
Reikart got up and sat next to Alisha.
“What do you think the Imperial Family is?”
A bitter smile crossed Reikart’s face.
His face, which seemed to be smiling and frowning at the same time, was full of bitterness.
“……”
Alisha shook her head slightly at the difficult question.
“It’s probably the same everywhere in the world, but there’s no end to the power struggles in the Imperial Palace. If you get rid of one, another one appears, and if you get rid of one, a comrade who was on good terms with you until yesterday becomes an enemy. In the power struggles between the Imperial Family and the nobles, if I forgive, will they not harass me? Can I endure and focus on my own small happiness in the midst of the power struggles?”
A bitter smile flickered across Reikart’s face.
For some reason, Alisha wanted to offer words of comfort.
“……”
But she couldn’t open her mouth.
“Power struggles are no different from war. If you’re alone and peaceful on the battlefield without any defenses, you’ll just be swept away by the enemy’s attack. You only die once on the battlefield, but if you’re not prepared in a power struggle, you’ll be attacked and suffer death-like humiliation every time a new enemy appears. It’s no different from dying several times.”
Alisha was already in the middle of a power struggle.
She was preparing in her own way, but she was caught in an unexpected ambush.
If she didn’t defend herself properly here, she would suffer hardships and be dragged to her death.
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Alisha looked at Reikart with a much lighter face.
“I have something to tell you, Your Highness. There’s a possibility that my prediction will be wrong. So, the deal should be terminated…”
Reikart, who was listening to Alisha’s words, held out his hand to her face as she spoke.
It was a sign to stop talking.
“Do you not remember my confession, or are you pretending not to?”
The man’s eyebrows were furrowed.
“I remember.”
Alisha said bluntly, as Reikart’s face rarely showed such Imperial arrogance.
Reikart didn’t loosen his expression.
“Are you proposing to break off our engagement?”
“The deal…”
“Don’t you remember my confession? Are you ignoring me even though you remember?”
“I’m not ignoring you, the deal…”
Alisha felt like she was stuck in a repeating song.
“Don’t ever say that again.”
“B-but the deal…”
“The deal will continue. Even if Alisha doesn’t meet the terms of the deal, the engagement will continue. Do I look like a fool who would break off an engagement with someone I like? And the deal was a good deal with just the first prediction. It’s a deal I proceeded with even if I thought the rest of the predictions would be wrong.”
It grated on his ears every time Reikart mentioned the deal.
“Your Highness, did you distrust me that much?”
“It means the first one is enough. And didn’t we agree to call each other by our names, Alisha?”
Alisha was momentarily shaken by the surprise attack.
“Thank you for coming to Reine, Reika… rt.”
As soon as she uttered Reikart’s name, she felt strangely breathless and her tongue felt like it was twisting.
She was terribly embarrassed, but Alisha forced herself to finish her words because she didn’t want to back down.
She could feel her face turning red as heat rose from her neck.
“I know you’re not okay, but I want to keep asking. Are you okay, Alisha?”
The moment she heard Reikart’s words, her troubled feelings disappeared like a lie.
Alisha couldn’t answer.
Before she could do anything, tears poured from her eyes.
The corners of her closed lips trembled anxiously.
She didn’t even have the small margin to act high and mighty, saying, “He wasn’t a very good father either.”
Reikart, who was looking at Alisha’s face that was getting wet with tears, reached out his arms and hugged her trembling back.
“Let’s just say this is for healing me.”
The shoulders that were in Reikart’s arms rose and fell silently.
Strong hands carefully comforted Alisha, who was only making breathing sounds as she cried.
Alisha poured out the tears she had been holding back.