Who gets married for that reason? - Chapter 10

Lydia had been waiting, wondering if Marquis Ilian Esteban would have anything else to say about the incident that occurred at dawn.

However, he remained silent the entire morning, as if nothing had happened, and did not utter a single word.

Lydia, deep in thought, eventually left her room.

She could understand hiding many things, but it was frustrating that he was even concealing the symptoms of the curse.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

That was the reason Lydia had come to the Marquis’ office.

“Good timing.”

Without lifting his head, the Marquis pulled a piece of paper from a drawer and slid it toward her.

“What is this?”

“A contract.”

Even as he gave the brief answer, his movements were steady as he reviewed the documents and signed occasionally, without any sign of being distracted.

Lydia moved closer and pulled the paper toward herself.

When she read the top line stating, “The contract duration is set for one year, and it can be terminated sooner by mutual agreement as soon as the issue is resolved,” she immediately recognized what kind of contract it was.

If she still had doubts, it seemed that the proposal to write a contract regarding the marriage wasn’t just empty words.

Well, he doesn’t seem like the type to make empty promises.

As Lydia skimmed through the short terms, her eyes inadvertently shifted to Ilian Esteban.

You might question how well she knew him to make such a judgment, but one thing was certain.

Ilian Esteban was a man of few words, and the weight of his words was unlike that of others.

“If you want to add anything, let me know.”

Ilian quietly spoke while glancing at Lydia, who was intently studying the contract.

Lydia stared down at the paper for a while, then cautiously placed it down and looked up to ask.

“…Can I ask you one thing first?”

Based on her behavior, it was clear that she wasn’t going to bring up the ring immediately, which suggested she wasn’t asking about that.

Perhaps her thoughts on the terms of the contract had changed since staying here.

“Go ahead.”

As expected, it seemed that human nature was the same after all.

Even those who seemed free of greed would develop desires when they realized what they could have.

Just as Lydia was about to ask, she wondered just how significant her request would be.

“Who is Leon?”

…What?

Ilian was caught off guard by the unexpected name, and for once, he appeared flustered.

So much so that he stopped signing, and ink splattered everywhere.

“Ah, sorry. Was that an important document?”

“No, it’s fine. I can just get it again.”

Although it was a document that needed to be reported directly to the King, at this moment, it didn’t seem to matter much.

“Leon is the name of my nephew. He’s the son of my only sister. Where did you hear that name?”

“Actually, I overheard you mention it yesterday, in your sleep.”

Lydia’s face turned bright red in an instant.

Ilian put aside any suspicions that she might have heard something inappropriate, and instead asked,

“Why?”

“Just curious. I wondered who you were speaking so kindly about.”

“Don’t trouble yourself with such things.”

“I’d like to know. Besides, even if it’s not important, we’re going to be married, and we’ll see each other every day, so it wouldn’t hurt to know about family connections, right?”

Lydia hesitated for a moment before adding.

“…It would have been much better if I had known in advance, like yesterday, when you seemed to be struggling so much.”

“I didn’t tell you because I thought it would only cause unnecessary trouble. If you needed to know, I would have told you myself.”

While this was a roundabout way of saying it, it became clear that Ilian didn’t trust Lydia enough to avoid such complications.

But Lydia, having made the decision to get involved, was resolute in taking responsibility for her choice.

However, it was hard to make progress when the person involved was this uncooperative from the start.

“Still, since we’re writing this contract and trying to resolve the most important issue for you, I’d like us to at least agree on building minimal trust.”

Ilian Esteban finally sat up straight and looked directly into Lydia’s eyes.

Lydia Solem was, perhaps, asking for the most difficult thing from Ilian.

“You don’t trust me, so you keep limiting the information you’re giving me. But if that’s the case, it might be hard to lift the curse. There’s no reason to drag this contract out.”

Lydia’s logic was sound, and perhaps even inevitable.

If he truly wanted the curse to disappear as soon as possible, his uncooperative attitude was counterproductive.

If he wanted to shorten the days suffering from the curse, they would have to share past stories and discuss it thoroughly.

Ilian understood this too.
However, bringing others into the equation within the lines he had drawn was simply not an option for him right now.

It had been many years since he decided against it.

“I’m not asking for much. If you don’t want to talk about other matters, I won’t push you. But about the curse, I just want you to be honest with me.”

Once again, there was that gaze.

A feeling that reminded him of someone from his distant past, someone he thought he would never recall again.

“If you want, I can tell you about myself or my family. You might already know most of it, but still…”

Lydia’s unpretentious offer of trust, and the equally unpretentious request for trust in return, reminded Ilian of his past and struck at his most vulnerable point.

“Never trust others too easily. That’s the first virtue of being a noble.”

“But you’re my brother. You’re not just anyone. So, I’ll trust you.”

“I can’t argue with you with words. Fine. Do as you wish.”

The sound of his younger half-brother’s carefree laughter seemed to echo in his mind. Ilian involuntarily closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes.
The memories of his late half-brother were filled with sharp regret and guilt, making even the thought of him unbearable.

“…Are you alright?”

Ilian sighed deeply and, with a dry wash of his face, sat up in response to Lydia’s cautious inquiry.

Though she was equally curious about why Ilian seemed so sharp, when she saw the deep fatigue briefly flash across his face, she had the distinct sense that the reason for it was something she could never ask about.

Ilian Esteban tapped his fingers on the desk, deep in thought.

Then, abruptly, he spoke in a dry tone, changing the subject.

“My father is dead, and his previous wife, the Duchess, was a princess from the Kingdom of Ines. She’s not here now, so you needn’t worry about the family elders.”

Lydia widened her eyes, listening carefully, and only then realized that he was taking a step back.

In a way, he was accepting her request for mutual trust by revealing something about himself.

Lydia hesitated and asked cautiously,

“But… what about your mother? Aren’t you going to invite her to the wedding?”

Having lost her parents in a tragic accident and being raised by her grandmother, Lydia deeply cherished the idea of family.

She longed to see her parents again, but now, their faces were growing ever more distant, which was always a source of regret.

But when the topic of “mother” came up, a crooked smile appeared on Ilian’s face.

“I said previous Duchess, not my real mother. I never once recognized that woman as my mother. She was simply the person my father married for the sake of expanding his influence in the Kingdom of Ines.”

“Oh… I see.”

Lydia didn’t know how to respond. The word “family,” which held so much meaning for her, didn’t seem to have the same significance for him.