Who gets married for that reason? - Chapter 7
“I want to give Lydia the title of the Marchioness as soon as possible.”
Every time the Marquis spoke such awkwardly sweet words with ease, Lydia felt an inexplicable chill running down her spine.
In the carriage, where it felt like the cold wind would freeze everything, it was hard to believe how he could weave such affection so effortlessly.
It almost made her question how he could maintain this soft tone in such an environment.
“Master, even so, don’t you think a wedding like this would be too much? If there are even the slightest flaws, Miss Lydia might be disappointed.”
“I, well…….”
Lydia stammered.
“Just throw more people at it, gather more things, and spend more money. The wedding itself has to be as grand as possible.”
The words nearly slipped out before she could stop them, something about how the gold coins being thrown around could just as easily be donated to a good cause.
But Lydia, noticing the Marquis’s gaze as he looked down at her from the side, held her tongue.
She realized this was all to avoid raising suspicion.
The true nature of the role she was playing in this grand charade had finally dawned on her.
Still, it didn’t stop her from feeling like she had unwittingly joined a much larger and more elaborate play than she’d ever imagined.
“I don’t want anyone to dare criticize this marriage,”
the Marquis said, his voice low and sincere, as he gently cupped her cheek, his eyes filled with what almost seemed like genuine affection.
But Lydia, for her part, only wished this moment would pass as quickly as possible.
“…You know I don’t care about that,”
she muttered, though it was clear from her clenched teeth that her discomfort was not lost on Marquis Esteban.
The Marquis’s smile softened just a little, as if he’d caught the unspoken plea behind her words.
“Lydia’s things have already been taken to the guest room. I’ll give you a tour of the estate myself.”
Finally, some welcome news.
The butler, with a beaming smile on his face as if his own grandchild was getting married, began giving orders to the servants before walking away.
As soon as he was out of sight, Lydia let out a deep sigh.
“Do we really have to go this far?”
“It’s the easiest way to create a love story for the ages when you suddenly bring a commoner as your wife,”
Ilian said, his arms crossed as he casually added,
“It also makes it easier to deal with the pesky flies.”
“…Flies?”
“What, didn’t you mention that the kingdom’s reckless youngest princess was a problem?”
Lydia stared at Ilian, dumbfounded, as he casually referred to a princess of the realm as a “fly” and dismissed her with such annoyance.
“You really can talk like that about a princess?”
“Honestly, it’s more like a leech, but that’s the better description.”
His light tone didn’t match the utterly shocking nature of his words, but Ilian just stood there, looking as though he saw nothing wrong with it.
“……Honestly, the reason we’re even doing this marriage thing is because you didn’t want to marry that princess, right? You’re just using me to get out of it, aren’t you?”
Ilian tilted his head slightly, speaking in a calm, almost indifferent manner, as though he were stating the most obvious fact in the world.
“Now that things are this far along, why not take care of both things at once? It’s not so bad.”
Lydia felt like she was already knee-deep in a far more complicated situation than she had expected.
Her frustration must have been clear, because Ilian added, almost as an afterthought.
“That’s why I’ve been asking you what you want. Whatever you ask in Esteban’s name, I’ll make it happen.”
“Well then, as a sign of trust, give me the ring first.”
Before she even finished speaking, Lydia’s request was immediately rejected.
“That’s not possible.”
“You said I could ask for anything in Esteban’s name. I swear I won’t run away with the ring.”
“How could I possibly believe that?”
“I have a conscience, you know. I wouldn’t leave someone who’s suffering under a curse.”
After all, she certainly had no intention of becoming a fugitive just to avoid the wrath of a family like the Esteban.
“Logically, that doesn’t even make sense. If I ran away, I’d be breaching the contract, wouldn’t I?”
What good would the ring do her? She wouldn’t even be able to return it to an antique shop. She’d spend the rest of her life evading the persistent Marquis.
“The world’s big, and there are plenty of ways around things.”
“I really don’t know what kind of world you live in,”
Lydia remarked.
“Let’s just say it’s not as nice as it looks,”
Ilian muttered with a wry smile, clearly acknowledging her skepticism.
His world wasn’t one of straightforward, common-sense actions. instead, it was built on complex ties that twisted and constrained people, forming the foundation of trust.
Lydia gave a tired sigh, dropping her arms in defeat, and muttered:
“…Even if it’s temporary, I still feel worried. I can read and write, but when it comes to noble manners, I don’t know anything.”
Ilian watched her carefully before responding in a low voice:
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure someone teaches you. And anyone who dares lecture you on etiquette can just be ignored. If they want to risk falling out of favor with me, then that’s their choice.”
If even a king wouldn’t dare be this confident, it gave Lydia a strange sense of reassurance.
He might be too forceful at times, but at least he kept his word.
“I won’t waste Esteban’s money trying to pamper you. The more I do that, the more our charade will be exposed, so just relax.”
“Relax? I didn’t come here to waste money,”
Lydia responded, her frustration evident.
Before they even arrived at the Marquis’s house, she had been fretting over how to save even a penny.