Chapter 63
“…What?”
“Yeees?”
Not just the priest. Lucy and the aides, too, stood with their mouths open, asking back like fools.
Edward fixed his gaze on the priest, who had asked like an idiot.
“I’m telling you this woman is not an object. She is my betrothed.”
“Be… Betrothed?”
“Is it your ears that are ugly too, or do you just not understand words? Are all temple folk like this?”
Edward moved his hand toward the dagger at his waist, as if to bore the man’s ears open himself. The priest flinched and stepped back a pace.
Lucy, only now piecing things together, felt her ears turning bright red.
‘…He’s lost his mind!’
If he said this in front of the temple, of all people, there was no taking it back.
Whether it was for show or not, it meant the two of them would have to marry.
‘Hasn’t this gotten… a little out of hand?’
Edward saw Lucy’s shaken pupils and smiled deep.
Then, with a rare tenderness put on his face, he pulled her lower belly flush against him.
The little thing must not be allowed to get scared and run off now.
Though it was a bit of a trial, with the memory of that belly lowering onto him in his dreams still fresh.
Edward held back the urge to bite into those reddened ears and whispered close.
“Think about it.”
“About what?!”
“A temple test subject can be taken or snatched by the temple at any time. But the Duchess of Thesseron? No.”
“Huh?”
It made sense.
Lucy flinched.
‘That’s far too tempting.’
Not that she had any greed for a duchess’s seat she’d never even dreamed of.
It was just that a priest had come to drag her away this very moment.
Even if Edward didn’t hand her over now, the temple could try to spirit her off at any time.
They’d sent holy knights to chase after her before. And now they’d sent a priest all the way to Thesseron’s lands to get her back. That told her all she needed.
‘I’m a test subject the temple values that much.’
Worth too much to just let slip away.
And truth be told, a child born with Lucy’s level of holy power was a rare thing these days.
The fact that she’d ended up the last test subject left in the temple was proof enough.
‘It seems no more children with great holy power are being born.’
Thinking on that, she could see the temple doing worse than just sending a priest.
‘Don’t tell me…’
What if they were planning to break into the ducal castle and snatch her away?
Even if that happened, a single servant going missing wasn’t something Edward could raise much noise over.
Truthfully, she doubted he’d go that far for her anyway.
‘But a duchess is different, isn’t she?’
If anyone laid a hand on the Duchess of Thesseron, that meant war with the territory itself.
So the temple wouldn’t dare.
The scale had gotten a bit big, but…
‘He means to protect me.’
Maybe Edward, like those dark romance male leads, was good to the people he’d taken under his wing.
Still, Lucy could feel her heart thumping again.
Just moments ago, she’d felt a pang at the thought that what they’d done had only been purification.
But now…
The situation had turned strange, but the heat of the hand covering her belly gave her a strange comfort.
‘I never imagined he’d go this far.’
In the shelter of her last life, and here too.
She’d thought she had to claw her way forward alone now.
But the thought that there was a wall that would shield her made her chest ache a little.
She didn’t worry about stealing the spot meant for the female lead.
Following the original was already broken, for one. And strictly speaking, the female lead had never become duchess in the original at all.
‘Good.’
Lucy came to a quick decision and kept her smile as she leaned into Edward.
Then she gently laid her own hand over his, there on her belly.
As if there truly was a child.
“That’s right, darling.”
“…”
“They say ugly things are bad for the baby. Would you get that man out of here?”
And so a fine pair of marriage frauds was born.
…The trouble was, they fooled their own side too.
“A-Are you saying the young duke is already on the way…?”
“…”
“…”
Oh no.
Lucy’s eyes flew to Tepe.
She’d meant to signal that it wasn’t so.
But Tepe, having heard the shocking news, already had eyes for nothing else.
“Th-This is… I must spread the word at once…”
“Wait, Tepe…!”
“The townspeople, no, the castle people…!”
Before Lucy could catch him, Tepe shot off like an arrow.
Even Gorgo was running beside him, silent.
Edward, watching Tepe’s back, simply went on stroking Lucy’s belly, soft.
Like a man kneading a piece of rice cake.
Rosendal had gone stock-still, like a statue, for some time now.
‘We’ll sort it out later!’
Lucy shot Edward a look, scratching at the back of his hand. But Edward didn’t so much as twitch.
No. He only deepened the smile hanging on his lips, as if asking for more.
Like it was nothing but a tickle, beneath his notice.
To anyone watching, he looked like a man doting on his betrothed.
The priest, who had seen and heard everything, had gone utterly blank.
‘Then the duke didn’t just take that test subject…’
He’d fallen for her at first sight, done all that, and carried her off to marry her?
‘This is absurd!’
He could feel his dream of entering the capital turning to foam before his eyes.
Foul words finally burst from the priest’s mouth.
“Why, you mangy test subject… urk!”
But before the priest could even finish speaking.
Crack.
Edward’s hand shot out and seized the priest’s jaw hard enough to crush it.
So hard it looked ready to break at any moment.
“‘Test subject,’ is it.”
“…”
“Go on. Speak it again.”
‘Wow.’
Lucy rolled her eyes, sweating cold inside.
‘So when he covered my mouth and nose, he was going easy.’
“Urg, hgk!”
Even as the thought struck her, Edward’s hand kept twisting at the priest’s jaw.
“Do you know who it is you’ve just insulted?”
So hard it seemed the man might truly die.
‘Still, he can’t do that!’
Lucy belatedly smacked at Edward’s arm.
“Come now. Do you want a war with the temple?”
Saying it, she half expected Edward to shoot back, “And why not?”
Lucy quickly smiled and added.
“No need to wear yourself out, darling.”
“…”
“War is a big deal, you know. Such a bother.”
Lucy blinked, sending Edward a small signal to stop.
“So.”
Edward’s red eyes rolled slowly toward her.
“You’re saying this out of worry for me?”
Nod, nod!
Let’s just go with that!
Lucy nodded fast and clung tighter to Edward’s arm. At once, the strength went out of his hand.
“Kuh, khack!”
“Good.”
Then, without a care for the priest sprawled on the ground, Edward pulled Lucy tighter.
“If my darling says no, then no.”
The words came out easy, and Edward shot the priest a strangely smug smile.
“You heard her? Bad for the baby.”
Then he spoke to Rosendal.
“Clear this away and call for designers.”
“Designers, Your Grace?”
“Yes. Pick ones known for wedding dresses.”
And so, the two of them went on locking in the unprecedented marriage announcement beyond any hope of denial.
Pat pat pat!
Clara, who had watched the whole thing from the side, quietly kicked off the ground and slipped away.
* * *
Crash!
A teacup hit the floor and shattered with a loud noise.
The faces of the maids and vassals standing about went pale.
“Grand Madam!”
“Are you hurt…!”
The Grand Madam had gone white and dropped her cup. Everyone fussed over her in a panic.
Clara, who had come to deliver the news, could only stare at the floor, lost.
She hadn’t known the two had already become like that either.
