A Marriage Alliance for Revenge - Chapter 21

“Please don’t return late, I implore you.”

 

Baron waved his hand vigorously, cradling the cat in his arms. The white cat, seemingly uncomfortable in Baron’s embrace, perked its ears and cried out towards Briella.

 

“I’ll return soon.”

 

As Baron stroked its head, the cat let out a long cry.

 

“The farewells seem to be lingering too much, and we’re in a bit of a hurry.”

 

Lucas, observing Briella’s farewell, urged her unexpectedly.

 

“Speed it up. We’re going!”

 

Feeling guilty for the hastened farewell, Briella boarded the carriage with an awkward smile.

 

The black velvet sofa was a carriage made of ebony wood. Briella couldn’t recall, but it was the same carriage she had leaped into on that very dawn to escape.

 

The only difference now was the presence of Duke’s insignia adorning the exterior.

 

‘Where on earth are we going?’

 

Apart from Empress Olivia’s funeral after marrying Lucas, this was the couple’s first outing.

 

Whether it was unease or anticipation, she couldn’t tell, but her heart trembled slightly.

 

Lucas sat in the carriage seat, quietly watching Briella as she straightened her dress.

 

The disheveled figure lying unconscious in his memory and the woman before him, who had become his wife, were one and the same.

 

Her disheveled grey hair was now a silvery hue, gleaming like winter frost, and her once emaciated body had gained some weight, although it was still lacking.

 

It was a sight that bore no resemblance to the woman who had intruded into his carriage’s path, chased by men in the slums.

 

‘My baby.’

 

Even while in an unconscious state at the time, Briella’s body language as she searched for her baby suddenly came to mind.

 

At that time, he hadn’t paid much attention. He simply thought she was a woman with no future.

 

Perhaps it was because he saw her transformed appearance in the place where they first met.

 

“Did you have a baby, my love?”

 

Briella, who was tidying her dress, stopped her movements and looked up.

 

Lucas’s heart sank with a thumping sound at the chaos reflected in her deep dark green eyes.

 

“…A baby, you say?”

 

Her voice, slowly flowing out, was lower than usual.

 

It was an awkward and uncomfortable sound, like squeezing out a sound that wouldn’t come.

 

The pleasant outing had suddenly become as precarious as a thin layer of ice on a winter lake.

 

Despite the warm breeze, Briella huddled herself, feeling the chill.

 

“It seems I must have been mistaken.”

 

With a stiff Briella in his view, Lucas turned his gaze out the window.

 

Briella, now freed from Lucas’s gaze, moistened her parched lips with her tongue.

 

Then, as if nothing had happened, she straightened her posture.

 

The Viterpan manor was located a bit far from the bustling city center.

 

The warm autumn sun shone through the leaves. Lucas, who had been gazing out the window at the shimmering light akin to stars in the daytime, closed his eyes.

 

He ignored Briella, who was staring at his feet with her eyes lowered, and picked up the documents he had left beside him.

 

Lucas, who had suggested they go out, hadn’t utter a word afterward and simply stared at his documents. She couldn’t register the characters written on the documents.

 

However, both of them needed their own time now.

 

Briella continued to gaze at the never-ending grove of oak trees. The white pillars and green leaves of the forest were beautiful, as if fairies could emerge at any moment.

 

Briella imagined the winter that had not yet arrived.

 

The oak forest covered in white snow was enchanting even just in her imagination.

 

But even in the face of such beauty, what captivated her gaze was not the forest, but Lucas, who was cloaked in darkness.

 

‘My baby.’

 

Briella’s hand moved involuntarily towards her dull abdomen.

 

Unbeknownst to her, her fist clenched with inexplicable warmth for the baby that existed only in her memories.

 

‘Wait for me, my baby.’

 

The direction her hand moved, which used to wander over an empty belly, was towards Lucas.

 

Noticing the slight frown on his face, it seemed he wasn’t reading the documents he held in his hand.

 

Briella couldn’t help but smile to herself, finding comfort in his lingering childhood habits.

 

Since they were heading out, she thought it would be fine if he wore clothes of a different color, but he always insisted on black attire.

 

The sunlight streaming through the open window illuminated his black hair, making it glisten.

 

Briella’s thoughts wandered as she looked at his exposed thick neck and broad shoulders.

 

Did Lucas notice Briella’s gaze fixed on him?

 

He suddenly raised his head, catching her in the act.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Yes?!”

 

Briella, flustered by his gaze, replied hastily. In response, Lucas roughly ran his fingers through his hair, more irritated than angry.

 

Briella suppressed her pounding heart as she observed each aspect of him that she remembered.

 

Lucas abruptly set aside the documents he had been looking at and firmly pressed his eyes shut. Then, he bluntly questioned Briella.

 

“If it were you, what would you do?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Briella, who had been secretly stealing glances at him, erased her surprised expression and calmly responded.

 

Despite her composed exterior, her heart continued to beat violently.

 

“I have to deceive Emperor Gusto’s watchful gaze and eliminate the spies he’s planted. I also have to protect those who follow me.”

 

Just listening to it was already a headache-inducing and painful task. Resolving three matters simultaneously.

 

But as soon as Briella heard Lucas’s words, she recalled his statement about going to the fringes to execute the traitors.

 

“…”

 

“Since Gusto’s very perceptive, if only the ones he’s planted disappear and die, it will raise suspicions. But I can’t have my own people eliminated either.”

 

Lucas, pressing the area near his temples, seemed exhausted. It was a completely different appearance from his demeanor in the manor.

 

Briella gazed at Lucas intently. His black hair fluttering in the wind outside the window, his strong jawline, and even the scent were no longer reminiscent of a boy, but a man.

 

Lucas had already completed his preparations to become emperor.

 

“If it were me…if it were me, I would bury them deep in the ground.”

 

Lucas lowered his hand that had been pressing his temples and looked at Briella.

Placing both hands upon her knees and sitting up straight, the posture Briella assumed seemed uncomfortably rigid.

 

In a space where only the two of them occupied, she had the option to relax a little in private, but she remained consistently composed.

 

Lucas, who sighed softly at Briella’s demeanor, questioned her with a low voice.

 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“When submerged in water, the body resurfaces after a few days, and even if burned, traces of the charred remains are evident. In that case, one must bury them. Deep enough that they cannot be unearthed.”

 

The warm afternoon sunlight enveloped Briella. The voice discussing death was so lovely and serene, yet it discussed morbidity.

 

“Bury them, you say?”

 

Lucas queried, taken aback by her unexpected words.

 

“Those that are clearly enemies. I’m sure you don’t plan on taking in your enemies, right?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

Lucas’s voice trembled slightly.

 

The enemy.

 

While the nobles may have chosen their own path, their mercenaries and knights did not have the luxury of choice.

 

For the sake of filling their bellies and protecting their families, they were driven to their deaths.

 

However, Lucas acknowledged that he couldn’t save them all.

 

The experiences he had endured to reach this position, from being a prince to falling into the depths, were as cruel as they were pragmatic.

 

“If fire cannot burn them away, and if the tides cannot sweep them away, then bury them in the earth.”

 

Briella knew the torment Lucas was going through. It was a problem she herself had pondered countless times during her time as the Empress.

 

“It’s an unexpected solution. Moreover, it’s so debased that one can hardly fathom it came from your lovely lips.”

 

Lucas ran his hand through his hair, a rough gesture as if he were trying to clear the complex thoughts crowding his mind.

 

“It is my duty to protect those who follow me.”

 

“Yes, to protect my people.”

 

‘And lose you in the process!’

 

His angry voice, which had before filled the manor, echoed like a hallucination.

 

Lucas remained warm and attentive, aware of his surroundings. And she herself was just one of many in his entourage.

 

Briella calmly composed herself and softly spoke up.

 

“Isn’t the festival approaching? Our allies can wait outside the capital and enter disguised as Count Delevinge’s retinue.”

 

“And they will safeguard our allies and secure victory?”

 

 

 

Gazing at Lucas with a bewildered expression, Briella nodded her head slowly.

 

“Who on earth are you, truly?”

 

“What?”

 

Unable to discern the intent behind the question, Briella tilted her head slightly.

 

Observing her slightly parted lips and dilated pupils, Lucas clicked his tongue.

 

“Even if it seems like you know nothing, you grasp the situation in an instant. I’d believe you if you said you were the commander of the knights even.”

 

Leaning against the windowsill, Lucas propped his chin with one hand. Then, he stared intently at Briella.

 

“You’re flattering me.”

 

“Flattery? It seems you don’t know yourself well enough. I’d believe you if you were Olivia herself, not a shadow.”

 

 

 

At the mention of Olivia’s name from Lucas’s lips, Briella tensed up.

 

Cold sweats streamed down her spine, yet she couldn’t help but be captivated by the piercing gaze of his, like a hawk observing its prey.

 

‘Indeed, a peculiar woman.’

 

Olivia’s name resembled a box that should never be opened between the two individuals after the funeral. However, it was Lucas who first broke that rule.

 

Surprisingly, he effortlessly discovered traces of Olivia within Briella’s countenance.

 

“Wouldn’t everyone be astonished if we were to speak of this plan to Count Delevingne or Vinter?”

 

Lucas hummed a tune with genuine delight.

 

In response to his words, Briella subtly smiled.

 

“How fortunate.”

 

“Indeed. It would be beneficial if you didn’t insist on doing everything yourself and instead chose to assist like this.”

 

 

 

Lucas’s words sparked a question in Briella’s emerald eyes.

 

Since becoming Duchess, she hadn’t discovered much from provoking Countess Lawrence, aside from the fact that the people of Kali were dwelling in the Rhone Empire.

 

That, too, was an action she had brought upon herself by meeting Lady Lawrence at the funeral parlor.

 

“Are you waiting by any chance?”

 

“Did you anticipate that I would be the one to speak first?”

 

“Every hour, every moment.”

 

At Lucas’s words, Briella’s head drooped.

 

“……..”

 

“However, it seems that we need more time. I still haven’t entrusted you with even a minor task at the manor since I don’t trust you yet.”

 

“……..”

 

“Baron’s words were accurate. You and I require practice. What do you think? Your thoughts?”

 

“Yes……”

 

Due to having lived as Empress Olivia in the palace, she had forgotten about it.

 

And she had to admit it.

 

Lucas was different from her.

 

He was a ruler who chose to accompany her, even if it was at a slow pace.

 

Contrary to herself, who had to remain guarded against venomous people to survive in the briar imperial life.

 

There were those who trusted and relied on Lucas.

 

For Briella, who had lived as Empress Olivia, it was endlessly enviable and embarrassing.

 

While lost in her thoughts, the carriage entered the coastal area.

 

Briella, who had been staring at the ground, raised her head at the scent of the sea carried by the wind.

 

“We’ll soon arrive.”

 

Briella was enchanted by the emerald beach that unfolded before her eyes. She opened the carriage window a little wider.

 

As if embracing her, a gust of wind, strong enough to make her hair dance, came and went.

 

Overwhelmed by the feeling of her heart being pierced, Briella took a deep breath and exhaled.

 

A smile formed naturally on her face.

 

“It’s incredibly beautiful.”

 

“It sounds like someone is seeing this for the first time.”

 

Ardis Beach was one of the most famous places in the Rhone Empire. It boasted the largest port in the empire and the most beautiful beach.

 

If you were a Rhone Empire citizen, it was a place you would want to visit at least once before you died, and if you lived in the capital, it was a place you would have visited at least once.

 

“It’s been a long time. I don’t remember it well.”

 

Lucas turned his gaze toward the coastline, his voice sounding somewhat distant.

 

“For me, this is the first time I’m leisurely observing Ardis at this hour.”

 

Although they were not facing each other, it felt as if they were looking into each other’s faces.

 

The swaying black hair in the wind and the slightly upturned corners of the mouth.

 

Eyes as clear and incomparable as anyone else’s.

Briella sighed at the sight of him, so familiar that she could draw it even with her eyes closed.

 

The carriage gradually slowed down and eventually came to a stop.

 

Thud.

 

“We have arrived, Your Grace.”

 

“Just a moment, please.”

 

Lucas looked at Briella.

 

Briella, wearing the hat the maid had prepared, nodded her head.

 

Lucas opened the carriage door and disembarked first.

 

“Well then, shall we proceed, my lady?”

 

Lucas, standing tall with the sun at his back, extended a large hand to Briella.