Chapter 3.2

It was well past lunchtime when Cassian returned to the mansion. As soon as the news of his arrival spread, Ted, who had been waiting for him, hastily followed.

“Your Grace. Did His Majesty approve?”

“Proceed as planned.”

Cassian’s short reply made Ted’s anxious green eyes light up with relief. He felt like crying a little, thinking of all the hardships he had endured.

Since the Emperor had approved the marriage, the frozen assets of the Baltinart family would soon be back in circulation. Wiping his eyes, Ted exclaimed joyfully,

“Thank goodness, truly!”

“What about her?”

“Lady Leilia is in the study. Helia gave her a tour of the mansion this morning. But she hasn’t come out for several hours. It seems she really liked the study.”

Cassian, who was about to head straight to his office as usual, changed direction and went to the study. As he entered a place he rarely visited, Helia, who was stacking books taller than herself, greeted him.

“Your Grace, welcome. The young lady is currently asleep.”

Helia, who had been bored, seemed quite happy to see Cassian. It was understandable, as Helia had been stuck alone in silence for over an hour. Rosena was asleep on a fluffy sofa in one corner of the study.

As Cassian gazed at Rosena, who was sleeping soundly, Helia approached him.

“It seems the mansion tour was very tiring for her.”

“How much could she have done to be tired?”

“Hmm, her stamina seems to be much lower than average. She kept wandering around the study as if it was fascinating.”

Cassian frowned slightly. Come to think of it, hadn’t she said she rarely went out even in the barony?

“It’s a miracle that she’s still alive.”

Cassian clicked his tongue at the report that she was exhausted and fell asleep just from walking around the main building. She had managed to live well until now with such a frail body.

She had said she came comfortably, but the journey to the Baltinart mansion yesterday must not have been easy either.

Cassian signaled for Helia to leave, and she bowed her head and quietly exited the study.

Click.

After confirming the study door closed, Cassian slowly approached Rosena. As he got closer, he could hear her regular, soft breathing.

His crimson eyes briefly lingered on Rosena’s clear face, then moved to the book beside her.

And the moment he confirmed the title on the cover, Cassian involuntarily let out a small laugh.

“…Mmm.”

Rosena moved her stiff body and slowly opened her eyes.

She had just laid down on the sofa for a very short while after exploring the fascinating study, but it seemed she had fallen into a deep sleep.

The accumulated fatigue, starting from the restless nights in the barony, had overwhelmed her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Rosena, still drowsy, lay there blankly and smiled weakly.

The Baltinart mansion’s library was perhaps the most special in the empire, excluding the Imperial Palace.

Top-grade mana stones were embedded throughout the interior, and the use of the mana stones was limitless. Instead of using ladders or stairs, one could simply input the coordinates of a book into the mana stone, and the book would instantly fall onto a summoning circle.

“This place is insane…”

The Baltinart family clearly knew how to spend their money in the best way.

But… where had Helia gone? Rosena, who had been rolling her blue eyes around while lying down, cautiously opened her mouth.

“Helia?”

“I sent Helia away.”

“…Your Grace?”

Rosena asked in surprise at the unexpected reply.

“When did you arrive? I heard you left the mansion for a while this morning.”

“I haven’t been back long. Did you have a good nap?”

“Yes.”

Flip.

The sound of paper turning echoed softly in the study. Rosena, who had been slowly sitting up without thinking, froze for a moment when she realized the book that had been next to her before she fell asleep was gone.

Flip.

Soon, the sound of paper turning was heard again.

‘Oh, no way. It can’t be.’

It couldn’t be. Rosena stiffly turned her head, afraid to look to her side.

Cassian, sitting with his back against the end of the sofa, was holding an all too familiar book and reading it with interest.

That was the book Rosena had taken out last, but she hastily closed it because it was too embarrassing…

‘<101 Tips for an Intimate Married Life>.’

The moment the title flashed through her mind, Rosena sprang to her feet as if launched by a spring. Her urgent voice escaped her lips as she reached out to snatch the book Cassian was reading.

“G-Give it to me!”

“I didn’t expect you to be interested in something like this.”

“I didn’t take it out to read, so don’t misunderstand!”

She desperately reached out to snatch the book, but Rosena was no match and ended up being helplessly toyed with thanks to the size difference.

Swish.

Swish.

Rosena bit her lip at her continuous futile attempts.

Her wide, light blue eyes seemed to show the fierce determination of a feline predator about to snatch its prey, but in reality, it was just her arms powerfully cutting through the air, her swaying body, and finally, her eyes turning towards Cassian with resignation and resentment.

He leaned back, smiling leisurely, and waved the book in his hand.

Surprisingly, it was a typical teasing gesture she never expected from the man in front of her.

“You said you didn’t take it out to read, so why are you coveting it?”

“I’m not coveting it.”

“Then it won’t be a problem if I keep reading it, will it?”

I will absolutely take that back.

 In a flash of determination, Rosena immediately threw herself at Cassian, pressing him down with her weight. A fleeting look of surprise crossed Cassian’s face at Rosena’s sudden impulsive action of rushing into his arms.

Their bodies overlapped and they flopped onto the sofa. Rosena, now on top of him, looked down with satisfaction while Cassian looked up in surprise.

“I’m not usually the kind of person who uses physical force like this.”

“……”

“So stop teasing me…”

Rosena’s words blurred and trailed off to form a complete sentence. Only now did Rosena fully register that she was currently on top of him. Furthermore, what she was holding onto to keep her balance was Cassian’s chest.

Rosena, who had grasped the situation, froze. Meanwhile, Cassian had already regained his composure.

“If you want, you can continue.”

“…W-What do you mean, continue?”

“What do you think a man and woman would usually do if they were in this position in a private place?”

Rosena was flustered by the unexpected flirting. What would a man and woman do in such a place…? What would they do…?

‘I heard that nobles in the capital are open-minded enough to enjoy casual encounters.’

It seemed that saying was true.

High-ranking nobles were originally excessively conservative, but Rosena, who had never deeply associated with the nobles of the capital, had no way of knowing that fact.

She also didn’t know that such contact was only allowed between those whose relationship was clearly established.

As confusion and doubt bloomed across her face, Cassian offered an explanation, as if reading her mind.

“I think you’re misunderstanding, but I’ve never said something like this to anyone else. It’s up to Rosena to believe me or not, but it feels a little unfair.”

“……”

“Do you know that?”

Cassian’s lips curved into a soft smile as he tucked Rosena’s disheveled hair behind her ear.

As if he wanted to make sure she really heard what he said.

“We are legally married starting today, Rosena. So, how about changing the title ‘Your Grace?”

The ripple effect of those words on Rosena was tremendous.

Cassian’s words just now echoed in her ears like a continuous reverberation.

“We are legally married starting today, Rosena.”

Cassian gently lifted Rosena, who was still on top of him, set her down on the sofa, and continued.

“From now on, you will have to properly fulfill your duties.”

And it was then, as Cassian was about to leave the study, that Rosena cautiously called out to him.

“Um… you know. Actually, there’s something I couldn’t tell you beforehand.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember the clause about possibly expressing affection, like saying ‘I love you’ or hugging, when necessary?”

Of course, he remembered. When Cassian affirmed that he knew, Rosena’s expression brightened and she continued.

“Actually, I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Is there a reason?”

He hadn’t expected her to say that even expressing it in words, let alone physical contact, would be difficult.

When Cassian asked for the reason, Rosena gave a rather plausible explanation.

“It conflicts with the terms of our prenuptial agreement.”

There was no way such a thing existed. Could Sion have made a mistake? Cassian gestured for her to elaborate, and Rosena smiled awkwardly.

“So, that would be a breach of contract, wouldn’t it? I don’t have any alimony to pay Your Grace right now.”

“……”

“Oh, of course, Your Grace is interested in me and even said you fell in love at first sight… so it wouldn’t be a breach from Your Grace’s perspective. That’s why you didn’t consider it!”

She even added a cheeky little remark.

Cassian muttered as he recalled their last conversation in the study.

“Did it say that spouses should always be truthful?”

It seemed to be a clause with that content.

At the time he confirmed Rosena’s contract terms, he hadn’t felt anything unusual, but now he wondered why such a clause was included.

Rosena’s demands, which had all seemed easy, now felt different.

It was natural. Rosena Leilia cunningly had something she wanted to gain from his family. That was why he had kept Helia by her side.

“She said she wanted the family heirloom.”

He couldn’t understand what she was thinking when she demanded the heirloom, but one thing was certain. Rosena also had an ulterior motive for this marriage.

Just like himself, Rosena must also have circumstances that others shouldn’t know about.

Things were getting interesting.

Cassian opened his desk drawer and took out the prenuptial agreement.

The contract clauses that had seemed ordinary back then now looked like safety measures to protect herself.

However, even so, the fourth clause still made little sense.

Four. During the marriage, both parties pledge to be truthful to each other.

Did this sentence even mean anything? If both lied while claiming to be truthful, no one could tell the difference.

But on the other hand, this interpretation came out. 

“That must mean it’s necessary for her.”

He thought it was just for show, but it seemed to be quite an important matter for Rosena.

And as it turned out, he had been faithfully following the contract all along.

Should he call this naive or foolish?

Or does she have an unspeakable reason why she has to keep this?

He would find out, one by one, starting now.

“Go and call Helia.”

There were plenty of hands and feet within the family who could be his eyes and ears. Especially Helia, who was assigned to stay close to Rosena, would offer the most reliable intel.

As soon as Cassian’s command fell, a shadow that had been hiding its presence began to move silently.

Meanwhile, at that very moment.

Baltinart Castle, West Annex.

Sion ran a hand through his gray hair and muttered.

“How about you just go back?”

“Aw. How long have I been here? I want to have a chat after a long time…”

“Get lost.”

Ted had rushed over here as soon as he heard the news that the imperial family had approved Cassian’s marriage.

And as he always did, he had settled himself in Sion’s office, shoveling cake into his mouth.

Contrary to his appearance, Sion, who had a sweet tooth, had snacks hidden like treasures all over his office.

Of course, Ted didn’t realize that it was his unannounced visits that had caused Sion to hide the sweets in the first place.

Ted didn’t even realize that Sion’s most treasured snacks were stored in a safe.

This time, Ted, who lightly ignored Sion’s command to leave, held up his empty plate and said,

“This dessert is quite to my taste. I’d appreciate it if you could get it for me often in the future.”

“Shut up.”

“…So harsh. But are you sure you’re not abusing your power? Where do you even get information about these bakeries? If you use the family’s intelligence for gathering desserts, it’s a problem”

Sion didn’t answer.

Normally, he would have retorted, ‘Who do you think acts like that?’

‘How did he know?’

Sion, whose weak spot was hit by Ted’s random guess, stiffened his expression and cleared his throat.

“Then since you’re here, why don’t you explain yourself?”

“About what?”

“This.”

Sion, flipping through the list of wedding expenses for Cassian and Rosena, asked sharply.

“Why are the wedding costs the highest in the history of the Baltinart family?”

“Well, he ordered us to bring in all the works of famous designers in the Agzent Empire. That much expense is only natural.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Even imperial family members wouldn’t prepare for a wedding with such extravagance.

It was such a massive expenditure that he suspected they had monopolized all the items used for the wedding.

No, it wasn’t just a suspicion, it seemed to be true. An enormous amount, equivalent to a year’s budget for a decent territory, was clearly listed.

“Why is someone who said he didn’t want to waste money on the wedding just a while ago suddenly doing this?”

“…Well, perhaps His Grace has his own reasons?”

“What reasons?”

“How would I know?”

Of course, there was a reason he could guess.

What Cassian wanted was to divert the questions that would arise from the sudden marriage announcement elsewhere. Therefore, he intentionally called all the famous boutique madams in the capital to help with Rosena’s wedding preparations to draw attention.

To anyone, the two people who were about to get married would look like they shared a special affection, and nothing could be more attention-grabbing than that. By using the madams, it would only take half a day for rumors to spread through high society.

However, it was an excessive expenditure to attribute to just that reason. What if, just what if…

What if that wasn’t the reason?

‘Has he really taken a liking to Lady Leilia?’

They say that when a man is interested in a woman, money is no object. Ted shook his head in disbelief at his own thoughts. It was just a fleeting thought, but it was too much.

The former Duke Baltinart had left his will hoping Cassian would truly find his person, but that was an almost impossible wish.

Of course, Ted also hoped that his master would find someone he could rely on with peace of mind. But…

‘How could he trust someone, after what happened with his family?’

On top of that, the family history only added fuel to Cassian’s extreme distrust of people.

“Whatever the case, our job is to follow His Grace’s orders.”

“That’s true.”

Sion nodded in understanding. Ted smiled bitterly and rose from his seat. If he stayed away for too long, he wouldn’t be able to escape Cassian’s sharp gaze.

“Anyway, Sion, I’ve delivered the message, so please hurry up and release the funds. I also want to escape His Grace’s murderous aura.”

“Understood, just leave that and go.”

“So stingy.”

Ted, who was trying to sneak off with an unopened packet of chocolate cookies, clicked his tongue. He almost got away with it.

With a regretful expression, Ted put the cookie down and waved his hand at Sion, who wasn’t even looking at him leaving, then headed to his office.

And surprisingly, as soon as Ted arrived at his office, he heard something utterly unbelievable.

“Cancel all my appointments for tomorrow.”

“…Huh? Did I mishear that?”

“The bride will be upset if her husband isn’t there when she chooses her dress, so postpone the schedule, Ted.”