Chapter 030
It felt as if ice-cold water had been poured over him.
A letter from Capren Rowen, expressing his desire to see his daughter, had arrived in the North just days before Merwen’s Glasyr died.
Since Iella married him, Capren had subtly indicated his hope that she would be sent back to the South.
Sioden had ignored all of his requests.
No matter how much he loved his daughter, Capren did not prevent the marriage between Iella and him.
Thus, Iella was now a member of the Raslet family. It remained a fact that even if she cherished her family too much to the point of wanting to dismantle and sell off her husband’s clan, it wouldn’t change.
Didn’t she promise him love and trust until death at the banquet?
Even if love and trust could not be exchanged, she could still uphold the former.
Perhaps Iella felt a sense of responsibility in that regard, as she had not expressed a desire to go back to the South until now.
Not until tonight.
As she asked him a question, the woman rolled her eyes like someone trying to gauge his feelings. It was clear she was trying to read his intentions.
Sioden clenched his fists, holding back the impulse to grab her shoulders. If it were up to him, he would want to ask her right away. Do you want to go back to Rowen now? After everything you’ve done to stir my insides, are you tired of even that?
How can you be so irresponsible until the end?
The woman was not just frustrating but irritating. Feeling such emotions while being unable to express his willingness to grant her wishes made him feel disgusted with himself.
He moved his throat, which felt tightly constricted.
“…If possible, I would like to do that.”
If possible.
The implication of that statement was that no matter what happened, he could not send Iella back to the South.
Even in the moment of exhaustion and anger because of her, Sioden understood that fact.
That night, as Sioden left Iella’s bedroom, he wished that someone would forcibly take her away. He was so tired of this emotional game of winner-takes-all.
If some irresistible force were to tear them apart, he could at least escape from countless thoughts, and Iella would be able to leave the man she was so desperate to sell herself to.
Was it his fault for wishing for a desire he couldn’t possibly handle?
When he had caused a rebellion and arrived at the imperial capital, Sioden found himself in a situation where he truly had to let the woman go.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The rebellion, which had been years in the making, had many collaborators.
From the ambiguous lords caught between the South and the North to the princess deep within the imperial palace.
The princess, who had lived under her brother’s oppression for many years, wished for the blood ties that hindered her from spreading her wings to disappear.
She promised that if they helped her seize power, she would abolish the unfair treaty that had bound Raslet. It was the shackles that fell upon her when Lerox married Evelyn to avoid charges of treason.
Surprisingly, the seemingly unsupported princess had her own allies. Among them were wealthy merchants who were richer than many southern lords and nobles.
Sioden learned just before the rebellion broke out who had connected the princess, who had never left the palace, with them.
“Lord Raslet, this is my longtime collaborator.”
When the man accompanying the princess revealed his face, Sioden was taken aback by the absurdity of it.
The man was Demian Rowen, the second son of Capren Rowen and one of Iella’s two brothers.
Resembling his father with silver hair and golden eyes, he wore an eye patch over his left eye, possibly due to an injury. Of course, Sioden didn’t care about his condition.
The princess was clearly aware that he intended to strike at the Rowens.
Yet, behind it all, she was holding hands with Demian Rowen, which was utterly ridiculous.
“Did you deceive me?”
Unable to hide his rudeness, he asked, and the princess replied.
“It would be more fitting to say there were circumstances rather than that I deceived you. However, it would be better for you to hear the explanation from the second lord of Rowen rather than from me.”
He wanted to argue about what nonsense this was, but it was too late to overturn the situation.
In the end, Sioden found himself face-to-face with Demian.
The man he faced up close looked even less like Iella than he remembered. In fact, unlike her two brothers, who were like Capren’s doppelgängers, Iella didn’t have the typical Rowen appearance.
Demian spoke first.
“I understand that this situation is sufficient to cause misunderstandings for you, my lord.”
“If you understand, then please clarify properly.”
After instigating the rebellion, he intended to eliminate Capren and his two sons, even more than the emperor himself. It wasn’t merely a matter of vengeance; they were inherently incompatible. If he didn’t kill the Rowens, they would eventually kill him.
Iella loved her family, so he couldn’t help but think that she would never forgive him if he committed such an act.
However, if the Rowens fell, Iella would lose her place to return to.
Born as the daughter of a southern lord, she had lived her life in comfort. She wouldn’t be able to endure a harsh environment, leaving her with nothing.
After all, he had long since given up on getting along with her. He had neither the talent nor the experience to maintain a family.
Hadn’t Evelyn wanted to kill her husband while living with him for nearly twenty years?
Sioden was confident he could act much better than Lerox.
Still, if Iella couldn’t endure him… he would have to give up.
He demanded an explanation, but Demian remained silent. Sioden furrowed his brow.
Just before he could say something, the man spoke.
“My brother and I are on the Princess’s side. To be precise, we want the rebellion to succeed and our father to die.”
“I don’t understand your motivation.”
Demian and his brother were destined for a smooth life under Capren.
Iswen had already secured his position as the heir and was referred to as a duke, while Demian, though not as favored as Rowen, was expected to receive several titles under him.
Demian gazed at him with his one remaining eye.
“There’s only one reason. I want to save Iella, who is held captive by our father.”
“Whose hands is my wife, residing in Raslet Castle, held by?”
“……”
“If this is a joke, it’s quite unpleasant.”
It wasn’t just unpleasant.
No matter how distant his relationship with Iella was, she was the Duchess of Raslet. To describe someone in her position as a hostage was a significant insult.
Even though Demian Rowen was famously lacking in manners, Sioden had no intention of allowing the man to speak about his family in such a way.
Demian, not hiding his feelings, asked an unexpected question.
“Do you consider Iella your wife?”
“Do you think she could have stayed at Raslet Castle all this time if I didn’t?”
The reason Iella had committed numerous sins without facing any proper punishment was entirely because he couldn’t let go of the so-called marital relationship they had.
Thus, while he felt no guilt in his conscience, the resentment in Demian’s gaze made him feel foul.
Before Sioden lost his composure any further, he spoke.
“Please clarify what you mean by saying Iella is held captive by Capren Rowen.”
Demian continued to look at him with a brazenly accusatory gaze and began to speak.
“Our father does not cherish Iella as the world believes. Of course, you’ve seen the wealth and lengthy letters sent to the North every season, so you might find it hard to believe my words.”
“……”
“But appearances can be deceiving, and it’s easier to fabricate than you might think.”
That remark brought to mind Lerox and Evelyn.
They too could stand together as a seemingly perfect couple when necessary.
Yet, if one looked closely, their relationship was rotten to the core, and anyone who knew them was aware that the Raslet couple’s bond had completely deteriorated.
Nevertheless, when it came time for portraits, they appeared to be a reasonably happy couple.
Demian continued.
“To our father, Iella was a leash for my brother and me. He used her safety to threaten us into obedience.”
“……”
“That’s why he married Iella to you. You might think that our father had no choice but to send his daughter to the North due to imperial orders, but that was the primary intention. If we showed even a hint of rebellion, he would use her as leverage to corner us.”
It meant that Iella’s and his marriage was nothing short of a hostage situation.
At another time, he might have scoffed at such creativity.
However, a memory flashed through his mind.
‘What if… the father who cherishes his daughter is actually a great liar? Would that be hard to believe?’
Once, Iella had brought up such a topic.
Though he didn’t know her intentions, it was clear she was testing him, and that conversation ended with his distrust after some exploration and confirmation.
“No one in the world would believe that.”
After numerous events had transpired, Sioden had forgotten about that matter.
Until this moment came.
“…Show me the evidence.”
Demian Rowen answered after a brief silence.
“If she had been free, I wouldn’t have gone so far as to gouge out my left eye to escape from our father.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Even if Demian hadn’t presented any evidence, Sioden had no choice but to believe his words.
This was due to the revelations that came from the emperor captured at the end of the rebellion.
