WHCCP 11

CHAPTER 11

As I stubbornly dug my heels in, a low, sigh-like murmur drifted down from above.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Wondering if he was angry enough to use such blunt language, I looked up.

The Duke had turned his face away, roughly sweeping his hair back.

How long did we stand like that?

“Exactly one year.”

Finally, something resembling permission slipped from his lips. As I stared at him with wide, startled eyes, his gruff voice spoke again.

“I don’t know what the lady’s motives are, but nothing will change just because we get married.”

The Duke still wore a look of deep suspicion.

He added that he wouldn’t interfere with whatever I did, so I should continue to live as I pleased, just as I had before the wedding.

“I will ask you one last time. Do not expect any husbandly duties from me. I am a man who doesn’t even know what that entails, so you may well regret this later. Even so, do you still want this marriage?”

Having already grown accustomed to his blunt, rough manner of speaking, I simply nodded and spoke without hesitation.

“I won’t regret it.”

At my confident declaration, the Duke’s brow twitched for a fraction of a second, but that was his only reaction.

With that, he turned and began to walk, saying he would escort me to my carriage.

I quietly watched his retreating back for a moment.

The faces of the precious people I had failed to save with my own hands—including the man before me—flashed through my mind.

*I won’t regret it. Because this time, I will protect you.*

Of course, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that the first step of that resolution would involve marrying the Duke.

“……Still, I think we’ll get along just fine.”

I murmured, looking down at the handkerchief he had given me.

It was impossible, of course, but the fabric felt strangely warm, and a faint smile slipped onto my face.

***

That evening.

I returned home with a dazed mind, only to find another ordeal waiting for me.

“Dahlia—”

The moment I opened the door, my father filled my field of vision, glaring at me with a terrifying intensity.

I noticed his lips trembling slightly as he spoke my name.

“……Yes, Father.”

Feeling a sudden wave of déjà vu from the last banquet, I clutched my racing heart and barely managed to squeeze out a response.

“Come to my study.”

With only those words, Father turned on his heel and marched upstairs.

A few minutes later, steeling my resolve, I stood before his study door.

*Knock, knock.*

“Father, I’m coming in.”

“Enter.”

When I entered, the first thing I saw was my father’s back as he stood looking out the window, his spine rigid.

A tense silence stretched for several minutes.

Finally, Father turned around, a bright, pleasant smile on his face.

“Dahlia. Today, your father received congratulations from His Majesty himself. Would you care to guess what those congratulations were for?”

Though he appeared to be smiling, a closer look revealed that his eyes were entirely cold.

Years of experience told me that my father was currently absolutely furious.

Knowing that beating around the bush would only backfire, I decided to be direct.

“Could it be…… the news of my marriage?”

“Haha, correct. Congratulations, my dear.”

He even clapped his hands in mock celebration.

Then, his hands froze, and the smile instantly vanished from his face.

“So, the story that you fell in love at first sight…… was true?”

Meeting his glacial, piercing gaze head-on, I felt cold sweat bead on my back.

If I showed even a shred of hesitation, I would undoubtedly face the same wrath he unleashed when I had insisted on marrying Delos. I had to speak up quickly.

“Yes, that’s right! It was love at first sight. He is so considerate, reliable, and…… k-kind. So much so that I wanted to marry him immediately.”

I stumbled slightly on the word “kind,” but overall, my performance was convincing enough to pass for sincere.

A suffocating staring contest ensued.

“Whew…… How on earth am I supposed to trust your taste in men?”

Father massaged his temples as if fighting a severe headache, letting out a heavy sigh.

With my disastrous track record concerning Delos, I had no defense. I quietly looked away.

Besides, with the Emperor already involved, there was no way for Father to call it off now anyway.

After a few more minutes of agonized muttering, Father suddenly snapped his eyes open and glared at me.

“Invite the Duke to the estate tomorrow.”

“I need to see with my own eyes what kind of bastard this Duke Valestein really is.”

“……Yes, Father.”

Lacking any excuse to refuse his command, I had no choice but to nod meekly.

***

And so, the very next day.

Duke Valestein arrived at our estate.

The dining hall was so bitterly cold, it felt as though winter had arrived early.

I bit the inside of my cheek nervously, my eyes darting around the room.

Sitting directly across from us were Father and Cesar, both staring at the Duke with burning intensity.

From the moment ‘the infamous Duke’ set foot in the manor, neither of them had taken their eyes off him for a single second.

*On the other hand……*

I subtly turned my head to look at the Duke beside me.

As if utterly indifferent to their glaring scrutiny, he merely stared straight ahead with his signature expressionless face.

Since neither side showed any intention of speaking first, I finally decided to break the ice.

“Ahem. Father.”

At my pointed look, Father finally pulled his gaze away from the Duke and spoke.

“I believe this is the first time we’ve spoken in private.”

Father forced the corners of his mouth upward, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Tell me, Duke Valestein. What was it about Dahlia that made you fall in love at first sight?”

The moment the question was asked, the Duke’s eyes slid toward me.

At that moment, I had to exert every ounce of self-control to keep my jaw from dropping.

Only ten minutes ago, as I welcomed him at the front gates and led him to the dining hall, I had whispered a request to him.

“No matter what my father says, please just play along.”

At that, the Duke had furrowed his brow and whispered back in a voice meant for my ears alone.

“I find myself doing all sorts of ridiculous things because of you, My Lady.”

Despite his cold tone, he had let out a sigh and given a slight nod.

Watching him, I had quietly thought to myself:

*Despite his appearance, he’s surprisingly soft-hearted.*

After all, despite his icy demeanor, he actually granted every single one of my requests.

But it was too early to celebrate.

Even if he had agreed to play along, I had no idea how he would answer my father’s blunt question……

“Everything. I liked everything about her.”

Was it just my imagination, or did the air grow colder with every syllable he spoke?

“Hmm? Surely there must be something specific. It is not a difficult question, so feel free to speak comfortably.”

Clearly unsatisfied with such a vague answer, Father pressed him further.

“It is difficult.”

At his curt reply, my father’s jaw dropped.

He looked completely speechless.

*Snap!*

Father whipped his head around and glared at me with sheer disbelief.

Judging by the way his eyes narrowed into slits, he was thoroughly displeased with the Duke.

“Ha, haha! Well, when you fall in love at first sight, there’s just so much to say that it’s hard to put into words, isn’t it? Of course it would be difficult to choose.”

Just as the atmosphere threatened to freeze over completely, Cesar fortunately intervened to clear the air.

“Excuse me, My Lord.”

Right on cue, the servants arrived with the food, finally diverting my father’s intense glare away from me.

“Hmph. I do not know if the food will suit your palate, but please, help yourself.”

His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

A sinking feeling crept over me that I would be called in for another private chat with my father the moment this dinner ended.