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IGF 38
“.......”
It was clearly a joke, but why didn't it sound like one? Roselyn, looking disgusted as if she had encountered a shameless pervert, pulled the duvet up to her chin.
“Stop joking and please leave. You’ll be late.”
After doing... that last night... how could he say such things without so much as a blink? Roselyn, whose waist and thighs were still throbbing, was amazed by his stamina and audacity. However, Aiden only frowned and gave a playful smile.
“I’m not joking.”
“......I’ll make sure to arrive at the Imperial Palace on time.”
Roselyn spoke while desperately avoiding the eyes of Aiden as he slowly approached. If she gave in now, she might end up attending the banquet in her pajamas. Unexpectedly, Aiden stepped back obediently, brushed her cheek once, and left the room. Only then did Roselyn let go of the duvet she had been gripping tightly and relax her body.
Lying there blankly, her gaze drifted toward the window where the light was gradually brightening. As she stared vacantly at the hot sunlight piercing through the lush green trees and sparkling, she pulled the duvet over her head and buried her face deep inside.
“It’s confusing....”
His recent increase in tenderness made things harder for her. Just now, for instance. It would have been enough to simply leave a word with Bertha upon leaving the mansion, yet he had come all the way here to wake her gently, adding only to her confusion. It would have been better if Aiden just openly desired her body. She hated herself for inevitably hoping and longing for him, even at his smallest acts of kindness.
Sniffling as she held back tears, Roselyn sat up abruptly and pressed hard on her eyes. If her eyes were swollen when she entered the banquet hall, Aiden would hate it. Besides, it was thanks to Aiden that she was enjoying such luxury in a magnificent mansion. Once winter passed, she could hold the noble trial she had longed for and recover her mother's belongings. She knew well that wanting anything more than this was excessive greed. And that he would never, ever love her.
「Love?」
The memory of his golden eyes turning cold with a scoff naturally came to mind. That was the day after she had spent the night with him for the first time. It was also the day Roselyn had acted like a fool, harboring some kind of expectation. It was understandable to be mistaken. After all, Aiden had personally taken care of her when her entire body was aching from her first physical experience.
“I’ll—I’ll just ask Bertha to help me!”
“Whether you’re carried by Bertha or carried by me, it’s all the same.”
Firmly readjusting his grip on her struggling form, he lowered Roselyn into the warm bathtub and picked up a sponge. Roselyn turned pale at the prospect of him actually washing her and resisted fiercely, but in the end, she had no choice but to submit her body to him. Her stiff muscles relaxed in the warm water, and she felt much refreshed by Aiden’s careful movements as he held her arm and scrubbed her, but Roselyn’s expression only grew more distraught.
“......You don’t have to go this far.”
“No matter how much of a piece of trash I am, I wouldn’t be cold to a woman I’ve spent my first night with.”
Aiden spoke nonchalantly, creating more soap bubbles with the sponge. When he playfully dabbed a bit of foam under her chin, Roselyn’s blue eyes trembled slightly. She stealthily pulled her arm from his grip and dipped it back into the tub, her eyes reflecting resentment.
“What if I mistake this for something else?”
“What mistake?”
As Aiden calmly repeated her words, the corners of his eyes suddenly hardened. Unable to hide the mocking curl of his lips, he looked at Roselyn.
“The mistake that I might actually love you, something like that?”
“.......”
At his blatant cynicism, Roselyn’s face instantly flushed red. Looking at his face, which seemed to suggest he had heard something pathetic, she felt utterly humiliated for having even considered such a possibility.
“Love?”
Looking at her flushed ears as she hung her head low, Aiden let out another short, hollow laugh. He lifted her arm again—the one she had clenched into a fist inside the tub—and brushed back her wet hair as he continued.
“I have no intention of playing house with love, so fold up your expectations. You haven’t forgotten why I chose you in the first place, have you?”
As if confirming that not a single shred of emotion was contained in his tender actions, he continued to wash Roselyn with the same careful touch as before.
“In case you’ve forgotten, let me tell you once more, Roselyn. I do not believe in uncertain emotions like love. If anything, I’m closer to hating it. The reason I proposed the contract to you was because I judged that, given your situation, you wouldn’t hope for some trivial game of love.”
While the current weight of opinion leaned toward her not being the temptress of the rumors, when he first heard the rumors about Roselyn, he thought there was no better candidate. He figured a woman who played promiscuously with any man regardless of who he was would not commit the hideous act of begging for his heart in the name of true love.
Even now, having vaguely realized that the rumors about Roselyn were maliciously exaggerated, his mind remained unchanged. If she were to cling to him and speak of love here, he intended to let her go cleanly. A replacement to play the part of a promiscuous temptress could be found at any time, however tedious and annoying it might be.
“......I didn’t hope for the Prince to like me. I just... because of these actions, I almost misunderstood for a moment.”
Roselyn barely managed to lift her bright red face and spoke haltingly. As the fact that he only wanted her body became clear, a wave of despair and shame washed over her. But the milk was already spilled. She didn't want to look any more pathetic.
“I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared. And you’ll have to get used to this kind of behavior. To cover up your abysmal acting, it seems urgent that you first become accustomed to me.”
Only silence lingered in the quiet bathroom. Nothing could be heard except for the sound of water droplets hitting the hard floor and the splashing of the bathwater. Regardless of whether Roselyn could not even answer and kept her head low, Aiden meticulously washed her body, which was bruised in various places.
“I greet the Most High Emperor.”
“You’ve come, Aiden.”
The Emperor, Preston, who had been lounging in the audience chamber chair, gave Aiden a casual wave before slouching back comfortably. Wijena sat close to the Emperor, diligently fanning him with a gentle demeanor. Aiden glanced at Wijena, who was curling her lips crookedly at him, then lifted his head from his casual bow and spoke.
“I heard you summoned me.”
“Ah, that’s right. I called you to settle the matter of your marriage talks. You’re starting to pass the age for marriage. You must hurry.”
“I believe that conversation has already ended.”
He had already expressed his refusal once. Furthermore, with Deimos persuading him that he needed to be cautious as the Marquess's power was growing, he thought things had quieted down. But as expected—since Wijena would never give up on him—it seemed she had finally succeeded in persuading the Emperor.
“Ended? His Majesty simply needed a bit more time for deliberation. For a Monarch, it is a virtue to be prudent even in small matters. Is that not so, Your Majesty?”
“Lady Rowin always knows my heart so well. Haha!”
The Emperor nodded frantically at Wijena’s coquettish words. Laughing heartily, Preston groaned as he pushed himself up. His golden eyes, which looked as if they were coated in a greasy film, turned toward Aiden.
“I heard the daughter of the Russell house is quite wonderful. Both in appearance and character. She is a very fitting match for you.”
“If she is that wonderful, the position of Crown Princess would be more fitting. It would be right to push for a marriage with my brother first.”
“That is exactly why I am saying this! Since that fellow Deimos has no intention of marrying, if you marry quickly and show him what a happy life looks like, wouldn't Deimos change his mind?”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. Seeing how stubbornly the Emperor spoke, it was clear that some kind of deal had been made in exchange for his marriage. He wondered what kind of deal it was that made the Emperor so excited he had forgotten about keeping Marquis Russell in check. Just as Aiden expected, the Emperor cleared his throat and continued.
“On the condition that you betroth yourself to the Russell lady, the Marquess has promised me half of the trade profits with Lompott. Moreover, does she not desire the position of a Prince's consort rather than the Crown Princess? I am impressed by the Marquess's foresight in being wary of standing at the absolute pinnacle of power. Since the Marquess's loyalty to the Empire and the Imperial House is this deep, does he not have more than enough qualification to become a member of the Imperial family?”
‘So that was it.’
Half of some trade profits could easily be reduced by manipulating the ledgers. Besides, who knew if the trade with Lompott would even materialize. To hand out promises he couldn't keep while on the verge of bankruptcy. Aiden suppressed a sneer. Looking at Wijena’s triumphant expression, it seemed she didn't even know that something troublesome had happened to the Marquess.
Having reached his conclusion, he spoke with a firm attitude.
“I already have a woman I love. I believe Your Majesty has heard of her.”
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