EEA Chapter 18

Ailea, who had emerged from the water, dried herself and put on the clothes she had set aside. Clint had thoughtfully brought towels in the picnic basket, anticipating this moment. He was exceptional when it came to being considerate of women. 

As she put on her shoes, she said, "I'm all dressed."

When Clint turned around, Ailea was wringing out the water from her wet hair, pulling it forward.

The sun was slowly setting. Only then did Ailea remember the apple pie she had brought and went to get the basket. Having come outside after such a long time, Ailea was full of laughter as she lifted the basket with both hands and asked,

"Should we eat the pie now?"

This was the first time she had ventured this far since she was thirteen. In fact, the last time she had gone out for pleasure was when she was very young, even before her father passed away.

Ailea felt as if her chest had cleared completely.

Her lovingly curved eyes, straight-lined nose, and lips that were impossible to look away from when she smiled—all perfectly arranged in her small face. As Clint stared intently at Ailea's happy expression, she became flustered and turned away.

"I'm sorry."

"......"

Sorry for what?

Clint felt anger rising in his mind like it might catch fire. He had simply been looking at Ailea. But what on earth was she apologizing for?

Ailea sometimes acted as if she were some kind of terrible monster.

Was it simply because she had been left alone in the imperial palace? He began to suspect that this alone might not explain everything.

Or perhaps—could it be that Rollins had humiliated her in ways that went far beyond what he knew?

With that single remark, Ailea had nearly severed Clint's rationality as she crouched down on the ground, taking out the apple pie from the basket.

"Playing in the water made me hungry."

"......"

"Here."

Ailea took out a slice and placed it in Clint's hand. As he watched her, Clint asked,

"You know, the day I proposed to you—why were you so happy that day?"

At his sudden question, Ailea tilted her head and looked at Clint. 

He continued, "You didn't even know me well. You had been broken off from an engagement, and you had to marry some guy you barely knew because the Emperor forced it. So what made you so happy?"

"Hmm... I was happy that I could finally write to my family telling them I was married."

At Ailea's answer, Clint's expression hardened even more.

You don't even know what kind of man I am. What if I'm really a terrible person? How do you know how I'll treat you in the future, and yet you smiled so happily for such a simple reason?

Clint swallowed down such questions and asked,

"Anything else? Don't you want anything else?"

"I do."

"You do?"

He had thought there was nothing, but apparently there was. Clint asked, "What is it?"

"After we're married, I hope you won't be unhappy because of me."

As she took out her own slice of apple pie, she continued, "I hope you'll be happy."

Does this woman even know what she wants? All she hopes for from this marriage is her family's relief and that Clint won't become unhappy because of her.

Clint, too, began eating his apple pie without giving her any more looks, worried she might be frightened. Clint was angry, but he couldn't precisely express why he was angry.

A few days later, Clint headed to the Emperor's office.

The Emperor had decided to personally authenticate Clint and Ailea's marriage. It was rare for the Emperor to authenticate a marriage even among the royal family.

And Clint belonged to that rare category.

Emperor Murray handed Clint a document certifying that they had become husband and wife, and asked,

"Have you met Ailea?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"She's a wonderful child. If anything, she's too good for you."

Clint forced a smile. He wondered if the Emperor even remembered Ailea's face.

He was maintaining proper etiquette in front of the Emperor. Sitting without crossing his legs or leaning back was driving him nearly insane. All he wanted was to escape from there quickly.

Roylin was also present. He gazed at Clint steadily.

Clint should have seen Ailea's face, yet he showed no particular reaction. He seemed to have made up his mind to accept the Emperor's decision. Well, he was a man who had been acting like a playboy to avoid catching the Crown Prince's attention. He wouldn't have the courage to oppose the Emperor.

Seeing Clint's calm demeanor, Roylin was reminded of how Ailea had calmly accepted the broken engagement. And at the same time, he recalled Ailea from two years ago.

It had been the same then. He had expected her to cry and cling when sent to the outer castle, but instead she had said she wanted to go early to greet the master of the outer castle. That had struck him as strange and remained in his memory.

Roylin's expression hardened momentarily. Could these two have known each other since two years ago? The reason why those two were so calm...

As he pondered this, he chuckled at himself for having such thoughts. It couldn't be. Ailea would never remove her veil and show her face to others, and that Clint Rishers would never have shown interest in such a woman.

Roylin, who had been sitting in silence, asked Clint,

"Are you living together at the outer castle?"

"Yes, we're living together."

"She's quite pretty, isn't she?"

When Roylin asked with a mocking expression, Clint asked back,

"Are you sure it's alright to give me the woman you cherished so much?"

Roylin shrugged.

"Of course it's a pity. But if it's to you."

"Hmm."

"So please take good care of the border, Clint."

"I prefer the capital. Must I really go? Ailea's health isn't very good either."

"How is Lady Rishers's health?"

When Roylin asked, Clint replied matter-of-factly,

"It's not bad enough for Your Highness the Crown Prince to be concerned about."

To Roylin, those words felt like Clint was drawing a line, telling him not to approach Ailea.

Roylin was shrewd, and that was exactly what Clint had intended.

Completely unaware of this, Murray asked,

"When are you thinking of having the ceremony?"

"Since Your Highness the Crown Prince should go first, we'll do it sometime later."

"I see."

At those words, Roylin smiled and asked,

"You'll both come to the investiture ceremony, won't you? Since you're married."

Clint originally had no intention of bringing Ailea to the investiture ceremony. But she had shown signs of wanting to come along. She had even suggested staying together at the imperial mansion for a while.

Could she already be trying to fulfill the role of a wife? He had told her she could act freely, yet here she was, essentially keeping watch over him. Though, if he was being honest, it wasn't entirely unpleasant...

"Clint."

Lost in thought for a moment, Clint opened his mouth when the Crown Prince called him.

"If you let her wear a veil, she'll come."

"Of course."

Roylin said with a smile.

"But it would be better if she doesn't wear it at the ball."

"...The ball?"

"There will be a ball that Rita is preparing soon. Don't let her wear a veil then. It dampens the mood."

Without realizing it, Clint looked at Roylin with a cold gaze. Roylin smiled as if he found his reaction amusing.

The Tiliph Knights and Ailea stayed at the mansion the Crown Prince had prepared until the day of the investiture ceremony. Having servants made things comfortable, but somehow it didn't feel as homey as before. Ailea felt the same way.

On the day of Clint's investiture ceremony, Ailea woke up earlier than anyone else.

She was delighted to prepare the clothes Clint would wear. Although this mansion had maids, she wanted to prepare everything with her own hands, at least for today.

First, she removed the cloak from the knight commander's uniform. A red cloak would be draped over him during the investiture, so the original cloak wasn't needed.

After removing every speck of dust and arranging the uniform to absolute perfection, Clint emerged. Taking the uniform, Clint asked,

"Are you sure it's okay for you to come?"

"I'm curious."

Clint nodded. As soon as he changed clothes, he shoved his hand into the uniform pocket that had been so carefully pressed. Ailea wore a white veil over her head.

Though she feared people's stares, she wanted to participate in this event, at least for today.

The investiture ceremony began in the afternoon.

"Baron Kaiton Loranstein Freli."

Four members of the knights received the title of baron in order. They would soon establish themselves in territories that had once belonged to Teniac, were seized by the Kanna Empire, and then reclaimed.

And finally, Clint's name was called.

"Grand Duke Clint Rishers de Excalize."

There were two cases for receiving the title of Grand Duke in Teniac: sons of the Emperor, and the lord of Excalize who became master of Serton. Historically, Teniac had granted the title of Grand Duke to the master of that castle, who held power equal to or greater than royalty. By giving the Grand Duke title to the master of Serton, they assigned it the role of a duchy, and thus the Emperor could call himself Emperor rather than King.

It was also a way to place them on the same level as the Emperor's sons, recognizing them as part of the royal family while demanding loyalty. This tradition arose from the history of the masters of this castle continuously staging rebellions.

However, long ago, when Excalize was lost to the Kanna Empire and the family in that castle was massacred, the Grand Duke's position had remained vacant for a long time.

A red cloak was draped over the black knight commander's uniform Clint wore.

As he walked forward and knelt before the priest, the priest handed him the Grand Duke's symbol that had been without an owner for so long. It was a staff with a ruby embedded in its handle.

In that solemn moment, no one there could take their eyes off that man.

The beauty of the young man who had achieved tremendous feats had reached its peak.

Among those watching him was Rita Brea.

In Rita Brea's mansion, there were several magical artifacts passed down as family heirlooms.

Among them, in the deepest part behind layers of doors, was a magical device that measured imperial potential.

It was a scale with a pillar that had 10 notches, with a plate hanging from it. When you placed a wooden nameplate with a name written on it on the plate, it showed through the notches how likely that person was to become Emperor. It was a tool created by an ancestor of the Brea family during a time when the position of mages was unstable, to ensure the family's safety.

The Brea family knew that if the Emperor discovered this device, it would be confiscated immediately, so they hid it deep in the basement.

However, since it could only check an individual's mindset and abilities, it couldn't detect if someone who staged a rebellion changed their mind and placed a more manageable person on the throne instead. But since that rebel would still be the ultimate power holder, there wasn't much difference.

From childhood, Rita had seen Roylin Theresia de Calise's nameplate on this plate. He was so heavy that all 10 notches were filled, and even if there were other candidates, their probability wouldn't amount to even one notch—he was the most certain imperial candidate with no rivals to check him.

Then one day, the scale moved by two notches. What caused this movement was Ron Elgar Yuliana, who had recaptured Philio Castle and received a title at the time. Even when it rose, it was only a minor amount. Then Emperor Murray sent him to the Battle of Excalize Castle, and that spark was extinguished.

Until two years ago, the weight of Roylin Theresia de Calise's name had always remained the same. Then, starting from a certain day two years ago, the magical device began showing strange behavior. Roylin's name began to grow lighter again.

Since it wasn't wartime and there were no particularly prominent figures, the elders of the Brea family pondered over what other names to try besides Roylin, writing countless names of anyone with potential.

Then, when they placed Clint Rishers's nameplate on it, the plate tilted in his direction. Exactly one notch moved.

The Brea family began to feel confused. They had secured their family's safety by attaching themselves to strong powers for ages, but the magical device wasn't pointing in the right direction.

Two years ago at that time, Clint hadn't even gone to battle yet and was merely the commander of a knight order with only five appointed knights remaining. There was no reason for him to become Emperor.

Then, fortunately, when Clint recaptured Excalize Castle, they realized the scale hadn't been wrong. His name had already moved three notches. Conversely, Roylin's name had become seven notches.

In any case, Rita's position became awkward. If the Crown Prince couldn't become Emperor, her life was obvious. She couldn't live such a life.

So she investigated Clint. A playboy. A wastrel. From the first day Rita met Clint, she was confident she could easily seduce him. Anytime, if only I wanted to.

Then, seeing Clint at the investiture ceremony, Rita fell for him instantly. Strength, composure, natural beauty. Being with him would make even falling into danger seem romantic.

Rita's gaze soon turned to Ailea, who was watching Clint's investiture. She was wearing the same dress she had worn at the previous engagement annulment ceremony.

That woman in the white veil always blocked Rita's path. The men Rita coveted were somehow tied to her. Rita looked at Ailea with a cold gaze. And she resolved:

She would never let that woman steal the Empress's seat from her.