# 18
A loud voice rang out in the office, which was filled with voices.
Although the place was well soundproofed, the sound reached the guards through the door.
Quickly, the guards who were watching the door burst into the Emperor's office.
But they stopped immediately and were unable to attack the target.
“……”
“……”
What they saw before them was “Duke Bernstein” himself.
Fortunately or unfortunately, he wasn't carrying his sword.
He had smashed the desk with just his bare hands.
At that strange moment, the first one to speak was the Emperor.
He smiled at the guards with a familiar smile and ordered them to calm down.
“Don't worry, it's not a big problem.”
…He smashed the private desk made by the skilled hands of the empire’s craftsmen with his bare hand, so was it really nothing big?
However, the guards did not dare to add anything and left the room.
Then he closed the door behind them, and silence prevailed between the two.
The first to speak was Emperor Cain Avendel.
“Hugo, this is not your nature, you seem nervous.”
“Did you use the same method with Angelica?”
“You mentioned the Williams family.”
“Cain Avendel, my patience ends here.”
It was as if his words echoed the broken debris of the desk that fell next to Cain.
Cain couldn't hold back his laughter, it was better to end this joke here.
Whatever the emperor, Hugo Bernstein was a presence that could hardly be classified as a “servant.”
He was not of royalty, and was nicknamed “The Duke” because the North represented a somewhat divided country.
In the North, people only hear the voice of the Bernstein family and its followers.
If his intentions were bad, the North would no longer be the protector of the empire.
“We can't treat a princess with eyes of wisdom like this. But Hugo, let's end this lie. The only way to keep the princess safe within the empire is marriage.”
“How can this marriage be safe when it is no different from forced marriage?”
The word “safe” has no meaning here.
There was nothing about her wanting to come to the empire, as soon as he kidnapped her on the Emperor's order, she was in danger rather than safe.
“Should I send her back to her principality now? Is that what you want, Hugo Bernstein?”
“Say what you want. Eyes of Wisdom are important, but the princess is also very precious to me.”
As if he would release the princess if he nodded, Cain smiled.
“If we release her, she will move to the Gervais Empire. There her first love in ten years will be… Who is Yatra? I don’t really know, whether she might be able to meet him or not.”
“……”
“Even if she gets there, marriage will be inevitable. There is a high probability that she will become the wife of the second prince who has been attracting attention lately.”
“……”
“So Hugo, is this what you really want?”
No, that's not what he wants.
not so.
So, why does he stand still without being able to answer?
Cain, who was looking at everything from a height, had fully understood Hugo's nature which he himself had not grasped.
He is someone who can bear everything, even if he has his own desires, he can give them up.
“Funny, you're the one who got everything I wanted so far, right?”
Hugo has never lost anything, whether it be his power as Protector of the North or his honor as the greatest sword on the continent.
Even the people to whom he first gave his heart, like Cyril Rose, were unable to compete with him for control.
“The Northern Allies are sending me weekly reports. They need to identify a marriage partner for the Duke.”
“……”
“I have reached a point where I can no longer ignore their demands, and I will get you married soon.”
Cain then hit the back of Hugo's hand, which only had a small bruise after smashing the desk.
“The marriage you should make with the princess, it would be better if it was with someone you know.”
Once again, Hugo remained silent.
His silence was more like approval. Kane smiled as he picked up a piece of paper from among the scattered papers.
The word “marriage” appeared in Hugo’s eyes.
“I assure you, this will be one of the greatest weddings in history.”
He caught the pen that fell on the edge of the desk and fell exaggeratedly.
From that moment on, Hugo Bernstein was unable to say anything.
❈❈❈
The next day.
The most powerful sword on the continent, the demon of the battlefield.
Hugo Bernstein was more appropriately called a monster than a man, and news of his marriage spread quickly through the empire.
At first, everyone denied it, thinking it was just a rumour, but they soon confirmed the news when they discovered that the newspaper that published the news was connected to the royal family.
Hence, there was one person who was more excited than everyone.
“…Am I really going to get married?”
While Angelica was reading the newspaper that one of the palace maids had brought her, she burst out with a sigh full of surprise and joy.
Although a whole day had passed without any comment from Hugo, she thought that perhaps he had dropped the idea of marriage.
Even more so, since he had passed by her so quickly yesterday, she thought he might have reconsidered his decision.
“That cursed emperor...!”
It was clear that he was so excited about the marriage that he forgot to tell the woman about it!
Remembering his annoying smile, Angelica made her eyebrow quirk angrily.
However, worry began to creep into her heart a little.
The newspaper did not mention the name of the person who would marry her, so was it intended?
"Me? Does that mean me?"
"It can't be. If Penny Williams was the one, her name would have been clearly written."
However, she couldn't stop her anxious legs shaking even though she knew it.
She chewed her lips until she felt pain in her mouth.
And at that moment,
Knock gently on the door.
“Angelica, are you here?”
“Isabelle? Come!”
Fortunately for her, she was completely alone at that moment. Angelica responded pleasantly, and Isabel quickly entered.
While she was reading the newspaper today, she felt that her vision had become much clearer compared to yesterday.
As she stood closer to her, her facial features became clearer.
As her condition improved day by day, she thought that perhaps with time, she would return to her normal condition on her wedding day.
“…If my marriage is what is meant to be.”
Fortunately, Isabelle's words came to reinforce her hope.
She extended the invitation and said the words she had longed to hear.
“Her Majesty the Empress has invited you to have tea with her. She would like to meet my bride, Duke Bernstein.”
“Ha, marriage… hmm, yeah, that’s right?”
The feeling in her heart when she read the news in the newspaper was completely different from hearing it in person.
Her heart was beating so fast that Isabelle could probably hear it.
Angelica tried to suppress the smile that was leaking out of her despite her best efforts.
But she could not hide her embarrassment, as her face and ears became red.
She looked at Isabelle, her anxiety fading away.
“Yes, that's how it was, wasn't it?”
Yesterday, when she saw Hugo Bernstein in the drawing-room, she seemed to be trembling with fear, and had some unjustified fears.
But today, none of that seemed to her.
“Am I really going to get married? Oh, what am I going to do!”
Her reaction was exactly the same as when she married the previous Empress, Cyril Rose Avendale.
That is, she was so full of happiness that it was very evident.
“Then, there is no need to worry about what the Emperor thinks.”
Isabelle realized the true purpose of the tea invitation, and shook her head silently.
But she could not interfere in Her Majesty's affairs.
Angelica will soon learn the truth about the Empress's character.
As Isabelle led Angelica to the tea place, the worry in Angelica's heart began to dissipate as time passed.
The distance was too short for the carriage, so they walked together until her heart regained its calm.
However, the feelings she tried to control did not last long.
"What's the secret behind that? I thought Kacchan would win this time!"
“He's over-exerting himself.”
“When did this happen… Ah, our battle has been lost again.”
"Why don't you give up? You'll never be able to defeat me."
“That's why you want to win more, Hugo.”
Her voice came from the flower garden that was blooming with red roses, where the former Empress Cyril Rose had spoken to Hugo Bernstein.
“Ah…”
Angelica tried to stifle her sobs, but seeing him sometimes had the opposite effect.
His clear eyes were more prominent, and there was a slight smile on his lips that were always dry.
Their conversation was full of old experiences and memories.
When she read about her marriage to Hugo in the newspaper, the pain struck her heart again.
Even many years after that moment, Hugo still carried the image of Cyril Rose in his heart.
“Will you still love Cyril even after she becomes Empress?”
Angelica couldn't understand why.
She had to be satisfied just because she was getting married to the person she loved.
But her heart was still breaking, as if falling into an abyss.
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