Episode 15

The man ranked number one by Monthly Asgard as the most desirable bachelor in the Empire. A man like a sculpture, a perfect elite, a high noble with assured success, and the Empire’s top bridal candidate.

People shortened that long phrase to ‘Irenaeus von dem Adler’.

Of course, many in the Empire wished to shorten it further to ‘Lennaeus’, but no one was ever permitted to do so.

Except for one person, his birth mother, the previous Duchess Adler.

The Adler Ducal family had already been enjoying great wealth and honor in the Empire since Lennaeus was born.

Moreover, Lennaeus, having inherited good genes from his parents, lived his life as a man who had it all.

Whether he went to the academy or to social gatherings.

Many people flocked to his side and wanted to befriend him.

Even the noble young ladies, who had been taught strict etiquette since childhood, found it hard to resist looking at Lennaeus with eyes full of longing.

Therefore, he enjoyed many things without much effort.

Naturally, everything became boring and trivial to him. There was nothing he particularly cared for or clung to.

As everyone expected, Lennaeus, having come of age, entered the Imperial Military Academy.

It was only natural that he followed in the footsteps of his father, who had made significant contributions to the Cortina Conquest War.

As Lennaeus grew into a handsome young man, countless marriage proposals were poured upon him.

However, he simply used a bundle of those proposals as kindling, discarding them with a look of arrogance.

The first misfortune in his life came with the death of the Duchess Adler.

The beautiful and kind Duchess suffered from tuberculosis, which worsened while Lennaeus was away attending the military academy.

And just before he graduated, the Duchess passed away.

Misfortune has the knack for attracting more misfortune.

His second misfortune was the former Duke Adler taking an excessively young new Duchess.

It had been less than six months since his mother’s death.

The pretty and young new Duchess Adler, it was said, had been met while the Duke served as the commander in Cortina.

And… surely, that was a time when Lennaeus’ mother was still in good health.

Such an ugly truth made Lennaeus’ heart grow even colder.

Once arrived, misfortune lingered tenaciously in his life, inviting further misfortune.

Lennaeus barely concealed his urge to silence the Emperor’s mouth, feeling displeased. He coldly stared at the woman before him.

He had encountered her a few times at the royal ball he had reluctantly attended, but this was the first time he saw her up close.

Usually, Princess Charlotte seemed preoccupied with Grand Duke Killian or was shouting at someone.

For a moment, the Princess’s golden eyes scrutinized him. Her curly pink hair was terribly irritating to him.

“Your Highness, this is our first formal greeting in front of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Father, I have something important to tell you.”

Even to his forced smile, the Princess did not respond. In the face of her rudeness, he forgot he was in front of the Emperor and frowned.

A moment later.

The Princess, sitting opposite in the drawing-room, seemed lost in thought, an attitude devoid of dignity.

Lennaeus did not bother to hide his displeasure. He felt like he knew what the Princess was thinking just by looking at her expression.

Of course, he also had an idea of what she had intended to say to the Emperor.

‘It must have been a request to marry her off to Grand Duke Killian instead of me.’

Both had objections to this engagement. The only difference was that the ‘Duke Adler’ was in a position where he could not raise any.

The Princess before him looked so frail as if she might break at any moment. Rumor had it she was on a hunger strike to marry Grand Duke Killian, and now she appeared to be skin and bones.

He withdrew his gaze from the Princess with displeasure. If she was going to struggle, she might as well succeed; he was dissatisfied that she had failed and ended up engaged to him.

“Since it’s a marriage of convenience and neither of us wishes to see each other, let’s just meet on the day of the wedding ceremony. There’s no reason for us to meet separately.”

Even at the moment of facing him, she was a woman with other things on her mind. Thus, it was better for both not to meet separately in the future. The Princess did not respond, seemingly unsatisfied with the proposal.

“Of course, I will not object to whatever you do in the meantime. Even if you meet other men, it’s fine with me. You would surely agree.”

So, he made a proposal that the Princess might welcome more. It was none of his concern whether she met Killian or anyone else in the meantime. Strictly speaking, it did not matter to him whom the Princess met even after their marriage.

After all, marriage was just a means to secure mining rights.

Naturally, he intended to instruct that public meetings be restrained after the marriage, in consideration of the ducal family’s honor.

“I fell for you at first sight. So, let’s be in a relationship!”

But the response that came back was entirely unexpected.

Lennaeus ended up spewing his tea out in a most undignified manner.

*

The study of Duke Adler’s mansion.

With the morning sunlight pouring in through the window at his back, Lennaeus furrowed his brow, casting a deep shadow beneath his prominent nose.

The imperial troublemaker, Princess Charlotte, and the empire’s most eligible bachelor, Duke Adler, shockingly engaged.

Rumors that Duke Adler had been compromised by the royal family.

Lennaeus crumpled the newspaper irritably as he recalled his conversation with Princess Charlotte from the day before.

“Damn it. If it weren’t for the mining rights.”

The curse uttered in his sweet baritone sounded almost beautiful.

Even his stepmother, who had not much involved herself in the ducal affairs, had subtly encouraged the engagement with the Princess, insisting it was the former Duke Adler’s will to protect the mining rights.

Unfortunately, the Princess was even stranger than he had thought. It was infuriating enough to enter into a marriage of convenience with such a woman, but she had the audacity to ask him to enter into a romance with her as well.

“Huh.”

Taking a deep sigh, Lennaeus rose from his seat, his hair in complete disarray, and stood in front of the mirror hanging on the wall of his office.

A gleam—.

It was purely by chance that Lennaeus squinted due to the morning sunlight reflected in the mirror.

Frowning, he peered into the mirror, his honey-blond hair nicely tousled.

At that moment, Lennaeus was engulfed by a strange feeling.

‘Is this the dazzling beauty the Princess spoke of?’

Even in that instant, Lennaeus could not have dreamed of the events that would unfold before him.

It was the moment before Charlotte’s tormenting yet sweet magic would completely unsettle Lennaeus.

*

The second time Lennaeus met Charlotte was at the breakfast contest in the Imperial Palace.

Charlotte was, as always, tardy.

Lennaeus looked at her with eyes full of contempt. As someone who pursued perfection in all things, he detested those who broke time commitments.

As Camilla and Frederick sneered at Charlotte, Lennaeus’ mood soured even further.

The fact that his fiancée was being openly disregarded in such a formal setting was unpleasant, and that his fiancée was subjected to such treatment also grated on his nerves.

The most dreadful thought was that Charlotte would soon turn the contest venue into a mess.

But Lennaeus’ expectations were off the mark.

Charlotte just smiled prettily, silently keeping her place.

“…Thanks to you, I could lightly step from Grand Duke Killian to Duke Adler, couldn’t I?”

When the name of Grand Duke Killian came from Camilla’s mouth, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

‘It’s not because she’s fickle, but because she forgot such men in the dazzle of my beauty.’

Ridiculously, he found himself slightly hoping Charlotte would retort to Camilla’s provocation in that manner.

But Charlotte continued to just smile.

Feeling somewhat dissatisfied, Lennaeus continued to frown as he looked at Charlotte.

Twinkle-!

When their eyes met, Charlotte’s almond-shaped eyes adorably crinkled, piercing straight into Lennaeus’ heart.

He almost felt his heart leap out of his throat.

“Phew-hup! Cough cough…”

Fortunately, it was a cough, not his heart, that burst out.

When Lennaeus looked at Charlotte, she shyly lowered her eyes beneath the table, as if embarrassed about the wink she had thrown him.

After the contest was over, Charlotte was waiting for him by the door.

Despite enduring all kinds of insults from other royals, she stood there solely to meet him.

Shortly afterwards, in the Imperial Palace garden, Lennaeus found himself unknowingly observing Charlotte.

It was because he felt somewhat confused.

He had heard she was a foolish woman prone to bad behavior, but Charlotte maintained a composed demeanor throughout the contest.

Furthermore, she had provided the most perfect answer to a question among the royals in the contest.

On the other hand, she was still impolite.

Charlotte wanted to call him ‘Lennaeus’ just at their second meeting.

Of course, he flatly refused that suggestion.

It was out of the question to allow such a woman to use his nickname.

Yet, despite his cold demeanor, Charlotte still looked at him with sparkling golden eyes.

According to Charlotte, it was a look filled with a fiery longing for him.

Lennaeus felt a bit peculiar.

He had received the attention of many, but never before such a hot and passionate gaze.

If this was indeed the look of a woman in love, then none of the young ladies who had shown him favor before had truly loved him.

After all, no young lady had ever looked at him with such an intense gaze.

Charlotte made no secret of her feelings, inquiring even into Lennaeus’ past.

At that part, he couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

‘The past’ meant Charlotte’s love for Grand Duke Killian was even more intense.

Yet, for some reason, it felt as though his mood was slightly twisted.

Could it be that Charlotte had looked at Grand Duke Killian with that same gaze?

“I’ve sorted out the past. Now, in my mind, there is only you, Duke.”

Charlotte’s response even made him feel a bit of pride.

He thought that he was better than Grand Duke Killian.

Charlotte seemed overjoyed at his response that there had been no special woman for him so far.

“Does that mean I am your first and last love, Duke?”

Lennaeus, feeling a subtle emotion, took a sip of his tea.

He had thought that his romance with Charlotte was just part of a strategic marriage, without any real sentiment.

But having heard that, it seemed like quite a special relationship.

‘Am I really that good?’

Somehow, he felt the urge to get a bit more confirmation from Charlotte.

“What do you find so good about me?”

He waited anxiously for Charlotte’s answer, feeling nervous for some unknown reason.