Chapter 15

Marriage.

Rosena’s head went blank at the word marriage.

A choice that had never crossed her mind appeared suddenly.

Her throat became prickly as if it was filled with sand.

Rosena muttered, stepping half a step back.

“Marriage… that’s ridiculous.”

Yerhan took half a step forward and asked.

“Then do you want to leave the child behind?”

When he asked that with a slight tilt of his head, Rosena swallowed her breath.

She, leaving her child behind?

She just imagined it, and that made her heart about to burst.

Along with the guilt weighing on her whole body, the Illian’s future was naturally portrayed.

As soon as he wakes up, he loses his mother without knowing the reason, and will be thrown into a strange world.

Also, Illian is later in development compared to his peers.

It is clear that the eyes around him will not look kindly upon him.

Illian.

At the moment she gave him that name, Illian had become Rosena’s everything.

Rosena vowed to love her child more than anyone else in the world.

She wanted to raise him in a way that he wouldn’t lack anything even if it wasn’t abundant.

Rosena’s future was entirely with Illian, so how could she get out of here without him?

Rosena looked at Illian with her cloudy eyes.

The sleeping child’s face looked more peaceful than ever.

Rosena stretched out her trembling hand. Illian’s warmth was conveyed to Rosena.

Rosena, who was touching Illian’s hand, slowly lifted herself up.

When she faced Yerhan in front of her, reality hit her again.

Marriage would change everything for Rosena.

It was natural to not be able to return to the Kingdom of Astania, and to be cast again into the pretentious aristocracy.

She would have to fulfill her duties as a mother and wife of the royal family.

Numerous emotions swept Rosena like the winter breeze.

Marriage to the royal family who destroyed her family and drove her father to death.

A family made out of responsibility, not love…

“Mom…”

Rosena turned her head at once to Illiian’s voice, which sounded like sleep talking.

Illian wriggled his fingers, seemingly looking for Rosena in his dream.

Rosena’s mouth, which distorted her face, trembled.

Soon, Rosena, who had a gloomy expression on her face, breathed out.

The tremors on the tips of her fingers gradually stopped, and the tension that had been pushed to the tip of her feet slowly eased.

As her lowered lashes went up, Yerhan’s face was captured in her dark red eyes.

Rosena seemed calm no matter what her answer was, but he was clearly nervous.

Rosena made her decision, looking straight at Yerhan.

“Okay, let’s get married.”

Upon hearing Rosena’s answer, Yerhan’s hardened eyes softened.

But before he could smile, Rosena’s words continued.

“Instead, I have a condition.”

“Please speak.”

Yerhan nodded, as he would do anything she wanted.

Before stating the terms, Rosena took a short breath.

“My condition is…”

Yerhan waited patiently for Rosena’s words, but what followed was well beyond his expectations.

“It’s a divorce.”

Yerhan looked at Rosena blankly, wondering if he had misheard, but Rosena spoke more firmly than ever.

“When the child grows up, we’ll get divorced.”

Yerhan looked at Rosena, hardened like a finely made statue.

And only after a long time did he spit out his words.

“What do you mean?”

“I meant as I said.”

Rosena looked up at him calmly.

Yerhan paused when he saw her eyes, eyes that were devoid of emotions.

“We don’t get married because we like each other anyway.”

Rosena’s words made Yerhan’s shoulders shake greatly.

He looked as if he had so much to talk about, but his lips were dry.

But before Yerhan could open his lips, Rosena snapped.

“I don’t love you.”

Eventually, Yerhan closed his mouth.

Rosena’s gaze, while calmly uttering the words, gradually lowered.

Rosena muttered, looking down at the floor with her slightly shaking eyes.

“It was just a mistake at the time…”

A lost voice hovered at her feet.

A brief silence swept between the two.

Yerhan asked again after being silent for a long time, as if suppressing his emotions.

“Was it really just a mistake?”

“….Yes.”

Yerhan breathed when he heard Rosena’s answer.

Then he slowly reached for Rosena.

When Rosena flinched, he whispered languidly in Rosena’s ear.

“All right, then I have my own condition, too.”

As Rosena slowly lifted her head, Yerhan’s eyes were visible.

His refreshing blue eyes had subsided to a darker color.

“Please pretend to be a good couple.”

Rosena’s lips parted slightly at the unexpected remark.

Yerhan’s hand gently wrapped around Rosena’s wrist.

A little cooler body temperature touched Rosena’s skin.

“Pretending to love each other more than anyone else, pretending to be happy.”

It was a distance as if their lips were about to touch.

As his lips drew closer, a low voice began to dampen Rosena’s whole body.

“Because I want to be a good father to my child as much as I haven’t been able to.”

He pulled the corner of his lips and smiled.

Seeing it, Rosena nodded unknowingly.

But Yerhan’s eyes weren’t smiling, and Rosena didn’t realize it even till the end.

***

Knights of Tiriad.

Seven years ago, it was formed in small numbers as a special knight order for the subjugation of monsters.

Unlike ordinary knights who move systematically, they move individually, and each individual has a reputation for his great skills.

They traveled throughout the empire to kill the monsters, and helped the villages affected by them.

Shortly after the formation of the order, the Knights of Tiriad gained widespread fame throughout the empire.

The royal family announced that Crown Prince Zigrid led the Knights of Tiriad, who spared no lives to defeat the monsters.

The people of the empire’s loyalty to the imperial family grew even more, and the Crown Prince’s popularity grew as well.

But the hidden truth was different.

Contrary to his popularity, the leader of the Tiriad knights order is Yerhan Herbet, the third prince.

“Oh, I’m dying.”

Yelvin, who took off his cape, fell half way down on the sofa.

“I’d rather deal with the monsters all day.”

At Yelvin’s words, Isaac, who had his hair tied high up, replied.

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“What do you mean by exaggerating. We’ve been walking around the capital for days without sleeping.”

Some knights nodded in agreement with Yelvin’s grumbling.

As Yelvin said, the Tiriad knights combed the capital for days without rest.

It was because of Yerhan’s order. Having obtained information from a local city, Yerhan ordered them to come up to the capital quickly and find a woman.

Therefore, the knights of Tiriad wandered the capital looking for a woman with red hair, neither eating nor sleeping.

“I even prayed for that woman to show up.”

Yelvin let out a deep sigh. Even after staying up for two nights, the leader still blamed him for getting fake information.

“I’d rather find a criminal.”

“But we finally found her.”

Everyone looked relieved at Isaac’s words.

In fact, Tiriad’s knights had one common habit. It was a habit of instinctively chasing after women with red hair.

When they were first assigned to the order, they could not forget the first order issued by Yerhan.

– Go around the empire and find her.

Over the course of seven years, everyone suspected that the woman Yerhan was looking for was already dead. But no one ever uttered it out of course.

It was because of Yerhan’s unwavering attitude for seven years.

Yerhan was constantly searching for her even as he carried out the emperor’s orders.

If he saw a woman with red hair, or heard the name Liden, he’d stopped doing what he had to do and pursued that person unconditionally.

Yerhan, who wouldn’t even budge even if a knife came into his neck, was blind in front of her existence.

His figure was like a beast with only instinct left.

Knights who had brought Yerhan’s order for years, chased her almost like an incised habit, and finally found her.

For a moment there was silence between them.

Everyone recalled the situation yesterday.

It was Yelvin who opened his mouth first, breaking the silence

“Did you guys see the leader’s expression?”

Everyone nodded in silence. Just thinking about it shocked them, they looked blank.

“I got goosebumps. I can’t believe the person who used to cut up the monsters with an expressionless face was tearing up.”

Yelvin rubbed his hairy arm and immediately shivered.

Then the big Crayle, who remained silent, spit out a sentence.

“Yesterday he was definitely like a different person.”

“Right, I didn’t expect him to be on his knees right away…..”

Everyone sympathized and one by one, began to speak up.

In fact, Yerhan’s image, which the knights thought, was similar.

Cold-blooded, ruthless monster slayer.

But now there was an opponent who would keep the scary Yerhan in check.

The knights breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Now that they found her, they expected peace to come to the knights.

“By the way, we got a big reward, but why did we come here?”

“I know, right? We came here as a habit.”

Isaac sighed and murmured at Crayle’s words.

Currently, the knights guard the Prince’s Palace in three shifts, and everyone except those on duty naturally gathered at the temporary residence of the Knights of Tiriad.

Not used to taking a long break, they lamented their misfortunes.

While chatting lightly, Yelvin slowly rose from his seat.

Isaac then asked, looking sideways.

“Where are you going?”

“To take care of the men who were dragging ‘that person’.” (TL/N: In this sentence, they’re refering to Rosena using formal way of that ‘that person’ or 그 분)

That reminded Isaac of the men who were dragging Rosena yesterday.

They were locked up in a cellar where they locked up the monsters.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“I’m a professional at this.”

Yelvin smiled and shrugged.

“The leader told me to cut off every finger that held ‘that person’s’ wrist.”

Yelvin’s words made everyone’s faces turn pale.

Surely there was no one to follow Yelvin for torture.

As Yelvin put on his cape, Elsid, who was sitting separately in a chair, slowly rose.

Then everyone looked at Elsid with their mouths closed.

The deputy commander had all the command when Yerhan was away.

Elsid quietly looked around at the knights watching him.

“Anyhow, you’ve all heard a new order from the leader.”

Elsid recited the leader’s new command in a low voice.

“From now on, do your best to protect ‘that person’.”