Chapter 16

“Well, this is quite a predicament. Since the marquis has taken it this far, even I am at a loss.”

Unlike earlier, the Emperor now kept his distance, watching as if he were merely an onlooker. Strangely, no one seemed to find it strange.

‘Marquis Branto’s sudden interruption has completely shifted the focus of the incident.’

What was originally a conflict between Diego and Louis had now become one between Marquis Branto and Louis. The Emperor must’ve already sized up the situation and struck a deal with Marquis Branto to save Diego before even coming out to the terrace.

Given that Marquis Branto actually got down on his knees, the cost must have been steep.

“This seems like a matter that requires considerable discussion, so let’s continue this somewhere more private.”

The Emperor had already turned public opinion in his favor, so he could head into negotiations feeling secure. Louis had no room to argue.

And neither did I, of course.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

In the end, Diego was handed ten days of probation as the outcome of the negotiations. Of course, calling it a negotiation was generous since it was purely the Emperor’s unilateral decision. Supposedly, there was no choice since Diego was in charge of hosting an important delegation due to visit in about two weeks.

‘By now, most of the preparations should already be done. What a flimsy excuse.’

Louis must have been thinking the same thing, since he just stared out the window in silence after getting into the carriage.

“Your Grace.”

I called to him cautiously.

I might be fuming inside, but there was still a mountain of urgent things we needed to discuss.

“There’s something important I need to talk to you about…”

“My name.”

Louis turned his head, his gaze slowly fixed on me.

“Call me by my name.”

His cold, red eyes fixed on me, unusually quiet and calm.

Those eyes were usually bright and mesmerizing, drawing people in, but now, seeing them so dark and subdued, something about it gave me a strange feeling. I found myself nodding without even thinking.

“Louis.”

“Good.”

Louis smiled, clearly satisfied, and I decided to get straight to the point.

“When would be the best time to move into the duke’s residence?”

Louis gave me a confused look as he tilted his head, so I explained a bit more.

“I’d like to hold the wedding as soon as possible, and to do that, we’ll need to move quickly.”

There was no benefit in staying at the count’s estate any longer. It was a hassle to keep coordinating things with Louis, and if he were to show up at the estate one day unannounced and recognize Alice…

A shiver went down my back.

“I can’t promise that nothing will be omitted for the sake of expediency, but it won’t be anything that would tarnish the duke’s family name.”

“That only applies when there’s any honor left to tarnish.”

Louis, who had been smiling languidly, twisted his lips into a crooked smile.

“You saw it earlier, didn’t you? That fool insulted the previous duke and got off with nothing more than being confined to his room.”

His tone remained placid, which only made it more unnerving. Seeing that, I decided to change the subject before his mood sank further.

“Would you like me to tell you something that fool hates?”

“Something he hates?”

“That man hated it when anyone touched what he considered his.”

In that regard, he was a lot like Louis. He seemed to think the same, as a faint, knowing smile appeared on his lips.

“From what I saw this time, it seems he feels the same, even about things that are no longer his.”

“So, are you suggesting we hold hands in front of Marquis Regen?”

“What do we have to lose?”

I sounded nonchalant, but honestly, I only suggested it because I knew Louis wouldn’t actually do it. In the original story, he avoided even casual contact with Alice unless he was wearing his gloves until the very end.

“If you’d like, you can always practice ahead of time.”

I already know he won’t.

“But if you’re not comfortable with it, then you can refuse.”

He wouldn’t want to do it.

Louis didn’t say anything for a moment.

Just as I began to worry that the suggestion might have been so absurd it would anger him, he nodded.

“Sure, there’s no harm in that.”

Louis smiled faintly. It was the same crooked smile he always wore, but somehow, it still made me feel at ease.

“You can move into the ducal estate anytime. Sooner would be better.”

As soon as I got his answer and began planning my next steps in my head, Louis, who had been sitting across from me, suddenly came over and sat right beside me.

‘…What?’

As I blinked in flustered surprise, he took it a step further and rested his head on my shoulder.

“You said to practice.”

“….”

“Why are you so tense?”

His languid laugh brushed against the nape of my neck.

With every soft brush of his silky blond hair against my cheek, I caught a cool, refreshing scent. It was a fresh and sweet scent, so much so that it was hard to believe he was someone who could kill without hesitation if things didn’t go his way.

“…Why did you do that earlier?”

Unable to endure the strange atmosphere, I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

If this continued, I really might end up falling under his spell.