IBGM 5

chapter 5

“A reward?”

“Yes.”

Rebellina felt ashamed even bringing it up, but she thought it would be better to speak first. That way, she could figure out what Tartenon wanted.

“If this is about what happened yesterday…”

“Yes, that’s right. You must have come here this early because of that. Didn’t you come to talk about what happened last night?”

“Lady Asilius, I—”

“Thank you for saving me.”

Rebellina cut him off.

He might find her attitude rude, but she believed it was better to say what needed to be said. It was far better than staying silent and suffering later. High society was full of people who changed their attitudes as easily as flipping their palms.

“However, please keep what happened last night a secret.”

“I believe I already said I wouldn’t go around talking about it.”

“I don’t trust verbal promises.”

With a bitter expression, she took a sip of tea. As the aroma spread through her mouth, her tension eased slightly.

“So, tell me. What is it that you want?”

Tartenon’s gaze sharpened. Though she spoke boldly, Rebellina watched him carefully, worried he might take offense and decide to spread rumors out of spite.

His long fingers tapped lightly against the table in steady intervals. The sound only made her more anxious.

Did I say something unnecessary?

He didn’t seem like someone who would gossip carelessly… but perhaps he had been offended.

Just as her worries peaked, Tartenon finally spoke.

“So, are you saying you’ll grant whatever I want?”

“Well, that—”

Before she could finish, he cut in.

“Then marry me.”

“…Excuse me?!”

“I had no intention of spreading anything, but since you insist on offering a reward.”

“M-marriage… is that what you want as compensation, Your Grace?”

“Yes.”

“Are you serious?”

What was he even saying? Rebellina couldn’t believe her ears. It was already shocking enough that a grand duke of the empire had come to the marquis estate unannounced. But now—

The Grand Duke. The one known among the barbarians as the Silver Demon.

—was proposing to her.

She could only open and close her mouth in disbelief. It must have looked ridiculous, but she couldn’t help it. After everything that had happened yesterday, she was once again facing an absurd situation and had no idea how to respond.

Her eyes darted around in confusion until she met Tartenon’s calm blue gaze. Only then did she regain some composure.

“…Why?”

“Judging by Crown Prince Inferno’s behavior yesterday, he doesn’t seem to have even the basic decency toward the fiancée who stood by him for ten years.”

His words pierced her like a blade. They were true—so why did they hurt so much?

Rebellina bit her lip.

“As a member of the imperial family, he lacks even the most fundamental sense of responsibility. It’s only a matter of time before he officially announces the broken engagement and casts you aside.”

“…!”

She clenched her teeth. She wanted to argue back, to tell him not to spout nonsense—but everything he said was true. Thinking about it, Inferno was exactly the kind of person who would do that.

Her lips parted, trying to say something—anything—but no words came out.

Watching her, Tartenon spoke again, more quietly.

“You know it’s the prince’s fault.”

“Of course. I did nothing wrong.”

“But others won’t see it that way.”

He was right. The other nobles of the empire would blame her, regardless of Inferno’s fault. He was a prince—even if incompetent. She was merely a marquis’s daughter.

It was far less risky to gossip about her than to criticize royalty.

“The nobles will tear into the weaker party. And when that happens, your reputation in this empire will fall to the very bottom.”

“It’ll fall even lower than that.”

At her accurate assessment, the corner of Tartenon’s lips lifted ever so slightly—so briefly she didn’t notice.

“And because you were once the prince’s fiancée, very few families would dare to propose to you.”

“So?”

Rebellina started to nod, then snapped back irritably.

It was frustrating. Even if his words were true, she didn’t want to accept them so easily. Just because her heart was already wounded didn’t mean it didn’t still hurt.

“And so, wouldn’t someone like me—below the imperial family, yet above a marquisate—be a suitable husband for you?”

“That doesn’t mean I need to rush into marriage.”

She replied sulkily. At that, Tartenon’s eyes curved slightly.

When expressionless, he gave off a cold aura—but when he smiled, his entire impression changed. His silver hair shimmered like gold in the sunlight, and his softened eyes seemed almost gentle.

For a moment, Rebellina couldn’t look away.

“I, too, am in a rather difficult situation.”

“A difficult… situation?”

Before she could even consider what could trouble a man like him—the Grand Duke of the North, with overwhelming military power—he answered.

“You know that my engagement was broken, don’t you?”

“…Of course.”

How could she not? That broken engagement was the reason hers had fallen apart as well.

Her eyes narrowed sharply.

“As soon as His Majesty heard the news, he ordered me to marry the princess.”

“The princess…?”

“The empire’s one and only flower—the one who receives all of His Majesty’s affection.”

Rebellina inhaled sharply.

If the imperial family and the Grand Duke of the North were united, the imperial family’s power would become incomparable to what it was before. The nobles, who cared deeply about influence and interests, would never stay quiet.

“But I do not wish to marry the princess.”

“…What? Why?”

From her perspective, it sounded like a perfect match.

The North possessed military strength, but its lands were harsh and barren. The imperial family had the resources to develop it, and a marriage with the princess would effectively remove imperial scrutiny.

“The North I govern is harsh, but it is a strategic military stronghold—one that has always been monitored by the imperial family.”

“I know. Then wouldn’t this make things better?”

“Do you really think that scrutiny would disappear if I married the princess?”

His emotionless tone made her pause.

She had only considered the good side—but if things turned bad, everything would change.

Thinking carefully, the emperor’s proposal was essentially a way to seize control of the North’s military power through the marriage.

If the princess became the Grand Duchess, then half of the North’s governing authority would effectively fall into the hands of the imperial palace.

As Rebellina’s expression grew serious, Tartenon continued with a faint smile.

“The current emperor claims to trust the North, but in truth, he fears its overwhelming military power. Even though the first Grand Duke of Speraum gave up his claim to the throne long ago, His Majesty still worries that his position might one day be threatened.”

“If the North didn’t have that level of military strength, the empire itself would be in danger.”

“Exactly. Yet he covets what he cannot control.”

Rebellina blinked at his almost mocking tone toward the emperor, unsure how to respond.

Choosing silence over saying something unnecessary, she remained quiet.

Tartenon spoke again.

“He intends to bind me to the imperial family at all costs. That’s why this situation was orchestrated.”

“This situation?”

The implication that something had been planned made Rebellina look at him closely.

So that’s why he was engaged to Belarus…

A new possibility formed in her mind.

Did the imperial family push a suitable noble lady toward him first, only to later place the princess in that position?

Her grip tightened around her teacup.

And I just got caught in the middle of it?

No—she hadn’t just been caught. She had been betrayed by Inferno.

The imperial family had tried to secure everything at once: the North’s military power and the wealth of the Asilius marquisate—by using both the second prince and the princess.

They probably never expected that bastard would betray me.

The teacup rattled faintly in her grasp, but Tartenon didn’t look toward it.

“So, I need your help.”

“…And that help is the marriage you mentioned?”

“More precisely, a contract marriage, Rebellina.”

His voice was calm and certain.

“A contract marriage between you and me.”