It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 109

Achilles emerged from beneath the Third Administrative Palace and parted ways with Oscar.
He left the immediate debriefing to Giel and Oscar, deciding instead to head straight for the Empress’s quarters.

When word spread that the Tower Master had left the underground prison, one of Marcus’s aides rushed over to greet him.
Before meeting with Oscar, Achilles had already given his subordinates three important orders.

First, he told Marcus to position himself where he could not be seen and discreetly guard the imperial princess.

Second, he ordered Aisha to go to the High Temple and watch for any demons lurking nearby.
He warned her to avoid any confrontation, even if a demon was spotted—after all, they were still within the city.
But she and her disciples were experts at moving unnoticed, making them the ideal trackers for such a task.

Lastly, he instructed Eliza to summon additional mages from the Tower and have them patrol the city’s outskirts, watching for demons or monsters attempting to breach the gates or scale the walls.

“Now that the Demon King’s fragment has resurfaced, it’s no surprise the demons are on the move.”

He could only hope the High Priest had moved quickly—removing the fragment from Susanna and beginning the sealing ritual.

“The High Temple remains quiet. A mid-level demon was spotted and is being tracked. Also, Marquis Leroy reportedly forced his way into the temple with his private soldiers.”

“Any signs of demons among his men?”

“None that we could detect.”

“Clever trick… So he was keeping an eye on her after all.”

This wasn’t the Holy Kingdom of Enid.
If the High Temple had been located outside the city, they might have gotten away with mustering more force—but here, right under the Imperial Court’s nose, it was a different story.

“It seems the Church doesn’t hold much sway with the Imperial Family.”

The power of a High Priest depended on both his standing within the Church’s central hierarchy and his relationship with the court.
If Marquis Leroy had dared send troops into the temple, it meant he was confident there would be no consequences.

Achilles shook his head and turned his attention back to the reports.

He had already prepared for the possibility that the High Priest might fail to remove the Demon King’s fragment in time.

With only two days left until his wedding to Charlize, he hadn’t expected this kind of interference—not after so many demons had gone quiet out of fear for so long.

“Saying ‘I didn’t expect it’ is no excuse. I’ll resolve everything between today and tomorrow—one way or another.”

He quickened his pace toward the Empress’s palace.

Meanwhile, Marquis Leroy had shaken off the High Priest’s final attempt at persuasion and headed for the palace.
Worried that the ritual would be carried out while he was away, the High Priest reluctantly assigned a high-ranking cleric to accompany him and monitor the situation.

“Foolish man…”

After sending him off, the High Priest returned to the underground prison where Susanna remained.
With a heavy heart, he looked upon the soldiers Marquis Leroy had left behind.
They seemed more concerned about whether he might perform the ritual in the Marquis’s absence than about Susanna’s condition.

“Am I really supposed to wait until the Marquis returns with the Emperor’s permission?”

Even now, he could see Susanna’s condition deteriorating.
The cursed bracelet had not yet fully bonded, and there was still time to remove it—but the longer they waited, the more dangerous it became.

The Marquis’s stubbornness was maddening.
Every moment of delay meant greater pain for the young lady—and a longer, more difficult purification process.

“May I ask your name?”

He addressed the man who seemed to be leading the Marquis’s personal guard.

The knight replied coldly, without breaking eye contact.

“Forgive the discourtesy, High Priest. But as we do not yet believe the young lady to be safe, I must inform you—trying to persuade me will be pointless.”

“Everything I’ve done has been for her safety.”

“Don’t listen to them! They keep saying it’s to save me—but they’re trying to cut off my arm! My arm! They’re all insane!”
Susanna’s desperate shout rang out, and the High Priest felt a pounding in his temples.

Until now, he had withheld the full truth, fearing her fear and negativity would accelerate the curse.
But with the Marquis acting as he had, there was no more room for silence.

“Lady Susanna. The artifact you wear is no ordinary item. It is known as a ‘Fragment of the Demon King’—a piece of his sealed body, reshaped into a magical object.”

“W-What?!”

Panic spread across her face as she frantically tried to tear the bracelet from her left wrist.
Ignoring the burn spreading across her right hand, she pulled and yanked—but only sparks flew from the cursed object.

“Why… Why won’t it come off?!”

“The fragment won’t detach until it’s consumed the host’s soul completely. It won’t fall off unless your arm is severed—and even then, it might reattach, just as it did before. You felt it, didn’t you?”

His calm explanation drained the blood from her face.

She remembered.
When she had worn the hood and cloak, she’d clearly felt the cold blade cut through her flesh—and then, just as vividly, the strange sensation of the bracelet reattaching itself, the skin closing over without a scar.

“So… it wasn’t just my imagination? My arm really was cut off and reattached?”

“Lady Susanna,” the High Priest said quietly. “If the corruption spreads too far, not even amputating above the shoulder will remove the Demon King’s fragment.”

He didn’t speak of what would happen after that—if the corruption reached that point, Susanna would die, bound to the fragment.
Perhaps the Pope could intervene and save her soul through a divine ritual, but her life? That would be lost.

Susanna trembled, unable to fully grasp or accept what he was saying.

“No… Don’t tell me… I really have to cut off my arm?”

“I can see how far the corruption has spread,” the High Priest continued. “It’s already creeping past your shoulder. If we delay the ritual any longer, it may become irreversible.”

Despite his repeated warnings, Susanna could only shake her head, trembling.

He had said her arm could be regenerated afterward, but…

“No! There must be someone else—another High Priest who can help without cutting my arm off…”

The Church wasn’t limited to this single temple.
There were five other High Temples scattered across the capital.
If she left the city and visited them one by one, surely, someone would be able to remove the cursed bracelet without amputation.

“Have you still not changed your mind?”

This time, the question was not directed at Susanna, but at the knights of House Leroy.

Only two had accompanied the Marquis into the underground at first, but more had since gathered, clearly waiting for his return.
Some among them looked uneasy, as if the High Priest’s words were starting to sway them—but the lead knight remained stoic.

He shook his head firmly.

“We follow the Marquis’s orders, no matter what.”

“Even if those orders put your lady’s life in danger?!”
The High Priest’s voice thundered in the chamber.

But the knight’s expression did not waver.
He glanced briefly at Susanna, but it was clear—his decision had already been made.

“This is not my decision to make. My duty is to follow the Marquis’s command.”

“So your own survival matters more than the lady’s safety…”

Time hadn’t completely run out yet. But if they continued to delay, Susanna’s destruction would be all but certain.
The Pope was already on his way, and unless something catastrophic occurred, the Demon King’s fragment would eventually be destroyed.

But that wouldn’t save Susanna’s life.

The High Priest had seen all he needed to from the knights.
If he attempted to defy the Marquis’s order, they would stop him—even if it cost someone their life.

“…Until the Marquis returns, I’ll focus on halting the corruption. Clerics, prepare the purification ritual.”

The ritual he could perform was nowhere near the level of what the Pope could do, but it would slow the spread of corruption—buying them some time.
He looked at Susanna with real sorrow in his eyes as he took his place at the center of the ritual circle.

The knights didn’t interfere.
They seemed willing to let the High Priest conduct the purification as long as it didn’t cross the line into amputation.

Soon, clerics and priestesses began forming lines around the chamber, drawing in divine power to begin the rite.

“This is no trivial errand. Protecting the Tower—and the world’s peace—starts here.”

Marcus watched as Charlize disappeared into the Empress’s wing, keeping a close eye from outside.
Inside the palace, guarding the princess too closely would only draw attention, so he kept his distance, hidden by concealment magic.

Given where they were, the security was decent.
Still, even while cloaked, he had already nearly been attacked eight times.

If he hadn’t been the Tower’s second-in-command, he might have been dragged off for questioning by now.

“Actually… would that have made any difference in this case?”

In any event, this wasn’t a task he could take lightly.
He was protecting the Tower Master’s only family—and his most dangerous weakness.

“Speaking of which… Why is he still lingering around?”

After the tea party, most of the noble ladies and their daughters had promptly made their way to their carriages.
Only one guest still lingered around the Empress’s quarters, aside from the Countess Alistair—who was in charge of helping run the event.

It was the fourth prince of Lushan and his attendants, loitering under the excuse of courtly courtesy.

Support