It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 110

Earlier, it had seemed like the Fourth Prince of Lushan was leaving with the rest of the guests. But now, it looked like he had returned.

Marcus narrowed his eyes.
He had witnessed the prince’s defeat at the hands of the Tower Master from a distance, and he knew well enough this was not the kind of man to accept losing gracefully.

“Could he be here to provoke the princess?”

But from what Marcus could observe, there didn’t seem to be any hostility.
If anything, it looked like Lulu, the deer spirit, was the one picking the fight.
That had forced the princess to apologize multiple times.

“Is it revenge against Lulu, then? …He did strike me as someone who holds grudges.”

While considering his next move, Marcus noticed someone approaching from a distance and quickly shifted position.
If he got caught watching the Lushan prince instead of guarding the princess, it could cause unnecessary trouble.

Prince Ryuhan, who had been waiting outside the Empress’s residence for Charlize to reappear, also spotted Achilles approaching—and stiffened.

“T-The Tower Master…”

He stood tall, fixing his gaze on Achilles with forced confidence— But Achilles walked right past him without so much as a glance.

Only one mage walking behind Achilles gave a brief bow, as if saying “I expected this,” and quickly followed after his master.

Ryuhan was left standing there, frozen, as if he’d just been slapped in public.
His attendants and guards looked equally flustered.

“……”

“Y-Your Highness! Should I go confront him? How dare he walk past the Fourth Prince of Lushan without so much as a greeting!”

“Leave it.”

“Pardon?”

The attendant glanced nervously at Ryuhan, trying to read his expression.
But Ryuhan simply tilted his head to one side, brushing it off.

“Just think of him like Chunryeo. Didn’t he throw me off his mountain more than once, even knowing I’m a prince?”

“W-Well… that’s true, but still…”

“Don’t mistake the Tower Master for just another noble of this empire. He’s reached the same level as Chunryeo. I may not respect magic, but when it comes to him—he defeated me.”

Just recalling the humiliating defeat from a few days ago made his lips tighten.
It had been a forced surrender, but a surrender nonetheless.

“…He won. So I have no choice but to acknowledge his strength.”

His words sounded noble enough—
But his clenched jaw and barely hidden scowl made it clear he hated saying them.

Still, his attendant was deeply moved.

“His Highness actually admitted defeat…? Surely tomorrow the sun will rise in the west.”

“Let’s go. I’ve wasted enough time here.”

With a sharp turn, Ryuhan headed back toward the Lushan delegation’s residence.
His attendant let out a quiet sigh of relief.
If Ryuhan had insisted on confronting the Tower Master, things could have gotten dangerous.

“He’s maturing a little… finally.”

“Why are you dragging your feet? Keep up with me!”

“…Okay, maybe just a little.
Startled by the scolding, the attendant rushed after him.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“The palace feels tense today,” Shanli muttered, adjusting her monocle.

She was a member of Lushan’s delegation, in charge of managing the wedding gifts prepared for the imperial princess.

Of course, that wasn’t her only mission.
Lushan was eager to expand trade with the Raidenbach Empire, and she had been ordered to conduct market research as well.

Because of this, their delegation planned to remain in the capital for another two to four weeks after the wedding.

“Does it? I haven’t noticed anything unusual,” Hanho replied, glancing briefly at the soldiers on patrol.

None of them looked particularly tense or on edge.
And since they patrolled away from the inner palace, it was rare for the Lushan delegation to cross paths with them at all.

Still, Shanli felt something was off.
There was a subtle energy in the air—something that reminded her of soldiers fresh from battle.

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

Having grown up near the borderlands of Lushan, she was familiar with this kind of atmosphere.
But for Hanho—though a distant relative of the royal family—such nuance was likely lost.
He came from a fairly privileged and sheltered noble family.

When he’d first been assigned to her team, she had worried he might be arrogant.
But instead, he had been easygoing, even admitting that he had no interest in promotions or political entanglements.

“Let’s hope it has nothing to do with our prince.”

“It probably doesn’t. Wasn’t the Tower Master’s duel with His Highness just two days ago?”

She shivered slightly at the memory of how angry Ryuhan had been afterward.

They all wanted to believe that the incident was just a matter of personal pride.
But the reality was—Ryuhan was still a prince of Lushan. His actions couldn’t be separated from his homeland.

“If Cheonhwa were here, he might’ve taken care of that rude man in an instant… but there’s no way he’d come down from Mount Cheonhwa over something like this.”

“In any case, let’s get out of here before we get dragged into something troublesome.”

They were only lower-level officials.
Now that they’d delivered their gifts to the princess and the Tower Master, their ceremonial duties were done—they were expected to assist with market research next.

Originally, they were supposed to head into the city for research before lunchtime.
But after being handed another task by a higher official, they were running behind schedule.

“We’ve still got time… so it should be fine.”

After boarding the carriage with Hanho, they gave the driver their destination.
Traveling by carriage within the palace grounds was an unusual experience.
In Lushan, even large palaces rarely required carriages for movement.

Only high-ranking officials were allowed to use palanquins, and both mid- and low-ranking ones had to walk everywhere.

This carriage had been provided by the Radenvach royal household specifically for the Lushan delegation.

Just as they were about to ask the driver to pick up the pace a bit, another carriage thundered into the palace at full speed.

Rumble rumble—!

“What’s going on?!”

“Isn’t that an Ista Order carriage?”

Within palace grounds, carriages rarely moved at high speeds unless it was an emergency.
That rule held even in the Radenvach Empire.

Shanli and Hanho stared in surprise as the temple’s carriage roared past, making its way directly toward the Imperial Palace.

“The High Priest said to move without hesitation!”

They had chosen to ride in a temple carriage instead of one from House Leroy because it was faster.
The Ista Order had emergency identification that allowed them to bypass certain palace protocols when time was of the essence.

This identification was only used when a high-ranking priest had to be rushed into the palace—typically for a medical crisis involving someone in the royal family.

Using it for this situation should have been unthinkable.
But the High Priest had ordered it himself, saying that saving a life was reason enough.

Now riding in that very carriage, Marquis Leroy sat stiffly, unsure what to make of the situation.
Seeing how confident the temple clerics were, a nagging fear crept into his mind—
Had he made a mistake?

The driver brought the carriage to a clean stop at the palace steps.
Though the royal attendants weren’t sure what was happening, the Ista insignia was enough to make them act.
Assuming a royal medical emergency, they quickly opened the door.

A high-ranking cleric was the first to step out, presenting the emergency credential and leading the way forward without delay.

“So it really is possible to reach the Emperor this quickly…”

Marquis Leroy had underestimated the influence of the High Priest.
Watching the cleric stride confidently ahead, he followed, a nervous weight in his chest.

The longer they walked, the more unsettled he felt.
The priest’s expression, his attitude—everything seemed to say, you made the wrong choice.

“…There are no reports of critically ill royals. Why are you using this pass?”

Though the initial steps had been bypassed, accessing the Emperor’s audience chamber still required clearance.
One of the Emperor’s personal attendants blocked their path.

The high priest stepped closer and whispered something into the attendant’s ear.
The man’s expression immediately changed—he looked shocked.

“Please wait a moment while I inform His Majesty.”

The attendant hurried inside, leaving Marquis Leroy standing frozen.
His face grew pale.

Hope wasn’t completely gone, but the sense of urgency told him what he didn’t want to admit:
His daughter might actually lose her arm.

The attendant returned in under twenty minutes, rushing.

“His Majesty grants the audience. He said to hurry—go now!”

“What…?”

Marquis Leroy could hardly believe what he’d heard.
But the priest had already grabbed him by the arm and was pulling him forward.

He stumbled after him, barely avoiding a fall.

From that checkpoint to the Emperor’s chamber was a considerable distance.
But with official permission to run within the palace—a rare allowance—they made it there faster than expected.

Inside, the Emperor sat upon his throne.

To his side stood the Crown Prince, several officials, and court mages.
Stacks of documents lay neatly arranged, showing that he had been in the middle of state affairs.

As soon as Marquis Leroy saw the Emperor’s face, he realized it instantly— He was furious.

“Your Maj—”

“The High Priest spoke the truth. I told them the temple’s carriage might be too slow, so I had them prepare the fastest messenger team. Now, sign this!”

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