It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 120

CRACK!

A fallen mid-rank demon’s heart was crushed under the foot of the high-rank demon, Ludiana. Now bloodied and worn down, Ludiana scanned her surroundings, looking for the princess.

Still under Giel’s illusion spell, she lashed out at thin air, swinging her limbs and tentacles at things that didn’t exist. Sophia glanced at Giel with concern.

“Is it safe to leave her like that? What if she realizes we’re here…?”

“For now, it’s fine,” Giel replied calmly.

As a mage, Charlize could see it—Giel’s magic surrounded the high-ranking demon like chains. A pale yellow light, typical of mental spells, wrapped around Ludiana’s head and heart, pressing down with constant pressure.

It wasn’t clear whether Ludiana had sensed something off or if it was simply a natural resistance, but the illusion was showing signs of weakening—cracking, then quickly repairing itself again.

As long as Giel can maintain his magic, she’ll stay like that, Charlize thought.

She turned her gaze toward the battle between the divine warrior and the other high-ranking demon. That fight seemed to be nearing its end as well.

WAAAHHHH!

Cheers erupted from afar like a crashing wave. From the sound of it, they were coming from the north. The moment people realized what it meant, their expressions brightened.

Charlize and Giel turned their heads toward the source. Suddenly, the high-ranking demon that had been thrashing its limbs around began to disintegrate. Its head and chest were devoured by something invisible, and then the massive body slammed to the ground with a dull thud.

“The Tower Master has arrived,” Giel said, bowing his head first.

Achilles slowly descended. The first thing he did was check on Charlize, then scan the Empress and the state of the palace.

“…You’ve done well.”

He walked past Giel and approached Charlize. The Empress breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his calm face. If Achilles had flown here without issue, it meant the northern wall—and the Emperor with it—were safe.

Giel, meanwhile, was sweating inwardly. The Tower Master seemed to assume the destruction in the palace was the aftermath of his battle with the demons.

If he finds out the princess had to flee the palace during the fight…

There was no easy way to hide it. He couldn’t just ask the princess to lie for him.

I’ll have to confess… once things have settled down.

At that moment, the high-ranking demon battling the divine warrior on the palace road was beheaded. Its heart was then pierced by the royal knights. With that, it too was dead.

Giel looked toward the east, west, and south walls of the capital, silently praying that they had held as well. Achilles was already walking with the Empress and Charlize, returning to the Inner Palace.

The capital had survived. Especially at the northern wall, there had been almost no casualties—a near-miracle. Injuries were limited to the troops stationed at the other walls. The greatest losses had been at the Grand Temple, where many cleric soldiers, knights, priests, and priestesses had died in the battle with the demons.

The palace had also suffered, though not severely. There were deaths—one knight and several soldiers were killed when a mid-rank demon broke into the Inner Palace.

But considering six demons had invaded, the loss was minimal. And yet, Giel couldn’t feel pleased. Nor could Aisha, who had defended the western wall.

No matter how few, lives had still been lost. Death isn’t measured by numbers. Each life lost is a tragedy. All they could feel now was sorrow for the people they couldn’t protect.

Still, to the citizens, the outcome was a relief. Since the damage had been limited to the palace and the Grand Temple, the general public saw it as a victory. They had been startled by the sudden evacuation—but comforted by how quickly the battle ended.

The northern fields were now littered with piles of demon and monster corpses. To the people, this was a clear, unforgettable symbol of triumph.

And so, the streets were already buzzing with celebration.

Cleaning up the corpses was a task left to regular soldiers. The people, meanwhile, looked forward to the royal wedding between the Princess and the Tower Master, scheduled for the next day.

The Emperor, however, was still hesitant.

Should the ceremony really be held as planned…?

Even if the number was small, lives had been lost only two days ago. Though many of the dead were part of an underground smuggling group responsible for the tunnel infiltration, the church had taken the biggest hit.

More than half of those guarding the Grand Temple had been killed by demons. The knights assigned by the Emperor had fought bravely—but they were badly outnumbered.

Had the demons not focused on stealing the “Fragment of the Demon King,” and had Aisha not led her mages to reinforce the temple… the Emperor’s elite knight division might have been completely wiped out.

“I heard even the High Priest who was supposed to officiate the ceremony was seriously injured.”

Though he could still walk, it was far from an ideal situation. The wedding could technically proceed as scheduled, but it wouldn’t look good. Arms crossed, the Emperor fell into thought.

“Given all this, it’s better to delay the marriage. As long as the Demon King’s fragment remains in the capital, there’s always a chance of another attack. Letting the Tower Master leave the city right now would be reckless.”

Still, forcibly keeping Achilles here wasn’t ideal either. The Empire couldn’t rely on the Tower Master forever. The whole reason for arranging the marriage with the princess was to keep him close—he was never meant to be someone the Emperor depended on personally.

Achilles was, by nature, a man who followed his own will. Even with the princess as leverage, controlling someone like the Tower Master had its limits.

“In ten days… the Holy Pope will arrive in the capital.”

The Holy Pope had sent word—through the High Priest—that she would come to honor the fallen who had protected the fragment of the Demon King. The Emperor hoped she might also offer her blessing at the wedding.

After all, it had been Achilles who contributed most to the battle. No one could deny he was the one who had obliterated the demonic forces approaching from the north.

The issue now was how to keep Achilles in the capital until then. The Emperor drafted a new agenda: postpone the wedding and tie it to the Victory Celebration Festival instead. He planned to discuss it with his council soon.

“What is the Tower Master doing?” the Emperor asked a waiting servant.

“He entered the princess’s palace with Her Highness and has not come out since,” the servant replied, bowing deeply. “All the maids have been dismissed from the room, and the door appears sealed with magic. No one has been able to enter.”

“Hmph…”

The Emperor let out a low sigh. He had figured as much—that Achilles and the princess were sharing a bed. It stung a little, but it couldn’t be helped.

“The wedding was supposed to be held tomorrow anyway. I suppose I can’t blame him.”

“When the Tower Master awakens, inform me immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the servant replied, bowing again.

Achilles had fallen asleep the moment he entered the bedroom with Charlize. He had cast a powerful barrier over the entire space, preventing anyone from entering or disturbing them.

Watching him collapse onto the bed and drift into sleep, Charlize felt a surge of guilt and gratitude.

“He must be exhausted… I heard he single-handedly wiped out all the monsters and demons in the northern region.”

Some people would blame their engagement for the demonic attack, saying it all started because the Tower Master was aligned with the imperial family—but Charlize didn’t believe that.

Demons had always targeted humans. Their cruelty wasn’t new, and blaming Achilles was just an excuse.

“Demons take pleasure in pain and devour human souls.”

If it hadn’t been here, they would have struck somewhere else, hurting someone else. In her eyes, the fact that Achilles had destroyed so many demons meant he had saved lives.

“And what did I do?”

She had only run away—barely escaping the demons that had breached the palace. While she technically helped anchor the Tower Master to the capital, she couldn’t help but compare herself to those who actually fought—like the Emperor, or even Oscar.

“Magic isn’t simple. Just because I have some talent doesn’t mean I should rush off to battle.”

She hadn’t even studied magic for that long. Thinking she could fight on a battlefield was naive. Charlize shook her head and looked at Achilles. He was still wearing his battle attire, yet there wasn’t a speck of dust on him.

She was reminded, once again, of how incredibly powerful he was.

“His clothes are clean. Is it because he’s a mage? …If the northern soldiers are unharmed, he must’ve used large-scale magic to wipe them out all at once.”

She hadn’t heard the full details yet, but she could guess. Achilles never spoke about his battles unless asked directly.

Lying down beside him, Charlize gently closed her eyes. She decided it wouldn’t be so bad to stay like this, just until he woke up.

“I want to hold him… But would that wake him up? He must be tired. Maybe I shouldn’t.”

She hesitated, sneaking a glance at him—only to meet his eyes.

Just as she blinked in surprise, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

“Hold me… until I wake up,” he murmured, half-asleep.

Her heart warmed at the sound of his sleepy voice. Smiling softly, Charlize wrapped her arms around his waist and drifted into sleep by his side.

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