It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 122

“You’ve arrived, Tower Master.”

“I greet the radiant sun of the Empire, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor gestured him closer, then dismissed all remaining attendants and guards from the audience chamber. As the last servant quietly shut the door, the Emperor sighed deeply.

“There’s something we need to discuss.”

Tower Master Achilles, despite having just spent the night in the Princess’s private chambers, looked completely composed. That alone irritated the Emperor but he set the feeling aside and got straight to the point.

“…Therefore, we’ve decided your wedding with the princess will take place ten days from now, during the Victory Commemoration.”

“I was under the impression the capital didn’t suffer much damage,” Achilles said plainly.

“That may be true for the palace,” the Emperor replied. “But not for the Grand Temple. With so many lives lost there, it wouldn’t be right to hold a wedding immediately. I doubt the princess would feel at peace either. Consider her feelings.”

“Does the princess know about this yet?”

“Not yet. But even if she did, she wouldn’t object. She was the one who feared a demon attack on the wedding day, remember? She even suggested calling off the ceremony.”

In fact, Charlize had privately approached the Emperor with an idea. She suggested faking an elopement—claiming she had seduced Achilles and convinced him to leave early for a honeymoon. She knew she would be criticized, but she believed it was worth it if it ensured the foreign guests’ safety.

The Emperor had refused. He couldn’t allow a vague possibility to tarnish the Empire’s reputation. The marriage itself was a symbolic display of the Empire’s power.

“……”

“The Holy Pope will also be attending the ceremony. She has offered to bless your marriage during the Victory Commemoration. Surely that’s good news.”

Though the Emperor made it sound like the Pope’s idea, Achilles was certain it had been requested from the imperial side. After all, the Empire had stepped in to help protect the Fragment of the Demon King, which the Ista Church was originally responsible for. It wasn’t unreasonable to expect the Church to return the favor.

“In that case… I’d like the princess to stay at the Tower until then.”

“What do you mean, stay at the Tower?”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes. Was Achilles simply asking for Charlize to stay with him in the Tower? Or was there more behind the request?

“I plan to pursue something. I’d feel better knowing the princess is safe in the Tower while I do.”

Oscar’s eyes widened in surprise. The Emperor’s expression stiffened slightly. They had both believed the danger was over now that the demons had been defeated.

“Why so suddenly? Weren’t all the demons involved in the assault wiped out?”

“What concerns me is that Valter Bianchi disappeared alongside the demons—and then the attack happened. If you grant me a week, I’ll track them down and return.”

There was no way this had been random. News of the upcoming wedding between the Tower Master and the princess had already spread across the Empire. Most demons feared Achilles and avoided the capital entirely.

Could a demon bent on revenge have seen this as a rare opportunity to strike? Perhaps, but even that was unlikely. A decade ago, there had been such attempts—but only briefly.

After Achilles had taken over the Tower, he’d hunted demons so relentlessly that tens of thousands were wiped out. During his first few years, it was said he had nearly erased the demon race from the continent.

Everyone had expected retaliation—that demons might go after his followers, his students, or even their families. But no such revenge ever came.

Is it only now he’s realized how many demons had been hiding in the shadows?

Maybe he suspected there was a central figure uniting the demons. Or perhaps someone was summoning them from the shadows.

Even after decades of systematic extermination, hundreds of demons had gathered just a few hours outside the capital. It wasn’t a coincidence.

If I approve this, Achilles will use it as an excuse to lock Charlize away in the Tower.

The Emperor was sure of it. He knew Achilles’s character well. Though he claimed it was for “protection,” it sounded more like a quiet way of imprisoning the princess—regardless of her will.

“I understand your concern,” the Emperor said. “But I won’t allow the princess to be sent to the Tower without her fiancé.”

Despite the firm refusal, Achilles didn’t flinch. His gaze remained calm, unwavering. The threat had been real, and allowing such a force to move unchallenged would be dangerous.

But this was a delicate moment.

“The Demon King’s fragment is still in the capital. Until the Pope arrives and destroys it, you are to stay in the city. I assume I’ve made myself clear. You may leave.”

Achilles said nothing more and silently exited the audience chamber.

“Even after I become Emperor, will I still have to tiptoe around my own son-in-law?”

The Emperor couldn’t shake the memory of what he had seen from the northern wall. Storms crashing down across the vast northern plains, lightning splitting the sky, the ground trembling beneath their feet—it was a sight he wouldn’t forget for the rest of his life.

He had approved Charlize’s marriage to Achilles because of his remarkable talent, but he hadn’t realized he was that powerful.

“A man like that can never fully belong to me.”

Luckily, he’d taken a liking to Charlize. That made her a sort of leash. The Emperor would have to settle for occasionally asking favors, rather than commanding him. If he ever pulled too hard, that leash could snap—or worse, the beast might turn around and sink its teeth into him.

Watching Achilles leave without even offering a reply made Oscar uneasy.

“Do you think he’ll go along with our decision?” he asked.

“We’ve only postponed it ten days,” the Emperor replied. “He cares deeply for Charlize. He’ll comply for her sake.”

In the worst-case scenario, even if Achilles left with Charlize, the Empire couldn’t afford to complain.

As much as he hated to admit it, there was a clear difference in power. Anyone who had witnessed the magic Achilles unleashed yesterday would understand: only fools or ignorant children would dare oppose him.

“I’ll speak to the princess myself,” the Emperor added. “Who knows how Achilles will explain things.”

Oscar nodded silently, but deep down, he had a bad feeling—like things wouldn’t end here.

When Charlize heard from Achilles that the wedding had been postponed by ten days, she let out a sigh. She wasn’t surprised.

“With everything that happened, it would be hard to hold a ceremony just two days later.”

Even if the physical damage to the capital had been minimal, blood had been spilled. Those who lost their lives deserved at least a proper mourning.

At the same time, those who had defended the city couldn’t go unrewarded. They deserved recognition.

“It looks like the Emperor plans to use the wedding as a way to reward Achilles for his role in the battle…”

Though the marriage was already a reward for his past contributions, it also made Achilles a grand duke. That alone was more than most ever received. Delaying the wedding likely had more to do with managing appearances than the reward itself.

But to Achilles, things like noble titles didn’t matter. He might not care about the delay—but he might be irritated by the politics behind it.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

“There’s no need for you to apologize, Your Highness.”

“But it’s because of this country that our wedding was delayed. I should be the one to apologize. All those unfamiliar guests… it was the Emperor’s insistence to invite them, wasn’t it?”

The Empress had objected, arguing the schedule was too rushed. After what had happened, nobles and royals from other nations were likely sending people to check if their sons or daughters had survived the incident.

“I accept the delay—it couldn’t be helped. But in the meantime, I’d like you to stay at the Tower.”

“The Tower…? Why?”

Surely it wasn’t just to make it easier to sneak into her bedroom—he’d already visited her nightly. And last night, he’d openly fallen asleep in her bed.

Nothing had happened between them—but if she had been uncomfortable with that, she should’ve spoken up earlier.

“For your safety,” Achilles said. “During those ten days, I plan to find and eliminate whoever sent the demons to the capital.”

Charlize’s eyes widened. Her lips parted slightly, and a dozen thoughts ran through her mind—but Achilles quickly cut them off with his presence.

“Didn’t that demon die along with the others yesterday?” she asked.

“Probably. But I want to be certain.”

“You’re not going after Valter Bianchi and the demon he made a contract with?”

“……”

He hadn’t told the Emperor yet, but his only lead to track Valter was gone. That morning, Aisha had informed him that the object she used to follow Valter had mysteriously ignited and burned to ash.

Achilles suspected the demon Valter was working with had destroyed it.

Charlize reached out and gently cupped Achilles’s face in her hands.

“You might not find them in ten days. Or worse—you could get hurt trying to rush it. Is it really something that has to be done right now?”

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