It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 40

“Wedding gifts?”

“Three Ice Nac hearts.”

The Ice Nac was a massive serpent native to the northern region. During the coldest part of winter, it would slither down to villages and prey on children, so it had to be dealt with in advance. But hunting it wasn’t easy.

On the other hand, the Ice Nac’s heart was a rare and valuable mana stone, glowing with a transparent blue light. Because of its high mana purity, it was a favorite material among mages for crafting powerful magical tools.

One of the nearby officials sent a worried glance, clearly thinking this was too dangerous.
But Achilles didn’t so much as blink—he simply bowed his head.

“Understood.”

“Then, for the departure…”

“I’ll be taking Her Highness immediately.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened at Achilles’s prompt reply.

“Wait—immediately?!”

But Achilles was already on his way out the window.
In a flash of magic, he vanished. The startled official took a step forward.

“Ice Nacs are incredibly dangerous. Isn’t this too risky? What if the Tower Master is seriously injured right before the wedding…?”

“The Tower Master is not just anyone. That won’t happen.”

After all, this was the same man the Emperor would trust to hunt dragons without hesitation.
He couldn’t even picture Achilles getting injured.

“But more importantly—you. You’ve just overheard a conversation you weren’t supposed to hear.”

“Ah—I-I swear I’ll never speak of it to anyone!”

The official stammered, but the Emperor’s gaze narrowed.

He knew the man had a decent character, but even so, he couldn’t afford a single rumor about the princess to get out.

‘Though I suppose it can’t be helped if he’s traveling with them…’

“I trust your loyalty. Now, go with my aide to the court mage.”

He intended to have a spell cast—one that would prevent the official from speaking about what he’d heard.
The official, relieved, followed the aide out of the room.

The Emperor hadn’t really wanted to approve this trip, but Valter still lingered in his thoughts.
At the Empress’s request, Valter had been released from house arrest, and though he hadn’t made any bold moves yet, the Emperor couldn’t shake the worry that he might try to sway Charlize again.

In that sense, this journey with Achilles might actually be for the best.

‘I’ve allowed it, but I still don’t feel great about it. Still… it’s Achilles. The Tower Master isn’t the type to act carelessly. Nothing will happen between them.’

And even if something did happen—they were already engaged.
Trying to ease his nerves, the Emperor called for his attendants and ordered a fresh cup of tea.

Achilles returned in a flash to the inner chamber where Charlize was waiting.
The swirl of magic light condensed into the shape of a handsome man, and the maids gasped as they pressed hands to their startled hearts.

“Achilles?”

“I received His Majesty’s permission.”

…He actually got permission?

“W-What did you even say to him?”

“I explained that you were feeling uncertain about our marriage and that I needed to take you somewhere outside the palace to reassure you.”

That alone shouldn’t have been enough to convince the Emperor.
Charlize felt something else was going on—but still, the fact remained: Achilles had received the green light.

“If we fly there with magic, we’ll arrive in less than an hour.”

“W-Wait! I haven’t even packed yet!”

“You hardly wear any—”

“Aaaaah!!”

Panicked, Charlize slapped a hand over Achilles’s mouth before he could say anything further.
Thankfully, the maids had only heard up to “hardly,” and hadn’t caught the word that followed.

Still holding his mouth shut, Charlize glared at him with a deadly expression.

“Achilles. Have you already forgotten our promise?”

“I remember.”

He’d almost said that even if the maids knew they were involved, no one would connect it to magic lessons.
But on second thought, it was probably better not to say anything at all.

“There may be people managing the northern estate, but it’ll be uncomfortable if it’s just the two of us. The palace staff needs time to prepare too.”

“I’ll attend to Your Highness myself. After all—”

Charlize widened her eyes, sensing another dangerous sentence coming. Achilles quickly adjusted his wording.

“I can take care of everything. You just need to bring yourself.”

She wasn’t convinced he was actually capable of serving her properly—but she did remember how her room had been perfectly clean without a trace… or how she’d woken up freshly bathed once without lifting a finger.

‘He probably used magic for that too…’

Though still suspicious, Charlize placed her hand on his outstretched palm.

“If this turns out to be uncomfortable, I’m blaming you.”

“That won’t happen.”

Achilles spoke with absolute confidence, then wrapped his arms around her.
In an instant, the two of them turned into radiant light and vanished through the window.

“What did you say?”

Caught up with cleaning up the Crown Prince’s attempted assassination case, Valter hadn’t been keeping a close eye on the princess’s palace. So, when he heard that Charlize had left on a trip—and not alone, but with the Tower Master—he was shocked.

The attendant delivering the news was drenched in cold sweat.

“His Majesty requested three Ice Nac hearts as part of the wedding dowry. Her Highness is accompanying the Tower Master to guide him.”

Ice Nac hearts were, in fact, rare and valuable.
At the Lacna Auction, they often sold for the highest price of the day.

But these two were engaged.
It was hard to believe nothing would happen between them.

‘No… It’s Charlize we’re talking about. And that man—he’s too cold, too blunt to know how to properly seduce a woman.’

Valter knew that Charlize had never been in a relationship before—too fixated on her unrequited love for him. Unlike her, he’d had the freedom to meet and flirt with any lady or noblewoman he desired.

‘Innocent Charlize probably panicked just from a simple kiss. And that temperamental Tower Master—he likely got frustrated and blamed her for not cooperating.’

Still, no man would feel pleased knowing a woman he once considered “his” had gone off traveling with another man.
Valter scowled, annoyed… until he realized this might actually be the chance he’d been waiting for.

Charlize had left the safety of the palace and gone to the northern estate.
If she were kidnapped there, all responsibility would fall on the Tower Master for failing to protect her.

All Valter had to do was use the opportunity to take her away.
Even the Tower Master was human—there would be a moment where she’d be left alone, especially if the right trap was set.

‘Time to make a plan.’

With his mind made up, Valter stood from his seat immediately.
Achilles had supposedly flown straight to the northern estate with teleportation magic. That meant it would take time for them to get settled—and more time for him to arrive by conventional means.

He didn’t like the thought of Charlize being stuck with the Tower Master until then, but…

‘That’s her fault—for not putting up a stronger fight when Father arranged this marriage.’

Far in the northern reaches of the Empire, nestled halfway up the snow-covered peaks of Ailvbern—often called the “Ice Mountain”—stood the princess’s private estate.

Snow fell there year-round. Other than the caretakers, no one visited such a secluded place.

So, when a burst of light suddenly landed in the courtyard, the estate guards were startled.

“Who goes there?!”

Soldiers and knights alike drew their weapons and surrounded the glow—
But when the light faded, a familiar figure appeared.

“Your Highness!”

“Princess Charlize?! What brings you here…?”

Amid their shocked confusion, Charlize calmly introduced Achilles and explained that they had arrived using his magic.

The caretakers, having received no prior notice of the princess’s arrival, were utterly panicked.

“W-We’ll get things ready right away, Your Highness! Just give us a moment!”

“No need. I can handle it.”

The one who calmed the frantic staff was none other than Achilles himself.
Apparently deciding that showing them was faster than explaining, he waved his hand—and in an instant, all the snow piled in the courtyard and garden vanished with a gentle sweep of magic.

“W-What…?!”

“The snow—it’s gone!”

“As you can see, all we need is food.”

Charlize reassured the staff, guiding them as she and Achilles entered the estate.
Aside from the living quarters, the rest of the building seemed to be in the process of being cleaned and restored just enough to make it livable.

Achilles casually cast a spell that gathered all the dust in the manor into a single pile.

‘Are all mages this good at cleaning…?’

While Charlize silently observed, Achilles finished cleaning the entire estate in under 30 minutes.
She then led him upstairs.

“The magic training room is over that way. It’d be best for you to use this room here as your bedroom.”

This estate had been a gift from her grandfather, the late Emperor.
He had remembered her once saying how much she loved the snow and gave her this secluded manor far from any towns or cities.

It held no political value, so it had been considered an ideal gift for a royal family member.

“You’ll be using a room here too, won’t you?”

“My bedroom is on a different floor, of course! We can’t let the staff get the wrong idea—we’re not married yet!”

“Then we should restrict access to this wing altogether.”

“Restrict access… with what?”

As Charlize trailed off, a magic circle appeared on the floor.
From it, five wooden dolls wearing mage robes rose up—and she shrieked.

“Wh-What are those?!”

“Automaton servants. Mages use them in place of human attendants.”

The magic circle faded from view.
Achilles approached each wooden doll and gently tapped the center of its forehead.

Each automaton instantly shifted, transforming into humanoid figures with eerily lifelike forms.
The only issue? All five had the same blank expression—and they looked even more emotionless than Achilles.

“Please give us your command, Master.”

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