It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 48

At dawn, Valter ordered his knights to depart immediately. By all noble standards, he should have bid farewell to Charlize before leaving especially as she was a member of the royal family. Ignoring that basic courtesy was a blatant breach of etiquette.

When Charlize was informed of it later that morning, she didn’t even get angry. Somehow, she had a feeling Valter might do exactly that.

“Should I just make an official issue of it?”

Valter had always been the type to avoid anything that could stain his reputation. It should have pleased her to see him act so foolishly for once—but all she felt was mild annoyance. And that surprised her.

So I really do love someone else now.

That long, painful one-sided love was finally gone from her heart. If she said there hadn’t been a single sweet moment, she’d be lying—but overall, that affection had brought her nothing but pain.

And now, she felt no regret at all about letting it go.

“I thought maybe I’d feel something—regret, a trace of nostalgia…”

But perhaps it was because of the way Valter had shown his true nature—so ungraceful and small-minded in the end. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She might have looked back on their past as fond memories, if he had acted with dignity. But she had no desire to romanticize him now, nor force herself to understand or justify his actions.

Whether he had always been like that or not didn’t matter. The Valter that existed now was someone who tried to manipulate her… and possibly even someone who had tried to assassinate her brother.

“It’s time to stop thinking of Valter as if he’s the protagonist of this world. He’s nothing but a dangerous man now.”

Rebecca, by contrast, had been unusually quiet. Charlize had heard through the palace maids that Rebecca was now engaged to a nobleman often considered a “secondary male lead” type.

Now there were only about two weeks left until Charlize’s wedding to Achilles. She had made up her mind. She would marry him. She would continue to study magic—but she no longer doubted that he would protect her, never harm her.

“Ah… I should tell him.”

When magical energy intertwines between people, it’s sometimes possible to read parts of the other’s emotions and thoughts. Achilles seemed to be able to sense her feelings already, but she needed to explain clearly—just to be fair.

It didn’t sit right, reading him while he remained open and unaware.

After fully descending the mountain, Valter paused on the slope, staring up at the distant rooftop of the fortress nestled between the trees.

He tried to calm the storm in his chest.

Only the tip of the tallest spire was visible from here, but it was enough to make his jaw clench.

He tried to convince himself—Charlize must have treated him coldly because she was trapped in duty, bound by the Emperor’s command.

But all it did was make him angrier.

“How dare she speak to me that way!”

From the way she’d acted, he was convinced now—she had clearly shared a bed with the Tower Master. That thought alone made his blood boil.

If Achilles aimed for the throne, then he needed Charlize as his empress—and that made Valter’s rage uncontrollable.

He had known women before, but in his mind, Charlize had to remain pure. It was selfish. Hypocritical. But that was how he thought.

“I should never have let myself care for someone like you!”

A foolish, powerless girl parading her royal status—it was pathetic. And now she had the nerve to say she never loved him?

He should have let her confess, just so he could turn her down publicly and humiliate her.

“She doesn’t even know how much I held back.”

Ironically, the image of her—head held high, proud and confident—lingered vividly in his mind. And that infuriated him even more.

That dignity she showed as she put him in his place… it was maddening. But also unmistakably royal.

If only, back when she’d first tried to confess, he had stopped avoiding her and been honest—maybe things would have turned out differently.

“Too late now.”

The real problem was… there was no one who could replace her.

He couldn’t just kill off the entire royal family—the nobles wouldn’t accept it. The current Emperor hadn’t made any serious political missteps. If anything, the empire had flourished under his rule.

Multiple years of good harvests. No one starved, even during lean years. Foreign conflicts had been settled quietly and efficiently.

Both the people and the nobility were largely satisfied. Everyone expected the current royal line to continue that peace. To attack the imperial family now would cause more backlash than support.

“And it’s not like there’s anyone strong enough to do it in my place…”

Oscar wasn’t a fool. Neither was the Emperor. Even though a law limiting private armies hadn’t passed, it was nearly impossible to build up a hidden force under the imperial eye.

Valter had only managed to amass his current power by scraping together underground support and expanding his resources slowly over time.

But even with all that… it wasn’t enough. Overthrowing the imperial family was still out of reach. The most he could do was kill Oscar and try to push another heir forward.

“If I want the throne… I need Charlize.”

He needed to produce the next heir through her. That was the only way the bloodline would remain legitimate.

But even if he succeeded in marrying her, he would bring in concubines. He would shatter her pride—break her spirit.

“Let’s see how high and mighty you act once you’re mine.”

Valter turned his horse and sped down the path, the wind whipping past him. Even as he imagined trampling Charlize beneath his heel, the fury in his chest refused to fade.

Eliza divided the mages into two small groups. With only five of them in total, “teams” was a bit of a stretch—but it was necessary.

Two mages stayed behind to monitor those hiding within the village. The rest, including Eliza, watched the ones scattered around the forest near the fortress.

When the Duke of Bianchi’s knights had arrived, the suspicious figures had retreated far into the trees. But the moment the knights descended the mountain again, two days later, the strangers began moving.

Surprisingly, they didn’t head toward the fortress where the princess stayed. Instead, they climbed deeper into the mountains, as if searching for something.

What are they looking for?

Eliza, who had joined the tracking team following the mountain group, furrowed her brows. The strangers held magical devices shaped like compasses and used them to adjust their course again and again.

From time to time, they sprayed themselves with a strange perfume to mask their scent.

It must be a scent ward—probably used to avoid monsters or tracking magic.

Where they got such a concoction—or whether they made it themselves—Eliza didn’t know, but she was itching to find out. If she could catch one of them, she’d force the answers out herself.

Just give me one reason…

The other mages observing the group had that same sharp glint in their eyes. Clearly, Eliza wasn’t the only one thinking that way. She clicked her tongue in annoyance—so many rivals, and so little time.

Like the others, Eliza had transformed into a magpie and perched high in the trees, watching from a thick branch.

“What do you think they’re after?” one of the mages whispered.

“The Ice Nac? Didn’t we wipe those out already?”

“Maybe. But there’s more than one kind of monster in these mountains. They’re probably hunting something else.”

The three exchanged glances. A monster, then? That would explain why the group avoided towns and wandered through all the right areas—places that drew out magical creatures, not herb gatherers.

In Ailbbern, only two things were worth this kind of effort: rare herbs and monsters.

It was suspicious, yes—but not illegal. Hunting magical beasts didn’t require permission. So for now, they could only watch.

After several hours of observation, Eliza and the other two quietly scattered. Birds rarely stayed still in one spot for that long—if they lingered too long, they’d draw suspicion. It was time to move.

I forgot about the wedding dress fitting.

Charlize sighed quietly as she ended the crystal communication with the imperial palace. She had been so focused on training and preparing with Achilles that she’d completely forgotten about the final fitting.

The Empress, of course, had not.

“—Your wedding is just around the corner, and you’re off on some honeymoon?”

“—Your Majesty, it’s not a honeymoon. The Tower Master only brought me here to help prepare the wedding gifts…”

“—You really think I don’t know you two planned this? His Majesty is only turning a blind eye because the Tower Master saved the Crown Prince!”

So that’s what this is really about…

Charlize had thought the Emperor sent her away in case her heart was wavering—maybe even to test her feelings. But it seemed there were other motives as well. She glanced at the Emperor through the crystal and noticed he quickly looked away.

“Charlize, you must return at least a week before the wedding. It’s your wedding, after all.”

“Yes, I understand. But…”

After some hesitation, she told them about Valter’s visit. Both the Empress and Emperor were visibly shocked.

“The Duke of Bianchi? He brought knights with him all the way up there?”

Oscar’s expression darkened immediately. He clearly wanted to make sure neither Charlize nor the Tower Master had been threatened. Even just arriving without notice would have caused a scandal—but bringing a whole order of knights? It looked far too deliberate.

“He didn’t stay long,” Charlize said calmly. “Just one night outside the fortress, then he left.”

“You did give him permission to come, didn’t you?” the Emperor asked sharply.

Charlize’s expression hardened. Gone were the days she’d make excuses for Valter. She remained silent.

The Emperor’s face turned red with fury. To set up camp outside a royal residence without invitation and leave without proper courtesy—it was outrageous.

“He dares to treat the royal family this way? What does he think we are? No one acts like that unless they harbor ambition!”

Charlize didn’t speak. Once, she might’ve defended Valter. But not anymore.

The Empress looked equally displeased. She had been suspicious ever since Oscar had been cursed—and now, it seemed Valter’s behavior confirmed her fears.

“We must summon the Duke of Bianchi immediately. I want to hear his excuse myself!”

Oscar gently interrupted, urging everyone to end the call for now. He told Charlize they would talk more next time.

As the crystal communication faded, Charlize turned to Achilles.

“Let’s go to our lesson.”

He offered his hand to her. She smiled and placed hers gently in his.

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