It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 60

Achilles stepped out of the room after confirming that Charlize had fallen asleep. His automatons, armed and alert, stood guard both inside and outside the bedroom.

“Tower Master.”

One of Giel’s disciples was waiting just outside and promptly led him to a storage room in the lower levels of the castle.

Since the northern castle had been built as a retreat, it didn’t have a dungeon. The underground levels were made up entirely of storerooms and supply areas. Fortunately, there were plenty of abandoned rooms—perfect for repurposing as interrogation chambers.

“You’re here.”

Giel greeted him with a weary expression. Achilles didn’t spare a glance at the half-conscious, worn-out Lewein. His focus was on Giel.

“What did you find out?”

“Just as you suspected. The one behind the princess’s kidnapping attempt was Valter Bianchi. It was him.”

Lewein held a high-ranking position in one of Valter’s two secret organizations. Though the groups were similar in nature, they functioned differently and operated in the shadows.

One was Black Heart, a gathering of assassins and criminals.

Rumored to exist in the slums and back alleys, Black Heart had once dared to reach into the Mage Tower’s affairs—only to be crushed and sent retreating. Achilles had dismissed them as insignificant at the time, only allowing a few of his mages to track them down for training.

They’d managed to destroy a few scattered cells but uncovered nothing deeper.

“This man isn’t part of Black Heart. Maybe because this mission couldn’t be handled covertly, Valter used both groups.”

“And the other?”

Lewein was the commander of the Crows, Valter’s private army. The Crows were made up of four knight orders and operated outside the knowledge of Duke Bianchi himself. These weren’t just elite troops—they were Valter’s personal weapon.

“These knights weren’t even known to the Duke. It seems the young lord has been using them to pursue his own ambitions, or to manipulate political situations in favor of the Bianchi house.”

Lewein was the head of the Fourth Order—known to be the most refined and noble-like among the Crows. That likely made him the most fitting choice for this kind of delicate mission.

“They didn’t just plan to kidnap Her Highness. They were going to use a fake in her place and make it look like she died.”

At those words, Achilles remembered the figures he’d seen fleeing toward the forest at the foot of the mountain when he’d entered the northern castle. He hadn’t paid attention at the time—Charlize had been his top priority—but it now made perfect sense. Those had likely been the ones setting up the fake death scene.

His expression hardened. The fury that flared in his eyes was unmistakable. Then, he looked to Aisha.

Reaching into a pocket dimension, Achilles retrieved a small glass vial and handed it to her.

Inside were a few drops of blood.

“It’s Valter Bianchi’s. He bled when he tried to break into Charlize’s bedroom and got hit by my magic. His blood got on my clothes.”

Aisha’s eyes lit up sharply as she took the vial. A smirk played on her lips.

“Even if he’s hiding at the edge of the continent, I’ll find him, Tower Master.”

“Start now. Eliza.”

Eliza had just returned to the northern castle after resolving the incident in the village. He hadn’t warned Achilles of the attack in time. His mages hadn’t protected Charlize—they had only watched. Because of that, he’d been walking on eggshells around Achilles ever since.

“Contact the palace and report everything Giel just told us.”

“Yes, sir!”

Relieved to finally have a chance to redeem himself, Eliza eagerly took out a crystal orb to send the transmission. Achilles stood nearby, watching silently.

When Charlize woke up, the other side of the bed was empty. It hadn’t even been that long since it became normal to wake up beside someone, but the emptiness felt strange now.

She could tell Achilles had left because of Valter.

So it really was him.

She had hoped—deep down—that maybe someone had used Valter’s knights to frame the Bianchi family. After all, suspicion had already been swirling around them since the Crown Prince’s attempted assassination. It would’ve made them an easy target.

Once struck by lightning, people always think it’ll strike again.

But as she thought about Valter, tears welled up in her eyes. Not because she missed him. Not because she felt sorry for him.

But because it was unfair. Because she was furious.

“How could you do this to me?!”

How could someone be this cruel? He had stayed by her side for over ten years—pretending to be her friend while she silently loved him—only to pull this stunt the moment someone else came into her life. Charlize had no words left. All she felt was rage.

“What’s your angle?”

When she thought about the attempted assassination of Oscar, the answer became clear: the throne. Valter planned to marry her, eliminate Oscar, and use her as a puppet empress while he took control of the empire himself.

If that was your plan, you should’ve accepted the engagement when it was first proposed!

But back then, he rejected it. Now, suddenly acting like this—it made her wonder if he had always seen her as someone beneath him. Not even worthy of a symbolic engagement. Just a childhood friend he could keep around… until another man came into the picture.

He didn’t want her for himself—but he couldn’t stand to see her with anyone else. Or maybe what he really feared was losing the throne if he lost her.

Tears trickled down her cheeks, soaking into her hair as she sat up in bed, wiping her face with her palm, scolding herself for crying like this.

Am I really that unworthy?

Valter’s betrayal burned—but what hurt more was how quickly her mind went to that thought. She’d asked herself the same question so many times after being ignored and dismissed by him for years.

Now wasn’t the time for this. But it still hurt.

She’d never been mistreated in her life. She was a princess, never truly scorned—and yet right now, she felt like she was breaking.

Sure, Achilles had first approached her because of her unique magical potential…

Who cares about a man’s feelings anyway?

What mattered in life was status. Wealth. Security. You had to be warm and well-fed before you could even think about love. Love always came second.

Even though she had already confirmed Achilles’ feelings for her, she couldn’t shake the heaviness in her chest. It wasn’t because she still loved Valter—it was the bitter grief of having wasted more than ten years on someone who had never seen her.

I really am a fool.

And yet, despite everything Valter had done, despite knowing he might end up imprisoned—or even executed—a cold fear twisted inside her.

If he was guilty, the worst-case scenario was death. Exile, or perhaps a life sentence in isolation, would be more likely. Either way, it meant she’d never see him again. That should’ve brought relief.

But instead, her mind and heart were a mess.

Charlize slowly got out of bed.

“Your Highness. You’re awake?”

A sudden voice startled her, but she quickly relaxed. One of the automatons was standing silently near the wall, watching her. Being non-human, it had no breath, no presence—no sound. That’s why she hadn’t noticed it.

“Did Achilles leave a while ago?”

“Approximately two hours ago. He said he would return as soon as his task was complete.”

“Where is he now?”

“He is in the underground storeroom.”

The advantage of a mechanical guard was that it had no thoughts or intent of its own. Achilles wouldn’t have instructed them to stop her. Even when he left to save the village, the automatons had simply followed her orders.

Charlize stood up and slipped on a robe. She didn’t know exactly what she wanted—but she found herself wanting to see Achilles.

It had taken nearly half a day to descend the mountain.

As the carriage jolted and raced down the road, the man inside was deep in thought.

This had been a major operation—one that could never be allowed to fail. And now, it had. Depending on how things played out, the entire organization could collapse. Kidnapping a princess was one of the most dangerous crimes imaginable. Turning the imperial family into enemies had always been a death sentence.

Should I just disappear now? Vanish for good?

He had been known inside Black Heart as a master of scene-setting and cover-ups—but he wasn’t highly ranked. Still, he’d earned a small fortune by handling illegal jobs. The problem was, he’d committed enough crimes that if the organization fell, he’d be hunted too.

Sure, I handled some big jobs… but if the higher-ups want to cover their tracks, they might silence me too.

Regardless, the plan had failed. And Black Heart had clear protocols for what to do when that happened.

He pulled out a special crystal orb—a magical communication device even a non-mage could use once in an emergency.

The man’s companion, acting as the carriage driver, was focused on the road. That meant it was his job alone to report in.

He activated the orb. Moments later, his direct superior appeared in the floating screen. From the look on the man’s face, he already knew something had gone wrong. The higher-ups had probably started pressing him for answers.

“Sir Lewein was defeated. The Tower Master returned much earlier than expected. We had no choice but to flee.”

“Is Akin with you?”

The man glanced across the carriage. Akin was sitting silently on the opposite seat.

“She is.”

“Make sure her identity isn’t revealed. If anyone recognizes her face, we’re finished. The plan failed, but she still has a role to play. Get her back safely.”

Akin’s expression shifted—pleased by the recognition in the voice beyond the orb. The man, on the other hand, was shocked. He had expected his superior to order her disposal now that the mission had failed.

They’re not giving up yet? Or is there another plan?

Whatever the case, he wasn’t going to be told right now. Whether he’d be involved in the next phase was still unknown.

“Understood.”

His superior gave him a rendezvous location, then ended the transmission. Akin looked like she wanted to say something, but he pretended not to notice.

Maybe they had both survived for now—but she wouldn’t meet a happy end. No one did, in her position. She was a fabricated fake, made with magical surgery. And fakes were never allowed to live forever.

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