It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 79

[4:00 p.m. – Wasteland before the North Gate]

When Achilles finished breakfast at Charlize’s palace, an attendant arrived, respectfully presenting him with a letter , the duel notice  before quickly retreating.
It seemed the attendants, after receiving it at the detached palace where Achilles was staying, had rushed it over to the Princess’s palace in a panic.

‘So, the duel is actually happening.’

Charlize looked anxious, but Achilles remained as expressionless as ever. Perhaps it was because facing a boy like that would only take him a few minutes.

“Will you be alright?” Charlize asked softly.

“There’s no problem,” Achilles replied calmly.

The duel notice, even thoughtfully included a map showing the exact location, almost as if they feared Achilles might try to avoid the confrontation.

“If you’d like to watch, I can have some mages from the Tower accompany you,” he offered.

“Really? I can watch?” Charlize asked, her eyes widening slightly.

“You should be able to see it well enough from the city walls,” Achilles answered.

They looked at the map together, confirming that the duel site was easily visible from atop the walls. Charlize couldn’t help but wonder just how far the news had already spread.

Yesterday, the Prince of Lushan had challenged Achilles to a duel in front of everyone at the gathering, and Achilles had told him to send the location by the next day — meaning the duel would naturally take place today.

‘The attendants must have already spread the word. Their Majesties and Oscar will definitely come to watch. Probably other nobles too.’

It would be unthinkable for Charlize, his fiancée, to be the only one absent.
After deciding she would attend, she calmly picked up her teacup and finished her remaining black tea.

—

“A duel, you say? The Fourth Prince of Lushan is about to get a rude awakening,” the Emperor said, nearly chuckling.

The Empress, however, gave him a sharp look.

“Your Majesty, this is no laughing matter. The wedding is only a few days away! What if he gets hurt?”

“The Tower Master won’t lose,” the Emperor replied firmly. “You say that only because you don’t truly understand Achilles’s skill. His talents are not limited to healing magic.”

Hearing the Emperor’s certainty, the Empress said no more, though her expression showed she was still uneasy. She turned to Oscar, seated across the table.

“And what about Charlize? How is she?”

“This morning, she had breakfast with the Tower Master,” Oscar replied. “She was with him when he received the duel notice too. It seems she plans to watch from the city walls, at the Tower Master’s suggestion.”

“The city walls, you say? Then we must prepare our own seats quickly, my Empress! You’ll be coming to watch as well, won’t you?”

“I must,” she answered with a sigh. “If only to prevent any further trouble.”

The Empress regretted not attending the banquet the night before. She and the Emperor had deliberately stayed away, giving Crown Prince Oscar a chance to take charge and strengthen his standing among the nobles.

Fortunately, the banquet had ended smoothly.
There were rumors that the Fourth Prince of Lushan had embarrassed himself in the garden, but no major scandals had arisen. Although whispers of a duel had begun to circulate, the Emperor saw it as a golden opportunity — a chance to showcase the strength of the Empire.

After all, Achilles was set to marry the Imperial Princess, and had already been granted a noble title.
From the Emperor’s perspective, there was nothing to lose.

The Emperor exchanged a glance with the Crown Prince, and Oscar immediately understood.

“You want the other nobles to witness the duel as well,” Oscar said. “I’ll see to it.”

There were still a few who believed it was excessive to grant Achilles not only a marquessate but possibly even a dukedom.
Displaying his power so openly would silence any lingering doubts.

With the grand wedding approaching, a spectacle like this might actually be helpful — as long as the Prince of Lushan wasn’t seriously harmed.

‘Achilles may be blunt, but he is not reckless. He will know how to hold back.’

Had he not captured Valter Bianchi alive?
The Emperor trusted that Achilles would, once again, make the wise choice.

—

The nanny of the Leroy Marquisate had raised three daughters and two sons in that household. Now, she was caring for the youngest daughter, hoping that once the girl safely married, she could finally retire and return to her hometown.

However, her young lady foolishly clung to an impossible dream — she was hopelessly in love with Valter Bianchi. She wasted her days on empty fantasies, making no plans for her future.
Whenever the Marquis arranged a marriage for her, she threw tantrums and ultimately broke every engagement.

‘What will become of our poor young lady? The man she loves will never escape punishment.’

Many nobles were convinced that Valter Bianchi would be executed.
He had committed treason — a crime no one could overlook.
Even before the incident, he had already been under suspicion for plotting against the Crown Prince. His recent actions were like pouring oil onto a burning fire.

The only reason his trial hadn’t yet taken place was because of the impending royal wedding.

“My Lady, are you awake?”

As the day neared noon with no sign of movement from inside, the nanny stepped forward and knocked on Susanna’s door.
The Marquis had locked her in, but he hadn’t forbidden anyone from visiting.

“Come in,” Susanna called out, her voice unexpectedly cheerful.

The nanny exchanged a puzzled look with a maid, then carefully opened the door.
Inside, Susanna was already up, neatly dressed, and looking perfectly fine — as if she had risen early.

“Oh my, you’re already awake! If I had known, I would’ve sent up your breakfast much sooner… You must be hungry,” the nanny said warmly.

“I’m fine. Has Father gone out?” Susanna asked.

“Yes… he has,” the nanny replied, a little cautious.

Despite having thrown herself at the Marquis in tears just yesterday, Susanna now seemed bright and lively.
The nanny found it suspicious — there was something off about her excitement.

“And Mother? Is she still resting?”

“The Madam went to the city walls with the Countess,” the nanny answered.

“The city walls? Why?”

As soon as she asked, Susanna seemed to realize she’d made a mistake.
Ever since Viscount Bianchi’s downfall, Susanna had reacted with anger at the mere mention of the Princess.

Carefully watching her expression, the nanny explained,
“There’s… news that the Tower Master is dueling the Prince of Lushan. They went to watch it.”

“A duel? A mage doing something like that?”
There was a mocking edge to Susanna’s voice.

She considered the Tower Master a lowly commoner, and looked down on the Princess for marrying someone of such unknown origins.

“The Emperor, the Empress, and the Crown Prince also went to watch,” the nanny added.

“I see. Bring me something to eat. I’m hungry.”

“Right away, my Lady. You heard her! Quickly now!” the nanny called to the maids waiting outside.

Just the day before, Susanna had gone without two meals, trying to appear pitiful in front of her father.
Now, seeing her appetite return, the nanny felt relieved.

“You’re making the right choice, my Lady. You need your strength if you want to protect Viscount Bianchi, after all.”

But Susanna only half-listened.
Her mind was already racing with thoughts about Princess Charlize.

No matter how much she pitied Valter Bianchi, she hated the Princess even more — hated her so deeply that she even wished Charlize would die before the wedding.

‘Couldn’t I use the power of this bracelet to punish her? I don’t have to kill her… Just disgrace her so badly that she could never show her face again. Yes. I could scar her face with acid or something!’

Normally, she wouldn’t have been able to get close to the Princess, always surrounded by guards.
But today was different.

She could teleport right next to her, throw acid, and escape before anyone caught her.

‘But wait… Achilles is her fiancé. He might heal her with magic instantly. I’ll need to hurt her so badly that even magic can’t fix it…’

While Susanna plotted, the maids returned with a lavish late breakfast.
Knowing she would need an empty room later, Susanna hurried through her meal.

“After I eat, I’m going to sleep. Don’t let anyone into my room until dinner. Understand?”

“Yes, my Lady… But won’t you be bored?” the nanny asked.

“I didn’t sleep at all last night. I’ll be fine.
If I need anything, I’ll call for you — but neither you, Violet, nor anyone else should come in.”

The nanny and Violet nodded obediently.
Still, the nanny couldn’t shake her unease.

After all, the windows were nailed shut, and guards were stationed outside her door.

‘It must just be my imagination. Maybe the young lady is finally letting go of her feelings for Viscount Bianchi.’

Thinking so, the nanny quietly watched Susanna — unaware that behind her calm exterior, Susanna’s mind was full of cold, dangerous thoughts as she began eating.

—

‘Quite a crowd.’

Crossing through the North Gate with his attendants, Ryuhan spotted nobles lined up along the city walls and casually raised a hand in greeting.
The young ladies he had met at the banquet last night giggled and waved back.

‘Princess Charlize… there she is.’

Far off in the most prominent spot atop the walls, the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, and Princess sat together.
As expected, the Tower Master wasn’t by her side — instead, a group of mages was stationed nearby, guarding her.

‘Where’s the Tower Master?’

The wasteland he had chosen for the duel was completely empty.

Ryuhan had briefly considered arriving fashionably late — after all, he was royalty — but after the humiliation he had suffered at the last gathering, he thought better of it.
He didn’t want anyone accusing him of arrogance or nerves.

In the end, he had arrived about five minutes early.

‘Surely he’s not running late because he needs extra time to prepare for fighting me…?’

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