It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 83

That was why Achilles wanted to marry Charlize as soon as possible and leave this place behind.
Even if news of Valter Bianchi’s execution eventually reached the Tower, he intended to delay it for as long as he could.

Will she resent me for taking away her last chance to speak with him?

The thought terrified him.
Just imagining Charlize meeting Valter made it feel like he couldn’t breathe.
Jealousy burned so fiercely inside him that he wanted to strangle Valter with his own hands right that moment.

The only reason he hadn’t acted on that urge was because he understood the Emperor’s cautious approach was correct.

If Achilles killed Valter himself, a wall might form between him and Charlize—
and he knew he wouldn’t be able to bear that.

He had already tasted the happiness of being loved by her.

“Achilles.”

Her voice called him back to the present.
Charlize was looking up at him, her face lit with a bright, beautiful smile.

“It’s a little late, but congratulations on your victory today.
You’re the one who won, but I’m the one who got a present…
So, is there anything you want?
If it’s something I can do, I’ll grant any wish you have!”

Her eyes sparkled with happiness as she looked up at him, and Achilles already felt as though he had been rewarded enough.
But if she was offering even more joy, he had no reason to refuse.

“Anything?”

Though she was already hugging his waist, when Achilles bent down to meet her gaze, Charlize’s body flushed with heat.

“Ah… yes.”

She answered shyly, and Achilles smiled with meaning.

“I wonder if you realize what kind of favor you’re agreeing to,”
he whispered as he kissed her temple.

Charlize looked up at him, her eyes full of innocent expectation, and Achilles felt the lingering anxiety in his heart begin to melt away.

She loves me.

Every night, sneaking into her bedroom and sharing that love with her confirmed it again and again.
Charlize never rejected or pushed him away.

Even though she gets so shy…

But even that shyness was so precious and sweet that there was no room left for fear.
Thinking so, Achilles tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply.

He savored her soft, delicate lips, entangling their tongues together until a sweet, breathless moan escaped from her.

“I would like my reward… to be given in the bedroom. You promised to grant anything, didn’t you?”

“W-what are you planning…”

Achilles looked down at her lips, still damp from his kiss, and whispered with a satisfied smile:

“Nothing harmful. Just making sure you cry from pleasure, Princess.”

That sounds even more worrying…
Charlize thought, flustered.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.
Instead, she accepted his kiss once more, her heart racing with nervous anticipation.

Meanwhile— The outing had been a complete failure.
Susanna was furious as she recalled she couldn’t even vent her anger on her personal maid, Violet.

Getting dressed and undressed by herself was exhausting.
She thought bitterly that if she had been born a commoner, she would never have survived.
The very idea of having to change clothes like a servant filled her with rage.

It’s all that woman’s fault!
That cursed Princess Charlize!

The Tower Master had defeated Lushan’s prince, and afterward, he and Charlize had quickly disappeared by magic.

Susanna hadn’t even made it close to the north gate through the thick crowd.
She had only learned about their sudden disappearance from the gossiping commoners.

Just one moment.
That’s all it would have taken— If she had been standing near the wall or the railing,
I could have appeared behind her and pushed her off!

There would have been no need to use the paper knife she had hidden.
No one would have been able to stop her or even realize what had happened.

But Susanna still felt uneasy about using magical devices in front of a crowd.
She wasn’t as agile as a maid or servant.
If a knight or guard caught her, she wouldn’t be able to escape.

Even if she wore a mask to hide her face,
there was always the fear that someone might recognize her.

If I’m caught before activating the device…
it might not work properly.

The magician who had given her the device had warned her that it could only teleport one person.

If she were caught committing treason by attempting to harm a royal family member,
execution would be unavoidable.

Even though the Leroy family was a powerful noble house,
her father would sacrifice her without hesitation to protect their status.

No.
I have to wait for a better chance.
I can’t act in front of so many witnesses.

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Susanna angrily yanked off her clothes.
Dinner time was still far away, but she had to change quickly— she never knew when the nurse or the maids might suddenly barge into her room.

When will I finally get my chance to punish her?
To Susanna, Charlize was the cause of everything— the fall of the Bianchi family, and the ruin of everything she once knew.

The magician had asked her to save the young lord,
but Susanna had long since abandoned that goal.

Now, all she cared about was revenge against Charlize.

The young lord’s trial was scheduled after Charlize’s wedding.
If Charlize were hurt badly enough that the wedding had to be canceled, the trial would be delayed too.

If the Princess is injured and her marriage falls apart, the trial will be pushed back.
That’s the best outcome.

No! I have to wait for another chance! Not in front of people!

Susanna shook her head furiously and tore off her clothes.
There was still some time before dinner, but she knew her annoying nurse or the maids could barge into her room at any moment, so she needed to change quickly.

Then when will I get my chance to punish the Princess?
It was all because of her—Charlize was the reason why the Bianchi family and the young lord had fallen so far.

The magician had originally given Susanna the artifact to rescue the young lord, but now, her mind was filled only with thoughts of revenge against Charlize.

The young lord’s trial had been scheduled for after the Princess’s wedding, so stopping the wedding felt even more urgent.

If the Princess gets seriously hurt and can’t marry, then the trial will be delayed too.

Meanwhile, Susanna only needed to find out where the young lord was being held underground.
If she could discover that, she could sneak into the palace dungeons,
distract the guards, find the key, and unlock his cell.
If he was bound by cuffs or chains, she would remove them too.

Lord Bianchi is a Sword Master.
If I free him, he should be able to escape on his own.

Although she regretted that the artifact could only teleport one person,
thinking about the young lord strangely left her feeling empty.

It wasn’t sadness over his imprisonment.
It was something else.

What is this feeling?
I’m supposed to save him… I accepted this bracelet because I loved him…

Her chest felt hollow.
Just a little while ago, she had been burning with rage thinking about Charlize.
But now, even when she thought of Valter Bianchi, she felt strangely numb.

No, not completely numb.
When she thought of him, there was a different sort of frustration—
the irritation of wanting something she couldn’t have.

I’m the one who truly loves him…
And yet he got himself imprisoned because of some stupid woman.

Still, surely, he’s given up on her now.
He has no choice.
If I save him, we can run away together.

But… what if he hadn’t given up on her?

Finally, Susanna realized why she had always felt such blinding hatred whenever she thought of Princess Charlize.

It wasn’t just anger.
It was fear—fear that even if she rescued him, Valter would still choose Charlize.

“Then I’ll just have to kill her.”

Susanna whispered to herself.

She could use the artifact to kill Charlize.
If she attacked while Charlize was alone and then disappeared, no one would ever know it was her.

She had already picked the place and the method.

The Duchess of Gianni’s Garden party.

It was an important social event.
Her mother had insisted she must attend,
though in her current situation, they had probably sent a polite refusal.

But if she borrowed a friend’s carriage and went secretly, she could still attend.

And if they won’t let me in, I’ll just sneak in.
I have the bracelet, after all.

Even if Charlize was heavily guarded by attendants, Susanna had already formed a plan.

If she followed it carefully, she could kill Charlize without anyone realizing.

Meanwhile—

Charlize couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“W-wait! Isn’t that a curse used by demons?!”

“It’s not a curse,” Achilles said calmly as he closed in on her.

He had sneaked into her bedroom for the night and was now in the middle of undressing her.
Then he had whispered to her exactly what kind of reward he wanted for his victory today.

Charlize’s face burned red.

But… a Lust Spell?!

Achilles had said he wanted to cast a Lust Spell on her as a reward.
The activation condition: his jealousy.

Every time Achilles felt jealous, the spell would trigger.

Charlize thought it might be good to know exactly when he felt jealous, since he was always so expressionless.

Still, she hesitated.

Sensing her hesitation, Achilles added: “If you think it’s unfair, I’ll let you cast a Lust Spell on me too.”

“Y-you too?!
But… the Lust Spell usually can only be broken after, well… you know!”

“The activation and release conditions depend on how the spell is crafted. The one I’ll cast on you will only break after you’ve received plenty of my seed. And the one you cast on me… It will break only after I release everything inside you.”

Ugh…
Either way, they would have to make love thoroughly.

Even while her cheeks burned, Charlize couldn’t help but imagine it.
Achilles, flushed and breathless, moving desperately against her.

She had seen him lose some control before, during their lovemaking— his pale skin blushing deeply, his body trembling slightly with need.

It would be nice to see him even more desperate.

Normally, Charlize was the one who melted first, overwhelmed by pleasure.
But if she could make Achilles fall apart from desire… the thought made her heart race.

No! Focus!
This is still a Lust Spell!

“For my spell,” Achilles said gently, “I’ll let it activate whenever you want.”

Charlize’s head snapped up, her eyes gleaming.

“Whenever I want?”

“Yes. If you just think ‘activate,’ my Lust Spell will trigger,” he said, smiling.

“Haa…”

Without hesitation, Charlize grabbed his hand.

“Let’s do it!”

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