It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 88

The race, which ended with Lady Eretas’ victory, was filled with congratulations from the crowd. After dismounting, she refreshed herself with a cool drink, and the other young ladies also received praise as they got off their horses. Though Lady Eretas was the winner, the Duchess of Gianni congratulated all the participants equally. She didn’t forget to present a brooch as a prize to Lady Eretas for taking first place.

‘It almost feels like a picnic, doesn’t it?’
The earlier commotion seemed like a distant memory, replaced by a lively and cheerful atmosphere. But just as the chatter of people filled the air, a piercing scream cut through it.

Someone dropped their glass in surprise, and the noise from the crowd abruptly stopped, as if in disbelief. The Duchess of Gianni and the Duke exchanged looks.

“It’s fine. It’s nothing serious.”
The scream had not come from the closest mansion. While the Duchess of Gianni worked to calm the crowd, the Duke sent a servant to investigate.

Lize felt uneasy. Some of the nobles had been entering and leaving the Duke’s mansion to freshen up or fix their appearance, but now wasn’t the time for that.

Everyone was interested in the young ladies’ race, and some nobles had even secretly placed bets, or so she had heard. She had assumed most of the guests had gathered here at the event.

“Lize, don’t stray too far from me.”
Achilles, standing beside her, grabbed her hand and whispered. It was clear that the scream had made him uneasy.

‘Honestly, even though I’d like to move on my own, it’s impossible right now.’
Before stepping out of the carriage, Lize had felt an unbearable discomfort from her undergarments rubbing against her sensitive skin. She had managed to maintain a calm expression while conversing with the Duchess of Gianni, but it was only possible because she had summoned every ounce of her patience.

Earlier, when Policia had irritated her briefly, Lize almost forgot about it, but the moment her thoughts cleared, her attention kept drifting back to that unpleasant encounter.

Lize, feeling a sudden rush of emotion, shot a glare at Achilles, only to meet his unwavering gaze.

“Such a cute expression.”
His whisper, combined with the way he lowered his head close to hers, made her flinch, thinking he might kiss her. However, Achilles only stared at her from a finger’s distance, his eyes fixed on hers.

His physique was usually not something Lize paid attention to, but in moments like this, she couldn’t help but realize how much larger he was compared to her.

Such a close interaction was bound to attract attention. Even without moving, Achilles’ gaze on Lize had drawn the eyes of those around them.

“Achilles.”
Aware of the stares, Lize gently pushed against his chest. Achilles complied and stepped back, but his eyes continued to linger on her lips, inspecting them carefully—as though he wanted to kiss her.

At that moment, a servant who had gone toward the second annex returned, speaking quietly with the Duke. Upon hearing whatever had been said, the Duke’s expression changed, and he turned to the guests.

“What’s going on?”
“Is something happening?”
The Duke immediately approached Achilles, lowering his voice, likely to avoid attracting attention.

“Marquis Illien, please help. We have a patient.”
Achilles turned his gaze toward Lize, as if silently asking for her response. Lize, however, felt that there was no reason to hesitate when it came to helping someone in need.

“I’ll stay here. You go ahead.”
“….”
Achilles seemed unwilling, his expression darkened, likely recalling the painful events from before. He didn’t seem keen on leaving her side.

“It’s fine.”
Lize nudged him slightly, but unlike earlier, Achilles didn’t retreat. Instead, he turned his gaze from her to the Duke.

“I will go with Her Highness.”
Eh?

Achilles, holding her hand tightly, looked at her with unwavering determination. It seemed like a clear message: if she didn’t go, neither would he.

“Your Highness, it’s urgent.”
The Duke of Gianni revealed that there was no time for hesitation. Charlize was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly moved forward. Only then did Achilles begin to follow her.

There were eyes watching them as they followed the Duke. One of them, disappointed, put down her champagne glass and clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘At least she won’t end up like that foolish young lady. What a shame.’

Meanwhile…

Following the Duke’s guidance, they entered a room where a young lady was lying on the floor, blood staining the ground. Charlize immediately recognized her face. She had been particularly vocal among Walter’s followers, and Charlize had remembered her.

‘That woman, the one who follows Susanna Leroy around… Joan Weaver.’
Standing near Joan was a healer and a physician who seemed to be contracted by the Duke’s house. To the side, Rebecca Roland was sitting on a chair, leaning against the wall.

She appeared to be speaking to a nearby guard, tears flowing down her face. It seemed that Rebecca was the first to discover Joan.
As their eyes briefly met, Charlize quickly turned her head. She and Rebecca had a somewhat awkward relationship, especially since the scandal with Walter. Charlize had kept her distance from Rebecca for a long time, though she would accept her greetings when offered.

‘It’s fortunate that I’m a royal in situations like this.’
While she could acknowledge Rebecca, it was customary not to initiate conversation first. Charlize looked around at the people greeting Achilles. They hurriedly greeted the princess and explained the situation to the physician.

“This young lady fell down the stairs and suffered a serious head injury! We removed the bone fragments and treated her, but the wound is severe…”
It seemed that the contracted healer alone had been able to sustain her life. To truly save her, something more was required.
When Achilles glanced at Charlize, she gave a slight nod. While she wasn’t particularly fond of Joan Weaver, letting her die here would leave a bitter aftertaste.

Achilles immediately cast a healing spell. A soft, gentle light that was bright but not blinding flowed into Joan’s wounds.

Although healing magic and divine power were useful, it wasn’t enough to complete the job. Healing magic and divine power could close wounds, but a physician’s skill was needed to realign misaligned bones or remove bone fragments lodged in the wrong places.
Healing disease required a high level of divine or magical power, so usually, physicians handled those tasks.

“Ah… Truly, Master of the Magic Tower!”
The physician marveled as he watched the wound heal instantly, and new bone began to grow where the fragments had been removed. Charlize couldn’t bring herself to look directly at the wound and turned her head instead.

Once Achilles stepped back from Joan, the physician moved in to assess the injury. While the hair didn’t yet grow back over the treated area, the scar was completely gone, leaving no trace of the wound.

“To heal this perfectly… We’ll need to observe her condition further, but this young lady is lucky.”
The Duke of Gianni instructed his servants to move Joan to a nearby guest room. Joan’s maid should have appeared by now, but it seemed the servants hadn’t found her yet.

“May I ask what happened?”
Charlize asked the Duke, relieved. He briefly glanced at Rebecca, who was still seated in the chair.

“The young lady said that Susanna Leroy pushed Lady Weaver down the stairs. From the top.”
As far as Charlize knew, Susanna Leroy had been Joan’s closest friend. And furthermore…

“Didn’t Lady Leroy not come today? I thought the Marchioness said her daughter was too ill to attend…”
And that wasn’t all. According to the Duchess of Gianni, Susanna had been looking forward to today but was unable to attend, expressing her regret over missing the event.

“We confirmed with the servants that she arrived in the Weaver family’s carriage. She didn’t come out into the garden, likely due to personal reasons.”
“Strange…”
While the Duke of Gianni and the Leroy family didn’t have a particularly bad relationship, the personal history between Susanna and the Duchess of Gianni, Amelia, was different. The Duchess had always seen Susanna as an irritant, especially given how she had spoken ill of Charlize behind her back.

This gathering was the first one hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Gianni since their marriage, and Susanna, in all likelihood, would have wanted to ruin the event.
‘Could she have wanted to ruin Amelia’s gathering?’
It seemed unlikely. Even if Susanna disliked Amelia, she was still the daughter of a marquess, and Amelia was now the Duchess. Doing something reckless would damage Susanna’s reputation.

Despite how open and glamorous the noble society appeared, it was actually very closed off. Especially in the capital’s social circles, it would be impossible for Susanna to cause a scandal like this without suffering consequences.

“By the way, Lady Roland said something strange.” The Duke added, breaking Charlize’s train of thought.

“Lady Susanna Leroy used magic to disappear, she said. Something like teleportation. Do you think that’s possible?”
The unexpected information left Charlize speechless.

Meanwhile…

Although the external scar remained, his injury was nearly healed. Walter felt a rising sense of impatience as Charlize’s wedding was only three days away.
He had secretly hoped that Charlize would come to meet him.

Even if the Emperor and her fiancé, the Master of the Magic Tower, tried to stop her, she had to come to him—no matter what.

Because once she married and went on her honeymoon, the Emperor would likely try to kill him. There was no time to waste.

Despite how foolish and stubborn Charlize had been in the past regarding him, she wasn’t truly dumb. As a princess, she had a sharp sense of political awareness.

So, she would know. If they didn’t meet now, she would never see him again.

Support