My Husband Picked Up a Woman - Chapter 20

“I told you to stop talking nonsense.”

As Calisten leaned in until their faces nearly touched, he grinned like a madman. Seeing that manic glint in his eyes, Briseis’s expression conversely became even calmer.

“We’re breathing the same air,” he whispered.

She started to turn her head away, dismissing his words as more drivel, but he caught her chin to finish his thought.

“I wanted to say that back then, but I held it in. Instead, I asked to attend Wilhelm Academy. That way, I can marry the person I want.”

“Fine. I hope you marry exactly who you want.”

“For that to happen, she has to get a divorce first.”

“I don’t know who the poor lady is, but I pity her. Imagine having to marry you.”

Briseis swatted his hand away and moved to the opposite side of the carriage. He followed her with a laugh, so she moved back to her original seat. He followed again.

“Are you going to keep moving?”

“I’m tired.”

Knowing he would follow her regardless, she turned her gaze toward the window and closed her eyes.

“You can lean on my shoulder if you want.”

“I have shoulders of my own. Besides, yours are harder than rocks. I hate them.”

“Hahaha. Do you know you said that exact same thing when you were fifteen?”

“I don’t remember.”

When Briseis leaned her head against the window frame and closed her eyes, he gently lifted her head. She glared at him, but seeing that he was only folding his discarded coat to place under her head as a pillow, she closed her eyes again.

“You’re even pretty when you’re glaring at me.”

She didn’t answer. And so, they traveled together in the carriage for quite some time.

❖ ❖ ❖

“There aren’t many people who wouldn’t recognize me anyway, considering my height.”

Briseis ignored his remark and silently handed him a black robe. He draped it over his shoulders. Briseis pulled up her hood, dressing as if to vanish into the shadows. Calisten stepped out of the carriage first and reached out a hand for her to take, but she stepped down on her own. He followed her, grinning as if her independence amused him.

Jeronis’s office operated on a strict system that allowed only two reserved clients per day. Briseis and Calisten stepped inside.

“Do you have a reservation? Identification, please.”

The moment Briseis reached for her ID, Calisten showed his signet ring and lowered his hood.

“I left my ID behind.”

“The… the Little Sun of the Empire…!”

“Quiet.”

The staff scrambled to their feet, bowing in unison and whispering, “We greet the Little Sun of the Empire!”

“Check the reservation.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As Calisten pulled his hood back up, Briseis let out an involuntary sigh. Even with a hood and a black robe, it was nearly impossible for him to hide. His pitch-black hair, his red eyes that remained vivid even in the dark, and his height—there was no one else in the Empire that large. His physical presence was imposing. Anyone who had ever seen him would know instantly that it was Calisten.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just realized again that you’re like a bear.”

“You don’t like bears. I’ll be a rabbit. A rabbit.”

“Where on earth is there a rabbit this big?”

“A cat, then?”

“…”

“Meow.”

When he let out a cat’s cry with a grin that bordered on madness, Briseis simply stared at him without a word.

“Meow?”

“Stop it.”

She bowed her head in embarrassment, and a nearby staff member approached them.

“The reservation is confirmed. I will escort you to the waiting room.”

“Very well.”

Briseis followed the staff member into the waiting room.

❖ ❖ ❖

The waiting room was quite luxurious. Perhaps because most people seeking a divorce were nobles, every item was high-end. Briseis scanned the white marble floors and took in the table in front of her sofa. It was a top-tier mahogany piece. The sofa itself was large and plush enough to serve as a bed.

The painting on the wall was a famous abstract piece by an artist who had lost the ability to see green, dominated by yellows and blues. The chandelier sparkled as if polished daily, without a speck of dust in sight. There was a faint scent of lavender, and the warm-toned interior seemed designed to soothe tension.

Above all, the flowers in the center of the table were freesias.

“Does the language of flowers for these mean ‘a new beginning’?”

Calisten spoke intentionally as her gaze landed on the flowers. He knew it was the only way to get her eyes on him for a moment. She didn’t answer and looked back at the freesias. The blooming flowers filled the room with a fresh fragrance. The vase itself was an import from the Western Kingdom; it wasn’t a style produced within the Empire. Having managed a merchant guild that imported tea sets, Briseis recognized it immediately.

“Sit across from me.”

“I’ll sit next to you.”

Briseis gave him a warning look, but he sat beside her anyway. The sofas were arranged in a U-shape, with a head seat and two long sofas facing each other.

“If you move over there, I’ll follow,” he said with a grin.

Briseis sighed and stayed put. She turned her attention to a monthly magazine on the table. There were several newspapers as well. She went to pick one up but stopped when she saw the front page was dominated by praise for Calisten. With cold eyes, she set the paper down, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.

“Are you tired? You can lean on me.”

“No.”

She opened her eyes with a sigh. She was actually feeling a sense of crisis after Delilah had taken the bonus point today. The Delilah of the original story was a genius. In contrast, she was someone who maintained her position through agonizing effort. Just as Delilah had easily snatched Damian away, Briseis feared she would just as easily take the status Briseis had worked so hard to achieve.

And the man sitting in front of her, too.

“Why the long face?”

Calisten was still smiling foolishly at her. She knew that even if he smiled in this harmless way, he was a more dangerous human being than anyone else.

“I was just remembering the time Lord Reviathan broke his leg practicing jousting with you.”

“Ah, that moron.”

Lord Reviathan had been close to Briseis before her marriage. He had pursued her with a proposal, which she had rejected. Then, one day, he had mounted a horse to practice jousting with Calisten. The result was a severe injury from Calisten’s lance that left him hospitalized for a long time with a broken leg.

“Now that I think about it, you were the one who hurt Reviathan, too.”

“Ah, was I?”

He wore an innocent expression. But Briseis knew that almost every man who had approached her had ended up in a bad state because of Calisten. The fact that he had left Damian alone was the only anomaly.

“You should marry well if you want to become Emperor.”

“I already have someone in mind.”

“Should I introduce you to someone?”

“Oh, I’d love that.”

Calisten looked at her expectantly.

“I won’t accept anyone who doesn’t have red hair and blue eyes.”

“I’ll look for someone. I’m sure there are plenty of noble ladies like that.”

“There is only one such woman in the Empire.”

“The hair color is common enough.”

“The combination isn’t. If even one of those traits is missing, I’m not interested.”

“I see. That’s a relief. I’m planning on changing my hair to blonde soon.”

“Then I’ll like blonde hair and blue eyes.”

“Stop the nonsense. I’m exhausted.”

As she massaged her throbbing temples, Calisten spoke up.

“Is this about what happened in class?”

She didn’t answer.

“Want me to give you private lessons?”

“No.”

“Why? You used to love it when I tutored you.”

“That was back when I thought you were normal.”

She pulled back as he tried to lean closer, her waist hitting the armrest of the sofa. As she leaned back, he moved over her, extending his arms to cage her in. Briseis realized she should have pushed him away, but before she could move her arm, he took her hand and kissed the palm.

“I’ll teach you everything. Academy level knowledge is easy.”

“Don’t say that. Do you have any idea how much effort I put into studying?”

“Get a divorce. And become an administrator, just like your original dream. Don’t waste your life being a Grand Duchess.”

She didn’t reply, trying only to pull her hand away.

“When I become Emperor, I’ll make you the Minister of Administration.”

Briseis wavered for a moment at his words. But she quickly dismissed the thought, pushing his face away and trying to sit up properly.

“Or should I just give you the throne itself?”

“Why do you say such treasonous things so casually?”

“I mean it. Do you really think a throne matters to me?”

He spoke and slowly pulled back. Briseis straightened up and glared at him, but then he dropped to her feet and took hold of her ankle.

“I’m serious.”

He removed her shoe and kissed the top of her foot.

“If you become my master, you can become the Empress.”

“Calisten.”

“So, let me have you.”

He finished the kiss and then lightly bit the top of her foot.