The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 4

With his black hair flowing behind him, Kyler stepped down from a large, dark gray carriage. He wore the formal uniform of a knight. The dark gray and deep blue tones matched the carriage and added a sense of weight to his cold, expressionless face.

“I-it’s an honor to see you, Duke Kyler.”

As he strode toward the grand front gates of the Imperial Palace, the most magnificent part of the entire palace grounds, passing nobles and attendants bowed their heads respectfully.

At first, many froze in place, overwhelmed by the pressure he gave off. After realizing who it was, they quickly bowed and watched his back with awe in their eyes.

The closer he got to the palace, the more people he passed. Two noble ladies, guided by palace maids, were also startled by his presence. They bowed deeply, then, once he walked past, caused a small commotion as they whispered with suppressed excitement.

The maids beside them couldn’t take their eyes off him either.

Kyler ignored all of it. Without sparing a single glance, he walked straight ahead.

He had come to see the Emperor. He had no interest in anything else. As he stepped onto the short bridge leading to the Emperor’s wing, he saw a group stop on the opposite side.

Leading the group was a woman in a lavish purple gown. She had golden hair, bright red lips, and an appearance that radiated beauty and nobility.

Even Kyler could not walk past her without acknowledgment. He paused and bowed slightly.

“It is an honor to see you, Your Majesty the Empress.”

But there was no response. She only stopped walking.

The Empress glanced at Kyler, then made a displeased or angry face and crossed the bridge without saying a word.

Her maids looked uneasy as they bowed quickly to Kyler and then hurried after the Empress.

Kyler did not react. He lifted his calm, icy blue eyes and continued toward the Emperor’s palace without hesitation.

Not one of the attendants dared to stop him. His steady pace brought him to the audience chamber, located near the entrance of the Emperor’s wing. The Emperor was already waiting inside.

He had sleek brown hair and green eyes. With delicate features, he looked more like a charming young noble than a ruler.

When Kyler entered, the Emperor smiled softly.

“You may rise, Kyler.”

Kyler gave a formal bow.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

The Emperor waved him off playfully and motioned to the sofa.

“Did you run into the Empress on your way in?”

There was mischief in his voice. Kyler sighed quietly, bowed again, and sat on the sofa.

“If you don’t mind, Your Majesty, I would rather skip the jokes today.”

His deep voice filled the chamber. It was smooth but carried a chill, like cold steel. The Emperor, Lydian, smiled even more at the sound.

“Shall we make a bet? Will the Empress be satisfied now that she saw you, or will she storm in later and glare at me for upsetting her?”

Kyler said nothing. He only looked at the Emperor.

“You didn’t summon me just so she could catch a glimpse of me, did you?”

“And why not?”

Lydian’s lips curved into a bright smile, but his eyes remained unreadable. He picked up a scone from the tea table that had been prepared earlier by the palace maids.

Because of the Empress, Kyler had ended up in a marriage he hadn’t planned. Yet he didn’t really care. Marriage had always been expected at some point, and he had chosen the bride himself.

“It has been more than ten days since the wedding, hasn’t it? How is it going?”

Lydian’s eyes sparkled with interest. He was unpredictable. Sometimes gentle, sometimes sharp, and his moods changed quickly. There were moments when he was charming, and others when he was deeply unsettling.

“Nothing unusual.”

Kyler’s answer was perfectly proper, but the way he ended the sentence left a quiet pause in the air.

Something had changed since the wedding, and he had thought of it.

“You’ve been going home every three days. I had high hopes, but now I’m a little disappointed.”

The Emperor’s expression revealed his feelings without restraint. He looked more like an actor than a ruler.

He was beautiful, expressive, and dramatic in a way that made him seem like he was always performing.

He didn’t realize that what he just mentioned, Kyler returning home every three days, was exactly what had made Kyler pause earlier.

Kyler often traveled all over the Empire, using his powers to deal with threats, both human and not. There had been times when he couldn’t return to the Duke’s estate for over a month.

So for him to return home three times in the past ten days, even while dealing with unusual disturbances in the west, was already a significant change.

“There are so many beautiful noblewomen in the Empire. Even if I hadn’t ordered it, plenty of them would have gladly given you, their lives.”

Lydian spoke lazily, almost teasingly. Kyler’s slight frown showed his discomfort.

That made Lydian chuckle again.

He had reacted the same way when the marriage was first mentioned.

One day, Kyler had announced that he would marry a daughter of House Ivern. Naturally, Lydian assumed he meant Lady Elina, the famously beautiful younger daughter.

But instead, he said he would marry Sasha, a name unfamiliar to Lydian. It was the second time Kyler had caught him off guard.

Despite his cold personality and lack of emotion, Kyler had become the object of admiration for many noblewomen. His looks and noble demeanor had earned him their attention, even though he didn’t seek it or understand how to use it.

In the end, perhaps that had worked against him.

He had received the love of someone who was never supposed to love him.

Although the marriage had been rushed, Lydian had still wanted to handle it with care. He had hoped to pair Kyler with a respected family and a well-bred noblewoman. So, it made no sense to him. A man who had never shown interest in women, who had lived solely for duty, why had he chosen her?

“Well, since you made your choice…” Lydian sighed and added, “Still, I’m sorry for keeping you busy. This should be a time when you can be home with your wife. But we really do need to deal with the west properly this time.”

As he spoke, Lydian finished the last of his scone, topped simply with clotted cream. Kyler’s brows drew closer, his expression tightening.

“Do I need to be at home… with her?”

His face was emotionless, but the tension in his brows said more than words. With sharp features and a striking appearance, Kyler had the kind of face people found captivating. Yet he had grown up not knowing how to feel or desire. No one had ever taught him the things others took for granted.

Noticing even the smallest shift in Kyler’s expression, Lydian leaned forward slightly, intrigued.

“Of course you do. She’s spent her whole life in one place, and now she’s suddenly alone in a massive estate. Think about how she must feel.”

Kyler sat silently. He heard the words, but they didn’t seem to land. His eyes drifted, unfocused. Lydian wasn’t exactly great at this either, but even he clicked his tongue at the sight.

Still, he smiled.

“If I don’t teach you things like this, who will?”

“You seem to be enjoying my marriage quite a bit.”

Lydian smiled openly, not even pretending to deny it. Now that Kyler, the dream of every noble lady in the Empire, was married, many hopeless fantasies would finally come to an end.

Even the one who should never have fallen for him might now give up. Of course, Lydian also genuinely hoped this marriage would make Kyler happy.

“Keep watching the west. I haven’t had the chance to wipe them out like I want to.”

There was a soft smile on Lydian’s beautiful face, but the words were dangerous. He spoke of wiping out a nation as if it were a minor task.

“We’ve been keeping close watch. There are signs of movement from the Duke of Medilan’s lands.”

Kyler’s report caused the Emperor’s casual expression to turn cold.

“They’re still acting up? Even with the Empress living here?”

The Medilan Duchy was the Empress Midienna’s family. It had once been a sovereign territory but had only recently been absorbed into the Empire. The relationship was still fragile, almost foreign.

“Poor woman,” Lydian murmured.

There was pity in his voice, but his eyes were sharp with anger.

“So, the reason she was sent here… it’s just as we thought.”

Kyler’s face didn’t change.

Everyone has their own reasons. Midienna had been sent far away from home under the excuse of diplomacy. She had become Empress even though Lydian loved someone else. And she had accepted it, knowing the truth. Even Sasha, who had spent her days in an attic and her nights wandering the garden, had reached out to him with a reason.

At first, Kyler had only wanted to keep her close. He had been drawn to the emptiness in her eyes. But on the day of their wedding, the way she looked at him had changed.

He didn’t know what had brought on the change, or why her gaze affected him. But because of it, he had started returning to the estate every three days.

If he kept doing this, maybe the servants would stop looking down on her. He had to make sure she didn’t repeat the life she had endured at the Marquis’s estate.

That had been the reason she reached out to him.

Lydian, who had looked ready to explode with rage only moments before, suddenly relaxed again. He smiled as he looked across at Kyler.

“You’re no different, you know. If it weren’t for those cursed ears of yours, you could’ve lived an ordinary life. But now you’re stuck with me. Stuck with this Empire.”

Kyler understood. Since they were children, Lydian had been his only friend. And Kyler knew that Lydian truly cared.

That was why, even when Lydian ordered him to marry quickly to protect himself from the Empress and to balance palace politics, he still allowed Kyler to choose his own bride.

As his thoughts wandered back to the subject of marriage, Kyler found himself thinking of his wife again, likely still alone in the estate.

“As long as the Empire and Your Majesty never betray me, I will never turn away. I am not a dog obeying commands. I protect you and this country as a Duke.”

Having power meant having the freedom to act. It meant having the strength to protect what mattered.

He could never go back to the time when he had lost everything because he was powerless. Not now. Not when he had something new to protect.

Their conversations were never long.

Most of the time, they only talked briefly, and often about small things. Still, Kyler always answered the summons without hesitation, even when it could have been a bother.

And it was during one of these short visits to the palace—

“Kyler…”

That woman had finally come to understand who he was.

He left the Emperor’s wing, crossed the bridge, and followed the path toward where the carriage was waiting. He was nearly there when he heard a soft, sorrowful voice behind him.

It wasn’t a voice that could hold him back. As he walked forward, he saw a glimpse of a purple dress, the same one he had seen on the bridge before entering the palace.

He did not stop. He kept walking, straight toward the carriage.

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