To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 50

Diane married Iron Lloyd, the third son of the famous Marquis Lloyd, who was known as a young and brilliant diplomat of the Caesar Empire. Their marriage symbolized peace between the Caesar Empire and the Todome Kingdom.

“You are Lily’s daughter So your name is Diane? You look decent like your mother. I won’t be ashamed to present you in the Empire.”

“This land is your dowry. You know the kingdom’s situation well, don’t you? We can’t give you anything else, so ask your mother for help or figure it out yourself.”

Because the marriage symbolized unity between the Empire and the Kingdom, her grandfather called Diane for the first time. He boasted as he gave her a desert near the Empire-Kingdom border called the Lachia Desert. True to its name, it was a barren land with nothing but sand.

“Why me?”

Diane cried as she left for the Empire. Though she accepted it unwillingly, she felt deeply wronged. No member of the royal family had ever married a noble’s third son. To her, marrying Iron was an insult and a sacrifice.

“Are you crazy? You slapped your sister-in-law? Have you lost your mind?”

“She dared to speak down to me! I’m a noble of the Todome Kingdom”

“You’re the wife of Baron Riddle! My God You’ve been married for a year. Don’t you understand your place by now?”

Diane’s marriage was far from peaceful. As a royal, she had never bowed to anyone. But because her husband only held a baron’s title, she had to bow to other nobles, and she couldn’t stand it. From the start, the couple’s relationship was shaky, and within a few years, they lived like strangers.

“Where do you go every day?”

“Why the sudden interest? You act like you wouldn’t care if I died.”

“No one cares what you’re doing! My sister came to visit, but you weren’t home all day, so she laughed at me! She asked if you’re seeing another woman!”

“You Todome royals That’s all you can think of?”

“W-What did you say? How dare you!”

Their relationship worsened. Isolated and unhappy, Diane lived a miserable life. But not all of life is misfortune. Three years after moving to the Empire, Diane’s luck finally turned.

“What’s going on? Last year, the eldest young master died, and this year”

“Seems like misfortune struck the family. Otherwise, why would both young masters die so suddenly?”

“Neither of them left heirs Then the youngest must inherit the family.”

It began when the Marquis Lloyd’s eldest and second sons died from illness. It was a tragedy for the family, but it made Iron, the third son, the sole heir. He inherited the title and became the new marquis.

Diane naturally became the Marchioness by following her husband. For a short while, Diane and Iron repaired their relationship. Their son, Cliff, was born.

“No way. Why should I, the lady of the Lloyd family, bow to a mere countess?”

“No one’s telling you to bow. Just keep a good relationship.”

“Same thing! I’m so embarrassed because of you. Even as a marquis, you still act like a clueless commoner! I’m not asking for royal elegance, just act properly so I can endure it!”

“Endure it? Don’t you think your standards are ridiculous? If I act arrogant like you, the Lloyd family will collapse immediately.”

Their brief peace ended quickly. Before Cliff turned three, the couple grew distant again. Cliff could count on ten fingers how many times he saw his parents together.

Though they lived under the same roof, they didn’t even look at each other until Cliff was ten. Around that time, Diane had another stroke of luck. In the Lachia Desert, which the King had given her as a useless dowry, a rare ore called adium was discovered in large quantities.

“Adium is extremely valuable. Mix just a fingertip’s amount with iron and you’ll get an unbreakable sword.”

But unlike the first stroke of luck, this one sparked a conflict. Adium was beyond valuable, and suddenly the Empire and the Kingdom began fighting over the once-ignored land.

“The land belongs to the Lloyd family, and the Lloyds are imperial nobility. So, the land is Empire territory.”

According to imperial law, if a foreigner married an imperial noble or royal, the foreigner automatically became an imperial citizen. Also, a woman’s dowry became the husband’s family property unless they divorced. So the Empire claimed the land as theirs, based on their law.

“What nonsense! The Marchioness is a Todome royal and a Kingdom citizen. Under Kingdom law, the land belongs to her personally! Her land is Kingdom territory!”

The Kingdom’s law was similar to the Empire’s, except it had a clause for royalty. Royal women kept their Kingdom citizenship and their dowries remained their personal property until death. This exception came from the Kingdom’s diplomatic tradition of arranging political marriages through multiple consorts and children.

Using this law, the Kingdom insisted that Diane was still their citizen, the dowry belonged to her alone, and therefore the land was Kingdom territory.

“How can she be a Kingdom citizen when she carries the Lloyd name?”

“That’s what Kingdom law says! What, are you going to threaten to rewrite the law using the Empire’s name?”

Normally, this kind of conflict wouldn’t happen. In international marriages, nations agreed beforehand on which country’s law would apply. But Diane and Iron weren’t considered important at the time, and the land was thought worthless, so the agreement was vague. Now, both stood firmly with their own nations.

“Diane, you’re a Lloyd now! That makes you an imperial citizen!”

“So you’re using that to steal my land? Don’t make me laugh. I’m a Todome royal! And as for being a Lloyd? Forget it I want a divorce!”

“Now you want a divorce? Quit the games. If you want a divorce, give up the land. Then I’ll sign the papers immediately.”

The fight continued endlessly. Two years into the conflict, something happened to break the stalemate. Iron, known for his persistence, found a crucial document in the embassy.

“This land is Empire territory. Look here this is the contract exchanged between the nations when we married.”

Among the pages with both nations’ seals, one stated that imperial law would take precedence in Diane and Iron’s marriage.

“That’s a lie! I’ve never seen this before. You forged it, you pathetic man!”

“You think I could forge both seals? Be reasonable and step down. I’ll let you stay Marchioness for Cliff’s sake.”

With the Empire gaining the upper hand, the Kingdom panicked. They stalled, claiming they needed to verify the document, and secretly reached out to Diane. Diane fled with her son Cliff back to the Todome Kingdom.

“That crazy woman! She’s using her own son now?”

She sent Iron divorce papers and warned that she wouldn’t return Cliff unless they divorced. Iron eventually gave in.

“The Marquis demands the southwest land.”

“Tell him I’ll never give that to him. That’s the best part. What a joke.”

Discussions began on how to divide the land in the event of divorce. Diane knew Iron wouldn’t give up Cliff, so she had the upper hand. But just before her victory, something unexpected happened. Iron suddenly died from a heart attack.

“The Marquis has passed. May he rest in peace”

“What? What about the divorce? What happens to the land I would’ve gotten from it?”

“Since the party is deceased, the divorce case is invalid. And under imperial law, the land now belongs to the new Marquis, young master Cliff.”

“What the hell?! No, this isn’t the time for that. Where’s Cliff? Bring me my son! Now!”

Diane panicked at the annulled divorce and demanded her son. But Cliff, abandoned for nearly three years, had already left the Kingdom with imperial officials after learning of his father’s death. Though Diane sent a pursuit team, Cliff narrowly escaped her grasp.

“Your Majesty, please protect me and my land in the name of the Empire. In return, I’ll offer half the profit from the land while under your protection.”

Returning to the Empire and inheriting the title, Cliff immediately went to the Emperor and proposed a deal. The Emperor, who had been a close friend of Iron, gave up diplomacy and sent troops at once.

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