Chapter 1 – IDLYA

Chapter 1

“I heard you’re looking for a bride.”

That was the first thing the woman said when she suddenly came to see Arendt.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at the woman sitting in front of him like a doll.

She was, quite literally, like a doll. Expressionless. Emotionless.

She was undeniably beautiful, but at the same time, eerily calm.

And now this woman had come to him, asking whether he was looking for a bride?

Arendt found it rather puzzling.

“You… don’t know who I am?”

“You’re the one seeking a political marriage.”

“Besides that.”

“Joachim XII of Vinfrid.”

“At least you’re not ignorant.”

“Please marry me.”

“Well, now this is just absurd.”

Arendt gave a slightly bewildered smile on his otherwise kind face.

It was true that he was looking for a bride. It was also true that he had left his own country and come all the way to the Empire of Thierry, making a commotion across the continent with his intention of forming a royal union.

But he certainly hadn’t expected to be proposed to out of the blue.

After a brief pause, Arendt asked a question that seemed plausible enough.

“Do you have feelings for me, by any chance?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t develop feelings for someone I’ve only heard about in rumors.”

That was… a bit embarrassing.

As awkward as it was to admit, Arendt was quite popular.

As the emperor of a country and a member of the Joachim imperial line of Vinfrid — a family that used a tale of the moon’s blessing as its founding myth — Arendt, with his silver hair and striking features, was widely admired.

His sharply chiseled face gave a sense of strength and integrity, and his thin red lips and slightly downturned eyes gave him the look of a gentle puppy.

With his tall, well-proportioned body and easygoing nature, he was both approachable and attractive.

So, the point is — it wasn’t unreasonable for Arendt to wonder whether the woman might harbor some affection for him.

Embarrassed and a bit flustered, Arendt asked again.

“Then why are you proposing to me?”

“Because Your Majesty is the Emperor of Vinfrid, and the only one who can take me away from the Empire of Thierry.”

“Ha, I come to a foreign land and now I’m being treated like a carriage. Maybe I should just return home.”

“Your Majesty must be looking for a bride who meets three conditions. First, she must have no ties whatsoever to the Empress Dowager of Vinfrid. Second, she must be capable of assisting you with governance right away. And third, she must not love you.”

At her words, Arendt’s deeply furrowed brow relaxed.

The first two conditions were fair enough, but how did she know about the last one?

Yet Arendt couldn’t bring himself to ask. The woman had already continued on her own.

“I’m from the Empire of Thierry, so I have no connection to the Empress Dowager of Vinfrid, and I won’t be a pawn under her surveillance. I also have the ability to assist in governance immediately.”

“It’s not wise to overestimate oneself.”

“The Duke of Eustache has been away at war for the past three years. He never returned to Thierry. During that time, both the previous Duke and Duchess were dead. Who do you think managed the vast duchy and the household?”

The Duke of Eustache. At the mention of the name, a certain incident flashed through Arendt’s mind.

With a doubtful look, he asked cautiously.

“…I heard the Duke of Eustache recently broke off an engagement.”

“Niveia Solenne. She was engaged to him because of a promise made between their fathers. She’s finally given up on him.”

“Don’t tell me… you’re—?”

Even at Arendt’s surprised question, the woman did not smile.

She simply continued, as if stating the obvious.

“I loved the Duke of Eustache for ten years. And only now have I finally let that love go. Do you think someone like me could ever love you?”

“…”

“You’re sick of love, aren’t you, Your Majesty? I am too.”

Only then did Arendt see her emotionless demeanor in a new light.

She was worn out.

And yet, her two violet eyes sparkled with vitality. She was asking Arendt for a new life.

“I never ask three times, Your Majesty. If you do not wish to accept, I’ll go seek someone else. So I’ll ask you one last time.”

“Will you marry me?”