PMBA | Chapter 12

Even the memory of her defiant glare, which she intended as a threat, was laughable, but compared to other young ladies who flinched in his presence, she was quite bold.

‘And so brazen in such a state of undress.’

Even when she ran from him, she was still in that state. Barefoot, with her skin clearly exposed. The only thing covering her negligee was his cloak.

‘What if someone had seen her?’

The belated thought that others might have seen her body, that white and soft body, made his already foul mood even worse.

He once again recalled Kyrie Ernberg, who hadn’t cared that their bodies rubbed together as she tried to snatch the pendant necklace from him.

“Give it… back!”

Her pathetic cry, her breasts pressed against his uniform, her slender body daringly sank between his legs.

Her white calves brushed against the inside of his firm thighs with a silky touch. The ticklish sensation and weight felt like a cluster of feathers rubbing against him.

Her body had been warm and soft.

It would have been nice if she had accepted his advice with the same grace she had shown in her actions.

‘Couldn’t it have been more interesting?’

If she had just listened to him and followed obediently, he might have been able to use her as a truly valuable asset.

Dominique had even considered playing along. If she agreed to his advice, he would have helped her a little to provoke Lexion’s jealousy.

Playing the role of a fake lover wouldn’t be difficult. Seeing Lexion’s scowling face, while placing his hand on her soft waist, seemed quite appealing.

‘…No.’

On second thought, it was unlike him to be so fixated. He had many other options besides her.

‘Rather, Kyrie Ernberg is more of a variable.’

With that thought, he slowly walked into the Imperial Garden, where he had an appointment with the Emperor.

“Duke Haswell.”

Dominique stopped at the sight of the person who appeared instead of the Emperor.

“Duchess Miriam Melua.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you here, Your Grace.”

Miriam was the Duchess of the eastern Melua Duchy, a region that paid tribute to the Empire in exchange for autonomy. Her Meluan attendants stood around her, watching Dominique.

“It’s been a while.”

The woman’s eyes gleamed with subtle greed.

Dominique didn’t react to her gaze in any particular way. He simply observed Miriam with cold, scrutinizing eyes.

‘A woman who is treated as a state guest has entered the Imperial Garden unannounced.’

Was the Emperor trying to forge a new alliance?

Dominique spoke in a calm voice, his mind racing, calculating Melua’s advantages and how they would affect the Emperor.

“When did you arrive?”

“I arrived a short while ago. I intend to attend the Crown Prince’s victory celebration.”

“Ah.”

“Although the main banquet ended yesterday, the celebrations will continue for several weeks.”

Attending the victory celebration.

‘There has to be more to it.’

There was no way the serpent-like Emperor would have summoned the Duchess of Melua without a purpose.

Miriam fanned herself with a subtle smile. Despite her age, nearing her later years, her tightly corseted figure and meticulously maintained appearance made her look decades younger. The Duchess of Melua continued.

“His Majesty said he has a matter to mediate between us.”

This was news to Dominique.

The Duchy of Melua and the Haswell territory were located at opposite ends of the continent. Their main industries were different, so there were no trade agreements to discuss.

At that moment, a sharp premonition prickled Dominique’s nerves. A very strong premonition. A premonition that made him almost certain, despite his initial doubts. And such premonitions had never betrayed him.

“I recently became a widow.”

As the middle-aged woman, approaching old age, blushed and smiled, looking him over with a gaze as if she was appraising him,

“Ha.” 

Dominique let out a chuckle without realizing it.

‘So that’s why he was suddenly talking about marriage.’

Dominique calmly recalled what he knew of Duchess Melua’s history.

Miriam had been married three times before. Her husbands, simply put, were consorts. They had abandoned their family names and taken the Melua name to ensure the autonomy of the Duchy of Melua wasn’t threatened. Dominique knew that one of them was even a prince of a certain kingdom.

‘Although he was a prince with a distant claim to the throne.’

That experience seemed to have given Miriam quite a bit of confidence. To a woman who had already married a prince, a Duke wasn’t such a difficult remarriage prospect. Especially a Duke whom the Emperor of the Empire was eager to sell off cheaply.

The smile on Dominique’s lips deepened.

‘They’re all out of their minds.’

It seemed the Emperor wasn’t satisfied with simply offering him a powerless young lady from a humble family. Perhaps he was orchestrating this, thinking it would be better if Dominique Roman Haswell would abandon the Haswell name.

However, if one were to compare, the value of the name of the Empire’s First Duke was naturally more powerful than Melua. Even the Emperor couldn’t simply sell off the Haswell name like that.

In any case, the Emperor’s intentions were clear.

‘He won’t allow marriage unless it’s one that would force me to abandon my family.’ 

His stubborn refusal to grant him a respectable marriage was sickening. The Duchess of Melua continued to smile.

“Now, Your Grace. Come and have some tea.”

Would he comply with this charade?

Dominique smiled brightly, just as Kyrie had. This much, he could say, he had learned from her. As Duchess Miriam Melua was momentarily captivated by his smile, he spoke.

“I seem to have left something behind.”

“Then I’ll wait here…”

“No. It will take quite a while. It’s something I must take care of.”

“Wait, Duke Haswell…”

Dominique stopped walking and opened his mouth,

“Since you’ve come all this way, why don’t you watch the Imperial sable auction?”

“…Sables?”

“The auctioneer is quite skilled at grafting old ones.”

His gaze, fixed on the Duchess of Melua, was cold. The sable was also the symbol of the Duchy of Melua.

As Duchess Melua flinched, realizing the insult too late, Dominique resumed walking.

He would only pretend to bow his head to the Emperor’s wishes to a certain extent. There was no reason to submit to unnecessary dishonor.

Besides, he much preferred being the predator than the prey. Worrying about being sold off to another country as a trembling, written plea simply didn’t suit his temperament.

‘In that case…’

In that case, he would make the first move and find a wife for himself.

However, the problem was that there still wasn’t a suitable woman. Dominique strode with long strides deep into the gardens. The urge to grip the smooth barrel of a gun intensified within him.

‘To think I’ve lived to see the day I’m treated like merchandise.’

Playing along, he realized the Emperor had crossed the line at some point. On the other hand, he found it somewhat satisfying that the Emperor felt comfortable enough to do this which suggested he underestimated him to this extent.

‘I hope he gets even more careless.’

He was crossing the gardens, unbuttoning his collar to dispel his foul mood when—

“Stop!”

A high-pitched scream caught his attention.

* * *

Kyrie paused for a moment to catch her breath. The scene unfolding before her eyes was quite a coincidence.

“Where…”

“Then…”

The second-floor terrace of a separate building in the garden, built specifically for the royal family.

The man and woman conversing affectionately there were undoubtedly Lexion and Elise.

‘Of all people.’ 

She wouldn’t have cared if it were another woman. Kyrie, in fact, had no particular expectations of Lexion. To begin with, the agreement they had was merely a formality, and he had no obligation to be faithful to her.

Lexion might think he was hiding his dalliances with other women quite well, but Kyrie was utterly sick of dealing with the young ladies he had touched. Where he went and with whom he slept was none of her concern. Ultimately, all that mattered was that he married her.

But if it was Elise… 

The image of Elise looking down at her, between her coldly staring brothers, surfaced in her mind. The image of her smiling, even at her miserable appearance at her mother’s funeral.

At that moment, Kyrie had realized. Elise, kind to everyone, had disliked her from the moment they first met at the Duke’s mansion.

‘Why?’ 

She didn’t know the reason, but she couldn’t change that obvious fact. It began to fuel anxiety in Kyrie’s heart. She had a feeling that Elise hadn’t approached Lexion without reason. Since it had come to this, she absolutely had to listen to their conversation.

So Kyrie quietly lowered herself and entered the building.

The air inside was unseasonably cool. She couldn’t tell if the building was actually designed that way or if it was just her feeling the chill.

“Your Highness.”

As she climbed the stairs and approached the second-floor terrace, the conversation between the two became a little clearer. Kyrie hid behind a pillar in the hallway, holding her breath.

And she flinched at the words she heard.

“Someone might see us.”

“Let them see as much as they want. You’re going to be the Crown Princess, so what does it matter?”

“Are you really going to propose to me?”

“Of course. You would make the perfect Crown Princess.”