Chapter 35: Marry Me

Clint raised his brows. “You already know?”

Ailea nodded. “Yes. I asked the doctor in the Imperial Castle once. He said he didn’t know.”

After that, she requested for Lawrence to call for outside help; he agreed to it, but that was the end of it. He’d probably forgotten or he thought it a waste of time unworthy of putting his effort into finding a competent doctor.

“As it has no symptoms, it seems like it’s a particular poison. He doesn’t know the cause, but said I’ll need to hire a full-time doctor to treat it and find out the cause over a long period of time.”

“Yes…” Ailea lowered her gaze.

“It would cost a lot of money to treat it.”

Clint was referring to Ailea’s treatment, but Ailea thought it had to do with Clint’s hand. After a moment of silence, Ailea opened her mouth with a contrite heart.

“I’ll provide the medical bill somehow.”

Right at that time, Clint, too, parted his lips, their words overlapping.

“If you marry me, I’ll hire a doctor.”

Though their words overlapped, Ailea understood perfectly what Clint said.

“Pardon?” asked Ailea.

“Using what money?” asked Clint.

“I… I have a wedding dress. If I sell it, I’ll earn a lot of money.”

She was referring to the wedding dress Lawrence gifted her. Clint was at a loss for words; he shut his mouth.

“But is it your drinking habit? Do you usually ask people to marry you when drunk?” Ailea asked playfully to lighten the heavy mood.

“No… it’s not that.”

Clint looked at Ailea with bright clear eyes as if he hadn’t drunk a single drop of alcohol.

“It’s His Majesty’s order. The Crown Prince didn’t give accurate information about your illness, and if he breaks your engagement because of another woman, the nobility who stands in support of your late father would severely protest. I’m keeping my mouth shut now as I’ve no backing, but they don’t know what will soon happen once I gain power.”

Emperor Murray initially brought Ailea, daughter of Ron Elgar Euliana, to the Imperial Castle with means to quell the aristocrats’ backlash. Ailea knew vaguely but did not realize her father was such an influential figure. Because of his integrity, the Elgar family house was not by any means wealthy, and he was often away on the battlefield. He rarely had the chance to spend time with his family. The emperor was always ordering him.

Ailea, lost in thoughts, came back to her senses at Clint’s words.

“His Majesty decided to pair you up with me.”

At that moment, her heart sank. Ailea felt this premonition of abandonment as she looked at Clint’s blackened spot.

“…It’s a joke, right?” Ailea asked while struggling to smile.

“It’s true.”

“…..”

“Marry me.”

“…..”

“Marry me, Ailea. We should marry each other.”

Ailea looked at Clint with blank eyes.

The last two years have been so happy. Nothing, in particular, had changed, but she was able to live her life well, able to read as much as she could and raise her cat, Blue.

If she entangled himself with Clint, she would only hurt him and that would be selfish of her. She gave him her disease and now he was forced to marry her against his will.

“We’re leaving the castle tomorrow, Ailea. Initially, the Crown Prince had set up a mansion for us, but I secretly sneaked in here without his knowing. Why? Because it’s comfortable. But we’ll have to leave soon. I don’t know when he’ll send his men to inform you of the break-up ceremony.”

“…Did His Majesty really say that?”

“Yes.”

Ailea crumpled her clothes and bit her lips.

“What… what should I do?”

“What should you do? His Majesty ordered you to marry me, so you should marry me.”

Ailea, dumbfounded, asked, “C-can you teach me how to ride a horse? I will go to Euliana Castle. Tell them I died in the fire!”

‘Why the fire again?’

Clint frowned. It didn’t feel right that she was talking about dying in a sea of fire.

“This Outer Castle is surrounded by layers and you’d have trouble leaving by yourself. And if it simply disappeared, Lawrence would find it odd. And fire? There needs to be a fire first for you to die…”

“If you burn a part of it… you don’t have to marry me…”

Ailea kept walking backwards. Frustrated, Clint hurried and grabbed her arm.

Ailea’s body trembled.

‘I… I know you hate this… this forced order… you’re a knight. You should have many options to choose from instead of being tied down to me. Lawrence felt the same way… I’m sorry.’

When Ailea tried to pull her arm out of his grasp, Clint dragged her closer to him and said softly, “Why do you keep running away? I only want to talk to you. Don’t run away.”

“What kind of talk is this…”

“I don’t care who I marry unless they interfere with my free life. Otherwise, the woman who marries me won’t be pleased. I’m not a faithful husband. If you marry me, you won’t be alone, but you will have to live in the Excalibur Castle in the southernmost part of this country. I’ll be protecting the border. It would mean that you’d always be exposed to the dangers of war,” he said as a means to comfort her.

“…..”

“But if there’s any advantage to this marriage, then you’ll be safe with me, Ailea. You won’t be alone. You won’t have to live just as you’ve been doing now. You’ll have a companion.”