☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The feeling of the delicate hand gripping his own was transmitted through the gloves.
Although it wasn’t bare skin, Erich etched the sensation of that hand into his memory.
‘I should prepare to let go of this hand soon.’
Just as a bittersweet smile was about to form, Cornelia released his hand.
“Mom!”
A small child was running toward her.
“My baby!”
The sight of Cornelia holding the child was so radiant that he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
And it was a happy smile she had never shown since marrying him.
At that moment, the child waved at Erich.
“Dad!”
The way the child called out to him was as endearing and heart-wrenching as ever.
That’s because…
“Daddy, let’s have dinner together!”
It awakened the desires he had struggled to suppress.
‘I want to…’
Even just a little. He wanted to become part of their family.
At that moment, he caught Cornelia’s piercing gaze directed at him.
‘Right, you must dislike me. But…’
Erich wanted to do something for Cornelia, something he had never been able to do before. And he wanted to be a father to that lovely child.
At least until their contract came to a close.
So Erich decided to be a bit brazen for a moment.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Although they had just been holding hands, Cornelia’s expression was still filled with wariness as she glared at him.
Erich smiled bitterly and spoke to himself.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll do as you wish.’
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Have you gone so far as to touch the firearms your sister prepared for your father? You worthless fool!”
With the Emperor’s furious voice, a lead vase flew past Fritz.
Crash!
It wasn’t made of a breakable material, but perhaps because the Emperor had thrown it with all his might, the vase was slightly dented.
Despite the commotion, Fritz remained silent, biting his lip.
The Emperor’s lips twisted in frustration.
‘Not even a single excuse?’
Fritz’s downfall was almost a given at this point.
The problem was what would happen after his fall from grace.
During his time as Crown Prince, Fritz had committed numerous offenses.
In such a situation, if he were to step down from the Crown Prince position, it was clear how the noble faction would react.
‘They would hold Fritz accountable and demand compensation from the imperial family. Or they would urge for his punishment.’
For that reason, he had simply advised him not to cause any more trouble, yet this foolish son couldn’t even manage that.
The Emperor was now thoroughly fed up with his son.
“If you have a mouth, speak! What on earth were you thinking?”
At that, Fritz’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“It’s all your fault, Father! You coddled that damn crow, that defective product, so it made me anxious—”
Before Fritz could finish his sentence.
Slap!
The Emperor’s face twisted in anger as he slapped Fritz’s cheek.
“What kind of words are those directed at your sister?”
However, Fritz was only enraged by the fact that he had been slapped and glared defiantly.
“Among your blood, the only one who could become Emperor is either me or that crow’s offspring! So why should I speak nicely?”
“You’re still talking back?”
Just as the Emperor raised his hand again, Fritz grabbed his wrist and exclaimed, “Who do you think you are? Who are you going to replace me with as the Emperor?”
At that moment, Fritz was roughly thrown aside.
“What is going on here?”
At the appearance of Marquis Philippe, the Emperor’s closest aide and the commander of the Central Knight Order, Fritz gritted his teeth and got back on his feet.
“Just wait. If you come at me like this, I won’t stay silent either.”
As Fritz left the office, Marquis Philippe murmured softly, “Your Majesty, should I bring your son back and make him kneel?”
The Emperor slowly shook his head.
“No need. He’s not the type to come to his senses that way.”
What Fritz had done was a clear act of rebellion and filial impiety, something that could never be tolerated.
Marquis Philippe tried to persuade the Emperor regarding the somewhat lenient measures.
But then…
“However, since it seems like he will cause trouble, make sure he is thoroughly monitored so he can’t act out. And if Fritz becomes uncontrollable, feel free to use force.”
Hearing the term “use force,” a smile appeared on Marquis Philippe’s face.
“Good thinking. I must say Your Majesty’s son is less obedient than your four-year-old grandson.”
At those words, the Emperor let out a hollow laugh and stroked his chin.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen that child.’
At that moment, the Marquis spoke.
“Then I’ll take my leave and attend to my duties.”
After the Marquis departed, the Emperor fell into thought.
‘I expected it, but Fritz is truly hopeless.’
Since he had never had high hopes for Fritz to begin with, the fact that Fritz was not fit to be a ruler did not come as a shock.
But the problem lay with the candidate he had in mind for Emperor.
He read the letter sent by Cornelia.
[Your Majesty, I will uncover the true culprit who manipulated Fritz during the state council meeting. Therefore, please decide on the successor to the throne as soon as possible.]
The Emperor clicked his tongue.
‘She still hasn’t realized…’
The Emperor sat at his desk and took out some stationery from the drawer.
Soon, the quill began to dance gracefully, writing in elegant script.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
After an uncomfortable meal with Erich, I thought to myself.
‘It’s best to finish this conversation quickly so I won’t have to see him again.’
Thus, I continued to negotiate the terms of our divorce.
“I plan to offer this amount as alimony. Is that acceptable to you?”
After seeing the amount, I nodded.
“That’s fine.”
The document stated that I would receive one-third of the accumulated wealth of the dukedom since I married into the family.
In addition, Erich would pay 500 gold coins per month as child support.
This amount was not only sufficient to save face but also enough to restore my dignity.
Before long, Erich handed me a piece of paper filled with writing.
“I’ve summarized the terms of the contract. Please check it out.”
I carefully scanned the paper he handed me.
‘Honestly, this is acceptable.’
Eventually, I came across a particular clause that made my eyes widen.
[Demian has the right to inherit from the Blant Duchy. However, if the Duke of Blant dies without a separate will, all property and titles shall be inherited by the eldest son, Demian.]
Eldest son—of course, this isn’t incorrect.
However, Erich currently believes that my child was my illegitimate child.
But why would he grant him the rights that only a firstborn son would have?
I couldn’t understand why such treatment would be afforded to a cuckoo.
TL/N: Cuckoo (the bird, often metaphorically used to refer to someone who’s an outsider or doesn’t belong).
“Why did you write these inheritance conditions?”
Could it be a trap to take my child away from me?
With that thought, I glared at him and asked.
Suddenly, he smiled faintly.
“Why are you smiling?”
At my pointed question, he immediately shook his head.
“Oh, I’m sorry if I offended you. It’s just… I thought you might have forgotten the purpose of this deal.”
Purpose of the deal?
I tilted my head in confusion for a moment, and then I finally understood his words.
‘Ah, right. This deal was proposed because I didn’t want Demian to be considered an illegitimate child.’
When I presented the deal, I had originally intended to persuade him to make Demian a legitimate child during the divorce.
However, he suddenly became clingy, and I unwittingly took a defensive stance.
I was overwhelmed by the fear that he might take my child away.
‘After that, many things happened, and I completely forgot about it, but it seems that this perceptive person understood the true reason why I proposed the deal.’
After a brief moment of astonishment, I forced myself to act nonchalant and said, “There were many things on my mind, but anyway, this is just a formality to make my child look like a legitimate child, right?”
“Yes, as it states there, Demian will inherit all the property only if I ‘die without leaving a will,’ but I will prepare a will.”
He really is a remarkably sharp man in this regard, almost annoyingly so.
However, I was just grateful that I didn’t have to deal with any headaches right now.
‘It’s honestly convenient that he’s taking care of this.’
Just then, while I was looking back at the contract terms, my eyes widened again, just as they had when I saw the inheritance clause.
“Wait, what’s this?”
“What are you referring to?”
“This clause says we have to maintain a close relationship as husband and wife until we get divorced.”
At that, Erich wore a deep smile, unlike before.
“Ah, I see you noticed.”
“What on earth does this mean? Hurry up and explain!”
At my urging, he finally spoke.
“I also need to gain something from this deal.”
“What exactly do you intend to gain?”
He looked at me with a mysterious gaze.
It was a deep and intimate gaze.
And it was similar to the way he looked at me when he handed me a handkerchief that day.
Feeling uneasy, I clenched my fists tightly.
‘What on earth is he plotting?’
At that moment, he chuckled lightly and replied, “You’ve forgotten again what you proposed to me.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you say you would help restore my reputation?”
Only then did I realize the nature of the “benefit” he intended to gain.
‘Ah, he meant to put on a show in front of others to restore his reputation.’
As I unconsciously clenched my fists, he provocatively said, “You’re not thinking of backing out of the contract because of this condition, are you?”
“Do you think I’m a fool?”
It was clear to anyone that this was a beneficial contract for me.
There was no way I would back out over a mere performance.
I roughly signed the paper and handed it to him.
“Alright, is this good enough now?”
He nodded in response.
“Yes, the contract is finalized.”
I frowned at his bright smile.
‘It’s clearly beneficial for me, yet I can’t shake the feeling that I’m at a disadvantage.’
At the same time, my heart raced. It seemed I was still affected by that arrogant face after all.
