It Feels Like I’m About to be Divorced, But my Husband is My Favorite

Episode 41

At those words, Euclid, who had been lowering his gaze, lifted his head.

Though his expression was unusually stiff, Delano, too embarrassed by how he had fiercely opposed this marriage ever since receiving the proposal from the Basilian duchy, failed to notice and awkwardly spoke.

“To cherish the Duke more than your life and vow to protect him even at the cost of your own—I’ve never seen a bride make such a pledge at a wedding.”

Of course, such a vow held no real weight, but strangely enough, it didn’t feel insincere. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed that her attitude toward this marriage might differ from what he had initially assumed.

“I was really afraid that after the marriage, Madam would follow His Highness the Crown Prince around, but it seems I don’t need to worry about that. It looks like she’s genuinely serious about this marriage.”

Hearing this, Euclid lightly bit the inside of his cheek before letting go.

He couldn’t quite bring himself to agree that this was the case, nor could he deny it outright with a stern expression, so he offered a faint, awkward smile and replied ambiguously.

“Who knows.”

His words, lingering in the air, startled Delano for a moment before he nodded in agreement.

“Well, that’s true. It’s not something to be hastily optimistic about.”

Perhaps it was just a momentary whim. Feelings now and feelings later could change entirely.

Realizing how overly excited and worked up he had been, Delano deeply reflected on himself.

“To think my opinion could shift so quickly in just a few days—I must seem terribly fickle.”

“You don’t need to be so hard on yourself. I was surprised, too.”

“Really? Even you, Duke? But now, even when I think of Madam’s face, I only feel a slight chill down my spine. Oddly enough, I’m starting to think she might not be as bad as the rumors say, and it’s troubling.”

At those words, Euclid, who had been responding nonchalantly, showed a peculiar expression.

Before he realized it, he asked, “Does she really look that frightening?”

“Are you talking about Madam?” Delano exclaimed, startled.

Euclid awkwardly nodded.

“She doesn’t appear that way to me.”

He was being honest. While her features could be considered imposing, they were so perfectly harmonized that she came across as strikingly beautiful, with a graceful aura befitting her appearance.

Even her sharp eyes seemed to suit her so well, like a carefully crafted work of art.

He couldn’t understand why Delano and others described her as frightening.

Even the Duke of Basilian, who had called him aside the day before the wedding to make a special request…

– Although Evgenia’s sharp eyes and fierce expression may seem daunting, it’s just a characteristic of our Basilian family. Her nature and heart are not like that.

While the Duke had spoken with a worried expression, fearing his daughter might be misunderstood, Evgenia’s face didn’t appear sharp to Euclid at all.

On the contrary, her amethyst-like eyes, shining brilliantly within her raised gaze, seemed to him so enchanting that it felt as if flowers might bloom wherever they rested.

Unable to say such thoughts aloud, Euclid simply smiled awkwardly.

However, Delano was already astonished by the mere fact that Euclid wasn’t intimidated by Evgenia’s appearance.

“Duke, you must have incredible courage. To be honest, when Madam made her vows, it felt as though she was declaring she’d take my life—I was utterly terrified.”

Seeing Delano mumble nervously, Euclid couldn’t help but finally burst into genuine laughter.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

“So it’s true. She’s really married, then?”

Hearing the news of Evgenia’s marriage directly from the Duke of Basilian, the Emperor’s stiff expression dissolved into a hearty laugh.

“When I received the marriage certificate yesterday, I thought some insolent fool had submitted a false document.”

“Who in their right mind would dare fabricate something like that regarding the Lady of the Basilian family?”

When the Duke spoke with an incredulous tone, the Emperor wiped the smile from his face.

“Still, it was sudden. The Lady has never been involved in any marriage talks with other families until now, has she?”

At the Emperor’s remark, the Duke let out a dry laugh.

The reason Evgenia hadn’t received any marriage proposals until now wasn’t solely because of her connection to the Crown Prince; it was mostly due to the imperial family’s blatant attitude.

‘And yet, they shamelessly sent a proposal to Melissa, as if striking us from behind.’

The Duke contemplated snapping back but refrained, recalling how the Emperor had always treated Evgenia with care, almost as if she were his prospective daughter-in-law.

Of course, he would never forget that this incident had revealed the imperial family’s true intentions: their interest was not in Evgenia herself but in the Basilian family.

Fortunately, this time, they declined the proposal, citing Melissa’s youth and her recent integration into the ducal family as reasons it would be difficult to establish ties with the imperial family.

But now that Evgenia was married, it was only a matter of time before another proposal was sent.

The marriage alliance with the imperial family was, in fact, beneficial for the Basilian family as well. However, they had no intention of becoming a family with the Crown Prince, especially for Evgenia’s sake.

Having just barely opened her heart, if Melissa were to marry the Crown Prince, she might sever ties with her family once and for all.

Moreover, the Duke had no intention of sending off his niece, whom he had only recently met, to marry so quickly.

Recalling his younger sister, who had impulsively left home for love, he resolved to act quickly and devise a plan.

As the Duke stood there, the Emperor’s cheek twitched faintly.

The Emperor could clearly guess what the Duke was thinking, which naturally caused his anger toward his son to rise.

‘After claiming he would handle everything, he’s ended up causing this mess?’

He should have held on to Evgenia immediately if he truly wanted her, instead of hesitating at a time when even begging might not have been enough.

Had he done so, he could have already married Evgenia and secured an alliance with the Basilian family.

The Emperor silently cursed Kaiden, recalling his stubbornness.

Especially when Kaiden had promised—when he decided to send a proposal to the Duke of Basilian’s niece—that this would be the last time. He had assured him that after returning from the war, there would be no further troubles related to marriage talks.

‘Could he have meant this?’

The Emperor had thought Kaiden’s intention was to crush Evgenia’s pride, which had always been so high despite her notorious reputation, and take control of the situation even before marriage. But instead, was his goal to make her a married woman and eliminate any further marriage discussions entirely?

Thinking of his son, whom Evgenia would normally detest, the Emperor felt certain of it.

At the same time, the realization that he had been deceived and failed to see through Kaiden’s intentions made his anger rise even further.

But this wasn’t the only thing troubling him.

If Evgenia had married someone mediocre, it would have been regrettable considering the effort spent on her, but it wouldn’t have caused such turmoil.

After all, it wasn’t as though there were no other daughters of the Basilian family to replace her.

But of all people…

‘The Duke of Rudion.’

When urgent news arrived from the Rudion duchy, he had been so anxious and curious about the situation that he couldn’t sleep.

Never had he imagined that the issue would concern marriage.

Of course, given the tight constraints, it was inevitable that they would seek a way out.

The unexpected blow left the Emperor reeling, but with the marriage already consummated, there was nothing he could do.

Fortunately, since Rudion was part of the empire, the Rudion duchy wouldn’t be able to act freely anyway.

Still, what irked him was the Duke of Basilian, who had broken the unspoken rule of keeping merchant guilds from establishing roots in the north.

But since he couldn’t openly address this, the Emperor asked with feigned indifference:

“So, Duke, are you satisfied with the son-in-law you’ve chosen?”

With that question, the Duke of Basilian realized that the Emperor had seen through his efforts to personally arrange this marriage.

“I never expected you to form an alliance with the north… but I do look forward to seeing how the Rudion territory will thrive differently from before.”

It was also clear that the Emperor was upset that the Duke had allied with the north, a region he had always regarded with subtle caution.