Married to a Man who Wants to Kill me

 

 

“He seems to be quite close to the princess.”

 

At the mention of Theo and Erita together, I unconsciously clenched my fists. Ian’s sharp gaze didn’t miss that small gesture. I replied in as calm a voice as I could muster.

 

“I know. I noticed it too.”

 

“The Princess said she would honor Lord Claflin’s wishes regarding the state marriage issue.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“I thought you considered him special?”

 

“Yes…….That means I’ll do what he wants, because he’s someone I care about.”

 

I felt a little choked up as I said the words. I bowed my head subtly.

 

“Maybe I’ve been misunderstanding you all this time.”

 

“Misunderstanding?”

 

“I thought you and Lord Claflin felt the same way.”

 

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

 

Could Theo really have said he would accept a state marriage?

 

I meant it when I said I would let him go if he wanted to.

 

I didn’t want to force him to stay by my side.

 

Now Ian seemed to think of Lethenia and the Duke of Bledel somewhat separately. He also didn’t seem to have the misconception that I was obsessed with him.

 

With the settlement nearly finalized, I would not need to call Theo to the Empress’ palace as often.

 

One day I will have to leave Asha, and Theo will have to stay and live as the Marquis of Claflin.

 

It is not for me to decide what may be the most important thing in his life.

 

Yes, of course, in my head I know it, but…… really, thinking that he might marry another woman filled me with a deep sense of despair.

 

Just like Lethenia’s feelings as she looked at Ian.

 

With a slightly trembling voice, I asked Ian.

 

“Does he…… want to marry the princess?”

 

There was a moment’s silence as Ian looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

 

“He’s not the kind of man who would ever show his true colors.”

 

“…….”

 

“But seeing the princess come out so boldly like that makes me think there’s something between them. After all, Lord Claflin stayed in Delua for quite some time.”

 

“…….”

 

“Anyway, I’m trying to figure out how to negotiate this with Delua.”

 

There was nothing wrong with Ian’s words.

 

Despite what Theo might think of Princess Erita, the two of them seemed quite close in person.

 

Erita’s adamant demeanor didn’t suggest she was making things up.

 

Ian had merely verbalized what I already suspected, but it sent ripples through my complicated mind.

 

He continued to speak about the audience day and related matters, but it didn’t register in my ears. He stared through my vacant expression for a while, then concluded his words and left the room.

 

The conversation from earlier replayed in my head.

 

Even after Ian was gone, I couldn’t move from my seat for a while.

 

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“As the Princess of the Delua Empire, I am prepared to accept a sacred state marriage. His Majesty the Emperor Kundras’ will is no different from mine, so if Emperor Cassel is willing to make the decision, the matter of state marriage will go through the process smoothly.”

 

Erita once again mentioned the issue of state marriage between the two countries.

 

She was getting impatient with Ian’s lukewarm demeanor and wanted to get a definitive answer somehow.

 

Erita also said that the Empress had also indicated that she would not prevent Lord Claflin from marrying if he wished, subtly bringing up the relationship between Lethenia and Claflin.

 

Ian finds Erita’s rudeness to be quite excessive, but decides to leave her alone for the time being.

 

The more arrogant Erita acted in Asha, the more he would gain from Delua.

 

“We haven’t received any official documents from Delua yet, so there’s no need to rush into anything. It’s not a simple matter, so I suggest you take your time.”

 

The coldness in Ian’s voice made the Princess shut up for a moment, unable to argue further.

 

She took a step back and spoke of something else.

 

This time, of course, it was about Claflin.

 

“This is my first time traveling to Asha, and I would like the assistance of Lord Claflin during my stay.”

 

Ian paused for a moment, looking at Erita, who stood stiffly in front of him.

 

The Princess’ feelings for Theo Claflin seem to be quite strong.

 

The thought of Emperor Kundras seething in Delua because of her stubbornness gave him a bittersweet feeling.

 

From the beginning, Ian knew that the unruly princess of Delua had spoken to him, the Emperor of Asha, without the permission of her father.

 

There was no way Kundras would use her daughter, whom he had raised with all kinds of extremes. She would break if touched or fly away if the wind blew, for marriage to Asha.

 

He couldn’t help but snicker at the sight of the princess who had come to a foreign land and made such a fool of herself, with no regard for her father’s wishes.

 

Erita’s assertiveness was a welcome change of pace as he struggled with how long he could tolerate Delua’s increasingly outrageous behavior.

 

As soon as he finished his first meeting with Erita, he wondered what he could get out of Delua with this incident.

 

For now, it is most appropriate to push for a formal agreement on the issues that arise at the border.

 

However, his self-interest, which had nothing to do with the national interest, kept shaking him.

 

‘What if this state marriage really happened?’ 

 

The chances of that actually happening were slim, but Ian wanted to get Theo Claflin off his back and into the arms of this young princess.

 

There was only one reason.

 

He wanted to keep Claflin and Lethenia away from each other at all costs. If he could do it well, he might even be able to come up with a plausible excuse to keep Claflin tied up in Delua for a long time.

 

Claflin’s presence had become such an eyesore that he had broken his promise to Lethenia not to interfere in her matters.

 

At Erita’s bold demand, Ian quirked a smile.

 

“Well, it’s not difficult. I’ve already summoned the Marquis to the Imperial Palace today.”

 

Just then, Claflin entered the imperial palace.

 

When the princess saw him, a light blush rose to her cheeks.

 

The haughty glint in her eyes had already faded, to the point where he wondered if it was the same person.

 

She was just a young girl in love with a young man.

 

Theo could only give her a dry stare for a moment.

 

She left the audience room, leaving Theo and Ian alone in the room.

 

“I, Theo Claflin, greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

 

Theo’s smile seemed as finely crafted as Ian’s.

 

Ian watched Theo’s reaction carefully before opening his mouth.

 

“I see now that you and the princess of Delua were acquainted.”

 

“When I was in Delua, I was helped by Princess Erita.”

 

“Is that all?”

 

Theo’s face showed a hint of curiosity.

 

He had no idea where the Emperor was going with this.

 

“Considering that the two of you have promised a future together, I’m guessing it’s more than just an exchange of help.”

 

“What?”

 

Theo looked at him in disbelief, as if he were talking nonsense. Then, with a hint of exhilaration, he replied.

 

“That’s not true.”

 

“Delua wants a state marriage between you and Princess Erita. What do you think?”

 

Theo’s eyes sharpened at the words.

 

“That’s not fair.”

 

“Well, we’ll talk about this later. For now, since you two know each other so well, I want you to make sure the princess doesn’t make any noise during her stay in Asha.”

 

Ian realized that all of this stemmed from Erita’s one-sided feelings.

 

Claflin had no such feelings for Erita, and Ian was well aware of that.

 

But how would Lethenia react to this?

 

Ian recalled Lethenia, who could not hide her bewilderment as soon as the Princess of Delua mentioned Theo Claflin.

 

A despicable thought filled the back of his mind that if she had any misunderstandings about the two of them, he hoped they would never be resolved.

 

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Theo had no choice but to get into the carriage due to Erita’s insistence of wanting to see the capital.

 

Erita smiled brightly for the first time since coming to Asha.

 

She had the air of a proper lady now, but to Theo, she just seemed like a ditzy little sister.

 

“Coming all the way to Asha and acting like this isn’t going to end well for you.”

 

“It’s okay. If I shed a few tears, my father will forgive me generously.”

 

Erita used to abuse her father’s love like this.

 

Theo sighed and turned to Erita in resignation.

 

“You’ve caused quite a stir. This time, even His Majesty Kundras won’t let you get away with it.”

 

“Tsk. Brother Tolle said he’d take my side, too. When you entered Delua not long ago, you left without so much as showing your face, so I have no choice but to come to you like this.”

 

“Prince Tolle?”

 

“Yeah. I was able to enter Asha this time thanks to him.”

 

Theo felt uncomfortable about the idea of Prince Tole’s involvement in Erita’s unexpected visit.

 

Naively, Erita thought of him as nothing more than an older brother who could be a bit of a jerk at times, but had always been kind to her.

 

But Theo knew that Tolle actually hated his half-sibling, Erita.

 

The crown prince’s biological mother died of an illness when he was young.

 

As soon as the Emperor’s mourning period ended, he made his young concubine the new Empress as if he had been waiting for it.

 

With a father and stepmother like that, it is unlikely that Prince Tolle would look kindly on the child of his father and stepmother.

 

So, was this incident just Prince Tolle’s way of pushing his younger sister out of the Emperor’s sight, a mere escapade to remove her from her father’s attention?

 

He had a sneaking suspicion that there was an ulterior motive.

 

“Theo?”

 

When Theo made a serious face, Erita looked at him and called his name.

 

He pushed his thoughts aside and turned to Erita.

 

“And what do you mean, we promised a future together?”

 

“Did I say something wrong?”

 

“You said something very wrong. When did I ever say anything like that…….”

 

“You said you’d give me one thing I wanted.”

 

Erita reminded him of the promise he made with a shameless attitude.

 

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊