Married to a Man who Wants to Kill me

 

 

Even after the audience-day event had passed, Ian remained as busy as ever.

 

He continued his relentless efforts to uncover the truth behind the attack, but there was no significant progress.

 

Yet, this made it easier for him to wield influence over the nobles.

 

Unintentionally, he had some small successes in uncovering some of the nobles’ wrongdoings.

 

However, crucial evidence related to the incident remained elusive, leaving the investigation at a standstill.

 

All those suspected of falsifying documents or committing forgery during inspections have disappeared.

 

He suspected that the Duke of Bledel might be behind this. The culprit, now dead, was a spy for the Duke of Bledel.

 

The fact that the duke had left around the time of the audience day event and his lukewarm reaction to the event, which the nobles of his faction vehemently opposed, bothered him.

 

The incident involved a powerful forbidden technique using dozens of black mages, but no matter how hard they searched, nothing came up.

 

Furthermore, his intuition grew stronger that Delua might have been involved, adding to Ian’s unease.

 

Prince Tolle’s willingness to acknowledge Erita’s mistake seemed suspicious.

 

Tolle had been consistently firm in his stance regarding Asha.

 

He had already grown in power comparable to his father’s and was ambitious enough to consider war for territorial expansion.

 

It occurred to him that Erita’s arrival in the country might not be simply a matter of a state marriage.

 

‘If it’s Erita, she might have sufficient motivation to attack the Empress.’ 

 

He felt ashamed of himself for being so consumed with jealousy and anger toward Claflin that he hadn’t even realized it.

 

The foolish princess indeed had a soft spot in her heart for Lord Claflin.

 

But what did Tolle hope to gain by intervening in the incident? Everything seemed like a riddle.

 

It taunted him as if the answers were within reach yet whenever he got close to it, it rectractes.

 

He couldn’t find a link between Tolle and the Duke of Bledel.

 

Above all, it was impossible for anyone within the duke’s residence to remain inactive and orchestrate the events.

 

The Duke hadn’t been out of his residence for a while, except when going to the palace. It was clear that someone was acting as his hands and feet.

 

However, among those coming and going from the Duke’s residence, no one raised suspicion. What could he have missed?

 

Ian had felt a constant tightness in his chest. Then, many thoughts converged into one burning question, like a sharp needle piercing his mind.

 

He stopped what he was doing and closed his eyes.

 

‘Why would Duke Bledel want to kill Lethenia?’

 

The sword was clearly pointed at Lethenia. It wasn’t just a mere act for show.

 

If he hadn’t intervened, Lethenia would undoubtedly have been harmed. It was not a matter of strained relations; it was something much more sinister.

 

Is it reasonable for him to kill his daughter just to gain an opportunity to oust the opposing faction? A chill ran down his spine at the thought.

 

Could there be something he didn’t know? Dark, foreboding imaginations filled him with an overwhelming sense of dread.

 

He called for a servant and gave a command.

 

“Investigate Mary Carlus immediately.”

 

××××××××××××××××××××××

 

Ian walked slowly as if drawn by something. He was on his way to the Empress’s palace.

 

He hadn’t seen Lethenia since that day. He couldn’t bring himself to face her.

 

Not seeking her out meant no chance to see her. There was no chance of her coming to him first.

 

His attempts to forget her by immersing himself in other matters were futile. His thoughts began with Lethenia and ended with Lethenia. He felt like a fool, gradually losing himself.

 

<For the sake of love, would you give up everything?>

 

<…….>

 

<I mean, could you hand everything over to the Duke of Bledel, who is as good as an enemy to you right now, and run away.>

 

He still didn’t have the leisure to properly examine his conflicted emotions. Therefore, he didn’t know what to do next.

 

Could he really leave everything behind and escape from this stifling situation, as Lethenia had said?

 

Or should he continue as he had been, hiding his feelings for her and living like a puppet, going along with whatever was required?

 

That’s why he couldn’t provide any answers to her painful question.

 

Ian asked himself, “What if I had asked that question to the Lethenia of the past?”

 

She would have said yes without hesitation. What she had wanted from him was nothing but sincere love.

 

Receiving so much overflowing love and never looking back at her even once, he couldn’t hold onto her even if she decided to leave.

 

Thus, all the late regrets and the guilt that tormented him were futile.

 

<Perhaps you can’t, for if you could, you wouldn’t have destroyed the woman you love so cruelly in the first place.>

 

Her words were more painful than a knife tainted with black magic. Lethenia was right.

 

If he were someone who could give up everything for love, he wouldn’t have done something as cruel as breaking the heart of the woman he loved from the beginning.

 

Now, there was no turning back from the irreversible.

 

But why? As time passed, his heart and mind were moving in opposite directions.

 

It was a contradiction in terms to contemplate letting Lethenia go, only to find himself inexplicably drawn to the Empress’s palace.

 

As Ian was lost in thought about Lethenia, someone blocked his path. It was Rosetin.

 

With an irritated sigh, Ian stared into her orange eyes. Not her again.

 

Even after regaining consciousness, he hadn’t visited the Kaelin Palace even once.

 

Since he began to confront his feelings for Lethenia and realized that the relationship between Duke Bledel and Lethenia was not what it seemed, he had not cared for the theatrical performance with his mistress.

 

“I was very worried.”

 

“…….”

 

“I’m relieved that you seem well.”

 

Ian sensed a mix of relief and sadness in Rosetin’s gentle voice.

 

However, his eyes, as they looked at her, were devoid of any emotion, treating her as if she were an inanimate object.

 

To him, Rosetin Bedos was less than a flower or a tree in a garden. He didn’t want to deal with the woman in front of him.

 

He wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen or heard anything.

 

“Why did you go to such lengths?”

 

Ian slightly turned his head to look at Rosetin. The cold atmosphere around him didn’t feel unfamiliar, like frostflowers.

 

She was not making eye contact with Ian and was gazing into the void.

 

Seeing her like that reminded him of something Lethenia had muttered a long time ago as if talking to herself in resignation.

 

<Ian, do you know it’s getting increasingly difficult for me to look into your eyes? When you look at me with those eyes, I feel like all my efforts are in vain. It makes me feel like I’m someone you wish would disappear somewhere.>

 

The poignant tone of Lethenia, who seemed to have lost herself, echoed in his mind.

 

From a certain point on, Lethenia stopped looking into his eyes.

 

He knew it but remained indifferent. He had never wished for Lethenia to disappear, not even once.

 

But why didn’t he say it then? In truth, she must have said those words because she wanted to hear the answer.

 

At that moment, something inside him welled up, making him choke with emotion.

 

Now, merely thinking of Lethenia made his heart pound as if it would burst.

 

“You hated her to death. But now, is she so precious that you’d stake your life for her?”

 

“Do I have to answer that?”

 

A hint of contempt flashed in his eyes. Rosetin, who constantly burdened him with unexplained guilt, was utterly detestable.

 

He wished she would never appear in front of him. It felt like a familiar, recurring nightmare.

 

With that feeling, Rosetin, still gazing into the void, spoke calmly.

 

“No matter how hard I try, I can’t win His Majesty’s heart.”

 

“…….”

 

“Even if I were to be reborn.”

 

Rosetin’s final words fell weakly. She held her head high, so proud that it seemed arrogant.

 

The very sight of her was enough to drive him mad, reminding him of the Lethenia he’d clawed and hurt every day.

 

As if to vent his frustration, he sent Rosetin a glare as cold as a harsh winter.

 

“I know very well.”

 

“…….”

 

“No matter how many times you’re reborn, nothing will change.”

 

“…….”

 

“I won’t have a heart to give you, never.”

 

Even in the face of his cruel response, Rosetin’s expression remained consistently calm. She took a deep breath.

 

Then she smiled a knowing, self-helpful smile. Ian could see despair and pessimism flickering in her eyes.

 

But, pretending not to notice, he walked past her. Rosetin, who was left behind, continued to get on my nerves.

 

He wasn’t lying; his answer was sincere.

 

No matter how much time passed, no matter how many times the world changed, no matter how many times he was reincarnated into something else, he would never love her.

 

But was it because she resembled Lethenia too much? The harsh words he had spoken to Rosetin weighed on him like a strange sense of guilt, with the concern that they might have reached Lethenia.

 

Gradually, unbearable emotions surged within him. Unfathomable agony clawed at his heart.

 

His eyes had turned red without him realizing it. The anger was so intense that he couldn’t control it.

 

He turned back to Rosetin and approached her again, delivering his cruel words.

 

“Just looking at you suffocates me. Your eyes alone give me chills. So please don’t provoke me.”

 

Even after Ian left, Rosetin stood alone in the middle of the garden, like a withered flower, for a long time.

 

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Sorry! I forgot to unlocked the last chapter again. I was so busy lately I wasn’t able to check the comments. (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ ) ‧º

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊