Chapter 19
Noctem’s single remark shattered the garden in an instant.
No one could question his words; they simply froze, staring at the ground.
Then, it happened.
Crash!
Lina, snapping back to her senses, hurriedly stood up. In her haste, her chair tipped over backward, but the sound felt distant, as if coming from far away.
“Y-Your Grace.”
“I don’t see anyone here fit to be the Grand Duchess.”
Despite Lina standing right before him, Noctem repeated his statement.
That could only mean one thing—he was declaring the annulment of their engagement.
“Your Grace! W-what do you mean by that? Huh?”
Tossing aside all noble etiquette, Lina rushed forward and clung to his arm.
Her desperation was plain to see, yet Noctem’s gaze upon her was as cold as ice.
“I didn’t realize you were too foolish to understand my words.”
“Tell me… at least tell me the reason. If you suddenly say this…”
At her plea, a scoff escaped his lips. Though his expression was twisted in displeasure, he was still breathtakingly beautiful.
So much so that Lina momentarily forgot the situation and simply stared at him.
“Lina Goldstein. The role of the Grand Duchess is not to arbitrarily place people on trial.”
“……!”
Lina’s eyes widened in shock.
So, the Grand Duke had heard about it!
“And even if you were to do so, you should at least choose your targets wisely. If you were to become my wife, the Imperial faction would collapse in no time.”
“……”
A look of defeat spread across Lina’s face.
Her words had been spoken half in arrogance. It wasn’t as if she actually intended to go through with it.
She opened her mouth to explain, but before she could, Noctem forcibly shook off the hands gripping him and uttered his final words.
“It seems our relationship ends here. The annulment letter will arrive no later than tomorrow, Lina Goldstein.”
With quick strides, Noctem exited the garden.
The bouquet and gifts he had brought were long discarded.
Such an act was utterly devoid of noble decorum, but at this moment, he was far too enraged to care.
But even as he strode away, Lina Goldstein ran after him, abandoning all pretense of dignity.
Her desperation might have been enough to warrant a moment’s consideration, but Noctem once again mercilessly brushed off the hand that grasped at his arm.
He acted as if he had touched something repulsive, his every movement filled with disdain.
At that, Lina, who had been gasping for breath, suddenly twisted her expression into something ugly.
Grinding her teeth, she spat out her words as if accusing him.
“Your Grace, is that really the only reason? It’s not because of that disgraceful noblewoman, is it?”
“…What?”
He should have immediately refuted her.
Yet, without realizing it, Noctem found himself asking back.
For a brief moment, his sharp expression softened ever so slightly, and that was all the confirmation Lina needed.
Her eyes, filled with the bitterness of someone who had just lost their possession, gleamed with cruel certainty.
“So I was right. It’s because of that woman.”
Noctem momentarily lost his words.
Normally, if someone was caught badmouthing someone of higher status, wouldn’t they feel embarrassed or ashamed?
But Lina’s attitude was as if she had already become the Grand Duchess.
Taking Noctem’s silence as an opportunity, she began to pour out her accusations.
“I am your fiancée, yet she keeps hovering around you, seducing you! How could I not be angry? And on top of that, she’s even using black magic!”
It was so absurd that he was at a loss for words.
…What? Seducing?
‘That woman is seducing me?’
The same woman who constantly pushed him away, who had even asked him for a return gift but never included herself in the equation?
‘Honestly, if it were black magic, that would’ve been better.’
At least then, one purification ritual from the temple would wash away all these inexplicable emotions.
“Your Grace, you must be under her black magic! Otherwise, why would you suddenly demand an annulment?”
“……”
“I… I only said those things because I was so heartbroken seeing you being manipulated! Honestly, isn’t it strange that she hasn’t been put on trial yet?”
Seeing Noctem remain silent, Lina puffed out her chest and spoke confidently.
She could admit that Charlotte Daphsine was a beauty, but she was nowhere near alluring enough to seduce the Grand Duke.
No, he had to be under black magic! That was the only explanation for why he was standing there in a daze, listening to her words!
Now that she had pointed it out, he would surely come to his senses—he would be freed from the spell…
“Hah… So it wasn’t your dream to become the Grand Duchess… but to die, was it?”
“…What?”
“How dare you slander a noblewoman of a prestigious duchy? And to add to that, you accuse me, a member of the Imperial bloodline, of being ensnared by black magic?”
“Y-Your Grace, that’s not what I meant—!”
“It seems I won’t be sending an annulment letter after all. A summons will be sent instead.”
A dark purple aura surged from Noctem’s body.
For an instant, the air seemed to vanish.
Lina, who had been about to cling to him again, suddenly found his hand wrapping around her throat.
She couldn’t breathe properly.
With a dull thud, her body collapsed to the ground.
Noctem coldly looked down at her for a moment before turning away and walking toward his carriage.
With every step he took, the sound of Lina gasping for air filled the garden.
“You bought your status by winning the Emperor’s favor with money. Now, let’s see if you can use money once more to keep it.”
To barely maintain her noble status, she would have to spend an amount large enough to bankrupt her family.
Noctem’s lips pressed into a firm line, as if restraining his anger.
The carriage carrying him sped away, reflecting his foul mood.
Lina could do nothing to stop him.
From the moment she felt his murderous aura, the Grand Duke’s very presence had become terrifying to her.
Lying collapsed on the ground, trembling for a while, Lina soon thought of the one who caused all of this—Charlotte.
Her hatred burned.
“It’s all because of that disgraceful woman!”
Black magic or whatever else—Charlotte must have schemed something.
Otherwise, the Grand Duke would never have acted this way.
“I’ll have my revenge.”
She would make Charlotte pay for the humiliation she had suffered today.
“Aaaaah!”
She let out a furious scream, violently ruffling her own hair.
Just ten minutes ago, the tea party had been warm and cheerful.
Now, it had ended in utter ruin.
The first thing Noctem did after leaving the tea party was order his carriage toward the Imperial Palace.
Once spoken, his words had to be followed by action—immediately.
Besides…
‘Daring to humiliate me like this, I should return the favor swiftly.’
Noctem recalled his time on the northern borders, where he had endured even greater insults from mercenaries with nothing but a smirk.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Palace fell into chaos at his sudden arrival.
Noctem was a man who had abandoned his position as Crown Prince without warning, vanishing to the monster-infested northern borders.
He had ignored countless summons from the Emperor, making his appearances in the palace so rare that even the Emperor could count them on one hand.
“If he’s here, I should order him to stay put for a while.”
Lucas, seated lazily in the audience chamber, muttered to himself.
With how indifferent Noctem always acted, it was no wonder rumors spread that they didn’t get along as brothers.
Just as he was mulling over this, news arrived that Noctem had entered.
It had been a long time since Lucas had last seen his brother.
And he was exactly the same—still radiating that utterly foul temper.
Lucas cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Grand Duke, your report of return is far too late—”
“Send a summons to the Viscount Goldstein family immediately, Your Majesty.”
“…Huh?”
Lucas hadn’t expected a grand embrace or anything sentimental,
but he had at least hoped for a proper greeting.
Yet instead of that, his brother had stormed in making absurd demands!
Lucas frowned at Noctem but gestured for the guards to leave.
Once only the two of them remained in the office, he sighed and asked,
“What happened?”
“Lina Goldstein, the Viscount’s daughter, committed lèse-majesté. Summon her.”
“Hold on—why? I can’t just send a summons without knowing the reason.”
Besides, wasn’t she the daughter of the family Noctem had been engaged to?
At that remark, Noctem’s expression twisted into something truly menacing.
His gaze alone was enough to make one feel as if they were suffocating under his killing intent.
“She accused me of being under black magic.”
“…Your fiancée said that? Without any proof? Is she insane? But why?”
Noctem fell silent at the question.
That only made Lucas more curious.
Noctem was a man who had survived over ten years on the frigid northern border.
He was someone more at ease exchanging rough words with mercenaries than engaging in courtly discussions.
Lèse-majesté was undoubtedly a grave offense, but normally, Noctem wouldn’t have been particularly bothered by a mere accusation of black magic.
So why was he reacting so strongly now?
There was definitely something else.
Lucas’ mind whirred as he pieced together the puzzle.
He had a talent for sniffing out noble scandals and hidden wealth, after all.
And it didn’t take long for him to reach a conclusion.
If one thought of black magic and noblewomen… and then connected that to the recent rumors surrounding Noctem…
“Did she insult Lady Daphsine?”
Noctem’s silence was all the confirmation Lucas needed.
Internally, Lucas laughed in delight.
‘He’s completely fallen for her!’
Noctem Aphros—the man who had said he was fine with marriage but absolutely refused to have children.
That same man had outright rejected the position of Crown Prince, abandoning it to flee to the North.
And yet… he had fallen in love?
With the daughter of the leader of the noble faction, no less!
‘Well, I suppose you could call it fate.’
If Noctem had fallen for Charlotte while still Crown Prince, it would have been an impossible love.
The noble faction had always been the Emperor’s lifelong enemy.
How could the Emperor ever place someone from that faction on the throne as Empress?
Suppressing his laughter, Lucas spoke again, his voice trembling slightly with amusement.
“Well, does the reason even matter? What’s important is that my dear brother was offended.”
He nodded in agreement.
There was a teasing tone to his words, but Noctem remained silent, simply waiting for Lucas to continue.
“Still, that young lady is quite bold. Even if the Empire values freedom of speech, she must have thought herself equal to royalty.”
Lucas tapped his finger against his chair thoughtfully before glancing at Noctem.
“What do you want to do?”
Noctem didn’t hesitate.
“Stripping Lina Goldstein of her title would be most appropriate. She insulted royalty, after all. The bail amount should be set at the maximum.”
Wow.
He was going in hard.
Lucas had been tempted to joke around, but the sheer murderous aura coming from Noctem convinced him otherwise.
Instead, he leisurely nodded.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
After all, if his only brother had finally found the love of the century, as a younger sibling, he ought to help.
“Then, I leave it in your hands, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, so now you call me ‘Your Majesty’ when it suits you. Fine, Grand Duke.”
Lucas grumbled but swiftly adopted a regal tone.
Noctem didn’t leave until he personally saw the summons to the Goldstein family being written before his eyes.
His anger had finally cooled.
“Stay at the palace for a while. Your old quarters are still well-kept.”
“I’m busy. Maybe next time.”
Lucas smirked internally.
Yeah, he’s never coming back.
As Noctem moved to leave, Lucas threw out one last question.
“So… are you planning to marry Lady Daphsine now, brother?”
“…What?”
At the unexpected words, Noctem let out a scoff, his face slightly twisted in displeasure.
“Me? I don’t know how you arrived at that conclusion.”
“…Is that not the case?”
Wait.
Something about this felt… off.
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