Save Me

3. What is your taste in men?

 

Golden eyes with vertically slit pupils.

Those things embedded in that frighteningly gorgeous and beautiful face were not human eyes.

Weren’t these the eyes of a wild beast that goes hunting at night?

The flashing, sinister gaze aiming at the target was like a harpoon.

The Emperor tried not to show that he was scared, but the cold eyes staring at him made him stutter.

“Du, Duke Baloch.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What are you doing here?”

Duke Baloch bowed in response to The Emperor’s question.

“I came in response to you call.”

His answers and posture were polite, and his faint smile was clearly sociable.

Still, was it because of the golden gaze that never drifted off me?

I couldn’t shake the chilling feeling down my spine.

The Emperor, slightly offended by the fact that he was scared even in front of the Duke who bowed his head, spoke again.

“When did I call you….”

“Didn’t you tell me to come?”

Tuk.

The young Duke, who cut off the Emperor’s sentence lightly, straightened his back and took a long step.

As the not-too-long distance between them became even shorter, the pressure weighing on Eclipse became even greater.

“No matter how long I waited for the person who called me, they did not come, so I came to see them instead.”

“That is…”

Despite being rude.

His last words seemed to be a whisper, but it was quite intentional that it was loud enough for Eclipse to hear.

The Emperor, who had the word ‘rude’ at tip of his tongue, quickly looked for the princess.

“Have you not seen the princess?”

The beautiful princess who will cover up his sins.

His precious Bianca, his last remaining hope and sure salvation.

Even before she became an adult, her name was on the negotiating table, surpassing her older sisters.

Even the archbishop, who was supposed to give  the blessing at the coming of age ceremony, looked at Bianca and altered nonsense, saying with a dumbfounded expression, ‘She’s the one who we have  been waiting for since a long time.’

A beauty that captivated even the archbishop.

Wasn’t it really amazing?

Bianca was sent to meet Baloch.

So, there might be some kind of reaction…

Eclipse asked the young Duke again, with a brighter smile.

“Have you met the princess?”

“We met.”

Even after seeing Bianca, he was this calm?

Eclipse’s heart sank at the refreshing appearance of the Duke of Baloch, who showed no signs of greed or obsession.

“How was it? Did you like her? It may seem like I am boasting, but the youngest princess is a stunning beauty who looks just like the dead Empress. The number of marriage proposals that have been sent to that child since she was fifteen is enough to fill ten carts.”

“Is that so.”

“It’s amazing. There is no noble of Termina who has not sent a marriage proposal.”

The Emperor, who was somewhat upset by his indifferent attitude, took a step closer to the young Duke, who was looking at him with contempt.

“I gave such a child to Baloch.”

“Can I think of those words as meaning that the princess will have no more ties with this royal family from now on?”

“of course! of course. As long as the Duke signs the marriage contract, the youngest princess will become your wife and a member of the Baloch. She has already been completely erased from the royal family tree.”

“…….Already”

“That’s right. Isn’t that enough to show my sincerety?”

Duke Baloch suddenly burst into laughter at Eclipse’s words.

Haha.

A refreshing laugh and a brightly lit expression.

Eclipse’s trembling began to subside as his face was clearly filled with joy.

Survived

I survived!

A voice cheered in his ear.

The dragon of Termina happily accepted his offering!

Well, it was Bianca, wasn’t she?

Who would reject his youngest daughter, who was called the prettiest of The Empire?

As the tension eased, The Emperor felt very tired.

Shall I send the Duke back and take a nap…?

Thinking somewhat carefreely, the Emperor lightly waved his hand at the Duke.

“There will be a long way to go. Don’t hesitate and go back quickly.”

“But your Majesty, it’s strange. Did arranging this wedding make you forget and cause some unpleasant incident?”

“W-what was strange?”

“The princess, who will be the Lady of Baloch, came alone without any maids or escorts.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Furthermore, I asked her a while ago how she would travel to the Northern Territory, but she did not make any arrangements to accompany me to the Northern Territory. Though she has already been erased from the royal family tree.”

The Emperor felt like his heart was being stabbed deeply by every word the Duke said.

I thought marriage was impossible.

I just thought it would be okay if I could get rid of Baloch’s grievances at  the price of one princess’s life.

However, Baloch in front of me was suppressing his youthful spirit and was calmly and rationally pointing out each things one by one.

Silas Baloch, who was now dead, was said to be inhumanly cool-headed, but Jillian Baloch in front of me was even worse than that.

He took the daughter of the enemy who killed his father as his bride?

He was even pointing out that the treatment given to her was not what she deserved?

What the hell was this……

“How on earth is that acceptable?”

The Duke gently scratched his chin with his long fingers and whispered with a smile on his face.

“It looks like you thought something bad would happen to Princess Bianca.”

“How is that possible? How is that possible?”

His sharp gaze made my stomach tingle.

I was so embarrassed at the thought that my true intentions were discovered that I forgot about my fear and ended up raising my voice.

“It meant giving the princess away completely. Good maids and skilled knights will be in the north, so fill her with people from the north. Bianca is now the Lady of the North.”

My face got hot as I tried to explain it in detail.

“The Lady of the North.”

“That’s right! That’s why I erased her from the family tree.”

“Then shall we just leave our grudge s behind? I really liked the idea of her being the Lady of the North.”

“…What? What about your grudge…?”

Now that I think about it, I forgot because I was being pressured by the young Duke in front of me.

A little while ago, a loud noise rang out from Rosvena Palace.

A huge cloud of dust rose darkening the sky.

“Wait a moment, I couldn’t have imagined that sound a while ago.”

“Isn’t it really small compared to what your Majesty destroyed?”

“How dare you!”

The end of the emperor’s voice, which was full of rage and loud, trembled uncontrollably.

“I will remember it forever.”

“……..”

“I wonder what ‘Baloch’ was fighting for, as it was an easy task to destroy the palace.”

No sound escaped from the emperor’s gaped teeth.

“Negotiation doesn’t work on things beyond the ice wall. Oh, someone like the pretty princess will be ripped into shreds and eaten it. Ah, but there aren’t any princesses left, right?”

The young Duke of Baloch was leaving a cruel warning to him with a smiling face.

“One Baloch hostess is enough, so there won’t be another chance.”

After speaking, the duke bowed in greeting and turned around.

When Duke Baloch completely disappeared from sight, the Emperor let out the breath he had been holding the whole time.

“Huh.”

Golden eyes sparkling with pupils cut like blades.

‘Will be torn into shreds and eaten.‘

I felt like I had been thrown in front of a beast with sharp flashing teeth as he was whispering softly.

“Huh, huh.”

Cold sweat was dripping and darkening the area in front of my feet.

The main palace was still empty and there was no one there.

 

***

 

‘Now then, would you please call the maids?’

‘What maids?’

‘The lady’s dedicated maids who will follow you to the north. Even if you use the magic circle, there is a distance to cover even by carriage, so it would be better to hurry.’

‘well, when you said we should go north, did you mean today? Today is…, ah.’

Did cover I cover my mouth with my hand instead of speaking?

Bianca, who was tracing her memories, could not bear the misery and raised her hands to cover her face.

The duke received a marriage proposal, but Bianca did not know about it.

The Emperor thought that Bianca would die at the hands of the duke.

Naturally, no preparations were made to head north.

I knew I was abandoned, but it was such a carefully prepared death.

Never once did she expect fatherhood from the emperor.

however.

But this.

“It was too much.”

In the end, a weak resentment leaked out through my clenched teeth.

Even though it’s been so long, I was still so upset.

Bianca sighed softly.

My eyes feel hot and swollen.

It was because I cried for a long time earlier.

At that time, Duke Baloch waited for a long time until I calmed down.

Instead of hasty consolation, he quietly watched.

It wasn’t until I couldn’t breathe properly and was panting and crying that he came closer.

Then, without hesitation, he unwrapped the cravat and carefully wiped my wet cheek.

The hand gently caressing my cheek was so gentle that it didn’t stop my tears from flowing.

He was so sweet.

Even for someone like me, the daughter of the enemy who murdered his father.

He give me this much kindness.

As my tears fell, a deep resentment toward the emperor and crown prince covered my eyes and ran through my mind.

‘What’s more, the duke treats me like a human…’

‘He must be a lovely person.’

The tears that had been pouring down my face stopped as I heard the smirk that I could not believe had come from Duke Baloch.

‘How dare he cause the tears to flow from my wife’s eyes?’

‘I need to set an example so that he never treats my wife carelessly again. Wouldn’t destroying the palace be a sure warning?’

There was a lot of laughter, frowning and whispering.

So I only half-believed it.

Of course, I thought the answer, ‘No way.’, was not even necessary.

But the duke really destroyed the palace!

‘I am taking down the Rosevena Palace. Clear the surrounding area to avoid unnecessary casualties.’

It had been exactly 30 minutes since he disappeared after giving orders to his knights.

Kiiii!!!

At that time, vibrations were felt throughout my body and the exciting scene was seen from the carriage window.

As the dust settled and visibility became better, Rosvena Palace, which had been in good condition until a moment ago, was completely destroyed.

‘Do you feel a little relieved now?’

Only then did Bianca fully understand what the Duke had said.

What he said was neither comforting nor joking.

After the dust settled, the Duke came again and smiled at the surprised Bianca, telling her to go home now.

‘It would be better to say hello to His Majesty before you go.’

‘I’ll be back soon. Please wait.’

So, when he said he would come soon, he was also being serious.

“Could you prepare me some cold tea?”

Bianca straightened up and called the maid.

I was not a person who destroyed the palace, but it definitely felt hot.

It must have felt hot because I’ve been through so much.

The tea preparation was completed in a blink of an eye.

However, instead of serving tea, the maid slightly hesitated and opened her mouth.

“I’m running low on syrup. Can I go get some for you?”

“Sure.”

How long had it been since the maid left the room with Bianca’s permission?

The inside of the carriage was filled with the refreshing scent of tea.

Bianca, who was savoring the scent that passed her nose, belatedly realized that she had overlooked the duke’s taste for tea.

Knock knock.

At that moment, there was a neat knock on the door, as if the maid had returned.

“Come in.”

Bianca opened her mouth while looking away.

“What kind of tea does the Duke you enjoy?”

“I don’t really enjoy anything.”

Bianca, who naturally thought she was a maid, was taken aback by the Duke’s sudden voice.

“Duke?”

“I’m back.”

As if enjoying Bianca’s surprised expression, the Duke smiled briefly and got into the carriage.

Even though the carriage was big.

It must have been narrow for him as he was tall, but Bianca was mesmerized for a moment as the Duke moved leisurely with grace.

The Duke took a sip of tea and smiled as his usual smile.

“Since we’re talking about our tastes, can you tell me one thing? I’m also curious about my wife’s tastes.”

“what kind……?”

The Duke bent down as he approached me and whispered in my ear.

“What are your tastes in men?”

The cool exhalation that passed by the shell of my ear was terribly irritating.

 

***

TL:

Hello my friends,

I really wanted the updates to be more than this, but this novel is the hardest one I have translated so far, so the updates will only be trice weekly, Each update will be one chapter only.

If you want to increase the rate of releasing the chapters, you can visit my kofi link on my bio, there I have written the detailed post about this.

Next chapter will be next Saturday.

That means the days for updates are:

Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday.

That’s it, Enjoy the rest of your day~