Chapter 70
It had been a week since Bellieta declared the engagement between Aden and her.
Although nothing had changed between Aden and me during that time, people were already speculating about the union of Bozebourne and Rippleton.
Rippleton, with the most powerful military, and Bozebourne, standing above the imperial family.
There was even a vague assumption circulating that the union of these two houses would soon lead to the rise of a new imperial family.
I wonder what the Emperor would say if he heard this.
I imagine he would be appalled and attempt to prevent it, but the imperial family, under Bozebourne’s influence, remained silent.
“One week left.”
“How do you feel about it? Out of nowhere, you’re suddenly going through with this engagement, like being hit by a carriage.”
“Not great. It feels like I’m being sold off to some wealthy old noble.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I chuckled, thinking it wasn’t something I expected to hear from Aden.
Aden, who had been mumbling with a very serious expression, also laughed slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I could use the document the Duke of Bozebourne sent previously requesting to break the engagement, but since I never responded, it doesn’t hold much legal weight. I also sought legal counsel, but nothing useful came from it.”
“It seems like you’ve put in a lot of effort.”
Aden looked at me as if to say, “Isn’t that obvious?”
He seemed puzzled by my calm demeanor, as though wondering if I wasn’t troubled by any of this.
I rolled my eyes, looking ahead, as if to say I wasn’t.
“As much as I hate to admit it, calling Bellieta clever would be an understatement. She’s too smart for that. She’s set the stage so obviously that it will be difficult to escape.”
“That doesn’t mean we can just sit back and wait for the engagement. Or… is that what you want?”
“Of course not.”
I lifted my head and smiled slightly.
Aden, who had been looking at me with meaningful eyes, slowly relaxed his expression.
Bozebourne’s son-in-law.
Bellieta’s husband.
Most would welcome that position with open arms.
It was also the only position that would allow one to wield more power than the next emperor.
“Bellieta tends to overestimate herself. She believes she’s handled things perfectly, but that overconfidence creates weaknesses in unexpected areas.”
“You don’t seem too worried.”
“I wouldn’t say that. It’s just that the solution is so clear.”
Aden, walking beside me, slowly came to a halt.
When I stopped a few steps ahead and looked back, Aden stared at me, as if to ask what I meant.
I pulled my slightly parted feet together neatly and turned toward him.
I approached the still-frozen Aden, closing the distance between us.
I met his unwavering gaze.
“The letter requesting to break off the engagement, and the contract between Bozebourne and Rippleton, don’t really matter. That’s because Bozebourne already knows all about it. So, in order to disrupt the engagement, we need something Bozebourne doesn’t know.”
I extended a finger and pointed alternately between Aden and myself.
As Aden’s eyes narrowed, I smiled.
“Think back to the contract between the two of us. What did I tell you? What questions did I ask? And what actions did I instruct you to take? That’s all we need. And once you remember that, there’s only one thing left to do.”
As I lowered my hand, I slowly stepped backward.
I gazed at the distance growing between Aden and me, observing it carefully.
When it seemed he was about to step forward to follow me, I tilted my chin toward him.
Aden’s room was already behind us, located further down the hall.
“It’s entirely Aden’s decision.”
“…”
“I told you. The trap Bellieta has set will reveal a flaw in an unexpected place. She believes she’s legally flawless and has sealed all the weak points with power, but the flaw will be pierced by a small needle. And you’re the one holding that needle. How you wield it is up to you, Aden.”
“Are you sure it’s alright? Even if I’m the one holding the needle and making the decision, not you?”
I gazed intently at Aden, who had stopped and asked me the question.
When did it happen?
When did all of this man’s decision-making power fall into my hands?
I suddenly recalled the day I reunited with Aden in this castle and shared that contract.
I could still vividly remember those predatory eyes filled with suspicion as he looked at me.
Though Aden’s gaze was still fierce, it softened slightly whenever it turned toward me.
I could sense that my attitude toward him had relaxed.
“Do you know something?”
I turned my body halfway in the opposite direction, away from Aden, who was waiting for an answer.
“There are times when an investment doesn’t yield the return you expect. Do you know what they call that in economic terms?”
“I do not.”
“They call it a bad deal.”
“…What?”
Aden, who had been listening with a serious expression, suddenly let out a hollow laugh, as if the tension had drained from him.
His reaction made me smile as well, and I lifted my chin.
“When things go bad, it’s not the market’s fault. It’s mine for making such an investment. So, don’t make that face.”
I turned away, smiling broadly.
* * *
“Whew…”
Aden, who had been organizing papers alone in his office, slowly leaned back.
Tilting his chin up to gaze at the ceiling, Aden closed his eyes, and a familiar face appeared in his mind as if it were being drawn on a blank canvas.
Aden, who stared at that face for a while, slowly opened his eyes.
Lowering his chin again, Aden leaned forward and opened the bottom drawer of his desk.
He took out a document that was within reach and unfolded it.
It was the contract he had made with Sierra.
That day, in this very office, he welcomed Sierra and, at the same time, got on the same boat as her.
“Choose me… that’s what she said, right?”
Murmuring quietly, Aden let out a small chuckle.
Unlike the Sierra he first encountered in the dark garden, the Sierra standing here had been bold and full of confidence.
Telling the Duke of Rippleton, whom everyone feared, to choose her wasn’t something just anyone could easily say.
Aden pulled out the contract and read through its contents.
As his eyes moved down the page, Sierra’s voice seemed to echo in his ears.
‘Even if someone beside you speaks ill of me or offers you a tempting proposal, choose me.’
‘Break your contract with the Bozebourne family and make a new one with me. You won’t have to become Bellieta’s undesirable fiancé anymore.’
The confidence in her voice when she spoke of contracts was remarkable.
A slow smile crept onto Aden’s face.
Sierra had claimed that she was using Aden for her own benefit, but he never believed that.
No matter what she thought, Sierra was salvation to Rippleton, a necessary presence.
No, even without Rippleton, Sierra had already become irreplaceable to Aden.
Aden flipped through the contract papers, then slowly stood up from his seat.
Stepping out of the office, he headed to where she was staying.
Walking briskly, nodding to the greetings of those around him, Aden eventually arrived at Sierra’s room. He spotted Jin and Rippert standing side by side outside her door.
Jin was the first to greet him.
“Your Grace, the Duke.”
“Is Sierra inside?”
“Yes, she’s working in her office,” Rippert reported.
Aden gave a brief nod, signaling for Rippert to announce his arrival.
Rippert knocked on the door to inform Sierra of Aden’s presence.
But there was no response from inside the room, where they expected an answer.
Rippert knocked again, but still, there was no reply.
Looking puzzled, Rippert glanced back at Aden, preparing to knock again. However, Aden reached out and stopped him.
Aden gently patted Rippert’s shoulder as if to say it was fine, then slowly opened the door and stepped inside.
After closing the door behind him, Aden scanned the room and spotted Sierra sitting at her desk.
She was holding a pen in her hand.
Aden quietly approached, observing her condition and lowering his footsteps.
She was still sitting upright, with perfect posture, and her neck wasn’t bent—seemingly working.
But Sierra had fallen asleep, like a statue.
“…That’s so like Sierra,” Aden muttered softly with a small chuckle.
She was so deeply asleep that she hadn’t noticed him approach.
Knowing that Sierra always behaved perfectly and almost robotically, Aden decided not to wake her. Instead, he slowly reached out.
He gently took the pen from Sierra’s hand and placed it back in its holder, then tidied up the scattered documents on the desk.
After organizing her desk, Aden lightly grasped Sierra’s shoulder.
With the slightest touch, Sierra’s upper body slumped forward, like a sandcastle crumbling.
Aden caught her as she slumped, holding her upright, then pulled back her chair and lifted her effortlessly.
“I knew she was light, but she weighs practically nothing,” Aden thought as he glanced down at Sierra’s thin shoulders before laying her down on the bed.
As he looked down at Sierra,
completely frail and fast asleep, a small smile appeared on Aden’s face.
“Has it been two days since she last slept properly?”
Aden had been watching Sierra closely as she slept less and skipped meals, claiming she had work to finish.
Seeing her like this made him understand how Sierra had managed to maintain her position.
It wasn’t due to talent or luck—those were shallow words.
As he watched Sierra sleep, Aden slowly knelt down to match her height.
His hand moved gently as he brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen and were tickling her face, revealing her clear expression.
Without the dry, indifferent expression she usually wore, her face still held traces of youth, with soft, rounded cheeks gave her a babyish appearance.
Her skin, touched by his fingertips, felt as soft as cotton on a spring day.
Despite the confident, fearless image she always showed, Sierra was still a young woman with slender shoulders.
And he was nothing more than a fool who relied on those shoulders.
“A… den?”
