Chapter 102: A Wedding Instead of a Crown

“Did you know the Duke of Westell’s true intention?”

She wanted confirmation from me as well. Philius’s cool hand was still holding mine. So I could speak words of affirmation instead of showing her my face stiff with fear.

“Yes, I knew from the beginning.”

“Is it still fine?”

“Should I desire what Phil doesn’t want?”

She looked at us with eyes treating us as the most foolish people in the world.

“What do you want?”

Duchess Mare asked Philius sharply. She now realized her strong desire meant nothing to him, but it seemed she couldn’t accept it even more. Her eyes shone coldly.

“Just become a witness to my marriage.”

“What does that…”

At the unexpected words, Duchess Mare muttered to herself. She looked alternately at Philius and me with wavering eyes.

“It means don’t threaten me and my family.”

“Really, is that all?”

“I don’t think becoming a witness to a marriage and swearing before God is such a simple task. Especially if it’s the oath of someone holding the position of King.”

“Compared to becoming that very King, isn’t it trivial?”

“If there is no King to do that trivial thing, yes, as you said, it wouldn’t be bad for me to become King myself.”

Philius spoke in a languid tone. But I couldn’t not know that his words were sincere. She wouldn’t have been unaware either. I saw color draining from Duchess Mare’s face.

“I only wish for the stability of myself and my family. Henia’s peace, history, the legitimacy of the royal family, none of it matters to me.”

Ha. Duchess Mare let out a long sigh once again.

“It seems you also knew about this absurd wish of the Duke of Westell. Otherwise, you couldn’t be so calm now.”

Do I look calm to her eyes?

I also knew what his condition was. However, at this moment, my heart was beating so fast I worried if the sound of its beating could be heard by her.

That Philius doesn’t particularly desire the throne, and yet says he would accomplish the tedious task of completely overturning the royal system if necessary, was all because of me. I couldn’t gauge the weight of that heart.

That heavy heart was making my heart beat fast.

I wasn’t scared by his declaration, which could be called arrogant. I, more cowardly than anyone, was happy about this moment. It is an undeniable, clear fact. I loved him saying he would secure a future with me by any means necessary.

I had greed too. It was just that I couldn’t dare express my greed because I was wishing for something I dared not even hope for.

“Don’t act like the King. Because you are not King yet, Duchess Mare.”

Philius spoke as if blocking her gaze toward me. And at those words, Duchess Mare’s wavering eyes became clear. Her pale complexion also began to return.

“I see. In your eyes, I must have looked like that mad King just now. Acting as if I had everything while having nothing.”

“Even a King cannot have everything.”

“Right, that is also true.”

With a flush blooming on her face before anyone knew, Duchess Mare opened her mouth toward Philius.

“Still, I must become King after all. I am a person much more suited to be King than you, who have no intention of protecting Henia’s peace, history, and the legitimacy of the royal family. The current mad King is a person not even worth discussing qualifications.”

I saw her inhaling deeply. Her eyes, closed for a moment and opened again, had turned pink instead of yellowish-brown. A lemon scent, seemingly her pheromone, began to waft.

“I promise, Duke of Westell. As King, I will be a witness to your marriage, and I will guarantee the safety of you and your family. You must help me ascend to the throne and pass it on to my successor later.”

Philius smiled with his eyes watching her change. A red light appeared in his eyes too. Of course, the scent of the forest rose as well.

“As the Duke of Westell, I promise to do my best to help you ascend to the throne and pass it on to your successor. As long as you guarantee the safety of me and my family as King.”

Mana was mixed in the words of Duchess Mare and Philius. I started mana breathing. I saw their pheromones and mana mixing together, then splitting into two and returning to each.

“Now we have become allies in the true sense.”

Duchess Mare said with satisfaction. But she wouldn’t know. What scene I saw. How hard I am trying not to show surprise.

The mana flowing from the two was clearly the same amount. But Philius’s mana had a much darker color. His mana soon dyed the pale mana from Duchess Mare with the same color. When the mixed and clumped mana split in half, all the color visible in her mana had disappeared. What the two shared was only Philius’s unilateral demand.

Duchess Mare showed a satisfied smile without noticing the anomaly in her mana at all.

“So your purpose was sharing a promise after all.”

At Philius’s words, she nodded.

“Because the King scheduling the victory ceremony in the middle of your Rut is something that cannot be overlooked. You have a way to attend, right?”

“Of course.”

“I trust you haven’t forgotten that you shouldn’t be in a state heavily swayed by Rut pheromones either.”

Even I didn’t know yet what method Philius had. I just trust his unwavering expression.

“I also have something I’m curious about. Was the attack on Diane real?”

“I admit I acted stupidly for a moment, but I haven’t gone crazy enough to play with my child’s safety.”

“So it was real.”

“The evidence you have, you must tell me now. The war-related documents that entered the parliament with the generals are too vast. We don’t know how long it will take to find evidence of the actual situation committed by the King among them. You know there isn’t much time left, right?”

“Victory ceremony.”

“Right, it is certain the King will do something at the victory ceremony. The victory ceremony will be held in the royal palace, and even if he is a mad King, he is still the owner of the key.”

“Moreover, I am still the Commander-in-Chief of the expeditionary force anyway.”

“He will definitely try to pin the responsibility for those who built shacks on the bank of the Gratia River on you.”

“So, how do you intend to deal with them?”

Staring at Philius quietly, Duchess Mare chuckled.

“You said you have no interest in Henia’s peace, but it seems not necessarily so.”

“Do you think the treatment of them will affect Henia’s peace too?”

“Isn’t it natural? They are mercenaries. The reason they are staying quietly in shacks now is probably because you are controlling them.”

“Well.”

“Don’t play dumb, Duke of Westell.”

As Duchess Mare frowned, Philius gave a picture-perfect smile.

“So what do you intend to do, Your Majesty the future Queen.”

At his retort, Duchess Mare showed an expression of resignation. Although a smile was on her lips, she didn’t look excited by the title of Queen which still has no substance.

“If you regretted the money going to them, you shouldn’t have promised generous compensation from the beginning. Whoever made the promise, if it was announced in the name of the King of Henia, it must be kept.”

“Even though they are Betas?”

Duchess Mare tilted her lips crookedly.

“I have seen enough of the process of how you could become a symbol of victory. I won’t miss those who can become a support base. Unless there is a guarantee that not a single war will occur in Henia while I rule and my daughter rules.”

At her answer, Philius’s smile deepened a little more. Tap. Tap. The sound of his finger tapping the table was heard. Is it just my feeling? As the sound continued, Duchess Mare’s face seemed to harden.

“Good.”

After a time when the second hand might have moved about ten times passed, Philius stopped his finger.

“I will send you the evidence.”

“Should I say thank you?”

“Receive it properly without missing it. It will be delivered tonight.”

With those words, we stood up from our seats. It was as promised in advance. The only fact I didn’t know beforehand in today’s conversation was that the victory ceremony would be held in 3 weeks.

Behind our backs turning without saying goodbye, Duchess Mare’s short laughter was heard. She seemed satisfied enough to overlook our rudeness generously.

After returning from the Mare ducal residence, our steps headed neither to my workshop nor Philius’s bedroom. We headed to the underground storage first. To be precise, I wanted to go there first.

“Jay.”

As my steps seemed to head toward the underground storage, he called my name as if stopping me.

“Isn’t he who is in the underground storage the evidence to be sent to Duchess Mare?”

Philius’s steps stopped abruptly in place. At that sight, I was sure. That he wanted to keep the fact that he was holding someone secret from me.

If he had known in advance that Duchess Mare would show the invitation to the victory ceremony today, he probably wouldn’t have met her with me.

The fact that he still doesn’t tell me how he will attend the victory ceremony was proof.

His bold attitude wasn’t directed at Duchess Mare but at me. To make me feel like his Rut isn’t a big problem.

Like that, he wanted to keep the person in the underground storage a secret from me too.

“When a person not of the mansion enters, unexpectedly many traces are left.”

Even when the scammers were caught, it was so.

If that person didn’t receive only harsh treatment, traces were bound to be left even more. Since they were very minor changes, employees in charge of specific tasks wouldn’t have known, but as a servant, as someone who would become a butler in the future, I was educated to recognize every single minor change happening in this mansion.