~Chapter 74~
“…Marriage?”
The words were so unexpected, they left her dizzy. Camilla’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.
“I want to protect you.”
A storm of emotions swept through her.
“You’re mistaken about something.”
Dane clearly thought of her as an innocent victim—a daughter who’d simply been exploited.
“I’m going to be a witness at the trial, and I’ll have to confess every crime I committed as the manager of the arena.”
Even if she’d acted to earn the Baron’s trust, Camilla had still done terrible things. She spread her arms wide.
“I’m the villain here, a daughter of the Mowin family who carried out the Baron’s orders. In the end, I’ll be punished for it.”
She’d always wanted to hide this from Dane, but for some reason, the words slipped out easily now. Maybe it was thanks to that conversation with Grand Duchess Lunellia.
She wanted to stand beside Dane.
But she couldn’t deceive him.
He must be disappointed in me.
As she waited for his reaction, Dane surprised her again.
“So what?”
“What?”
“You’re not saying you don’t want to marry me. So let’s get married.”
“Dane, were you even listening to what I just said?!”
A criminal and a grand duke’s son—there was no way a marriage like that could ever happen.
“I ran the arena on the Baron’s orders, knowing people were dying because of it.”
Even if she’d been captured and tortured by the Baron, it didn’t change the facts. But Dane replied without missing a beat.
“And I’m the Grand Duke’s son—the one who turned a blind eye to Glamis’s crimes and signed off on their dangerous drugs.”
Camilla felt her breath catch in her throat, but Dane just smiled softly.
“Don’t you think we make the perfect pair?”
“Oh, you mean the son of the city’s heir and a murderer who let people die?”
“Exactly. Because I’m Escalus’s successor.”
He sounded nothing like the timid boy he once was—more like a rogue, bold and brazen.
“Every good and evil thing in this city runs through my blood. Could there be a worse villain than me?”
“You’re unbelievable…”
“And Camilla, do you really think I wouldn’t know? I collected every bit of evidence from the arena.”
“What do you mean?”
“After you took over, the number of mysterious heart attacks skyrocketed. The ones who died weren’t random, were they?”
Her heart plummeted. Dane continued, never looking away.
“You used the fake death potion—the one Nina, your sister, used to escape, right?”
He was spot on.
Camilla had checked the backgrounds of everyone sent to the arena, and when she found someone truly innocent, she used the golden potion to fake their death. She’d even spent her own fortune to help them escape to distant cities.
“…That was only a handful.”
She’d wanted to save them all, but she couldn’t.
“If I’m going to judge your sins, I have to count your good deeds too, don’t I?”
No one had ever said that to her before.
But Camilla shook her head.
“If you count my good deeds, you have to count my crimes. When I think about what I’ve done… I’m bound for hell.”
She whispered bitterly. Dane reached out and took her hand.
“Then let me go there with you. Be with me while we’re alive, and stay with me even in death.”
“What…?”
His sapphire eyes were more sincere than ever.
“After five years of not seeing you, even hell would be bearable if you’re there.”
Camilla couldn’t say a word.
“So, Camilla. Will you marry me?”
She swallowed hard.
She remembered the day he first proposed—after saving her from the fire, confidently declaring his feelings.
The same emotions welled up in her now.
She didn’t want to push his hand away.
But she couldn’t bring herself to take it, either. Camilla clenched her jaw.
“If we get married, all of Escalus will call me a witch—saying I married my sister’s fiancé the moment she died.”
Dane pressed his lips to the back of her hand and murmured,
“Didn’t you know? I’ve always dreamed of marrying a witch.”
Camilla’s eyes trembled again.
He grinned, completely confident—more scoundrel than nobleman.
“I won’t give you much time. Just answer me before the trial starts.”
Why do you always say things like that, like it’s so simple…!
With that, Camilla covered her face with her basket and fled.
Dane, of course, noticed the flush at the tips of her ears as she ran away. He couldn’t help but smile. As long as she didn’t hate him, that was enough.
And as Camilla’s silver chain and rough iron ring fluttered behind her, Dane felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Did Mother give her that?
“Your Grace.”
When Dane returned to the house, his aide Hans greeted him with a respectful bow. Hans was from the Lionel family, known as the left hand of the ducal house.
“…I should pay my respects to my mother.”
“I’ll let her know. Anything else you need, sir?”
Dane’s face lost its previous softness; his eyes sharpened.
“Is the family meeting prepared?”
An essential step if he was going to claim the Grand Duke’s title.
“Yes, everyone in the family will be present.”
It was a crucial step—he needed the family’s approval with the trial approaching.
“And Your Grace, there’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
Hans lowered his voice.
“The head of the Everett family… has requested to meet you.”
“…Me? Not my father?”
“Yes. He specifically asked for you.”
Dane didn’t know much about the Everett family.
They were Camilla’s political allies.
The mortal enemies of the Mowin family.
The head of the family—father of Romulus, the hero of Escalus—was also famously despised by Dane’s own father.
Maintaining his family despite the enmity of both Escalus and Mowin was impressive enough.
Will he be useful, or not?
That was all that mattered to Dane.
“Really? When?”
“…He’s at the back gate right now…”
“Now?”
“He’s been waiting for two hours…”
Dane’s answer was cold and simple.
He must be insane.
The man Dane found waiting by the back gate, the head of the Everett family, looked like a bandit—broad, wild, with jet-black hair, and a knight’s bearing.
Holding a small wooden chest in his arms, he bellowed,
“I’m Kabul Everett, sir! I heard my foolish eldest son once owed you a debt!”
He’s loud enough to burst my eardrums.
Unlike the quiet Drake Everett from the past, this man looked unassuming but had a voice that could shake walls.
“It was nothing. We just crossed paths, but I haven’t seen him since.”
“Ah, I see! My eldest ran away, and I figured you might’ve helped him, but I guess not!”
Is he here looking for Drake Everett, who escaped with Nina Mowin?
Dane had assumed this visit was about the trial, but now he wasn’t so sure.
If that was the case, there was little benefit to this meeting.
But as Dane watched him sharply, Kabul’s joviality faded, and he leaned in to whisper,
“I heard a rumor, sir.”
And what he said next was entirely unexpected.
“Is it true that Lady Camilla Mowin is here?”
Dane’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
So he’s not here for me after all.
Was he just using Dane as a pretext?
“We’ll see. Why do you want to find her?”
But despite Dane’s cool response, Kabul shook his head respectfully.
“That’s something I can only discuss with her, sir. Please—let me meet with her.”
