Chapter 23
Carlhail looked away and answered quietly.
“…Of course it’s because of your healing power.”
“Didn’t I already say I’d heal you? You don’t need to worry about that anymore!”
“Still, I need to marry you. I’m going back to the north before winter, and I’ll need your healing there too.”
“Ah.”
Reina couldn’t hide her disappointment.
Of course. This man never changed, not even a little.
*‘Wait, what was I expecting from him?’*
Reina let out a dry laugh at herself for getting her hopes up.
“Haha.”
The warmth quickly left her face.
What had she been expecting from someone so cold?
That was when Reina realized what was missing between them.
*‘There’s no romance. That’s what it is.’*
Even if it was a marriage for convenience, it was still marriage.
Reina had hoped, even just a little, that there would be some warmth.
Not fiery love, but maybe something gentle—someone to care and be cared for.
But to Carlhail, she was nothing more than someone useful.
This truth kept bothering her deep inside.
*‘Let’s be honest. It was all just a fantasy in my head.’*
They were only using each other. Once they no longer needed each other, they would go their separate ways.
“…Fine.”
“What?”
“I said it’s fine.”
Reina, who had hesitated before, now gave a clear answer.
“…Really?”
Carlhail looked suspicious, but she confirmed it.
“Let’s get married. You need me, right?”
“Well, yes, but… you changed your mind so quickly.”
Reina shrugged.
“I thought about it. You’re right. Marrying you benefits me too.”
“Finally, you’re making sense.”
Carlhail smiled and leaned back a little.
But then—Reina said something completely unexpected.
“So when should we get divorced?”
“…Divorced?”
Carlhail looked shocked.
“You’re talking about divorce *now*?”
Reina replied casually.
“Well, that’s for normal marriages. Ours isn’t, is it?”
“…Not normal?”
“We’re not in love or anything. It’s a deal. You need my healing, and I need your royal protection. When we don’t need those things anymore, we’ll divorce!”
She smiled brightly after her neat conclusion.
“…Very logical,” Carlhail muttered, not looking happy.
But Reina was too busy calculating the perfect time.
*‘Let’s see… once things calm down in the capital and before the monster outbreak in the north…’*
“How about two years from now? By then, your illness will be cured, and I won’t need your protection anymore.”
She grinned.
“Perfect. Two years later, we divorce and start fresh! Great plan.”
Carlhail didn’t say anything.
Seeing her so cheerful somehow annoyed him, but he couldn’t argue. She wasn’t wrong.
Everything she said was true.
He only wanted to marry her because of her healing powers.
Once he was cured, there would be no need to stay married.
“You’re listening, right? We agreed on two years?” Reina asked.
Carlhail reluctantly nodded.
“…Fine.”
“Great!”
Reina clapped her hands in excitement.
Really, it wasn’t a bad deal. Staying in the capital meant constant fear of being exposed as the saintess.
*‘And Carlhail promised to make my room warm with fur… maybe the north won’t be so bad.’*
“Should we write a contract now so you can’t back out later? Oh, and you’ll give me a nice alimony, right? You did say you’re rich.”
Reina started excitedly making post-divorce plans—buying a house in the warm southern regions, having her own cozy hideout, living in the south during summer, and coming to the capital in winter.
Carlhail had the strong urge to cover her nonstop chattering mouth with his hand.
He held it in.
Then Reina’s expression suddenly turned serious.
“Oh… I forgot something.”
“What now?”
“My parents. I’m not sure they’ll agree to the marriage.”
“Count Pillon?”
Wasn’t he already convinced?
Carlhail remembered how Count Pillon’s eyes sparkled at the mention of magic stones.
But Reina wasn’t talking about her father.
“No. My mother.”
Grace Pillon. The one who had strongly opposed the marriage from the beginning.
“She was totally against it before.”
*‘She’s the one who tore up my marriage proposal letter, wasn’t she?’*
Carlhail remembered the report he got from Bayen.
“Then I should meet her,” he said.
“And if she still says no?”
“I’ll persuade her. I’m usually popular with noble ladies.”
Reina raised an eyebrow.
*‘Yeah, sure. Let’s see how that goes.’*
—
A few days later, Count and Countess Pillon returned from their trip to the east.
Carlhail also came to the Pillon estate to get permission for the marriage.
—
“You want to marry my daughter… is that what you just said?” Nicolai asked, surprised.
“Yes. I hope we can marry as soon as possible.”
Marrying a duke would greatly raise their family’s status.
Count Nicolai tried to hide his smile but couldn’t help coughing to cover it.
“Ahem. As soon as possible, you say… But she’s my only daughter…”
He wanted to say, *Get married tomorrow!*, but managed to hold it in.
“I don’t plan to rush the ceremony. We’ll do it grandly, with all the proper steps.”
A grand wedding…?
Even if this was just a contract marriage for two years, it was still a real marriage.
Reina thought it was a bit much—but whatever. It wasn’t important to her.
Carlhail continued.
“And I’d like to make her my wife as soon as possible.”
*‘Way to make that sound romantic when all you want is a cure…’* Reina thought.
“She’s our only child…”
“You know I must return to Lautzen before winter. But even after the marriage, she’ll still be part of the Pillon family. I won’t stop her from visiting her home whenever she wants. Father-in-law.”
“…Father-in-law…?”
That word completely broke Nicolai’s serious expression.
His face lit up with a huge smile.
“Father…?!”
Reina shot him a look, reminding him to stay composed. He quickly cleared his throat.
“Calling me father-in-law already… isn’t it a bit early, Your Grace?”
“Well, we’ll be married soon. Might as well get used to it. And I’ll treat House Pillon as the family of the future duchess.”
Was this really the same cold-hearted Carlhail?
Reina was impressed.
*‘Didn’t he used to talk down to me all the time? Now he’s charming like a prince!’*
“Duchess… my daughter, a duchess… haha…”
Nicolai repeated the word “duchess” over and over with a dreamy look.
Just as he was about to agree, Grace grabbed his hand tightly.
“Dear. Calm down.”
Her gaze was icy cold.
“Your Grace. I think this marriage is too soon.”
She turned her sharp eyes toward Carlhail.
“Of course, conditions matter in noble marriages. But that can’t be the only reason.”
Reina tensed up.
*‘Right. The real challenge is my mother, not my father.’*
“A partner must be someone who shows respect and care. But Your Grace seems to lack those things. You already caused our daughter trouble once, didn’t you?”
Reina understood why her mother was angry.
*‘She was so upset about the scandal, she even got sick…’*
Because of that public kiss, Reina’s reputation had plummeted. Grace had every reason to hate Carlhail.
Reina couldn’t help with this.
After all, she hadn’t kissed him in public. That was all on him.
Hearing Grace’s words, Carlhail finally dropped his charming smile.
He looked serious now.
Let’s see how well he does with mom!