IWBCAS 25

Chapter 25

“Oh… huh? That wasn’t a lie…?”

When Carlhail suddenly became serious, Laina was caught off guard and stammered.

‘What is this…? Is this a love confession?’

Laina nervously clenched and opened her hands. Her eyes didn’t know where to look and wandered around.

Carlhail, who had been trying hard to hold back his smirk, finally burst into laughter.

It got louder and louder until he was almost rolling on the ground laughing.

“…What are you doing?” Laina asked, confused.

Wiping away tears from his eyes, Carlhail replied,
“See? Your family really is easy to fool.”

“…What did you say? Easy to fool…?”

Laina’s expression darkened as she finally realized the situation.

“So you tricked me…?”

“You lying Grand Duke…!” Laina clenched her fists.

She really wanted to punch him in the stomach multiple times.

‘Calm down. He’s royalty.’

Trying to hold back her anger, Laina stood up and spoke through gritted teeth.

“You seem full of energy, so I guess you can walk home alone, Your Highness?”

Carlhail sat up and looked at her.
“You’re going to leave me? But I’m really drunk…”

“Sure, sure. I can tell how drunk you are. You’re a great actor.”

“Then what about the kiss?”

“Kiss? What kiss?”

“It’s the third day. Did you forget?”

Laina let out a sarcastic laugh.

“From what I see, you don’t need treatment at all. You’re asking for a punch again.”

She raised her fists and glared at him.

Seeing the anger in her eyes, Carlhail gave up on asking for a kiss.

“Goodbye, Your Highness!”

Laina forced a smile and turned her back on him.

“Laina! You’re just going to leave like this?!”

He called her a few times, but she walked away without looking back.

‘That tiger of a man.’

Now she finally understood why her mother had fallen for his serious eyes so easily.

Laina swore to herself again.

Never fall for that again.

“If you stay alert, even a tiger can’t eat you.”

She encouraged herself to stay sharp.

Carlhail’s voice still echoed behind her, but she never turned around and confidently returned home.

Later…

But getting married wasn’t so easy.
There was another mountain to cross.

They had to get approval from the Emperor and Empress.

Laina still couldn’t believe that the sly Carlhail was part of the Imperial Family.

Even if it was just a two-year marriage, they had to do it properly.

So early in the morning, Laina dressed up beautifully and went to the Imperial Palace.

Her maid Amy had worked hard—her skin and hair were glowing.

Standing stiffly, Laina practiced her greeting lines again and again.

“I greet His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress, the sun and moon of the Empire.”

She bowed perfectly. When she looked up, she saw the Emperor and Empress seated on golden chairs a few steps above.

The Emperor wore a golden crown and looked very similar to Carlhail.

‘This man… must be Emperor Eckarter!’

Though he was smiling faintly, Laina stayed tense.

He looked kind, but she knew what terrible things he’d done to hold his throne.

Eckarter, the ruler of the great empire of Astragen.

In this era where divine power was weakening, he ruled with an iron grip.

But he hadn’t always been this powerful.

Back then, the biggest threat to him was the sons of the second Empress—especially Emerson and Carlhail.

Emerson, though much younger, had shown genius at just three years old.

He solved complex math problems, read books, and showed outstanding talent in every area—math, science, art.

He quickly became a threat.

Meanwhile, rumors spread that Eckarter’s real mother had been a lowly maid—not a noblewoman. Before the truth could be confirmed, the former Empress died, and people began to believe the rumors.

As Emerson grew, more nobles began saying:
“It’s better to replace Eckarter with Emerson as the crown prince.”

Emerson’s mother was from a very powerful family, after all.

Eventually, Eckarter handled it in the simplest way—he killed everyone involved.

Those who spread rumors and even his younger brother Emerson.

People said Emerson was poisoned by an unknown enemy, but Laina, who had read the novel, knew the truth.

Eckarter killed him.

No one would ever know if the maid rumor was true.

But Emerson’s death had a huge effect on Carlhail.

His older brother had been killed—by his other older brother.

Carlhail had barely escaped that same fate. And as he grew up, he must have feared Eckarter more and more.

He was close in age to Blair, the crown prince, which made it worse.

Just having a claim to the throne was dangerous.

That’s why Carlhail had run far away to Rautzen—his grandfather’s land, his mother’s homeland.

He left everything behind—Astragen, the capital, even the Imperial Palace.

Laina shivered at the thought. How could someone kill their own family…?

As she rubbed her arm, Eckarter looked at her and spoke.

“So, you’re the young lady Carlhail fell for?”

He had heard the rumors.

Before Laina could say anything, Carlhail cheerfully answered,
“Yes, Your Majesty. I fell in love at first sight.”

There he goes again… with the fake love story.

He said the same thing to her parents.

Laina held back a frown.

“Haha. Carlhail, you never showed interest in women before. This is new,” the Emperor laughed.

Carlhail just smiled softly. They looked like a caring older brother and a respectful younger brother.

Laina tilted her head. Did royal families take acting classes or something?

How could they pretend like nothing happened between them?

Or maybe time really had dulled their feelings.

Just as she looked away, she noticed Carlhail’s hands—tightly clenched fists.

That’s when she realized—Carlhail had been tense the entire time.

This is a tiger’s den, she thought.

Understanding that, Laina also put on a perfect smile.

To leave the tiger’s den safely, she had to play along too.

“So, you came to get permission for marriage?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor stroked his beard and glanced at the Empress.

“What do you think, Empress?”

The Empress, Isabel, who had barely reacted so far, finally spoke.

“They look like a good pair, Your Majesty.”

“I agree.”

The Emperor nodded.

“If Carlhail likes her, I see no reason to object. I approve of your marriage.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Carlhail bowed deeply, and so did Laina.

Maybe because Carlhail had planned everything, the Emperor didn’t oppose, and the Empress seemed uninterested.

Apparently, Carlhail wasn’t that important to them.

Even if they divorced later, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Laina let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“We’ll hold the wedding in the capital, then return to Rautzen afterward,” Carlhail said.

“Good. Since you’ll be away for a while, Laina, you should spend time with your family before the wedding.”

They chatted a bit more about the wedding schedule. Just as things were wrapping up…

The butler Marcus approached the Emperor and whispered something.

“Your Majesty, the crown prince, Blair, has just returned.”

“Blair? Already?”

“Yes. The task you gave him seems to have ended sooner than expected. He’s just arrived at the palace.”

“Oh, really?”

Everyone was surprised by the unexpected return, but the most shocked person was Laina.

Blair…? That wretched crown prince is back?

Laina turned and looked nervously at Carlhail.