Chapter 10
“If marriage is your goal, it doesn’t have to be me, does it? What kind of marriage is it when we can’t even stand each other…”
“That’s exactly why it works.”
Lerazier cut her off.
“A person who won’t get swayed by silly emotions. Someone who won’t cross the lines set by the other. And someone who will strictly adhere to the terms of the contract.”
“…”
“You and I are the only ones who fit all those conditions.”
Calliope opened her mouth, then shut it again.
How did he know? It was as if he had peered directly into her thoughts.
If a man ever managed to get Archibald’s approval, Calliope had planned to get those exact conditions confirmed in advance. She even had a contract prepared.
She decided to assess the current situation rationally.
‘If I refuse Lerazier now… will there be anyone else?’
No matter how she thought about it, the answer was doubtful.
Calliope bit her lower lip subtly, lost in thought.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being dragged into Lerazier’s scheme, but what he said wasn’t wrong. Their demands matched perfectly.
And Calliope knew very well how nearly impossible it would be to find someone like that again.
She didn’t hesitate for long before adding a condition.
“We won’t interfere in each other’s personal lives.”
Lerazier curved his lips into a smooth arc.
“Good. Then we have a deal.”
He straightened his posture. His broad shoulders, sculpted from years of sword training, pulled his shirt taut.
It was a build that could make anyone stare in awe.
Calliope deliberately avoided looking in that direction as she opened her mouth.
“The details will be worked out once the marriage is finalized. Things could still fall apart.”
“You’re worrying unnecessarily.”
“Don’t act like you know everything. Just agreeing on terms isn’t enough. If my grandfather doesn’t approve, marriage is out of the question.”
Though she had no choice but to consider Lerazier, the thought of bringing him to Archibald already made her head throb.
“My grandfather must know all about your reputation…”
“What about my reputation?”
“You’re seriously asking?”
Calliope narrowed her eyes sharply. Then she began listing all of Lerazier’s misdeeds one by one.
“Drinking excessively and skipping classes constantly, slicing up the academy’s founding director’s statue for ‘sword training,’ ridiculous scandals with the Wilfort brothers…”
Despite all those incidents, Lerazier hadn’t been expelled from the academy solely due to his monstrous talent.
He had been blessed with overwhelming ability that made even the laziest attitude seem like nothing.
“Want me to go on?”
“No, I got the point.”
Lerazier raised both hands in surrender.
“Sounds like the Duke of the Borderlands has high standards.”
“Don’t even get me started. He rejected everyone for all sorts of reasons. I’m exhausted.”
Calliope shook her head as if sick of it.
“In any case, if you act like your usual self, this won’t work. Swordmaster or royal blood—none of that will win over my grandfather.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Whether he understood her unease or not, Lerazier flashed a confident grin.
“This time, I’ll make sure he says I’ve finally brought back a proper husband candidate.”
* * *
In the reception room of the Crown Prince’s palace, all the princes had gathered.
What began as a “gathering” under the guise of an invitation from the crown prince Lucius had now continued as a monthly event for years.
Officially, it was meant to promote camaraderie among the royal family, but the reality was quite different.
It was a regular reminder from the Crown Prince to his younger brothers not to dare step out of line.
Under the faint tension, the second prince Manuel was the first to speak.
“I heard you resolved the diplomatic conflict with the Kingdom of Luvtam brilliantly, brother.”
As the son of the Empress like Lucius, Manuel held the most influence after him.
He was also the one who usually took the lead at these gatherings.
“They say the entire empire praises you for it.”
Lucius replied with false modesty.
“I only did what was expected of me as Crown Prince.”
“You’re too humble, brother.”
Not to be outdone, the other princes chimed in.
“That’s right! Who among us could’ve handled such a difficult task?”
“Amazing, truly!”
The princes’ words of flattery carried a tone of desperation.
And rightly so.
They all knew very well how cruel the Crown Prince could be.
If they ever got on Lucius’s bad side, he would surely “deal” with them mercilessly once he ascended the throne.
If they wanted to survive, they had no choice but to crawl and grovel, no matter how degrading.
Lucius watched them with satisfaction. Then he spotted someone and his face twisted.
‘That damned bastard…’
At the lowest seat sat the black sheep of the royal family, Lerazier Dion Arenfrit.
He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, dozing off.
He reeked so strongly of alcohol that even Lucius could smell it from a distance.
Lucius spat out his words with unconcealed annoyance.
“I wonder how he even managed to show up looking like that.”
His hair was a mess, his chin unshaven and dark with stubble.
His coat was nowhere in sight, and the buttons on his vest were mismatched.
To top it off, his shoes and clothes were covered in dirt as if he had been rolling around on the ground.
And yet, his beauty remained undiminished—only adding to Lucius’s irritation.
Sensing the Crown Prince’s displeasure, the other princes quickly echoed his mood.
“That troublemaker’s always like that.”
“Trash blood will always reveal itself.”
As the princes laid into Lerazier without mercy, Lucius’s mood lightened a bit.
‘That disgusting bastard had me cautious for a while because of his talent—but what a waste of energy.’
For years, Lucius had regarded Lerazier with wary eyes due to his unmatched swordsmanship talent.
But the man had never once acted with the dignity of a royal. He was always an utter disgrace.
Lucius was beginning to let his guard down.
“What’s the point of speaking to someone who isn’t even sober? Contact the 7th Prince’s palace and have him taken away.”
Lerazier’s aide, Aegis, came running upon receiving the message.
He quickly helped the barely conscious Lerazier back to the 7th Prince’s residence.
As soon as they reached the bedroom, Lerazier returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
He gulped down a glass of water and said,
“I was dying of boredom.”
“Can’t you at least try to behave? You know what the Crown Prince is like…”
Aegis cried out in frustration, but Lerazier didn’t even blink.
“Watching them wag their tails like dogs to please Lucius is the most nauseating thing. Don’t you get sick of it?”
“Still, please be careful. My heart can’t take this anymore!”
“Enough of that. You were useful today, Aegis.”
“…Pardon?”
Aegis blinked in confusion.
But Lerazier didn’t care. His attention had already shifted elsewhere.
He tossed a round video orb into the air and caught it again, toying with it.
“Be careful. That thing’s sensitive to shock. You might lose all the footage if it breaks.”
“It’s fine.”
Lerazier smiled brightly.
“There’s nothing on it anyway.”
“I told you to save some memories… and you didn’t record anything?”
“What for? It’s all up here.”
He pointed to his temple with a finger. Aegis just shook his head.
Poof! A small explosion occurred in the air in front of them.
Out of the smoke, a magical messenger bird with purple feathers appeared.
It dropped a letter into Lerazier’s hand, flapped its wings, and disappeared.
Lerazier opened the letter from Calliope.
Reasons why the twelve previous candidates were rejected. If you don’t want to be the thirteenth, study these thoroughly before coming.
The letter included an invitation to visit the Verdi estate tomorrow and a long list of detailed instructions.
Lerazier let out a soft chuckle, and Aegis blinked in surprise.
It had been a very long time since he’d seen the 7th Prince smile so genuinely.
But only for a moment. Lerazier quickly erased his smile and spoke.
“You’re absolutely sure no more proposals are being sent to the Verdi family?”
