Chapter 08
At Resrexion’s command, the attendant was the first to come to his senses.
“…! Yes!”
While the servant hurried to refill the glass, Adrian also pulled himself together.
“Haha, little brother. Even jokes have their limits!”
“When have I ever joked with you, Brother?”
“You—! Ha! If it’s not a joke, do you think that makes sense?!”
“And why wouldn’t it?”
“Dolores is my woman! She’s your brother’s fiancée!”
Adrian was growing more and more dumbfounded.
No matter how he looked at it, the crazy one was Resrexion—so how could he be acting so calm?
“To be precise, the Rochester Marquisate wanted ties with the imperial family.”
“That’s the same thing—!”
“If I join in at the end, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. Don’t you agree, Your Majesty?”
Resrexion knew perfectly well that this was complete nonsense.
Still, he slowly looked toward his ‘card.’
The one person who would raise a hand for him in this situation.
“…Father.”
“Oh? Resrexion, I didn’t expect you to bring this up.”
“….”
“Do you truly wish to marry?”
“Yes.”
“Hm.”
The Emperor stared intently at his second son.
He had pressured Resrexion about marriage many times before.
But each time, this unruly son acted as if he hadn’t heard a word.
There was even a time when the Emperor deliberately pushed a woman into his room.
Every time, Resrexion would simply get the woman drunk until she passed out, then calmly leave the room himself.
Resrexion lifted his golden eyes and met his father’s gaze directly.
“If it isn’t Lady Rochester, I have no interest in marriage itself.”
“Hm. It’s good that you’ve finally developed the desire to build a family….”
Until then, the Emperor’s eyes had been somewhat dull.
Now they gleamed—with naked greed.
“…But you do intend to have a child, don’t you?”
“….”
“If you do, I’ll permit it. On one condition—there must be a child.”
Resrexion briefly looked down at the knife in his hand.
If he happened to drop it wrong and stabbed that old man, would that count as accidental patricide?
‘You old fox of a monster.’
But for now, he played along.
“Well, if we work hard day and night, something should come out.”
“Hahaha!”
The Emperor burst into hearty laughter.
At that sound, Adrian sprang up from his seat.
“Father! This bastard is spouting nonsense—how can you allow this—!”
“Ahem. Brother, calm down.”
“You insane son of a bitch! Shut up!”
“Oh my, how scary.”
“You…!”
Adrian cursed viciously—words that didn’t suit his refined face—and stormed out of the dining hall.
Someone called after him in alarm, but he ignored it all.
‘The Marquisate! I need to align with them quickly!’
If the Rochester family insisted they didn’t want this, they might find a way to resist together.
And so, the Rochester residence was thrown into chaos.
* * *
Dolores was not surprised by the Crown Prince’s sudden visit.
‘Hm. So it’s finally come.’
If Resrexion had not quickly declared his intention to propose, she would have been dragged into preparations for a state marriage.
He gathered the Marquis, the eldest son James, and Dolores into the drawing room and immediately launched into it.
“My insane younger brother says he intends to propose to Dolores.”
The Marquis and James were stunned.
“The Grand Duke…? To Dolores?”
“Your Highness, could it not have been a joke?”
“It’s not a joke!”
Adrian, unusually flustered, snapped irritably.
Dolores quietly observed his twisted expression.
‘That’s the same look he had when my infertility became known.’
It felt strangely satisfying to see his face distorted for a reason that wasn’t her fault this time.
But then Adrian’s eyes flashed sharply.
“That bastard may even secure His Majesty’s approval. I cannot hand Dolly over to that filthy mongrel—”
“Oh my, Your Highness Adrian.”
Dolores, who had considered keeping silent, changed her mind.
Hearing that horrible nickname made her feel sick.
“I would have no complaints about marrying the Grand Duke.”
“What…? Dolly, what are you saying?”
“You heard me correctly, Your Highness.”
Dolores gazed at the youthful face of the husband who had made her life rot for twenty years.
The day he publicly announced the illegitimate child born from Angelica as his own son—
When Dolores wept alone in her room in humiliation, Adrian had instead grown angry.
“Dolly. What did you do so well that you’re crying like that? I don’t understand.”
“Your Majesty…!”
“Poor Angelica can’t even admit in front of others that he’s her son!”
Remembering it made her stomach churn.
Still, Dolores smiled calmly. If she didn’t, she felt she might truly vomit.
“After thinking about it, I believe I prefer a man with a more… wild charm.”
“What did you say…?”
“It’s embarrassing, but I only realized it recently. I’m attracted to men who are muscular and large.”
The unladylike remark silenced the room.
Adrian looked at her with deep humiliation.
She couldn’t understand his reaction.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
You mocked me as a defective, wicked wife.
For twenty years you called me flawed, pressured me to love another woman’s child—
‘You’re being compared to someone just once, and you look like the world ended?’
At that moment, the Marquis was the first to shout.
“Have you lost your mind, Dolores Siena Rochester?! What unmarried girl says such things?!”
“Father. His Highness has already slept with Angelica.”
“…!”
Her second bombshell brought silence once again.
Dolores calmly observed their reactions.
James looked genuinely shocked.
Her father…
‘Ha. So you already knew back then.’
No wonder he had presented Angelica as if prepared.
The one whose face turned the palest was Adrian. But he quickly changed his expression—
To one of utter guilt.
“Dolly. I didn’t realize you would feel hurt just because I cherish Angelica a little.”
“….”
“But I don’t love Angelica. The only one I cherish is you, Dolly. My heart has always been yours.”
Right then, James foolishly interrupted.
“That’s right, Dolores! A wife shouldn’t nitpick every little indulgence her husband enjoys—”
Knock knock.
A light knock interrupted the chaotic mess.
Resrexion stood at the already open drawing room door, arms crossed, knocking casually.
Behind him, attendants hovered helplessly, unable to stop him.
“I heard barking from the Marquisate. Excuse me.”
Dolores stood up without realizing it.
Who would have thought she’d be so glad to see this insolent man?
“Grand Duke…!”
“Lady Rochester.”
He gave her a properly respectful bow. The usual mocking glint in his eyes was nowhere to be seen.
He also gave a brief bow to the Marquis, who had risen.
“And my future father-in-law.”
“Your Highness, explain yourself.”
The Marquis’s wrinkled face trembled—not from fear, but from disgust.
A pure-blooded imperial noble, he had always secretly despised Resrexion’s mixed foreign blood.
“I fell for Lady Dolores Rochester. I’m courting her now, and I’ve already obtained His Majesty’s permission.”
Resrexion finished his explanation in a businesslike tone.
Then he pulled a golden letter from his coat and tossed it to the Marquis.
“Here. His Majesty’s decree. He’s permitted my proposal.”
The Marquis opened the letter with trembling hands.
It was the Emperor’s formal order allowing the marriage between Resrexion and Dolores.
His eyes widened at the unprecedented situation.
“Your Highness, this cannot be accepted…!”
“Marquis, just think of it as changing the skin color of your son-in-law.”
“Do you think that makes sense?!”
The Marquis staggered backward as if clutching his head.
Dolores inwardly admired him.
‘Right. This is why I fought with this man to death.’
Back when she had been Empress, that tone of his had made her grab her head countless times.
‘Back then, I thought he was a vulgar ruffian who ignored etiquette.’
Now that ruffian was on her side, and watching this chaos was rather amusing.
Adrian fumed and jabbed a finger into Resrexion’s chest.
“Resrexion! How do you intend to handle the aftermath of this madness?! Stealing my woman—!”
“You bring plenty of noblewomen to the Ruby Room. Pick one of them.”
“You—!”
“Ah, spare the married ones. Half the capital’s families might turn against us.”
Resrexion sneered as he walked toward Dolores.
“I roll around on the frontier enough as it is. I don’t want to clean up that mess.”
Then his hand caught hers.
He tilted his head down at her arrogantly.
“You’re not going to throw me out the moment I arrive, are you? I am, after all, your suitor.”
“Of course not.”
Dolores deliberately linked her arm through the one he offered.
“It’s late, but I can at least show you the garden.”
“Dolores!”
The Marquis, James, and Adrian all moved toward her at once.
But then Resrexion shot them a cold glance over his shoulder.
“What? Planning a group night stroll?”
His tone was light.
But his golden eyes burned like the sun.
If they even thought of following—
He looked ready to tear out their throats like a beast.
And of course, no one dared to argue.
