Chapter 8
“Are you crazy? Are you trying to fall to your death?!”
A sharp voice rang out.
When Yurita turned her head, she saw Zachary standing there, tightly gripping her arm with a deeply furrowed brow.
‘That was actually dangerous.’
She had almost slipped and fallen off the roof.
Zachary had caught her just in time.
‘Acting like a good guy now, huh? Doesn’t suit you.’
Maybe she still held a grudge about him not showing up to the wedding, but Yurita couldn’t accept his help with a grateful heart—even if he had saved her.
Just then, Zachary let go of her arm.
‘Huh?’
“…Don’t touch me so freely, sir. It’s unpleasant.”
Was he still hung up on the things Yurita had said during his tarot reading?
‘No way this guy is that sensitive… right?’
Then Zachary spoke.
“What shady stuff are you whispering about up here? Not like you’ve got someone to chat with out this window on the top floor.”
“Who knows? I was just talking to myself. Maybe singing a tune.”
Zachary looked at her, dumbfounded, but Yurita just shrugged nonchalantly.
She had no intention of telling him about the ghost.
‘He probably can’t see them anyway.’
Zachary shot her a skeptical look.
‘Yup. Doesn’t believe me.’
“But hey, when did you start talking down to me so casually?”
‘Ah, so that’s what’s bothering you.’
“I do what I want.”
“Excuse me, but I’m a Duke.”
“Well, married couples usually drop formal speech. I’m not just some young lady now—I’m your wife. The Duchess. Or is it not sinking in because you skipped our wedding?”
“So you’re gonna keep bringing that up. Alright, what, trying to get revenge on me? How?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“Why not? Come on, tell me. You’re the first person to ever say they want revenge on me.”
Zachary looked like he was enjoying this whole situation.
‘Some of us are only here because we have no choice, trying to pay off debts.’
Yurita glared sharply at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m asking you—why did you even agree to this marriage?”
“What?”
“You’re a Duke. You could’ve refused the Emperor’s political marriage offer. Why agree to it when you clearly hate me so much you didn’t even show up to the wedding?”
“……”
Zachary looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Then he finally spoke again.
“You don’t need to know.”
Of course. Like he’d ever open up.
“Really? Fine.”
Yurita replied coldly and turned to walk down the corridor. She didn’t want to spend another second around him.
“Wait a sec.”
Zachary’s voice called out behind her, but she didn’t stop.
She heard him running.
“I said, wait!”
“What, you bastard?!”
“What, bas—what?”
Zachary raised his eyebrows in shock at her furious outburst.
He wasn’t the only one surprised.
“Hiccup.”
Toby, the butler who had just come up the stairs, let out a hiccup at Yurita’s shout. He must’ve swallowed wrong.
“Toby?”
“Ah, well… Master, Madam, pardon the interruption.”
Not that what they were doing could really be called a “conversation.”
“His Majesty the Emperor has invited both of you to a tea party this afternoon.”
Yurita and Zachary both stood stunned into silence.
“Both of us?”
Imperial Palace
“Duke Killerster! It’s been a while. Was the journey smooth?”
The Emperor greeted Zachary with a warm smile and open arms.
When Zachary responded with only a scoff instead of a bow, Yurita flinched and yanked down on his sleeve.
“What?”
“Be polite, do a bow…”
She whispered through clenched teeth like a ventriloquist. Zachary, caught off guard, ended up bowing to the Emperor.
“Haha, to think I’d live to see the day you bowed to me,” the young Emperor chuckled slyly.
He never bowed before?! Yurita smacked her forehead in her mind.
There was probably no one else in the empire who dared to act so fearless in front of the Emperor—except Zachary.
When the Emperor turned his gaze toward Yurita, she instantly switched to a graceful smile and gave a perfect curtsy.
“I am honored to be in Your Majesty’s presence.”
“My, my. The Killerster family has brought home the beauty of the realm. Such grace! She must be a great influence on you, Duke.”
The Emperor laughed heartily in reply.
Zachary looked visibly annoyed, clearly thinking, Why didn’t she act that polite with me?
‘Too bad for you.’
Yurita kept her poker face and chatted politely with the Emperor.
Emperor Reichard appeared friendly, but in truth, he was a cunning schemer. Even if he was kind on the surface, one could never guess what he might plot behind the scenes.
If the Killerster family ever lost favor with him, Yurita’s life would be over.
It was a marriage she never wanted, but since she had become the duchess, she was determined to improve the family’s image.
‘…Too bad that guy over there refuses to cooperate!’
When the Emperor wasn’t looking, Yurita shot a glare at Zachary.
He was just sitting there with his usual thuggish look, glaring at the Emperor.
“We’ve prepared refreshments. This way, please. It’s your first time seeing the royal greenhouse, isn’t it?”
The Empress, who had been standing beside the Emperor, chimed in. It seemed the idea for today’s tea party in the greenhouse had been hers.
“I heard the palace collects exotic plants from across the continent. The leaves and stems are uniquely elegant.”
“Oh ho, Duchess, you have a keen eye for beauty. We plan to host a tea party for the young ladies of the capital here soon. I do hope you’ll attend.”
Nice. One point for Yurita from the Empress.
“They must’ve used up tons of water to keep the humidity in here. The kingdom’s in a drought, but the palace seems to have plenty.”
Then Zachary butted in.
The Empress sipped her tea with an annoyed look.
‘Ugh! He just ruined the Empress points I worked so hard to get!’
And now, of all things, he’s making some noble, patriotic complaint like a loyal subject! That kind of “wise” remark could’ve waited!
Fuming, Yurita laughed politely and gave Zachary’s back a not-so-gentle jab.
Zachary, clearly annoyed too, whipped his head around to say something to her.
But Yurita met his glare with a deadly stare of her own, and Zachary flinched and leaned back in his chair.
“Seems the Duke has married extremely well. The Duchess’s wisdom will surely be a great asset to your household.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”
“But even so, the wedding was too rushed. Since I approved the marriage, I should’ve hosted it in a grand venue with more guests.”
‘No, Your Majesty. If that had happened, I’d have been humiliated in front of a much bigger crowd.’
It wasn’t like Zachary would’ve shown up just because the Emperor picked the venue.
Thankfully, judging by the Emperor’s expression, it seemed he hadn’t yet heard that the groom didn’t even attend the wedding.
‘Anyway…’
Yurita sipped her tea and watched the Emperor and Zachary carefully.
‘They clearly don’t get along.’
In the original novel, Emperor Reichard was only a supporting character. Zachary did try to assassinate him and failed—but it never revealed whether they had personal animosity.
But now, she could see it. The tension between them was obvious. If she so much as reached her hand between them, she’d pull back a bloody stump.
‘Zachary’s failed assassination attempt on the Emperor is what triggered the downfall of the Killerster family.’
That event happens about a year from now.
‘I have to stop it no matter what.’
If the Killerster family falls, so does Yurita. She didn’t want to be involved in this mess, but now their fates were tied.
She glanced at Zachary.
He wasn’t paying attention to anything—just happily stuffing cake into his mouth.
‘Does this carefree idiot even understand the seriousness of this situation?’
Probably not.
Maybe he hadn’t even made up his mind to kill the Emperor yet.
‘If I can stop things from escalating before Zachary fully becomes a villain, maybe there’s still hope.’
After all, Yurita already knew the major events of the original story.
“What do you think, Duchess Killerster?”
“…Pardon?”
The Emperor’s question snapped her out of her thoughts. Yurita quickly smiled and responded.
“Since the wedding was lacking, I’d like to personally host a grand banquet to celebrate your marriage. What do you think?”
“Oh, a banquet…”
“Duke doesn’t like parties, so I don’t think that’s a good idea,”
spoke Toby the butler, passing by at just the right moment.
Yurita’s lips curled into a subtle smile.
“Your Majesty, that’s a wonderful idea. But I have one small request.”
“What is it? Name anything, my new duchess.”
Yurita slowly turned her gaze toward Zachary.
“I’d like to host the banquet at our Killerster estate.”
