A Night of Silent Revelations
Deviang stepped out of the bathroom. He cast a brief glance in my direction before sitting down on the sofa. With a racing heart, I kept my eyes slit just a fraction, watching his every move.
Fwoosh. He lit a candle resting on the side table, then pulled a stack of papers from his leather bag. He began to read, occasionally jotting down notes. What on earth was he doing? I continued to spy on him through my eyelashes.
His expression was dead serious as he flipped through the pages, copying information into a notebook. Then, he let out a soft groan. "Ugh... What should I do about this...?" He murmured to himself, seemingly lost in thought. Though I could only see his profile from where I lay, his intense focus as he took notes made him look almost like an Academy student.
Or perhaps... like my eldest brother. My brother used to say that an Emperor does not reign over the people, but rather helps the people reign over the world. He was a fool who was always utterly devoted to learning. Yet in this very moment... I couldn't help but think that Deviang bore a striking resemblance to him.
What... What am I thinking? There was no way my brother and Deviang were alike. My brother would never threaten others or rule with such cruelty. Comparing the two of them was nothing short of a grave insult to my brother's memory. After all, Deviang was the monster who had killed Ipa and brought me her severed head. I loathed him.
Scratch, scratch. The rhythmic sound of his pen gliding across the paper and the rustling of pages acted like a lullaby, gradually coaxing sleep to my eyes. Is he... not going to do anything tonight? With that thought, I stole a quick glance at the clock. It was already past midnight.
I had been awake since the crack of dawn, exhausted from the coronation and the endless wedding preparations. Perhaps that was why my consciousness began to slip away so easily.
When I first opened my eyes, the dawn was just beginning to break. Step, step. The quiet, rhythmic sound of footsteps pulled me back to consciousness. My eyelids felt heavy, weighed down by sleep. Forcing them open just a crack, I saw Deviang stealthily walking toward me. I barely suppressed a scream of sheer panic.
Is... Is he going to force himself on me now? Terror seized me, making my entire body tremble. But contrary to my fears... *Rustle.* Deviang gently pulled the blanket all the way up to my chin. He then quietly stretched, picked up his bag with one hand, and slipped out of the room.
Creak, click. Once I was certain he had left, I sat up in bed and stared blankly at the closed door. He really didn't do anything? A sigh of relief escaped my lips, knowing he hadn't laid a hand on me.
"Phew..." Perhaps we would have to consummate our marriage tonight, but for this moment, I was profoundly grateful that nothing had happened. But... where was he going? Come to think of it, I had heard rumors that Deviang did nothing but work in his office from the crack of dawn until the dead of night.
"Is he... going to work right now?" The public holidays for the coronation had officially begun yesterday and would last until next week. Was he seriously going to work on a day like this? Out of curiosity, I checked the time. It wasn't even seven in the morning yet. Everyone else was still fast asleep. Is he insane? Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I crawled back under the covers and drifted back to sleep. After all... I was just so incredibly tired.
I must have slept for quite a while. When I finally checked the clock again, it was already ten. "Ah..." I had missed breakfast. I usually ate every morning with my mother and Joy, but they had likely finished by now. With a sigh, I reached for the water pitcher on the nightstand and poured myself a glass. *Gulp, gulp.* The cool, refreshing water washed down my throat. "Haa..." Just then, a polite knock sounded at the door. *Knock, knock.* "Who is it?" I called out.
"Her Imperial Highness, Princess Joy, has arrived," a maid's voice answered from the other side. "Let her in." The door swung open, and Joy bounced into the room. "Dearest sister~ did you sleep well?" she asked, a sly, mischievous smirk playing on her lips.
"Huh? Yeah... I suppose so," I replied half-heartedly. This unwanted marriage, the prospect of spending the rest of my life with a husband I despised—it was nothing short of a living nightmare.
"Hehe~ Brother-in-law looked like he didn't sleep a wink, though!" Hearing Joy so brightly refer to him as her "brother-in-law" made my blood boil. *Who do you think I married him for?!* The words nearly clawed their way out of my throat, but I suppressed them with superhuman patience. I had already resolved to sacrifice myself for my family. There was nothing more pathetic than throwing a martyr complex in their faces.
"You look like you didn't get much sleep either, sister... Was last night passionate?" Joy blushed, looking at me with a mixture of envy and curiosity. I shot her a sharp glare. "Not at all. Absolutely nothing of the sort happened."
"Aw, come on! You're married now, so shouldn't you try to get along?... Besides, the Grand Duke even came by to pay his respects to Mother earlier." Her unexpected words caught me off guard. Joy was now first in line to the throne. She really needed to stop speaking so childishly.
"Joy, how long are you going to keep calling her 'Mother' like a child? And... that man paid his respects to her?" "Yes! He came by this morning, greeted her, had breakfast with us, and then went off to work." That despicable bastard... He had taken my family hostage and threatened me, yet now he was playing the dutiful son-in-law? His blatant hypocrisy made me sick to my stomach.
"That vile wretch... I don't have the slightest intention of ever getting along with him! So don't you dare utter his name in front of me again." As I snarled the warning, Joy shrank back, her voice turning timid. "B-but... he still came to pay his respects..."
"So what?! Am I supposed to suddenly fall in love with the man who forced me into marriage just because he said good morning to Mother?" "Well, no, but... Ipa came back yesterday too..." Ipa? Ipa returned? My eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Ipa... Ipa is back?"
"Huh? What hair?" Realizing I had never told Joy about Ipa's supposed death, I quickly turned toward the door and called out, "Is anyone outside?" "Yes, Your Majesty! Command us!" a guard replied instantly. "Tell Ipa to come here immediately." "Understood!"
Still unable to believe it, I turned back to Joy. "Is Ipa really alive?" Joy nodded vigorously. "Huh? What do you mean 'alive'? Of course she is. The Grand Duke isn't the type of person to just kill someone ruthlessly, you know?"
That naive innocence... Usually, I found Joy's pure-hearted nature endearing, but right now, it only grated on my nerves. "He... is not the good man you think he is!" I snapped. Joy flinched at my sudden outburst. "B-but..."
"Enough. Just leave for today. I want to be alone." Unable to bear looking at her right now, I dismissed her coldly. "Okay... I-I'll go then..." Joy slunk out of the room, looking like a thoroughly scolded puppy. Watching her pitiful departure, I let out a heavy sigh. *What on earth is going to happen now?*
The carriage rattled on its way to the tournament. The imperial family and I were sharing the same carriage, and the air inside was suffocatingly awkward. Theodora was staring at me with a peculiar expression. It wasn't her usual hostile glare... but rather, how should I put it? A look of intense curiosity. It was hard to pin down exactly what she was thinking.
My mother-in-law also seemed highly uncomfortable around me, while Joy sat squeezed between them, looking utterly helpless. *Clack, clack.* The silence was so absolute that the rattling of the carriage wheels sounded deafening. Unable to bear the stifling atmosphere any longer, my mother-in-law cleared her throat.
"Ahem... You look rather exhausted, Grand Duke. Are you alright?" It seemed she was trying to break the ice, so I readily played along. "Haha... I am perfectly fine. Did you sleep well last night, Mother-in-law?"
However, as if something was bothering her, or perhaps she was lost in her own thoughts, Theodora spoke up. Her eyes held a strange, uncharacteristic light. "I saw you leave at seven this morning. Where did you go?" Hearing her ask, I felt a small spark of satisfaction. "I went to the Grand Duke's Office to work."
Joy chimed in, her curiosity piqued. "Uh... then how many hours of sleep did you get?" I did a quick mental calculation. I had gone to bed around two in the morning... "Less than five hours, I suppose?" I wasn't entirely sure. At my response, Joy, my mother-in-law, and even Theodora wore expressions of utter shock.
"Are you... not tired?" my mother-in-law asked. I offered her a wry smile. "I am a bit tired, but there is too much work to be done, so it is fine. I've grown quite accustomed to this lifestyle lately." "Still... I worry you might ruin your health." I smiled warmly at her concern. "Please do not worry. I am still young."
As we spoke, the carriage ground to a halt. "Ah... it seems we have arrived." The carriage door was flung open, revealing the grand entrance of the colosseum. Standing at the gates was a crowd of hundreds... no, it looked like tens of thousands of people waiting to welcome us.
"Long live the Empress!" "Congratulations on your marriage!" "Kyaaa! The Grand Duke is so handsome!" Waving back at the roaring cheers of the imperial citizens, I began to make my way into the arena. But just then, I felt a gentle tug on my sleeve. I turned around to find Theodora looking at me. She leaned in and whispered quietly, "Let's talk later. Privately."
She brushed past me without waiting for a reply, leaving me staring blankly at her retreating figure. What is this about? I'm actually quite busy today. Once the matches concluded, I had a scheduled meeting with Yohanes. We needed to iron out the final details regarding Joy, Epirus, and Egypt. Sigh... I'll worry about it later. Shaking off the thought, I stepped into the arena.
Theodora delivered a brief opening address to the crowd. It was the standard fare—thanking everyone for coming and urging the competitors to bring glory to the Empire. With that, the tournament officially commenced. The games kicked off with the group battle, and the Grand Duchy of Francesco was naturally the heavy favorite to win.
Generation after generation, the Ryan family had revered martial prowess, establishing ourselves as the premier martial house of the Empire. We were always the top contenders in both group battles and swordsmanship. However, since no member of the Ryan family was participating in the individual swordsmanship tournament this time, we absolutely had to secure victory in the group battle. It was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the Grand Duchy's overwhelming might to the nobles who had defected from the Emperor Faction, as well as those who still harbored doubts about me.
In truth, the Grand Duchy's military was unmatched in quality across the entire Empire. That was why I had ordered Agrippa to participate in this group battle. The event consisted of thirty-man teams fighting with weapons of their choice. While it might look like a simple, chaotic brawl to the untrained eye, the key to victory in this tournament was command ability.
Success required analyzing the enemy's tactics beforehand, assembling a balanced composition of troops to counter them, and engaging in high-level psychological warfare against the opposing commander. In the original novel, Agrippa had successfully held the line against a Demon King's army that far outmatched the Allied Forces. I knew his tactical brilliance would be more than enough to secure a victory here. Though he was already drowning in paperwork, I had no choice but to drag him out to the field.
"Whooooa!" "Grand Duchy of Francesco! Francesco!" "Golden Knights! Golden Knights!" True to my expectations, our team breezed through the brackets and reached the finals.
The Golden Knights were fiercely loyal to the Emperor and were widely considered the finest knightly order in the Empire. Technically, they had been banished from Roman, but when they requested to participate in the tournament, I had granted the competitors temporary entry into the capital.
"Golden Knights! Show those Grand Duchy bastards what you've got!" "Send those country bumpkins packing!" Amidst the roaring cheers of the imperial citizens, the battle commenced. Shaking off my fatigue, I focused my attention on the arena.
But wait... who was that knight? Did we have someone with such a petite build in our forces? He looked barely 160 centimeters tall—perhaps even shorter. Yet, clad in heavy armor and a helmet that seemed far too large for him, he stood proudly, gripping a massive spear in both hands. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me as I stared at him.