The Peace We Bargained For
"What kind of situation?" Did he think she would shrink back just because he asked with such a stiff face? Of course, she would have in the past. But after surviving all the trials, tribulations, and literal dogfights of the past few days, Chloe was not so easily intimidated anymore.
"The kind of situation where I'm hated by the King for being the woman who shares a bed with Your Grace, yet when night falls, I'm the one relegated to a cot fit for a prisoner?"
"..."
Curtis shut his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words. It was likely because those few words carried so much weight. Being your wife is incredibly humiliating and inconvenient. I jumped at the offer because the pay was good, but there's just too much to put up with.
Of course, from Chloe's perspective, all of this was somewhat tolerable and even expected. But did that mean she could endure this forever? Absolutely not. And the Grand Duke likely felt the same.
It would have been better if he had married a lady from another prominent family. Instead, because of his 'crime' of hastily coaxing a daughter from a 'low-class family' into the position of Grand Duchess, he was being subjected to all sorts of petty, tiresome nonsense. In other words, she was subtly telling him: Hurry up and start that romance you talked about.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't her place to meddle this much. However, a certain moment they had shared in the aide's office earlier had made Chloe feel a sense of urgency. You and I aren't meant to be anyway, right? So you should at least find someone and fall in love. I'm too busy right now.
"I expected as much, so I'm not complaining about that."
Still, seeing him grow so quiet after her single remark made her feel a bit uneasy. Was I too harsh? Chloe cast a cautious glance at him. But that didn't mean she was going to stop speaking.
"Now that I'm in this position, I can see that there are plenty of women who fancy Your Grace. And well, I can understand why."
"...You understand why?"
"But I also understand why none of them dare to actually try anything with you."
The man's expression, which had softened for a brief moment, stiffened again. Chloe clasped her hands behind her back, strolled over to her bed, and sat down. Then, she patted the space beside her, gesturing for him to join.
"How did you ever fight a war with a personality that makes you spread a blanket on the floor just to sit?" she chided.
You're not refusing to sit on my bed because you think it's dirty, are you? Detecting the blatant subtext, the man let out a dry laugh. He strode over and sat down beside her. He was tall and broad-shouldered; the moment he sat, the mattress sank significantly under his weight.
"Normally, officers of a brigadier general's rank don't go to the front lines," he replied.
"But the 8th Regiment was always at the very front."
Curtis fell silent for a moment before asking, surprised, "You know about that?"
"It would be stranger if I didn't. I might have been in the Navy, but I'm still a soldier."
It was true. While the citizens of the kingdom knew that Curtis Shan Berk had won, they didn't know the details of how he had achieved those victories. The newspapers only reported endless stories of the kingdom's triumphs. But within the military, rumors always circulated.
The naval generals stationed off the Prado Coast had plenty of free time, and they often used the Army as gossip to accompany their drinks. 'The commander of the 8th Regiment is a Royalist, you know. I heard he clashed with Grand Duke Berk. The Grand Duke took his head.' 'Well, the commander should be grateful. At least he gets to go home now! Hahaha!' 'Then who's fighting?' 'Ah, they say the Grand Duke went out to the front lines himself.' 'Does he not value his own life, or is he just...'
"Are you saying..."
"Yes. I know everything."
"..."
The man rested his elbows on his knees, letting his hands dangle. Before his upward gaze could linger on her for too long, Chloe quickly continued.
"I mean that I know you rolled around in the dirt, and that during the Gulden Battlefield, you spent three whole days and nights crammed in a trench right alongside the private soldiers."
"..."
His eyes, which had seemed filled with melancholy just a moment ago, instantly narrowed. What did you think I meant? She absolutely could not stand the sight of a boss she wanted to smack suddenly acting all brooding and tragic in front of her.
"I have no idea how you endured it, but I suppose you tolerated it because it was a battlefield."
"And?"
"Aren't we technically in the middle of a war right now, too? After all, you managed to kiss me at the wedding somehow."
He seemed somewhat persuaded by her logic. At least, the soft chuckle he let out suggested as much.
"Ha."
Chloe lightly shook her arm, pulling her sleeve up to her elbow. It was a simple action because the sleeve was getting in her way, but for some reason, it caught his eye. As his gaze drifted down to her wrist, Chloe quickly snapped her fingers to regain his attention.
"They say soldiers on the front lines suppress the guilt of killing with sheer adrenaline. I assume you did the same at the wedding. I know I did."
"Adrenaline, is it?" the man murmured softly.
Even as he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on her so intensely that she began to feel self-conscious.
"But you can't live with that mindset forever. How exhausting would it be if your entire life was a constant war?"
"..."
"When you think about it, the goal of our marriage is the same. To live in peace."
It was true. The marriage contract she had signed with him was hidden in a secret location known only to her. She couldn't look at it right now, but she had rehearsed the clauses so many times that she had them memorized. The terms written in that contract were ridiculous, absurd, and in some ways completely unexpected. Yet, they all aimed for the same thing.
"So, Your Grace, bear with it just a little longer."
"..."
"Believing that if you endure for just a bit, peace will come."
"What peace?" the man asked, his tone dripping with cynicism. He sounded as if he were asking, Does such a thing even exist in this world? Chloe felt a tiny pang of pity for him. To think of a man who had never once lived in peace for twenty-eight years.
"For instance, for you... peace of mind."
"Peace of mind."
"And for me, material peace."
"By that logic, aren't you already living in perfect peace?"
What was he talking about? Chloe's eyes instantly flared with indignation.
"Oh, please. Is it peaceful to have to smash a gemstone necklace in front of His Majesty just to prove my innocence?"
"..."
"As long as the name Berk is attached to mine, you and I are one body and soul."
"One body and soul?"
Chloe flinched at his repetition. Perhaps the phrasing had been a bit too intimate. She lightly patted Curtis's shoulder, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"I mean that just like you, I'm wealthy but my mind never gets a day of rest."
"..."
"Won't the day I finally become an Amboise again be the day we both grasp true peace?"
After saying that, Chloe tilted her head. "Or is it?" Come to think of it, it felt like she was the only one who would get peace. "Maybe the only real solution is for His Majesty to pass away..."
"I think it would be best if you stopped right there."
If Curtis hadn't cut her off with an incredulous look, she probably would have blurted out something completely unsalvageable. Yet, despite telling her to shut up, the man looked remarkably relaxed. Seizing the momentum, Chloe grabbed her braided, bread-roll-like hair and shook it.
"So, you shouldn't be so sensitive about a little hair like this."
"I get it."
He laughed, his previous stiff expression vanishing as if it had been a lie, and lightly flicked her forehead with his finger. He treated her as if she were a troublesome younger sibling. Whether he truly understood or was just telling her to drop it, she believed her message had been delivered. Which is to say, Chloe had absolutely no idea that the Grand Duke was about to drop a bombshell.
"So, what you're saying is... you want us to sleep together?"
Chloe's eyes went as wide as saucers. Before she could even process the thought, her mouth moved on reflex.
"What? Me? When did I say that?"
She was about to add, Are you insane? but the man simply shrugged and spoke.
"'It's not like you're going to sleep with me anyway.'"
"..."
"'Can you even sleep? You're someone who won't even let me let my hair down in the bedroom.'"
The words coming out of Curtis's mouth were the exact ones Chloe had spoken earlier. He had even mimicked her tone perfectly. Chloe gaped at him, utterly dumbfounded.
"That... that's not what I meant..."
"Chloe. Let me make one thing clear: I didn't mean it that way either." The man looked at her with a mix of pity and amusement. "Telling you to sleep in my bed didn't necessarily mean we had to sleep in it together."
"Right?!"
"You kept envying how spacious my bed was, so I meant for you to sleep there while I slept in your room. Have you forgotten our contract? Respect for private space. I am someone who values his private space very highly."
Ah, of course. Jesus, you scared the life out of me, you lunatic. She was about to say something along the lines of, Well, I'm terribly sorry about that... but Curtis wasn't finished.
"However."
However? Why is there a 'however'?
"Seeing you grin from ear to ear the moment I mentioned private space makes me feel a bit cheated."
"...Why would you feel cheated—"
Before Chloe could finish her sentence, she froze. Curtis Shan Berk had reached out and lightly pinched her upturned cheek. Ignoring her stiffened state, the Grand Duke glanced down at his fingers on her cheek, then looked back into her eyes. Leaning in even closer, he whispered softly.
"And you're right, Chloe. I think your advice is quite sound."
"What advice..."
"I shouldn't let a little hair bother me. As you said, I survived three days in a muddy trench."
So this was what it felt like to have the blood drain from one's face. Chloe felt her thoughts tangle into a chaotic mess as a sudden heat rushed to the crown of her head. In other words, this meant...
"I don't know about my peace of mind, but for the sake of your material peace..."
"..."
"I shall put your advice into practice."
Curtis smiled, a breathtakingly beautiful curve of his lips. Chloe thought: Is this what they call digging your own grave?