Chapter 18 – Her Demands (2)
Athyst drew in her breath. Oh my. Did he just agree? Did I just agree to marriage? She felt giddy with excitent and fear both at the sa ti.
In any case, she would be free one year from now.
“Alright then. Let’s discuss the terms of this contract. We will be living in separate bedrooms, correct?”
“Yes, but I will drop by occasionally since the maids will be observing. They will notice.”
“Okay, we do need to keep them fooled. As for the wedding, I would like it to be a grand affair.”
The duke raised an eyebrow. “That’s surprising. I always took you for a girl with minimal tastes.”
“A big wedding is every woman’s dream, and I do need to play the part.” Athyst smirked. “Also, don’t actually fall in love with and try to skew our contract.”
The duke frowned. “How ridiculous! That will never happen.”
“Have you never read any romance novels? It’s a pretty common storyline. Anyway, even if you do fall in love with , I hope you won’t expect to reciprocate. I am leaving you as soon as our contract is up!”
The duke once again ran his fingers through his hair and seed to study Athyst.
“Do you really believe a face like yours is easy to fall in love with?”
“What! You ras…”
“Pardon , miss, what did you say?”
Athyst put on a smile and grinned through her teeth, “Nothing at all, never mind. I must have read too many books”.
Duke Skad gave her icy smile of his own in return. “You should be careful of falling head over heels in love with , lady.”
“Ha! That will never happen, sir”, Athyst rolled her eyes at him.
“Why makes you so sure?”
If he ever lived in Korea, he would never want to get married. Guess he also haven’t heard of Generation Y – those who have renounced the entire institution of marriage.
Athyst focused on Duke Skad. She could not speak these thoughts aloud, so she ca up with another response.
“Well, I don’t believe in staying with a single person all my life. That is boring.”
‘With beautiful idols in my past life, it was indeed hard to settle with one person.’ She thought, amused with her own train of thoughts.
An image of a dance group mber ran through Athyst’s mind and she shrugged the thought away.
Duke Skad was ready with his rebuttal. “What? With that face, miss, you will be lucky if you can find even one person to commit to you.”
Athyst glared at the Duke.
“Okay, maybe you are right. Whatever, it is not my concern”, he quickly added, trying to douse the heavy air between them. Athyst shrugged and changed the conversation. “So will this do?”
“Yes, I will announce the engagent tomorrow. We will have the wedding in a month’s ti and exactly a year from now we will part ways.”
“That sounds good. Can I ask you a question?”
“No.” Duke Skad was wary of Athyst at this point.
“Co on! You don’t even know what it is.”
“Exactly why I don’t want to hear it.”
“You are so stubborn. I am still going to ask. Why do you want to have a contract marriage?”
“Just like that.”
“Just like that?!”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he withdrew and beca silent. Athyst could tell his mind was not in the room anymore.
A vision of fiery red eyes resurfaced in Alexcent’s mory. A promise had been made to the previous emperor, but he could not deny himself the desire to hold a sword in his hand. He was born to yield a sword. He had begun playing with swords the mont he had learned to grab things as a young child. Alexcent had learned to control a sword as soon as he was taught to properly carry one.
Ever since he’d been old enough to yield a sword, the duke had traversed countless battlefields, fighting gallantly and killing rcilessly, with only the kingdom’s protection and prosperity in mind.
He had finally been able to shed his sword only when the war ended and Sehar had finally risen as the Great Empire.
His last battle, was a mory he hated to revisit in his mind.
Firmly gripping his sharp, blood-stained sword, he had cut through everything, alive and breathing, that had crossed his path, soaking himself in their blood over and over again.
The lands he passed were flooded with corpses, while the few spared, knelt in front of him cowering in fear, begging for his rcy when he had none left.
Once victory was secured and declared, Belice, who had beco the Empress not long ago, arrived at the battlefield to cheer her soldiers on and uplift their morale. The figure of Belice riding a horse on a canyon was the personification of strength and power.
He would never forget the look in her eyes, when she looked at him, standing under the andering canyon, until the day he died. Her eyes embodied the petrification of soone who had seen the vilest monster.
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