Chapter 18

Becoming a Monster’s Bride (3)

After taking a sip of her tea, Roelin set down the teacup and responded to him. Then, Kergel raised the corner of his mouth slightly before giving a gentle nod instead.

“Just as you’ve said. Maybe I became unconsciously nervous since the wedding is just around the corner now.”

The words sounded rather tense, but his expression appeared to be so relaxed and calm. That didn’t really mean that it was a good thing at all.

Roelin looked straight into Kergel’s dry gaze. There was no hint of excitement nor expectation for marriage anywhere in his eyes at all.

That was the reason he could feel all relaxed and calm like this.

“As I don’t really have any single shred of excitement—or expectation.”

“May I ask why you have proposed to me?”

She suddenly posed him a question. She had remained still until now because she believed that it was none of her business. However, she wanted to ask him directly at least once as she recalled that the wedding would soon be held at dawn.

However, if it wasn’t for the unexpected midnight meeting, she wouldn’t even dream to have asked like this.

As she relied on the impulse that was brought by the deep night, Roelin softly asked the question while Kergel’s golden eyes grew thinned. It was akin to a beast in front of its prey. However, she still continued her words regardless.

“Your Majesty doesn’t have a good feeling about me. Indeed, the same fact goes for the unsavory things that had happened the year before last.”

“I didn’t think you’d be mentioning it again with your very own mouth.”

Kergel gazed at her with his young eyes. Roelin calmly responded to his words.

“Just because I didn’t say it, it doesn’t mean that I can make something, which everyone had already known about, to be a thing that hadn’t happened before.”

What Roelin was referring to had been a slip of the tongue that Erita perpetrated right in front of Seroif’s delegation in the year before last.

Of course, she, herself, didn’t realize what kind of problem her twin sister had caused at that time and how much that issue precipitated between the two countries. And it was because there had been no one to inform Roelin, who was all the while trapped in the Separate Palace.

Roelin finally learned about it only after she had decided to play the role of Erita.

It brought the meaning that the relationship between those two countries had almost collapsed all due to the fact that Erita brazenly mocked and derided them during a meeting with the Seroif delegation itself.

It was strange to propose to such an Erita then. It was hard to understand that he would voluntarily greet a woman who had shamelessly mocked his own country as the Empress.

Therefore, he didn’t propose to her because he had fallen in love with her.

“As you’ve said, I don’t have a good feeling about you at all.”

Kergel nodded as if he understood Roelin’s question completely. Then, as he sat with his legs crossed, he tilted his head slightly before continuing to speak.

“But I need you—the Princess.”

“…You need me?”

“Yeah. I need you. So, don’t you worry. Princess, what had done to me and my country was utterly disgraceful to me. But now, I will never do anything childish that would ever bother you for that kind of reasoning.”

“I’ve never even thought that you would actually do such a thing.”

Roelin responded while listening attentively to Kergel. Then, Kergel raised an eyebrow as if it was rather unexpected and began to ask.

“Don’t you trust me a little too much?”

“I should probably let you know that I believe in my very own eyes, not Your Majesty per se.”

“You believe in your own eyes?”

Kergel’s dry eyes were suddenly filled with light. He smiled and continued asking her as if he was having much fun. Roelin calmly gave a nod.

“Yes. Although it hasn’t been that long of a time, I was still able to judge Your Majesty in my own way.”

“…That’s an interesting story. What kind of person am I, whom you have seen and judged?”

Kergel asked a question while leaning himself deep against his back. His golden eyes were glistening rather strangely.

Roelin felt a little burdened by his gaze, but she continued to talk even then.

“If I were to see your Majesty… I believe that you aren’t someone who would repress or bother other people just for some unfair reasons—at least.”

“That’s quite a warm compliment.”

Contrary to what he said, Kergel’s expression was rather dull. Roelin also began to continue her speech calmly without showing any signs of embarrassment even after she had listened to him.

“In addition, you were generous enough to show your benevolence even when I had committed something wrong. What happened in front of the library before…”

“Generous—that’s proof which shows that you haven’t known me at all.”

Kergel smirked and waved his hand instead. Then, he opened his mouth once again while having his head tilted.

“The monstrous Emperor of Seroif. You would already have heard such rumors regarding that. Do you think that’s just a lie?”

Roelin’s expression hardened at what he just said. It was because she never expected those rumors to come out of his mouth himself.

Everyone already knew, but it was still a rumor that would send shivers down the spine. It had been an unholy rumor in regard to the very Emperor of the Empire, so how could she dare say such a thing.

And it was something that didn’t even exist. Only within the walls of Rakain’s Royal Palace did they talk about such monsters.