Chapter 50

PR: Liz

Ryzen was taken aback by surprise. He hastily rubbed his eyes and again looked at Calix. But his master had returned with his usual expressionless face.

“Get ready. I want to be ready to travel as soon as Asella gets ready.”

“As you wish.”

The door slammed shut, and Ryzen looked at the closed door with a dazed expression on his face.

‘I must have seen it wrong.’

He must have been mistaken for a while. So far, he had been overwhelmed by the work that was falling on him, and he seemed to be imagining things.

‘Could His Excellency make such an expression?’

Having served as Calix’s assistant for many years, there were certain things Ryzen was sure of.

His lord was basically a man who showed little to no emotions. As he stood beside him, it was as if he was looking at a moving iceberg.

A ruthless and beautiful man whose ruthless and measured temper suited him perfectly.

‘But if I’d seen it right…’

Ryzen gulped. He couldn’t explain it exactly, but he felt as if something about his master had changed, even slightly.

* * *

Calix stood in front of Mariel’s room. The servant immediately tried to knock on the door, but he was stopped abruptly.

“Don’t.”

“What?”

As the servant looked puzzled and confused, Calix briefly added.

“Tell her that I’m waiting outside once she comes out.”

His brow narrowed slightly as he walked out of the hallway he had been walking through.

‘What a useless thing.’

Although they were married, they had only known each other for less than a day. And even then, today was the first time they even had a face-to-face conversation.

That was if the words they exchanged could be called a “conversation”…

Obviously, this marriage didn’t mean much to Calix.

But he couldn’t leave the Grand Duchess’s seat vacant forever, and now there was a woman who fit all his requirements.

He had chosen her for her current value and future potential, and paid a reasonable price for it.

That was it.

Naturally, he didn’t have any interest or much liking for the woman who would be his wife.

Compassion, trust, respect, love.

None of these were considered by Calix to be “necessary” in a marriage.

What room was there for such frivolous and meaningless feelings in the act of necessity?

And yet, why?

Why did he suddenly decide to meet the woman?

Why did he suddenly feel the need to pick her up?

Even he couldn’t understand his own actions.

* * *

On the other hand, Philip was having the worst day of his life.

The wedding had been nearly perfect, but Anthony had made a mistake and ruined it. He was exhausted from trying to clean up the mess, and his body felt like it was burning with anger.

Yet, when he saw Anthony lying on the bed with injuries in his entire body, he couldn’t bring himself to scold him.

He was so badly beaten that not a single part of his body was left unharmed. Wounds were covering him from head to toe, and his face was all bruised to the point where his features were barely recognizable. 

Finally, after hours of treatment, the priest rose up to his feet, and Philip hurried to ask him.

“Is it done?”

“Yes, he will feel better after a few days of rest. He has to be careful with his movements for the time being, so please keep that in mind.”

Philip was relieved, and then, a servant entered the room, gasping for breath.

“Sir!”

“What’s the matter?”

“His Excellency, the Grand Duke, is leaving for the Duchy today.”

“What? Is that true?”

Startled, Philip immediately ran outside.

‘If something else happens…!’

What if there were problems between Asella and the Grand Duke… It wouldn’t be much of a serious problem. 

Even if it was just that, he was terrified about what had happened earlier, and now he was starting to worry that this marriage might have been ruined.

As soon as he spotted Calix in the distance, Philip hurried up with a smile on his face.

Fortunately, the Grand Duke’s expressionless face was much like usual, but it was still too early to feel relieved.

Philip asked cautiously, suppressing his nervousness.

“Your Excellency, I heard that you are going to the Duchy now. Is that true?”

No answer came back. He looked at Calix’s face with a fixed gaze.

“Is there any reason why you are in such a hurry? The sun is setting, so why don’t you stay here tonight…”

“You look awful.”

Calix cut off his words in one breath.

His firm attitude made it clear that he didn’t want to hear any more. Philip’s face hardened for a moment; then, he quickly regained his composure.

With what Anthony had done, it wasn’t surprising that he was in a bad mood, but no matter what the reason was, Philip had to attempt to please him.

“If there is anything you are missing or need, please let me know, and I’ll-“

“Don’t make me laugh.”

Calix said sarcastically.

“How much longer do you plan on fooling me?”

All the blood instantly drained from Philip’s face.

“The Grand Duke noticed!”

Usually, the new couple would stay in one of the rooms on the wedding’s first night.

The bride’s room or another room is prepared for the wedding night.

Today, however, it was neither.

If Calix took issue with the fact that Rebecca’s room had been presented as if it were Asella’s room, things could get ugly. It was considered an act of deception against the Grand Duke, and Philip could be punished severely for that.

When Phillip realized this, his mouth closed tightly as if it were sealed with wax.

“…”

When the insect’s voice, which was hovering and disturbing his thoughts, disappeared, Calix leaned against the carriage and closed his eyes.

He was disgusted.

From first glance, the room he entered was far from Asella’s taste.

Even without the prior information he had gathered, he could recognize the actual owner of this room.

If anything, even if it were a small and shabby room, he wouldn’t have felt so dirty if it was really the room she used to live in.

Not knowing why he felt so bad, Calix was frustrated by the discomfort building up inside him.

In fact, he didn’t even realize that his displeasure was due to Asella.

In the end, innocent people were sacrificed because of this mess. Calix didn’t even glance at the nearby Knight Commander but ordered in a dry voice.

“As soon as we reach the Duchy, assemble the entire Order.”

The Knight Commander gasped in surprise.

Because of their owner’s nature, Benvito’s knights lived under strict discipline. It was unimaginable that they would even dare to do things poorly or neglect work or training.

Nevertheless, on days when Calix inspected the knights, half of them would end up with broken bones and in need of bed rest for several days.

To put it simply, there was no one who could stand up against his monstrous swordsmanship and power.

When the knights received the news, they turned pale and shuddered at the fear they were about to face.