"But..."

"What are you hesitating for? You can't make excuses in front of me about being a commoner."

Because Leslie was a commoner, that was an excuse that could never be used.

"Well... That's..."

It was then.

"Miss Annabelle Rainfield! Cheer up! You will be able to enter the Imperial Family!"

"I support Miss Annabelle and the Prince!"

"We are behind Miss Annabelle! Never give up on love!"

Shouts were heard from afar.

It seemed that the commoners were screaming at the wall of Duke Wade's residence.

I rolled my eyes with a puzzled expression and said cautiously.

"But, Duke... I am already the main character of the really noisy rumors. Even the Duke of Wade will be involved in gossip."

"Leslie will like it."

"But the other party is the Imperial Family."

"If Ian and you marry, you will have chosen the Duke of Wade instead of the Imperial Family. It is an honor."

"You know my strength. I had no basic honor or nobility as a human being."

"How can you not understand yourself so well? In a broader sense, such things are more important than honor or nobility."

"If Ian gets married to me, everyone in the capital will think of him as a crazy idiot. No matter how sane you are, you are connected with an enemy who has been tormenting you for eight years."

"Ian deserves a glimpse of the bitterness in his life. It's going to be a big change in Ian's life when other people point their finger at him."

"Something is wrong with Ian, but I don't think I'm the type of woman that Ian likes."

"I don't know about that, but it's probably about 'a just and good man'. I don't think you're on the level to say that while you're destroying black magic."

"Besides, Leslie is my teacher. She was the first to reach out her hand when no one was by my side. I don't want to do anything to look hateful to Leslie."

"It doesn't matter at all. Because Leslie likes funny things next to the delicious things. You're like a mixture."

I caught my breath for a moment.

And as a test, I tried other words.

"Actually, I am an alien, Duke."

"Oh, I will finally see my half-alien grandchildren. I'm looking forward to it" (pr/n: Djfjjfjf Braden)

"Of course it was a lie."

"To be honest, it's perfect."

"Duke, are you kidding with me?"

"I have always dreamed of a daughter-in-law without hesitation. Especially since Ian is really boring. He's a kid who doesn't know how to joke."

So I realized that no matter what I said, my words are bound to be blocked like an iron wall.

"Miss Annabelle."

Braden smiled as if he knew everything I was going through.

"If Miss Annabelle really hates my offer, she only needs to say this to me."

"What?"

"I don't like Ian. He doesn't look like a man. He's very unattractive."

"..."

"He's not like the prince-like green eyes, but has bright red eyes instead."

Braden continued seriously.

"Like a prince, he uses vile tactics like a snake, he doesn't measure here and there, he is upright, so he's not truly like the prince, but a good rookie..."

It was clearly an example of criticism, but it was a way of speaking strangely to appeal to his son.

"Okay then, that's it. Although I wish for Miss Annabelle to be my daughter-in-law, I have no intention of forcing you."

And I knew I was caught.

No way... I couldn't even lie about it.

'I must have already fallen for him when he decided to seduce me earlier.'

I sighed deeply inwardly. I couldn't avoid it anymore. I couldn't even fool myself.

'Or when kissing...'

Thoughts continued.

'Or, in fact, a long time ago...'

As much as I was confused as soon as I woke up in the morning, the realization came in an instant. Now I couldn't deny it any more.

'I probably...'

It wasn't just one kiss.

At the banquet, when I saw that Ian didn't have a partner, it was over. Already, I didn't want Ian to get entangled with another woman even in my imagination.

'I seem to like Ian.'

I sighed inwardly at my shamelessness.

To like someone who has been bullied by me for 8 years, spit out all kinds of swear words to the end while being ignored, and even trying to commit crimes.

In fact, it would be harder not to like Ian Wade.

The most perfect man in the Empire with hard to find flaws. A man enough to become a male lead in a story.

"But, as you said, if I were an idiot, maybe it would be possible."

Of course, Ian was already a bit ruined by being so entangled with me.

'All the ways of love were exemplary, but in the end, Ian became an idiot.'

In the meantime, I tried not to think too deeply about it.

How well did the evasion work until the banquet? Even if the atmosphere got a little weird, I stopped thinking while swinging my sword and moving my body.

It was easy for me to run away from the thoughts in my head and run with the muscles in my body.

'After I kissed you once, I can't control my heart.'

But the moment my body remembered, I didn't know where to run.

'What should I do, really.'

Once awakened, the mind began to stretch out uncontrollably. My heart was pounding even when there was no contact.

'I really like Ian...'

From the beginning, I thought that he was a good person to trust. So I was careless.

'I really tried not to think about it, I tried to avoid it somehow...'

On the paternity test day, when he came after me and advised my family to go.

When I was not in danger at all, he was still really worried about me and told me to be careful.

When he played the role of my fake lover in Caronda and took care of me meticulously.

When the two of us were training alone at the Duke of Wade, taking care of each other carefully.

When he respected and watched over me worryingly from behind.

From some point in my life, 'Ian is a very good person' slowly changed to 'I like Ian'.

It was a sincerity that I had been avoiding for conscience, but as Braden drove me to the extreme, emotions I had been ignoring came crashing into me like a wave. I couldn't deny it any longer.

Braden said softly as he looked at my face.

"If it were my son, he must have made some progress by now. Couldn't you have paid a lot of attention to his personality?"

Here, in fact, I could not even say that we kissed.

By the end of it, it was the atmosphere that had to set the wedding date right away.

I was fiddling with the sword, and then suddenly, cautiously, I raised my eyes and looked straight at him.

"Duke."

"Tell me."

"If I'm a worse kid than the Duke thinks... If only I had been much meaner, worse..."

"Hmm, Miss Annabelle."

Braden answered without hesitation in the slightest.

"To be honest, it doesn't matter at all. In fact, the conversations I had with you all this time are meaningless. If Ian likes you to make himself your husband, I will be okay with it."

Braden smiled kindly and stood up slowly. It was also a sign to end the conversation.

"My words have been lengthened because I wanted to tell you that, by any chance, if Miss Annabelle cares about factors other than Ian, we both know that is not true."

He smiled kindly and added.

"Actually, that's why I called you all the way here."

I suddenly had this thought.

It was said that there was also the influence of really good parents that made Ian so tall and upright.

~*~

The High Priest, Bellinok, was called in front of Carlon and was shivering while drinking tea.

Since Carlon had visited the temple to donate, he had no excuse not to face him.

It was at this time that he was most at a disadvantage after becoming the High Minister.

Even when he met Carlon, it wasn't suspicious at all. In other words, Carlon said that he could come to the temple and meet him whenever he wanted.

"The Ministry of Finance says it is going through an audit, so it's urgent."

Black magic that did not exist in this world.

In other words, it was the perfect power to make a lot of money in a short period of time.

"I said it back then. Take the powers and kill."

"Ha, but... It's not easy to find someone with that kind of power... If you give me time, I will look into it a little more."

"I think I have given you enough time."

Originally, Carlon wasn't the type of person to push things forward.

He used to be cautious, especially since he would be caught by Robert's tail. Even a commoner, Annabelle, was supposed to be killed in a formal duel.

But now that things are urgent, he decided to throw the odds.

Even if it caused a few strange murders, it was important not to get caught by the treasury audit once.

Besides, he was still on the defensive.

He tried to take it easy on Lanella and Rayburn from Caronda, which had been a headache these days.

Because strangely, their arrival time started to get closer.

If so, it had to be dealt with quickly before they reached the capital.

"But divine power is also a force that is difficult to measure, and must be approached very carefully..."

There was a lot to think about, so Carlon cut off Bellinok's words as if it was bothering him.

"If you can't think of the other person, I'll decide for you."

Carlon said, raising his eyes.

"Take away the power of the former High Priest Orian. His grandson is now working in the Imperial Palace, so if you take him and threaten him, he will agree to transfer his powers."

"Oh, Orian's divine power?"

"Yes. He is staying alone on the outskirts of the city, so even if he's suddenly gone, he is an old man, so it'll be easy to subdue him."

Bellinock swallowed dry saliva.

Orian, he was a figure Bellinock never even thought of.

"Besides, since he is a former priest, his powers must be sufficient. Unlike you, he was rightfully appointed. Didn't he do paternity tests until the end of the day he retired?"

"Ah!"

Bellinock suddenly came up with something when he heard the words 'paternity test'.

"Then there is a much better opponent."