Chapter 36
Two days later, in the afternoon.
Riv looked up at the high glass ceiling of the greenhouse. The maids who accompanied her couldn’t stand the heat and left. She was the only one who remained.
Once she was alone, Riv used her magic to control the temperature comfortably.
‘Hoo.’
Her mind was a mess.
She found signs that Lionel had come and gone the night before. Perhaps, Lionel would talk about their wedding schedule today.
“A husband and a marriage.”
She heard that the maids were secretly preparing her wedding dress.
Just then, a large palm leaf fluttered in front of her, obscuring her view.
As she touched the leaf, she felt someone’s presence and took back the temperature control magic she had been using.
The sudden heat overtook her.
Someone’s intense energy was heading her way.
“Lionel.”
About two or three minutes later, Lionel opened the door to the greenhouse and strode in.
He found Riv standing under a palm tree.
“Riv.”
Lionel took a step towards Riv.
But stopped just in front of her.
“Lionel?”
Lionel frowned as he looked at the navy blue dress she had chosen.
“Did I order a dress in that color?”
Lionel, who was examining the dress, grumbled.
“Riv, I thought I told you not to wear dark colors.”
“Is it because it’s like Madame Katana?”
“Because bright colors suit you much better.”
The dark monochromatic dress felt similar to Madame Katana’s mourning dress, so she wore it.
Lionel hated Riv’s choice very much. His gaze grew sharper.
“I never ordered such a modest design.”
“Haha.”
Riv broke out in a cold sweat.
She decided not to mention that she had taken off the excessive accessories on some of the dresses and repaired them. Lionel looked dissatisfied.
“More dresses are coming, so dress more splendidly next time.”
“You ordered more dresses?”
“Yes.”
Riv remembered the dresses she had had become too many to count.
The materials, fabrics, and designs were all high-quality and delicate, which made them worth their hefty price tags.
The first dresses that arrived were light indoor clothes and a few nightgowns. Outing and banquet clothes had yet to arrive.
The dresses were made by top-of-the-line tailors, where Marianne ordered evening and ball dresses.
“The tailors where the dresses came from always said that they had half a year’s worth of orders behind.”
“There is nothing that money can’t do.”
Lionel replied indifferently.
“It would be embarrassing if the Duchess were to dress modestly. Make sure you get used to the fancy dresses.”
Lionel nodded briefly and led Riv to the only bench in the greenhouse.
Lionel slumped down on the wooden chair, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. His gaze remained on Riv.
“Still, Riv, you’ve gotten a lot prettier.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Riv was stunned.
Lionel spoke carelessly.
“Those who knew Madame Katana will not recognize you easily.”
Riv also had not adapted to her appearance.
Riv stared intently at Lionel.
Although she had only been observing for the past few days, Lionel was busy and wasn’t always home during the day.
It seemed that people often came to visit him from the palace.
Come to think of it, Lionel had just recently escaped from the brink of death.
“Lionel, you look tired.”
She didn’t know what Lionel was doing in the palace, but he looked tired and his clothes were disorganized.
His shirt was wrinkled and the scar on his left cheek looked even redder.
Riv asked, thinking that the palace couldn’t be quiet.
“Is anything else going on in the palace?”
As soon as the word palace came out, Lionel’s expression distorted.
“Nothing much. Queen Selina insists that the engagement between me and the princess was not broken. The whereabouts of Marquis Quill are still unknown.”
“Ah.”
Where the Marquis went, only a few of the nobility and royalty know.
Marianne would be the only one rejoicing in this situation.
“To break the engagement was what Princess Marianne wanted.”
“Marianne wasn’t really happy about it.”
“Why?”
“She must have found something regretful about breaking up the engagement.”
Perhaps Marianne found out that the Duke of Sentoren was a much smarter man than her lover.
Marianne’s lovers were clearly lacking.
“It’s hot.”
Lionel fanned himself in frustration. A cold sweat ran down Riv’s forehead.
“Let’s go somewhere cooler.”
“I would like to stay here a little longer.”
Riv was stubborn, but Lionel was adamant.
“Riv Katana, we need to talk now. Today, Queen Selina asked me to return you.”
“She wants me back?”
Riv blamed herself for her foolishness of staying in the greenhouse leisurely.
She didn’t have time to relax.
“Follow me, Riv.”
“Yes.”
Riv followed Lionel as they left the greenhouse. Lionel headed to the Duke’s main mansion and went straight to his office.
Unlike the bright and cute drawing room on the first floor, his office on the third floor was terribly dark with black ebony and mahogany furniture, dark carpets and dark gray curtains.
The air in the office was murky.
Lionel sat on a chair in the dark office and held her hands.
“Riv Katana.”
Riv looked at him quietly and took a deep breath.
“Lionel, what do you want to say?”
“Are you ready to get married?”
Riv asked after taking a deep breath.
“Is the wedding date set?”
“Yes.”
In order for Riv to live a long life, she had to marry Lionel.
But what about Lionel?
Riv would do anything to survive. So she had to hold Lionel’s outstretched hand like he was her savior. Riv had to take advantage of this man, but she didn’t want him to be unhappy.
‘I want to live.’
If she married this man, she wanted to live with him for a long time. Even if he didn’t love her, they still liked each other.
She hoped that feeling would remain for a long time.
She was fascinated by him.
If Riv had a limited lifespan, she didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
Riv looked straight at Lionel.
“Lionel, I don’t want you to regret it.”
However, unlike her selfish self, she had to give Lionel a chance too.
Because he might regret choosing her.
“Lionel, if your marriage with me is boring or troublesome, if you regret it, ask for a divorce.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“But what if?”
Riv felt the need to accurately establish their unusual relationship at this moment.
“Lionel, is our marriage a formality? Or is it a real marriage?”
“Is that important? Isn’t marriage a marriage?”
A frown formed in the middle of Riv’s forehead.
In fact, she had nothing but her body, so she was inherently lacking compared to her opponent, Marianne.
Even if they got married, there was no need for them to make their marriage real.
“What is the difference between a real and a fake marriage?”
“A contract? In a fake marriage, they are a respectful couple who keep their bodies unmixed. Like friends?”
“I’ve never had a woman as a friend, and I won’t marry a woman just to be her friend. Do you think I don’t want to get married?”
Lionel’s expression grew more serious. Like he was ready to kill someone.
Riv was so overwhelmed by his intimidation that she couldn’t explain it properly.
“I don’t know what you were thinking, but I really want to get married. It’s embarrassing if people around us think that our marriage is fake or a disguise.”
“Why?”
That was all Riv could say.
Lionel pointed out her short-sighted attitude.
“Even if Princess Marianne is married to a foreign country, Queen Selina will not leave you alone.”
“…!”
Many explanations were missing, but Riv was convinced. Queen Selina’s obsession went beyond Marianne. If they found out that they were a fake couple, the queen would not stand still.
“Not only outside, but inside this mansion, we will be a real couple.”
“Inside this mansion?”
“Yes. We have to be real every moment.”
Riv tilted her head as if asking why they had to.
Above all, Riv did not know how a normal couple acted. A harmonious family and a friendly couple were not something she could imagine.
There was no one in the royal family that could be called an ordinary couple.
Due to the busy work of the royal family, she had no time to observe the few princes and couples in the royal family.
The princes’ and their partners did not get along well because they had a political relationship.
‘What does a normal couple do?’
Did Lionel like her? She couldn’t imagine it.
Even if Lionel and Riv played a married couple, she had doubts whether the people around them would believe it.
“Then there will be no divorce?”
“Talking about divorce before marriage.”
Lionel covered his mouth. His eyes gleamed menacingly.
“I don’t know who might be listening to our conversation, so let’s talk about this later.”
“Then what should we do now?”
Riv asked seriously, and Lionel sighed.
“I think we should show that we are affectionate lovers.”
“How?”
Riv had no idea and could only tilt her head.
Then he called out her name with so much affection.
“Olivia de Katana.”
Lionel smiled as his sharp-eyes turned into the shape of a half-moon. His face looked much softer than before.
“Riv, you must have been sweating, so change your clothes and come to the drawing room downstairs.”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?”
Riv’s mind was full of suspicions.
Lionel was exceptionally kind. His smile was like honey.
“Let’s have tea time together. We haven’t even had a proper date, have we?”