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Chapter 22 – Ex-husband And Prospective Husband
On the other hand, Kaien was taken aback by Erun’s mournful expression.
‘If he had chosen to be an actor, he would have been very popular. Then, your name could be known not only in the Empire but throughout the continent, so I don’t understand why you are clinging to the position of Emperor.’
‘No, even if I understand it, I have no intention of keeping you alive.’
Kaien’s red lips drew a dark line as he swept through his obsidian-black hair with his hand. His figure, dressed in a navy suit neatly locked and a silver ornament studded with a blue sapphire around his neck, was reminiscent of a dizzying night. His long fingers, wrapped in black gloves, were quite seductive, and when the emotionless man smiled, he looked dazzlingly handsome.
As everyone was stunned by the captivating appearance of Kaien, he spoke with a cold yet bewitching smile.
“Is something bad going on, Marquis Lebossi?”
“Something… bad?”
One corner of Erun’s mouth twitched at Kaien’s ‘concerned’ question. Soon, Kaien’s eyes narrowed at Erun’s fierce distorted expression.
‘Disgusting bastard who covets another’s fianceé shamelessly!’
Erun clenched his fists and revealed his teeth. His face began to show his anger and sense of betrayal, and Kaien glanced at the Marquis’ trembling fists.
‘Of course you would be upset. It happened just before your marriage.’
Viewing Erun’s crumpled face, Kaien smiled brightly. At the sight of his eyes folding beautifully, Erun was stunned for a moment. He wasn’t the only one dumbfounded by Kaien’s unexpected smile.
“Amazing.”
“Oh my God.”
“Did you know he could smile like that?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen him smile… .”
The ladies hiding behind the sculpture drooled over Kaien smiling brightly like a flower. As Erun still looked at him with an astonished expression, the Duke asked in a relaxed manner.
“I’m asking just by any chance, but is it because of the thing between Her Majesty and me?”
“Of course!!”
Erun came to his senses at Kaien’s relaxed question and shouted fiercely. Satisfied with Erun’s reaction, the corners of Kaien’s mouth twisted up.
“Woah.”
“It’s more bloody than a fight between women.”
The ladies focused on the men while secretly chewing the cookies they had brought in their pockets.
‘No matter which side wins, it will be a headache.’
Unlike the excited-looking ladies, Duchess Praud was already feeling a headache. You should know how to feel sorry for taking someone else’s fianceé, but Kaien smiled as if he didn’t know what’s wrong, so Erun’s façade was about to explode.
‘No. Let’s not be swayed by him.’ Erun could barely hold back the rage burning from his feet to the tip of his head.
‘It would be more credible that the devil had possessed his body.’
They had known each other for over twenty years, yet Kaien’s laid-back attitude was very unfamiliar to Erun. Sighing deeply, Erun quickly cleared his mind. Seeing him relax, Kaien made an expression asking if he knew he was about to start again.
‘Don’t you get tired of this acting? You damn bastard.’
Despite Kaien’s dull expression, Erun began to act like a man betrayed by his friend.
“Why… Why are you doing this to me? Did I do anything wrong? If so, please tell me.”
Tears began to form in Erun’s green eyes. The tip of his nose flushed and his voice trembled slightly. The ladies clenched their fists as if saddened by the tears that soon flowed down his cheeks.
‘Do I have to waste more time on this jerk?’
Unlike the ladies, Kaien was not impressed at all and was instead very annoyed and frustrated by this scene. He had to go to Gloria right away and yet had to witness this cheap actor’s play which wasn’t even amusing enough to catch his interest. In front of the crying Marquis, Duke Ludenberg yawned.
“Yaaanng~ ah… Excuse me, I couldn’t sleep because I had to see Her Majesty last night.”
“What did you…?”
Erun’s tears stopped, almost frozen, and he stared at Kaien yawning like a black panther tired after its midnight feast.
‘Meet Her Majesty at night? You met her at night and couldn’t sleep…? Damn it. Baroness Berne! You useless old hag!’
Erun gritted his teeth and clenched his fists again. What was the reason for putting Berne, who only thought of Gloria, in that Palace?! With the excuse of being her fiancé, he wanted her to report every trivial move to him without omitting any single detail.
‘How could that dull woman not say a word even though the Emperor and that asshole had a late-night date?!’
If it was the case, Berne would have told him, her fiancé, in a letter or something. Scandals in the palace have been common since ancient times, but she was not the kind of woman who would tolerate watching Gloria, the daughter of the late Emperor she had faithfully served, doing immoral things.
He wrinkled his face harshly and then pressed his lips together, and Kaien’s eyes narrowed, not missing a single expression.
Though it was Kaien who wanted to grab Erun and throw him against the wall, he said with a smile.
“I hope you don’t do too much, Marquis. Evee is a person who knows how to love and is engaged, but her spousal choice can change enough.”
“Evee?!”
“Oh yeah. It’s not Evee but Her Majesty.”
“E–!”
As Gloria’s nickname naturally flowed out of Kaien’s mouth, Erun’s face turned red in anger.
[tl/n: I also don’t know why her nickname is Evee if her name is Gloria but…yeah]
‘You shameless bastard even if I kill you–’
A bloody ‘creak’ sound leaked from between Erun’s lips. His face was wrinkled and his trembling fists seemed to fly towards Kaien’s face at any moment. But Kaien was also stiff.
‘You’re acting as if Gloria is yours.’
A monster who deceived those around him with a friendly face and mercilessly killed Gloria. Kaien’s eyes were filled with hatred and disillusionment toward Erun. Somehow, the Marquis’ back began to dampen with a cold sweat.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
At Kaien’s murderous gaze, Erun’s heart began to beat wildly.
‘Did you notice ‘that day’?’ Erun bit his lip and covered his eyes with his hand as if trying to avoid Kaien seeing through him.
Erun shook his head when he recalled the late Emperor greeting him with a gentle smile and the faint bergamot scent coming from afar.
‘No one knows. All evidence was removed.’ Erun squeezed his trembling hands and frowned.
He even purchased the most competent physician of the Empire and forced them to submit a diagnosis saying he had died due to excessive work and drinking every day. And even if he bought them, the physician couldn’t know the late Emperor died from poisoning.
Under the pretext of organizing his belongings after the late Emperor’s death, Erun quickly got rid of all the scented candles. After that, he hired assassins to eliminate all the physicians.
‘And then, I even killed those assassins, too!’
He carefully killed and burned them all so as not to leave any evidence. Even so, Erun’s feet were numbed by Kaien’s piercing gaze, and he felt his hands moisten due to the tension.
Kaien’s eyes took in Erun’s impatient and tense expression. Seeing such an appearance of the Marquis, he spoke in a calm tone.
“I don’t know why you are so wary. Her Majesty is meeting many people, isn’t that good?”
“Many…? Are you implying that Her Majesty is going to have a concubine now?”
“Do you think that you are the only one by Her Majesty’s side? Her Majesty the Emperor can welcome many other concubines besides the Empress.”
“Sir Ludenberg!”
“You are arrogant, Marquis Lebossi.”
Kaien’s cold voice pierced Erun’s heart. His green eyes fluttered helplessly at Kaien’s icy visage for the first time in his life. The Duke strode toward Erun, and the latter unconsciously backed away, hoping that Kaien would stop.
He didn’t stop.
“Don’t come near me!”
With his approach like black flames about to devour everything in its path, Erun shouted unaware. Hearing his scream, Kaien opened his thin lips and called out.
“Erun.”
Thud! At the same time, Erun’s shoulders twitched as Kaien slammed the tree behind him. Light green leaves fell on Kaien’s broad shoulders, but no one cared.
The Duke blocked Erun’s side with his arm and raised his hand. When black leather gloves grabbed and lifted his white chin, the Marquis blushed in shame.
‘Caught like a rat, this damn fu–!’ Erun was going crazy, treated like a low slave by some petty thief trying to steal his fianceé!
Kaien brought his lips closer to Erun’s reddened ears. Feeling the cold breath bushing his lobe, the Marquis bit his lip hard.
At that, the ladies and Duchess Praud, still hiding behind the sculpture, held their respective breaths reflexively. They all had only one thought in mind.
‘Now this man- What are you trying to do?!’
Sweat started to form in his palms, and all his senses focused on his ears only. It was quite strange to be so conscious of just a tiny part of his body, but Erin couldn’t shake off such a sensation.
Kaien whispered to Erun in a chilly tone.
“It would be better to let go of the thought that Her Majesty belongs to you from now on. That is if you don’t want to die at my hands.”
“Ha! Will you ever be able to have Her Majesty for yourself? You think other men will really let Her Majesty go?!”
Erun pushed Kaien away and shouted harshly. Instead of being pushed away, he stared at the Marquis with an expression that showed he felt no impact from Erun’s exertion.
‘Other… men approaching her.’ At that thought, Kaien smirked and snorted, but instead of reacting, Erun could see his face looking down at him with ridicule as if the mere idea was absurd.
‘I think I’m going crazy, so why are you relaxed?’
Erun looked at Kaien without hiding his angry green eyes. Just thinking about the presence of another man by Gloria’s side made him angry as if his domain had been invaded so why…
‘Did you two hold hands to ditch me?’
Erun’s eyes sharpened at the hypothesis that passed like a momentary light. Thinking about it, it was strange that two people who weren’t on good terms suddenly were rumored to be having an affair.
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Kaien just smiled at the sight of Erun wracking his brain. He could clearly see the thinking in that cunning and terrible brain of his. Suddenly, Duke Ludenberg leaned toward Marquis Lebossi.
“…!”
As he lowered his head, Erun gasped. As he got close enough to feel his breath, the Marquis began to curse, and Kaien raised one corner of his mouth and spoke in a low voice.
“Who is crazy enough to have Duke Ludenberg as their enemy? Besides, even if Her Majesty does have other men by her side, I can just eliminate them.”
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