Married Couple’s Qualifications

“I must say firmly. How can someone who is the head of an imperial family make a mistake that even a six year old could not make?” (Bake)

Bake suppressed his bitterness and placed his hands on the table. The wine fiasco halted the meal and the two men were left alone to wait for Rivianna’s return.

“You have to understand, we haven’t finished organizing the interior of the imperial household yet. Sometimes mistakes like this occur.” (Luzen)

“It’s not a matter of making a mistake….” (Bake)

“You should have tamed it from the start. So that it won’t dare climb up.” (Luzen)

“…….”

Bake’s hand slipped for a moment as he reached out to grab the glass, and the wine in the glass made a swish sound.

“You have to be careful. There is a dress left by my sister-in-law, but I don’t have any extra clothes to give because I burned them all after the funeral.” (Luzen)

“…….”

“Oh, then can I give her a suit of my clothes?” (Luzen)

Luzen laughed loudly and lifted his glass. But Bake only made a reluctant face and didn’t lift his glass. 

“Don’t give me that look. We have something to talk about anyway. It’s not like I can talk about it in front of your wife, who has lost her memory.” (Luzen)

“…….”

The young Emperor was already dark with his true feelings. Bake suppressed his displeasure and stabbed the shrimp with his fork.

 Luzen was imitating a gentle lord, but Bake could easily tell just by looking at the food on his plate. Today’s meal had been carefully selected from among the many dishes, only those that required complicated manners. 

It was a mockery of his origins. But he wasn’t about to let that happen. He didn’t learn that disgusting etiquette for no reason. 

They all called “Marquis of Clayton” in front of him to get him in a good mood, but if he did one thing that was not polite, they would giggle behind his back and say, “That’s not very noble,” a fact that Bake himself knew better than anyone. 

By now, the Marquis of Clayton was ready to show his perfect etiquette, no matter what dish he served.

“From what I’ve heard, your wife had a hard time after the loss of your daughter, and I’m sure you’d be in trouble if I misspoke.” (Luzen)

Creak. 

There was a creeping sound as the tip of the knife rubbed against the plate. Bake stared at Luzen, biting his lower lip. But Luzen was still unfazed this time, and opened his mouth flatly.

“Actually, I’ve been looking into the case of Young Miss Clayton separately, and I’ve seen some strange and suspicious circumstances.”

“You’re using my daughter for political purposes…”

“Is it really your daughter?”

“…… What are you talking about now?”

“Well, I think you know that better than I do.”

Luzen’s gaze reached Bake’s hands. The hands holding the fork and knife that had been gracefully carving the shrimp earlier were trembling faintly. Luzen folded his eyes smoothly at the sight.

“I don’t know what secrets the Clayton have, but at least I know for certain that you want to hide what I know. Isn’t that right?”

“Are you threatening me now ……?”

“Threatening? That’s a rusty word. I don’t know how I can threaten you. Where can I find a vassal as loyal as the Marquis of Clayton?”

“…….”

“Honestly, whether it was another death or suicide, it wouldn’t matter. The fact is that the incident happened at the Academy that was under the control of the Imperial family, so the Imperial family can’t avoid responsibility already.”

If it was the death of another person, Luzen would think again, but the victim of this incident was, of all people, the Young Miss of Clayton.

Even if he dug up the case and blamed the ruthless father for killing his daughter, the actual gain in his hands was not much. The family had its own rules, its own laws, and the case was one that Bake had done his best to cover up. 

Considering the cost of finding out every single thing about it, it was probably a loss. Even more so if the issue of the Academy’s existence was brought up. 

It would have been better for both parties to make appropriate compensation and get the job done, rather than poking around in a beehive. It was an incident that had been organized that way. But only if one variable did not intervene.

“Marquis Clayton, I don’t want to get involved in your family affairs. I’ve never seen a half-breed ruin a house more than once or twice.”

“…….”

“Of course, your wife would be in a different position.”

It wasn’t just his imagination that made the wine smell even sweeter today. Lutzen looked at the perfect dish and enjoyed the generous amount of acidity the wine left on his tongue.

“…… What are you talking about?”

‘’It’s not difficult. It’s just that I had to ask your wife for help.”

Bake was about to open his mouth, but stopped for a moment at Luzen, who was looking the other way. The emperor’s gaze met Rivianna’s, no. It wasn’t just her, exactly. 

Calix was escorting Rivianna, who had changed into a new dress. Bake glared at Calix as he held Rivianna’s hand and found a shiny cuff button on Calix’s sleeve, and eventually made a frown. 

It may have been just a coincidence, but out of all the gems, a sapphire was chosen…..It was a gemstone that resembled the color of Bake’s wife’s eyes.

“The sight of the two of you standing there brings back memories of the past once again.” (Luzen)

“Your Majesty.”

“I don’t know. I mean, it’s all in the past. Isn’t that right, Duke Pierre?” (Luzen)

“To each his own, I suppose.” (Calix)

Calix’s hand tightened slightly, and Rivianna’s eyes widened in response. Eventually, Bake couldn’t bear to see the frustrated look on his wife’s face and left the table.

“I’ll escort my wife.”

“…….”

“She is my wife.”

Bake quickly put pressure on his eyes and finally Calix let go of his hand. Bake quickly grabbed Rivianna’s hand. Rivianna shifted in surprise, but still followed him to his seat rather than refuse the bake.

“I’m sorry. You must be waiting a long time. It took a long time to change my dress.” (Riv)

“No, you’re the one who’s tired. You’re already not feeling well.” (Bake)

“That’s fine. And thanks to His Majesty, I even got to wear a dress like this.” (Riv)

Rivianna laughed to reassure Bake, but Bake wasn’t in the mood to laugh. 

The dress was perfect for Rivianna, unlike what Luzen had said about it belonging to her sister. The emperor must have intended to stain Rivianna’s dress from the start, because Duke Pierre wanted Rivianna.

As long as Calix was supporting the young emperor, who was still in his infancy, the emperor would do anything to please Duke Pierre. But there was no way Bake was going to sit back and watch. 

Rivianna Clayton was his wife. Bake glared at Calix, who sat across from him, unconcerned that he was an incorrigible man who wanted someone’s wife. 

Luzen took a quick look at the table with a satisfied expression on his face and clapped lightly. It was time for another meal to be prepared on the way.

“It’s late, but I’m glad we’re all getting together like this. Sometimes you just have to have a seat like this. Duke Pierre has been away for a long time, so it would be nice to have someone to help him get used to it.” (Luzen)

“I don’t know if Duke Pierre needs help.”

“Of course he needs it. Shouldn’t Duke Pierre also get married? Marquis Clayton is a senior in that part, so tell him well. How to be loved by women.” (Luzen)

“…….”

“No, it might be better if the Marchioness of Clayton told him.” (Luzen)

“Me?”

Rivianna, who had just filled her seat silently, looked up at all the attention focused on her. Perhaps it was because of the loss of her memory, but there was no trace of the perfect etiquette she had always used, only the image of a Young Lady without much social experience.

“I think a woman can understand better how a woman feels. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to teach the poor man who hasn’t found a partner yet.” (Luzen)

“…….”

“Your Majesty, my wife….” (Bake)

“In fact, I’m going to ask the Marchioness of Clayton to do that.” (Luzen)

Bake’s words were interrupted, and Luzen raised his crossed-fingered hands to the table. The young emperor smiled smugly, no matter the circumstances, but that didn’t make him seem any easier to deal with. 

He had always been a naturally spirited and magnificent man. His sturdy body, made up of muscles forged from long training, was better than most knights, and just being with him was a natural distraction.

“Your Majesty said you have a favor to ask?” (Riv)

“Don’t be too nervous. It’s not a big deal. I just need a little company from people.” (Luzen)

“I think Your Majesty jokes too much.” (Bake)

With no time to worry about politeness, Bake hurriedly interrupted the conversation. Luzen laughed loudly at Bake and shook his head.

“I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad idea to teach Duke Pierre a move, but all I’m asking for is a dutance.” (Luzen)

“Dutance?”

Dutance was a special event unique to the empire, where every year, the children of nobles who were about to debut were gathered to see each other beforehand and learn once again the etiquette that should not be forgotten. 

It was customary for the noblewoman of the highest rank to be in charge, and it was almost always people from the Imperial family, but there was no noblewoman in the current Imperial family to lead the Dutance.

“It’d be nice if my mother is here, but unfortunately, she’s no longer here. And I don’t have a wife either.” (Luzen)

“I appreciate your words, Your Majesty, but my wife still needs to rest.” (Bake)

“The Marchioness of Clayton is not feeling well. However, she cannot rest for any length of time. In fact, it is at times like this that you need to show the world that your wife is alive and well. Marquis Clayton.” (Luzen)

Bake stared at Luzen, his lips quivering, but he could not open his mouth. He could have struck out, and Rivianna could have noticed Mariel’s presence. In the end, the only thing Bake could rely on was for Rivianna to reject the Emperor’s suggestion herself.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I appreciate your thoughtful suggestion, but I have no way of undertaking such a daunting task.” (Riv)

“It can’t be. Even if you lost your memory, where would the white deer of the society go? It’s a fact that we all knew you were famous even before you debuted.” (Luzen)

“That’s …….”

“Of course I don’t mean to coerce you. Even if we had made a promise, Marchioness Clayton wouldn’t remember it.” (Luzen)

“…… you say I made a promise to Your Majesty?” (Riv)

“I’ve talked about this before. We were close friends. Thanks to that, we made a lot of promises to each other in secret.” (Luzen)

Luzen’s words weren’t credible, but the assumption of “secret” made it difficult to actually distinguish between what was truly true and false. Luzen took advantage of it well and now used it leisurely.

Although it was in the past, Clayton had originally been a family that valued piety. The Libyan nation, with its memories of that era, would show its efforts to keep its promises at all costs.

”Since I’ve done this much, I can look forward to the compensation accordingly.” (Luzen)

Luzen raised the tips of his lips as he looked at Rivianna, who was pretending not to know anything even though some of the best men in the Empire were in front of her.