Chapter 148

The preparations for the marriage were carried out quickly.

There was no reason or need to delay it in the first place.

The engagement was to be simply established through the institution, and the wedding was to be grandly held in the territory of Duke Dragania.

I had repeatedly said that I was embarrassed and didn’t want to, but I was persuaded after all, as I heard that marriages last longer when celebrated by many people.

I would hate to be abandoned and left alone while having to live forever.

I seem to have a personality that is much lonelier than I thought.

“Now, putting the ring on your ring finger means the engagement is complete.”

“Is it really okay to do it like this casually?”

“It’s an almost meaningless ceremony. The engagement is already established the moment Miss Julia accepted my courtship.”

“Well, I didn’t accept the courtship. I just chose you as a partner to spend my life with…”

I wish he wouldn’t misunderstand.

The duke was chosen simply because he was wealthy, of high status, reliable, and sturdy, and most importantly, he could live forever.

Absolutely not because I liked the duke.

“Is that so? Then, is it alright if I have Miss Julia as a life partner for immortality, and keep a concubine separately?”

“No way.”

I answered without thinking.

Surprised, I looked up to see the duke wearing a displeased smile.

“Why not? You say love and marriage are separate.”

“Even so, that’s not right. It’s disrespectful to a wife.”

“Finally using the word ‘wife’, after always referring to me as a life partner.”

“L-Life partner. Yes. That’s right. I misspoke.”

I am not a wife.

Nor am I a spouse.

If we are to clarify, he is the husband.

However, as the other is also a man, I can’t really call him a husband, so I just express it as a life partner.

“Anyway, no means no. If you take a concubine, the engagement is off. This is one thing I absolutely cannot concede.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to. I was just teasing.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t stand for anyone but Miss Julia.”

“Stand? For what?”

“Um?”

“….Ah.”

The duke tilted his head with a puzzled look.

After about three seconds of delay, I understood what he meant.

Living a long time in a woman’s body, I had completely forgotten the slang of men…

“Don’t, don’t lie! Do you think I’m a fool?”

“It’s true. I’m not lying.”

“So… have you really never… stood once in your thousands of years?”

“Since puberty, I’ve never stood once. Of course, if I intentionally tried, it wouldn’t be impossible, but I’ve never felt s*xual desire enough to go that far.”

“Ahhhh…”

My face was burning.

Clearly, it was the duke who was talking about something erotic, but why was I the one feeling embarrassed?

By the way, there was something strange about the duke’s story.

He had lived for thousands of years and never felt strong s*xual desire, yet when he looks at me, it keeps happening…?

There should be a limit to being a peculiar constitution.

If not, it’s as if I’m some kind of lewd holy maiden that instantly turns someone into a sexually crazed monkey.

“Shall we move past this story? The topic is too vulgar.”

“The next topic is even more so. I was going to talk about how many children we’ll have…”

“Ah, children?! We already have Tia!”

I shouted in surprise as if I were experiencing a seizure.

It was an added bonus that the duke’s hand, which was about to put on the ring, withdrew sharply.

To have a child, we have to do that, right?

That’s something only lovers do…

Oh. Maybe not?

I suppose there are people whose profession it is to do that…

‘Surely the duke would at least suggest having one more child?’

Even in a political marriage, it is only natural for the wife to bear children.

Even couples that are blatant about pursuing their own interests in marriage still have children.

Children serve the purpose of continuing the line and also make divorce difficult, thus strengthening the marital alliance.

So to avoid being abandoned later by the duke, I need to have children.

But I can’t help feeling scared.

I haven’t fully forgiven the duke yet.

Thinking that I might have to experience the same situation again makes my body tremble.

“That’s right. You’re correct. I’ll leave the decision of having children entirely to Miss Julia. Tia is our precious daughter, after all.”

“…..?”

The duke’s response was quite unexpected.

From the duke’s perspective, he would want to have children between us to ensure I wouldn’t escape.

The duke, who is always so decisive and steadfast in this regard, is surprisingly compliant.

It’s nice that he thinks of Tia as his biological daughter, but it’s a bit unsettling to think he would go this far.

“Thank you… for your consideration…”

Still dazed, I extended my left hand again.

This man was thinking about me much more than I had considered.

His thoughts about marriage made it clear he had been contemplating for a long time.

Though he says that being with me is enough, in reality, this marriage is structured in such a way that only I benefit from it.

“Do you still believe that I will one day fall for you?”

“Of course. I never give up hope. However, even if you don’t love me forever, I’ll be more than satisfied, as Miss Julia said, with being a life partner. I do think that soon enough, you will entrust yourself to me…”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Sometimes, I hear the sound of you panting in your room when you’re alone…”

“….!”

Startled, I rushed to cover the duke’s mouth.

When I came to my senses, I found myself on top of the duke, with both my hands covering his mouth.

I had no intention of backing down.

I couldn’t let him say anything more.

“Th-that… you can hear everything?”

“Mmmph.”

“Don’t try to speak, just nod or shake your head!”

“….”

The duke slowly shook his head.

Of course.

He finishes quietly and hurriedly.

It must be that the duke’s ears are abnormally sharp.

But I never imagined he could hear me doing that alone.

“You stalker…!”

“Mmm.”

“Don’t refute! It’s true! Pervert! Voyeur!”

My face was bright red as I spouted whatever came to mind.

Him hearing something means… he couldn’t have seen the scene, right?

The duke seems to have eyes that can penetrate walls though.

But that can’t be true.

I could do nothing but believe that.

I was starting to feel embarrassed enough to shed a few tears.

“Shut up and just put on the ring!”

“Well then… let’s do that.”

As I removed my hands, the duke suppressed a laugh, his lips twitching as he lifted his body.

Then, he pulled my outstretched left hand and slowly slid the ring onto my ring finger.

It was a pretty ring studded with diamonds.

I had thought the ring was cumbersome, but actually putting it on gave me a considerable sense of satisfaction.

“That was long. With this, the engagement process is complete, my dear.”

“My d-dear?!”

I was startled and pulled my hand back.

My dear?

What a shameless man…!

.

.

.

“d*mn it. I had been peacefully sleeping in the newlywed house.”

With a crack, Leopard came out holding a bag packed in both hands, turned sharply, and spat towards the villa.

I had known this would happen someday.

I had a vague premonition.

I wouldn’t be able to stand beside Julia.

Of course, that was natural.

Julia is a body that lives forever, and I was in a feeble body that wouldn’t be strange to d*e at any moment.

But Julia didn’t know that.

She thought I also lived forever.

Yet, despite that, Julia chose the duke over me.

“This is outrageous…”

I lost even after resorting to tricks.

Leopard was soon consumed by despair and a sense of defeat.

After all, there isn’t much of my remaining life left.

From now on, I would live quietly, conducting research to send Julia back to her original world.

I would have to move my living situation to Sailor’s laboratory.

As Leopard wandered while thinking this, he came to an abrupt stop.

“It’s just unfair, d*mn it…”

No matter how much I thought about it, it was unjust.

Even when I tried to forget and pass it off as something predetermined, it didn’t go well.

I was infuriated.

I couldn’t tolerate it.

In the first place, I wasn’t the only one who had resorted to tricks.

The duke had also used dishonest means.

He was deceiving Julia much more than I ever could.

No matter how much it was only until Julia could be returned, was it acceptable to let such a person stay by her side?

No.

Absolutely not.

That conclusion naturally came to me.

But then, revealing the duke’s deception would be the problem.

What would happen to Julia if she learned the shocking truth that her husband had been deceiving her?

She would certainly not be happy.

That much was certain.

Should I let Julia live happily without knowing anything?

Or blow the bombshell to make the duke pay for his sins?

Leopard’s rage was crying out for the latter.

And right now, Leopard had no patience left to suppress that instinct.

“I’m sorry, Julia. You wouldn’t want to live deceived either.”

Tears flowed down Leopard’s cheeks.

It had always been a precarious tower filled with lies from the start.

Having been cast out from that tower, Leopard resolved to bring it down.

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