CH 9

At Calib’s words, I looked at Cedric as I wondered what he meant.

A guardian? A guardian he said?

Cedric made eye contact once as if he waited for a minute then he told Calib.

“Calib. That’ll be hard.”

“Why?”

“Since if she becomes the guardian of the Grand Young Lord, you, she’ll have a certain status, so it’ll surely be easy to persuade the vassals. But, what does Ellia think about this?”

“Ellia likes being with me too…” After he said that, he shut his mouth for a second.

A moment of silence followed. He then managed to mutter like a person with a tight throat.

“You’ve never done it.” That tiny head fell solemnly, but I couldn’t say anything.

Of course, I’d like to be with Calib too. It’s also true that I had grown attached to him more than just recalling Yoonie. Calib won’t be a villain and the world won’t be in chaos. Then I don’t have to stay away from him, saying that there’s nothing good about being involved with the main character.

However, now the problem is on me. 

I thought I was just an extra that was passing by, but I was actually a villain.

Not even before she did the deed, but the ‘real’ villain after she did it. Even if I possessed this body before she did that, I’m still Ellia. And although I already knew all about this, how could I tell Calib, “I want to be with you,”?

That’s deception. That’s why I just had to look at the irregular shaking of Calib’s shoulders.

After a while, Cedric said, trying to replot the awkward atmosphere.

“First… Shall we move places? It would be better to go to the Grand Duke’s Castle and have a proper conversation once again about the terms of the contract marriage.”

“Well, yes…” I slightly agreed and looked into Calib’s eyes.

If it wasn’t for that, Calib wouldn’t want to go back to the Grand Duke’s Castle. Because it was a very lonely place. He must’ve been relieved that he went with me, but it felt like I rejected his heart.

Wouldn’t he have lost his confidence?

Nevertheless, his expression looked better than I expected. I don’t know what those red eyes were thinking, but it didn’t look like he was heartbroken.

Did he understand the situation quickly as he was clever?

I’m glad he’s a genius… Oh, no.

I even think like this, and this is why I’m no different from the others. He felt bad for being mature because he grew up early, and I was relieved by it.

Suddenly, I hated myself a little.

***

Calib returned to the black Grand Duke’s Castle again with Cedric’s teleportation magic.

No, it should’ve been black, but he returned to the white Grand Duke’s Castle instead.

“…What is this?”

He looked up at the Grand Duke’s Castle that glowed white in the snow.

Obviously, the blizzard had stopped and it was still beautiful to see the frozen exterior walls glistening in the sunlight.

But the one that Calib saw about 20 days ago was completely different.

Cedric said with a slightly puzzled face as he saw Calib staring blankly.

“There was this situation.”

“What kind of situation made you freeze the castle?” Calib asked with a look of disbelief.

After thinking for a while, the older brother suddenly smiled and answered. “If you’re curious, why don’t you attend the meeting?”

In fact, Cedric had always wanted Calib to attend the meetings he went to. But Calib, who was afraid of the glares of the vassals, avoided attending and said he wasn’t ready yet.

As a result, Cedric lured him with a ‘bait’ as he was doing right at the moment. Yet everytime that happened, Calib would escape like a loach.

That’s why Cedric knew he’d do that again this time.

“Yeah, fine. I will attend.”

Unexpectedly, Calib announced that he’d attend the vassals’ meeting. Cedric was taken aback by this. Besides, he wasn’t the only one surprised.

“Y-You are going to attend?”

Even Ellia, who had her mouth opened blankly because it was her first time seeing such a large Western-style castle, was startled and asked.

‘In the original story, Calib never attended any of the vassals’ meetings until Cedric fell asleep, though…?

And even for Ellia, who already knew the future, Calib’s will was unexpected.

Needless to say, he had a different idea.

‘Although for now Ellia may not like me as much as I like her.’

He thought that was simply because they had a short time together.

‘It’s okay. I have time until she marries my brother and resolves the curse.’

Calib clenched his slightly chubbier fist tightly. 

‘Before then, I just need to make Ellia like me.’

All he had to do was have Ellia voluntarily say she wanted to be with him. Then she could be with him even after Cedric divorced her.

‘I can do it. There must be a way.’

That’s why he replied that he’d gladly attend the vassals’ meeting, which he had avoided because of fear.

Calib looked straight at Ellia and said.

“I can’t avoid it forever. And Ellia is staying in the Grand Duke’s Castle. I want to keep you safe.”

Although it was just for the time biting, spiteful talks could be heard.

She was puzzled, stared at Calib. The same thing happened to Cedric, who was perplexed by that change in Calib.

‘That woman… Did she really give Calib that much courage? In just 20 days?’

Calib gazed upon Ellia, who was still looking at him with a subtle look. It wasn’t long before Cedric’s hand reached out to her in black leather gloves.

“Ellia.”

When she looked face to face at Cedric’s low voice, he said.

“Let’s go.”

Ellia held the hand given by such a blunt man carefully as she eyed it.

‘How should I say this… It feels weird.’

When she received his escort, she finally realized that she was involved with the real ‘main characters’.

‘In addition, the subtle relationship of marrying Cedric while still being the bad fairy Ellia.’

Was it really a good choice?

She then entered the black castle with confused and nervous

***

There was a commotion in the conference hall where family affairs were discussed. It was a commotion that didn’t occur when Calib first entered the conference hall, nor did it occur when it was revealed that Cedric had used weather magic to threaten them to search for Calib.

Bang!

Marquis Renold Babillon said, hitting the table.

“What do you mean marry a woman you don’t even know?”

That sharp voice made the red eyes of Calib, who was sitting at the top like a Grand Young Lord, glared at him. However, the furious Renold was only looking at Cedric, who was sitting at Calib’s right side. 

Renold couldn’t beat him, so he kept on saying.

“This is the only Grand Duke of Indigentia in the Epricent Empire! Sir Cedric, who is being discussed as the next head of the family, is a perfect companion! This is absolutely ridiculous!”

“Watch out for your words. There is the Grand Young Lord Calib, yet you are talking about me as the next head of the family. And she is the one that I love.”

Renold suddenly felt a sensation of freezing all over his body at the cold voice. If there was a black beast with hydrangea eyes, it would be Cedric. Cedric stared at him with more fearful eyes as there was no emotion in it.

‘I-I feel like I’m suffocating.’

He couldn’t say anything as if he had fallen into a deep lake. 

Cedric looked around at the vassals who kept their mouths closed and uttered.

“The reason why I have prepared this meeting is to notice, not to seek the consent of the lords.”

He added that he had no intention of becoming a Grand Duke and that his companion wouldn’t necessarily have to be an equal nobility.

Renold almost grabbed the back of his neck and fell over. Nevertheless, on the contrary, other vassals didn’t say anything as if they had expected that.

No, in fact, they couldn’t even say anything against his will.

‘I was sloppily searching for Calib and for nearly a month, he made a blizzard with weather magic.’

‘I don’t know what kind of crazy thing he’s going to do to confine me in the castle again this time.’

‘Or maybe this time, he’ll try to do the deed to us himself!’

No matter how he was cursed, Cedric was the strongest man among existing wizards.

Of course, they didn’t like the woman who was going to be the Grand Duchess. But this could be solved later when Cedric married another noble woman.

‘If I want, I’ll just have to get rid of that poor woman.’

‘She’s not a noble, so it doesn’t matter.’

‘After the death of their wives, the head of families often remarry because of their families, so there’ll be no harm to the Grand Duke’s family.’

‘Love, that kind of thing can only last for 3 months.’

The thoughts of the vassals were united in that way, but not for Renold.

‘What kind of place is this? This is the Grand Duke of Indigentia! It’s my younger brother’s family!’

He was the only brother of Edyssel Babillon, the predecessor of the Great Duchess, and was like an uncle to those brothers.

Obviously, that didn’t mean Renold could beat Cedric.

“Then I’d like to end this topic and move on to the next topic about the wedding schedule.

“Yes, you’d better hurry up.”

Cedric talked about the wedding with Calib with natural expression.

Renold gritted his teeth, glared at the brothers. 

‘I can’t beat Cedric with magic anyway. Even if I complain with emotions, he won’t listen with his ears.’

However, his pride didn’t tolerate it when he bowed to Calib. Rather than bowing to the person who took his sister’s life, it was better to just treat the low born as the Grand Duchess.

That’s how much Renold hated Calib.

‘If Edyssel were alive, I would’ve been the second de facto ruler of the Grand Duke by now!’

Just thinking about it made him angry enough to get up in the middle of his sleep. That’s why Renold rather tried to establish Cedric, the adoptee, as the Grand Duke.

‘Then manipulate the vassals and disturb Cedric in everything. In the end, I can move as I please.’

Of course, there was another reason why Calib shouldn’t become the Grand Duke.

‘I can’t help it. I should… put my hands directly into it.’

Renold silently shook his head as he heard the information that Ellia was ignorant of aristocratic etiquette.