Married To A Savage Duke - Chapter 58-1

To the shame of her willing consent, Cherryl opened her lips in embarrassment. It wasn’t enough. She leaned back slightly, unblinking. Even a child could see that she was embarrassed. Rosaline, who had asked a loaded question from the beginning, didn’t seem surprised. Cherryl couldn’t answer and simply stared at the Empress with trembling pupils.

“Was the question difficult to answer?” Rosaline twisted her chin curiously. “I wonder if you truly are in love with Archduke Blkanov. If it’s not him, no one else can even dream of it.”

Cherryl pursed her lips and lowered her eyelashes. Why did she feel so stupid every time she get tangled up with Cade, who knew how to express his intention without difficulty? However, it was only natural that such a heavy word ‘love’ couldn’t be readily answered. Cherryl, who drank her tea a few times as if to calm the butterflies in her stomach, soon opened her mouth to speak.

“The time we spent together may seem short, but… The Grand Duke. I mean——-”

“It was a simple question, but you must be having a hard time answering it. I understand.”

Rosaline nodded as if she had expected it. At her neat tone, Cherryl felt like she was about to cry. She was also overcome by the strange urge to defend her heart from Cade. If Rosaline had been thrown out of the castle as Cade said, there would have been no need to feel this way. However, she assumed that she could only shake off the discomfort in her heart if she faced the princess in person. The displeasure slowly disappeared from Cherryl’s face. Rosaline tilted the teapot herself and poured tea into her cup.

“Then, can I take that as a sign that you don’t want to marry the Archduke either?” She asked calmly.

“No. I want him more than anyone else.” Cherryl insisted in a voice so determined that it couldn’t be any clearer. It was an immediate answer, unlike the long pause a while ago. Rosaline, who was about to take a sip of her teacup, got startled and narrowed her eyes at Cherryl.

“What do you mean you want him more than anyone else?”

“It’s literally true but I haven’t answered the second question yet. I can’t even dream of marrying a man other than the Grand Duke.”

Rosaline’s face stiffened at the bold reply. The atmosphere surrounding Cherryl had changed in a snap of a finger.

“I can’t believe you want to marry a man you don’t even love. Aren’t you asking for trouble?”

“I don’t know why you think it’s troublesome.” Cherryl looked genuinely confused.  “Respectfully, I don’t think there’s a man who can beat Cade. He’s not short of money as the Grand Duke who rules the largest territory in the Empire. He’s also a wonderful person, if I may say the least. He can be a little mischievous but he had a caring side. Can I really find a better gentleman than him?”

“A little mischievous? Caring?”

Unsure of the difference between the Cade she knew and his treatment of Cherryl, Rosaline, who failed to empathize with the two, crumpled the crab meat in her hand. Cherryl, who was a little excited to elaborate, went on.  “I’ve never seen a man as handsome as him in my life. I already got used to the sight of chubby, unkempt chumps in the central region but when I saw Cade, I felt as if I had been given a brand new set of eyes.”

Cherryl belatedly covered her lips, thinking that she might have sounded rude. Rosaline stopped moving and just blinked at her in understanding.

“It’s not that different even in the Capital. The noblemen there are not only hedonistic but their faces are also ugly and crumpled.”

“Ah.”

The two women exchanged strange glances. However, Rosaline broke the silence.

“So, you only wanted to marry the Grand Duke because of his wealth and handsome appearance even if you don’t love him?”

Cherryl laughed as she pointed at her temples.

“I didn’t know that you were an innocent woman, princess. Weren’t 90% of the marriages in the Empire political? I think it would be more difficult to find a noble who had advanced from dating to marriage.”

Until three months ago, Cherryl’s values were as good as Rosaline’s. She also didn’t want to get married without love, believing that it was ideal for a couple to marry after cultivating affection from knowing each other over a long period of time. However, it was inevitable to make a connection with a man she didn’t love. What’s the point of giving special meaning to marriage at a time when she had to make a decision different from her values? She preferred to accept her lucky fate of marrying a young and handsome rich man instead of a crippled grandfather than to be disappointed about marrying a stranger.

“It wasn’t pleasant at first because it was a marriage discussion that happened regardless of my intentions. However, I think I was lucky to be paired with the Grand Duke. If you ask me if I love him, I can’t answer immediately, but it’s true that I got to like him in the process of getting to know him.”

Rosaline, who was staring at Cherryl, turned her eyes out to the window. She hadn’t said a word in a while. Only the pitter-patter of the rainfall was repeated inside the breakfast room.