Chapter 12: BWCGD

“Yes. In return... please grant me a small territory and a noble title, enough for me to support myself. I want to live a modest, happy life with that. Like everyone else.”

Kallian quietly looked down at the woman as she spoke.

Brilliant silver hair.

Clear green eyes that shone like flawless emeralds.

With her long eyelashes lowered sadly, the woman possessed a charm so overwhelming that it was hard to believe she was even human.

Because of that, if she had uttered empty words about loving him or wanting his heart, he would have cast her aside without a second thought.

Anyone could see that such words would have been nothing more than an attempt to shake his composure.

But what the woman wanted was different from what he had expected.

"Revenge... and a life of freedom."

From his perspective, as someone constantly pressured by the Empress to marry, it was not a bad proposal.

If her healing power could affect him, even slightly, he had even less reason to refuse.

There were still suspicious points, but those could be confirmed by keeping her close and watching her.

He did not understand why such perfectly aligned interests left such an unpleasant feeling twisting inside him.

After replaying their conversation in his mind, Kallian slowly nodded.

“Very well. We shall do as you wish.”

Evelyn's eyes widened.

“...Pardon?”

As if she could not believe what she had just heard, she grabbed his arm and asked again.

“Are you saying... you'll accept me?”

Despite the sudden contact, he showed no sign of displeasure.

Instead, he merely looked at her with his usual long, indifferent gaze.

“To say I'm accepting you would not be entirely accurate. My circumstances aren't that simple. If I had to define it, I'd call it a partnership born of necessity.”

There was nothing cleaner than a relationship where both sides clearly gave and received.

“We'll each do our best to provide what the other needs. Whenever, wherever, and by whatever means necessary.”

* * *

After escorting Evelyn back to the detached residence where she was staying, Kallian entered his office.

Benjamin, who had been working at the desk, immediately stood and bowed.

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

No answer came.

But Benjamin was used to it.

He simply followed behind Kallian like a shadow as the man strode inside with long steps.

His arms were full of documents.

“As you instructed, I've postponed all external appointments that aren't urgent. And these are the documents you should review before next week's political council meeting.”

They contained reports on issues currently debated within the Imperial Palace, articles concerning Gates, and information about the epidemic spreading near the Port of Richev.

Although it would have been understandable for the ruler of the North to grow weary of handling the Empire's affairs, no such emotion appeared on his face.

As though he was merely doing what naturally had to be done.

While Kallian rapidly reviewed the documents, Benjamin returned carrying a clean cloth and a bottle of boiling hot brandy.

They were for disinfecting wounds.

“How remarkable. The scar you've carried your entire life like a medal has become this faint.”

At Benjamin's admiration, Kallian's eyes slowly left the papers and drifted beneath the sleeve he had rolled up.

Fresh skin had formed where there should have been deep sword scars and countless marks left by demonic beasts tearing through his flesh.

The amber-colored cloth brushed meaninglessly across the fading scars.

The demonic beast.

Or rather, the evil god parasitizing Kallian's arm.

It called itself Ater, though Kallian had no interest in such a thing.

A foul evil god that hid inside a human body and fed on corrupt demonic energy hardly deserved a name.

After ruthlessly cursing the other self within him, he clenched the leather glove around his large hand before pulling it off with his teeth.

About an hour earlier...

While waiting for Evelyn after inviting her to breakfast, he had deliberately cut a deep wound into his left palm with a dagger before putting the glove on.

It wasn't that he doubted her healing ability.

He simply needed to verify the extent of its power.

Kallian was cautious by nature.

He valued visible facts over intuition, and even when something seemed certain, he would not be satisfied until he had confirmed it repeatedly.

“Hm.”

After quietly examining the veins on the back of his hand, the calluses on his palm, and his long, thick fingers, Kallian let out a complicated sigh.

The deep wound on his palm had disappeared without leaving even a trace.

Normally, healers purified their targets by making physical contact and channeling their cleansing power into them.

Holding hands.

Touching mucous membranes.

Or sharing physical intimacy.

Naturally, the deeper the physical contact, the greater the effect.

Area-wide healing that released healing energy into the surroundings did exist, but such abilities had become nearly extinct.

“It seems God has decided to play another joke on me.”

Until now, Kallian had never entrusted his body to anyone.

Even the slightest touch from a healer caused unbearable pain, as though a finely sharpened blade were slicing through his skin.

That was precisely why he had believed that no one except the Saintess could purify him.

But Evelyn...

The woman with such an ordinary name was different.

Despite his determination never to allow another variable into his life, he found himself helplessly melting beneath the fullness of the healing she bestowed.

“If she ever becomes troublesome... I'll simply remove her.”

With a quiet sigh, he closed the documents.

“Benjamin. Bring the head maid and the butler.”

* * *

Not long afterward, the three stood in a row before his desk.

Breaking the unspoken rule of not interfering in another noble family's affairs—and even bringing home that family's daughter—was not something befitting a Grand Duke.

The three who assisted him at the capital estate could only wait nervously for him to speak.

After signing the final document, Kallian finally rose.

Rolling his stiff neck, he casually unbuttoned the collar of his shirt and said,

“I intend to take a Grand Duchess.”

Benjamin, who had been preparing his tea, nearly dropped the teapot in shock.

“Wh-What did you just say...?”

It was no wonder.

Kallian had always been openly opposed to marriage, to the point of resenting the Empress's order that he wed a princess from a distant continent across the sea.

“You're the one who always said attending social gatherings was less efficient than hunting monsters. And now you're suddenly getting married?”

The head maid and the butler looked equally stunned, but Kallian continued as though it were nothing.

“Next week, I'll obtain His Majesty the Emperor's approval. There won't be a wedding ceremony. Emma, prepare another bedroom. Gilbert, make sure she lacks for nothing.”

Although he had omitted the subject, everyone knew he was referring to the Lawrence family's young lady.

Until her status as the Grand Duchess was officially announced, he ordered them to ensure that her identity remained secret.

For the time being, everyone was to address her simply as "Miss."

“You're dismissed. Benjamin, stay.”

The head maid and butler quietly bowed and left, leaving only the two of them in the office.

Looking as though he had seen a ghost, Benjamin asked,

“I've heard strange rumors spreading among the knights... Did something really happen? If it's because of her healing ability, couldn't you simply hire her as your personal healer?”

Whenever monsters appeared, Kallian had to lead expeditions.

He also regularly conquered dungeons.

Closing randomly appearing Gates had likewise become his responsibility, meaning that throughout an entire year, he spent less than six months in his own castle.

Even though his retainers repeatedly begged him not to leave the vast Northern territory without its ruler for so long, he had never wavered.

“It's not as though someone who can't stand women suddenly did something he has to take responsibility for...”

Kallian coldly interrupted Benjamin's doubtful questioning.

“Do my decisions require an explanation?”

“Of course not, but...”

Frowning sharply, Kallian sighed and pressed his fingers against his tired eyes.

“One more thing.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Investigate the woman's birth mother.”

“...Her birth mother?”

“Her name is Marcella. She was taken to the temple three years ago, and her whereabouts have been unknown ever since. Find out which family she came from, what kind of woman she was, and do it discreetly.”

* * *

That same evening.

After quietly finishing dinner together, the two drank tea in Kallian's office.

Silence filled the room.

Only the sound of teacups being placed on their saucers and the soft rustling of turning pages could be heard.

The document Evelyn was reading was the prenuptial contract Kallian had prepared after accepting her proposal.

It had been Evelyn who requested the contract.

Since she knew confidential information about his family, she had also asked him to place a magical vow of silence upon her.

After some time had passed, Kallian tapped the table impatiently with his index finger.

“Are you still reading?”

Startled by his indifferent voice, Evelyn flinched before offering a faint smile.

“There's nothing wrong with being careful.”

Careful.

Kallian silently rolled the unfamiliar word around in his mind as he stared at her, trying to read her intentions.

“Don't tell me you've found a clause you dislike.”

“It's not that...”

“If there is, then by all means—”

Kallian suddenly glanced toward her feet.

“Oh? Your bandage has come undone.”

“Ah...”

Following his gaze unconsciously, Evelyn's eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red.

Kallian had leaned forward, gently grasped her injured ankle, and placed it on his own knee.