Chapter 3: TWOCM

Chapter 3

“Someone has come to see you?”

“Princess Reyna Iv Mernier has arrived.”

Even after hearing her name, Kaiden could not immediately recall her, and he asked in confusion.

“Did we have an appointment?”

“Of course not.”

Ben shrugged casually with a light smile, and Kaiden frowned.

He was already busy preparing to return to the North, and now an unexpected guest had arrived.

And on top of that, royalty tended to be nothing but uninvited trouble.

First the Emperor, who constantly summoned him for meaningless affairs—and now even the princess seemed intent on disturbing him.

“Can we send her away?”

“Why ask when you already know the answer?”

Ben replied bluntly with a polite smile, and Kaiden let out a deep sigh.

With no other choice, he rose from his seat and headed to the reception room.

His only encounter with Princess Reyna had been six years ago at a banquet.

She rarely attended such events, likely due to her frail health.

A slender figure, pale platinum hair, skin so white it looked almost colorless, and pale blue eyes.

She resembled the Emperor greatly, though her temperament seemed closer to her mother—at least that was Kaiden’s impression.

Of course, it was all speculation.

They had never actually spoken properly.

Since there was almost no connection between them, he could not guess the purpose of her sudden visit.

Arriving at the reception room, Kaiden quietly observed Reyna.

She sat with her eyes gently closed, seemingly deep in thought.

When he made his presence known, she opened her eyes.

Her icy light-blue gaze carried an almost detached calm.

Looking at her now felt as though she was revealing something within him he did not wish to see.

She was so different from the harmless, fragile girl he vaguely remembered that he wondered if she was even the same person.

“Duke of Crensia.”

“The Guardian of the North, Kaiden Crensia, greets the shining star of the Mernier Imperial Family.”

Kaiden offered a brief formal greeting and sat across from her.

Then Princess Reyna spoke with a resolute expression.

“I came to ask a favor of you. Of course, I do not intend to ask without offering anything in return.”

“Of me?”

Kaiden tilted his head slightly.

Was there any trust between them that would allow such a transaction?

Moreover, the imperial family had always kept the House of Crensia under strict surveillance. The Crensia lineage, said to be descendants of dragons, possessed overwhelming power and military strength.

Kaiden weighed the possibility of a trap and said,

“Let’s hear it first.”

Then the princess spoke words entirely unexpected.

“I want you to marry me.”

“…?!”

“Cough! Cough—! Ugh.”

At her explosive declaration, Ben, who had been standing nearby, choked in shock.

Kaiden was equally stunned.

“Excuse me, I think I misheard you?”

“No. You heard correctly. If possible, I would like to be married before my twentieth birthday.”

“……”

Reyna calmly repeated her request and waited for his answer.

She looked as though she had come to retrieve something that had already been set aside for her.

In contrast, Kaiden was too stunned to respond properly.

“If I may ask… when is your birthday?”

“In a month.”

“…You’re joking, right?”

“I’m serious.”

“……”

Kaiden stared at her, momentarily speechless.

What on earth was this princess suddenly saying?

One month was far too short to prepare a marriage.

And a royal marriage at that—practically impossible.

More importantly…

‘Why me?’

For the imperial family, the age of twenty was significant.

The Mernier Empire, founded under the will of the divine beast, still remained under its influence.

In particular, members of the royal family received the beast’s authority upon reaching adulthood.

The empire had been ruled thus far through that divine power.

Each beast’s ability differed by individual, and such power was exclusively inherited within the royal bloodline.

At that moment, Kaiden suddenly recalled what the Emperor had said during a previous audience.

“Is there a reason you have not married despite being of marriageable age?”

“The North has been frequently invaded by monsters in recent years. I do not have the leisure.”

“Isn’t that exactly why you should hurry? If anything were to happen to you, the North would be in great danger. For the sake of the North, should you not secure an heir? I have many daughters.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I have a married younger brother. Even if something happens to me, the Crensia line will not end, so please rest assured.”

The Emperor had subtly tried to arrange a betrothal with one of his daughters.

And now, the princess herself had suddenly appeared.

Only now did everything click into place.

Kaiden let out a faint sneer.

So the Emperor intended to bind him by marrying off his daughter to keep him under surveillance.

And he even sent a daughter who had just come of age.

Kaiden’s expression hardened as he became certain the Emperor was behind this visit.

The air around him grew cold.

He stood up, signaling he would no longer entertain this farce.

“I refuse.”

“Duke?”

Reyna stood up in alarm, startled by his immediate rejection.

She had not expected such a blunt refusal.

“Wait, please. I haven’t finished speaking yet…”

When she tried to stop him, Kaiden said coldly,

“Now His Majesty has gone so far as to send even the princess himself.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“Are you pretending ignorance?”

Kaiden asked sharply, suspicion in his voice.

Reyna flinched but met his gaze.

Hoping he would believe her sincerity, she said,

“It’s true. So please tell me why you’re angry.”

She could not be dismissed before even beginning the conversation.

Meanwhile, Kaiden was confused—she genuinely looked as if she knew nothing.

He lowered his killing intent and asked quietly,

“…Did His Majesty not send you?”

“No!”

Reyna snapped back at the absurd misunderstanding.

Then, realizing she had raised her voice, she flushed red and startled herself.

Even while trembling slightly, she stood firm.

Only then did Kaiden ask reluctantly,

“Then why did you propose to me? We have hardly even met.”

It was only natural that Kaiden did not understand.

She knew him, but he did not know her.

So rather than awkwardly trying to help, she decided it would be better to persuade him with her situation.

Reyna spoke calmly.

“I want to leave the capital.”

“Then just leave.”

“It’s not that simple. Members of the imperial family must remain in the capital unless they are married. You know that, don’t you?”

At her words, Kaiden clicked his tongue quietly.

Members of the royal family could not leave the capital without the Emperor’s permission.

It was originally a safeguard created to prevent misuse of the divine beast’s power, but in this generation it had become a chain.

“Even so, it does not have to be me. And I still do not understand why I specifically must marry you.”

As Kaiden expressed his reluctance, Reyna lowered her head and murmured,

“Because you are the only noble who does not bow to His Majesty. I want to be free from the Emperor.”

At her honest answer, Kaiden fell silent.

Free from the Emperor.

It was not a trivial statement.

But without knowing her circumstances, he could not easily respond.

Taking his silence as rejection, Reyna hurriedly continued.

“Of course, I did not come asking you to accept me for nothing. I came to you to inherit a pact from the past.”