“I can’t take something like that…” she mumbled.
“I can’t give you just a single-room apartment as a reward for rescuing a princess,” Marcus said. He tilted his head, deep in thought. She had only begun to acquiesce to the idea of choosing a house after he had suggested that he could have Chris arrange the sale of the house if she wouldn’t use it.
“It’s been almost a year. Hurry up and decide.”
“Hmm… I don’t think you should push it on me.”
“Actually, speaking of rewards, there’s another one in line after this one. Marquess Acton is making incessant requests to be allowed to give some sort of thanks to you.”
“Marquess Acton?” Cesia muttered.
Marcus gave her an exasperated look. “You forgot? He’s the father of the woman you saved with your recklessness, Lady Amy Langton.”
“I didn’t forget! How rude! I was just wondering what I did for the marquess to deserve a reward,” Cesia hurriedly protested. Marcus peered into Cesia’s eyes doubtfully. Please, don’t do that, Cesia thought.
“After the marquess’s wife passed away, he doted on his youngest daughter, Amy. He encouraged her spoiled behavior so much that it affected her reputation.”
That part of the story was beyond a doubt; the rumors Cesia had heard about Amy at one of the parties she had been undercover at were far from positive. Despite that, the fact that she had been a candidate for Marcus’s fiancée showed how much the marquess had advocated for his daughter and tried to boost her status.
“Since you rescued her, Amy’s been in a long-term rehabilitation facility for her addiction, and the marquess is planning to transfer his estate to his oldest son and move to be closer to her.”
“How is Lady Amy’s condition?” she asked.
“Not very good. Probably because she was forced to take all those drugs… But she’s getting the best treatment the country has to offer.”
Hearing Marcus say it so plainly, Cesia cast her eyes downwards. If only I had stepped in faster. She couldn’t change the past, and there hadn’t been any opportunity to rescue Amy faster than she had, but she couldn’t help but wonder anyway. Those kinds of built-up regrets pushed her to do more and train harder. If Marcus had been in my position, things would’ve turned out better, she sometimes thought. She couldn’t become him, but she wanted to be able to do half or even a quarter of what he could do.
“Hey.”
Feeling Marcus flick her forehead, Cesia raised her head with a start. Marcus was making a slight, strained smile.
“If you had withdrawn back then, it’s impossible to know what would’ve happened to Amy. At the very least, she would be worse off than she is now.”
Marcus’s words were a port in a storm to Cesia’s floundering thoughts and gently showed the way past her worries.
“It’s important to regret what you couldn’t do, but it’s just as important to be proud of what you could accomplish.”
“Yeah…”
“Because one day, it’ll be the foundation that supports you.” Marcus patted her head.
Cesia still felt inadequate.
Marcus had undoubtedly gone through more bitter experiences than she had. Though he was only two years older than her, she had never seen him thrown off balance. She loved him, but she knew that even if she didn’t, she would want to be of use to him.
After some time, Cesia felt calmer. She worried whether she should tell Marcus she was leaving soon so as not to take up too much of his busy schedule. She didn’t even have to think about it; she should tell him that she was going to leave right away.
However, when she had been disguised as Juliette’s maid, her regular duties in the Second Financial Audit Division had been put on hold. To avoid being suspected by the princess, she also refrained from interacting with any of her colleagues. Because of that, it had been some time since she had last met Marcus. He was a prince, not someone she would normally be able to meet at a moment’s notice, but she had gotten used to seeing him as the division chief. She felt lonely when she couldn’t meet him, and when she did, she began to feel her love for him keenly.
“How is Princess Juliette?” Marcus suddenly asked.
Cesia furrowed her eyebrows. Seeing her pained expression, Marcus made a bitter, sympathetic laugh.
“Sorry about assigning you to someone so horrible. But Maria couldn’t very well go undercover herself.”
He was right. Maria was a disguise that only worked on people who hadn’t interacted closely with Marcus before; if they knew Marcus well enough, Maria would bear too much of a resemblance to him, and they’d be suspicious of her.
“By that, you mean that you’re aware of her true personality, correct?” Cesia asked with a grim look.
“I am.” He frowned. “She does make an effort to hide it, but she doesn’t really care whether she’s exposed.”
Cesia hesitated. “Huh? What do you mean?”
“Our marriage is political, as part of the commercial relationship between Gwyllt and Emeroade. In the view of both countries, her personality is irrelevant. So, she doesn’t try to hide the fact that there’s no love between us, and she knows that, even if she loses her temper at her servants, it won’t be an issue at all.”
Cesia’s frown deepened. “So, she’s just a bad person, then.”
“Exactly.”
“But her personality doesn’t matter.”
“Unfortunately.” Marcus nodded sympathetically. “She’s an incredibly shrewd businesswoman. Enough to where it’s a waste for her to be a princess. Right now, with guests from various countries around, she’s showing the bare minimum of agreeability, but I am worried about what happens after we get married.”
“And you’re still going to marry her?” Cesia said despite herself. Marcus shot her a look. With a start, Cesia covered her mouth with a hand. She had said too much.
Marcus smiled. “I will. For Emeroade, whose primary industry is maritime transport, improving the terms under which we’re allowed passage through the canal in Gwyllt’s territory is a pressing issue. If just my marrying and a bit of selfishness on her part can settle it, then I’ll consider it a price well paid. And a cheap one at that.”
He’s always like this, Cesia internally insulted him so as not to be noticed. He always tried to use himself in the most effective way possible. For the first time in a while, she felt the strong urge to hit him.
Gwyllt was considered a neighbor of Emeroade’s, but in reality, an ocean separated the two countries. In contrast with Emeroade, Gwyllt’s borders were almost all encompassed by mountain ranges, with only a small part open to the ocean. That part, however, was a section of a vital sea route that led to even more countries on the other side. It was possible to take a detour, but it more than doubled the cost and time of the trip. Gwyllt took advantage of this fact, and tolls had been increasing year by year.
Thus, Marcus and Juliette’s marriage was literally a marriage of convenience; it was part of a settlement between their two countries that included both the mitigation of the canal toll and, for Gwyllt, the ability to trade more freely with Emeroade.
“When we marry, and she becomes part of the royal family, I can order her to behave better toward the servants. She’s a princess of Gwyllt, so I can’t do that right now, but… If there’s anything you find inexcusable, let me know. As her fiancé, I’ll warn her as much as I can,” Marcus said, his tone turning apologetic.
This is why I can’t stand him.
“Hmph,” Cesia pretended to be strong. “As someone with a long history of being bullied, a temper like hers is nothing to me.”
“I’ve wondered this for some time, but don’t you think that shameless attitude is what makes them want to bully you in the first place?”
“All right, please pretend we’re training, and let me hit you once,” Cesia said, clenching her fist, trying to shatter the strangely gloomy mood that had developed. Marcus laughed cheerfully.
For Cesia and Marcus, times like this were truly precious.