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YULISSE’S mother was the daughter of a wealthy merchant’s family. The woman wanted for nothing, and if she desired anything, she would almost always get it. Her mother would say that she deserved all that was within her reach—Yulisse had heard that countless times, and she thought that was how she was born.
Her father was Baron Merrifield. Her mother loved him with all her heart, and she—despite all her hubris—consigned herself to being the noble’s mistress. That was all that she could manage, after all, as nobility was and would always be beyond her reach. She contented herself with the baron’s seed alone, as that was the one thing within her reach. With that, Yulisse was born.
Young Yulisse was spoiled rotten by her mother and grandparents alike. They bought her whatever she wanted and delighted in sating her childish greed. Her mother insisted Yulisse deserved all the world had to offer—though looking back, perhaps her mother’s true intent was to give her as many happy memories as possible so that her unobtainable desires would be easier to bear. Child as she was, however, she had no means of understanding such nuance.
When her mother passed, Yulisse’s father, the baron, took her in. Baron Merrifield claimed to love her mother truly, and he begged her grandparents to give the child to his house. He failed to mention the overwhelming appeal of the dowry that came with her from her wealthy merchant grandparents, and how he only slept with her mother at all because she was beautiful. From the way he disowned Yulisse, as soon as he heard she was guilty of treason, she could tell he was something of a coward.
Yulisse didn’t mind. She would break past that impenetrable wall that her mother had ruined herself trying to scale. Better to be the daughter of a noble, she thought, than the daughter of a merchant. Her grandparents agreed and turned a blind eye to her greed. When she was handed Star Maiden for the first time, she tried not to think too deeply about it. A noble’s daughter was better than a merchant’s, but being a king’s daughter would be best of all.
How did I end up with both Mother’s and Father’s worst parts?
She had her mother’s cowardice covered by the same veneer of greed. She had her father’s shallowness as well. Yulisse was compelled to be loved by whoever would have her, and like her mother, she succumbed to the honey-laden trap of noble life.
No… Lord Raphael is different.
He knew just how sick she was but swore to remain at her side regardless. He waited until she arrived at her own answer—but what did she truly want?
“I… I want…”
She didn’t care if her feelings were betrayed. She didn’t care if this, too, was some cruel trick of fate.
“I want you to live, Lord Raphael!”
Heart burgeoning with that singular desire, she embraced the fallen noble. Light flooded out from their bodies. Yulisse could feel her emotions becoming her strength, flowing freely between their interlocked lips.
I never wanted to be queen, after all. This must be what love is like.
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“—AND that’s how we decided to get married!”
Raphael brandished the parchment emblazoned with the Royal Crest above his head. It was a marriage application, apparently.
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After Yulisse’s flashback, Raphael stood up as though nothing had happened, healed his wounds with magic, and returned to the mansion with a skip in his step. He explained that her love had awakened stores of mana within her that rivaled even his own, but that made no sense to her. Apparently, the fact that they shared magic was “proof” that their hearts were one.
“Didn’t I tell you?” he beamed. “I pushed you to the brink, and we’re all the better for it, wouldn’t you say?”
She slapped him hard across the face for that, but she couldn’t deny her feelings for him either way.
Dominic watched in horror as his son danced about the room with the application. When Raphael returned with tales of how he nearly died, Yulisse awakened to her true potential as a saint, and on top of that, the pair were getting married, of all things, he’d been bedridden for nearly half a day.
“N-No matter what Lord Raphael says, I promise I’ll remember my place,” Yulisse hurriedly reassured him. “I know he far outranks me…”
“That’s not the issue,” Dominic said with a heavy sigh and an offhand wave. “I’ve only got one son, and it took everything I had to raise him well. Or rather, I thought I’d raised him well, but…”
Yulisse clenched her fists as she waited for the inevitable condemnation to come. Of course, he wouldn’t be proud of his son marrying a traitor to the throne.
“I never thought he’d turn out just like his mother,” the marquis muttered.
“He what?” Yulisse didn’t have the time to ask what he meant as the door flew open a second later.
“Oh, Raffy, I heard the news! Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married?!”
The voice was high-pitched and flirtatious yet oddly soothing to the ear. Dominic’s head slumped at the sound, letting out a heavy sigh.
“There she is,” he muttered.
It was the door on the second floor that Yulisse had never seen open. A youthful and strikingly beautiful woman in a long purple dress stuck her head out. She had thin lips and sharp eyes like Raphael’s and looked young enough to be his older sister. She couldn’t be past her mid-twenties.
Wait… I thought Lord Raphael was an only child?
She darted across the room to Dominic’s bedside and grabbed hold of one of his barrel-like arms. The marquis bit his lip hard.
“I suppose I’ll introduce you,” he finally said. “This is my wife, Merylluda.”
“It’s a pleasure!” the beauty chirped with a wink.
Yulisse’s jaw dropped. “Your…what?”
Merylluda chuckled. “Oh, Yulisse, you should see the look on your face!”
“Nice to see you again,” Raphael said with a nod.
“It’s been so long!” she trilled. “Congratulations on finding yourself such a beautiful young bride!”
Mother and son bumped fists with each other, exchanging impish chuckles.
“I’m confused,” Yulisse said. “What’s going on here?”
“Oh, to think you’d interrupt us to ask! You have real promise!” Merylluda giggled. “You almost remind me of young Dominic!”
She put a hand to her cheek and sighed dreamily. She was far too young and pretty for Yulisse to think of her as her future mother-in-law; that much was certain.
“Mother was born a commoner,” Raphael explained. “She’s actually from the village at the foot of the Mimier Mountains. You saw how easy it is for mana to get caught up in that land, and it influences its residents as much as it does the wildlife. She’s always had a knack for storing mana.”
Merylluda nodded eagerly. “They used to call me a succubus’ daughter. Isn’t that awful? It’s not my fault I’m so young and beautiful! That’s why I had a bit of a wild streak as a young woman, and a certain marquis brought me home because he simply had to have me as his wife~!”
Dominic made himself a little smaller—an impressive feat, given his herculean stature—and blushed bashfully.
Oh. So I’m like Lord Dominic in a way, then.
“You visited the villa, didn’t you?” Raphael’s mother pressed. “Did you meet Paula?”
“Paula…?”
Now that she mentioned it, the housekeeper did say something about Yulisse and Raphael’s situation reminding her of the old days.
“That’s why it couldn’t matter less that you’re not as ‘noble’ as I am,” Raphael said with a smile. “Make sense?”
Dominic nodded bashfully. “Sorry for acting so indifferent. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much so as not to pressure you.”
“Pressure me?” Yulisse echoed.
“I know my son,” he replied with a grimace. “That, and you already seemed terrified.” He continued to say that he’d issued the same request to the servants. They weren’t giving her the cold shoulder. Rather, they’d already accepted her. “I’ve supported you marrying my son from the start,” the marquis continued. “His Majesty seems to agree as well.”
I… I guess that means I’m in the clear, then?
“Er… Okay,” she managed to reply.
Her feelings still hadn’t caught up with the sudden turn of events, but Merylluda barely noticed as she draped herself over the girl and rubbed her cheek against Yulisse’s affectionately.
“You’re so lucky, Yulisse! You’re packed full of mana, and with Dominic and Raphael already so talented, I’m sure nobody will pay any mind to me!”
“Mother stays inside to avoid drawing attention to her condition,” Raphael explained. “It’s too bad; it’d be wonderful if she could go outside more.”
Merylluda nodded eagerly. “That, and sometimes I wind up taking in a little too much mana. Dominic and I have to blast each other full force when that happens.”
So that’s why I kept hearing all those strange sounds from behind that door.
“Dominic’s trained his body for my sake, you know,” she continued. “If that’s not love, I don’t know what is~!”
Raphael nodded. “With love, anything is possible~!”
Behind the pair, Dominic was already signing the marriage application as their witness. There was no way for Yulisse to escape now—not that she wanted to, of course.
Just what is love, anyway? Yulisse wondered as she gazed at the lofty vaulted ceilings of the Marshall manor.