Ask Away, Your Majesty - Chapter 15
Angel’s fists clenched at the cold words that fell like insults. The cheerful and smiling face she had just exhibited vanished, replaced by a sharp, venomous demeanor as she stood before Kyle.
“If we marry, Astum will have Ludwien, isn’t that right? You’re well aware of that.”
“…”
“I’m a huge asset to Astum. I can bring more benefits to Astum than anyone else in this world.”
As Angel looked at Kyle, who remained silent, she erased the expression of disdain and in an instant, replaced it with a gentle smile. She knew he was the type of man who could never let go of this great advantage before him.
Bowing slightly, Kyle pushed himself up from the chair he had been sitting in. He walked slowly towards the window, sweeping his hair back before turning to face Angel.
Approaching him gracefully, Angel lightly stroked his large hand with her fingertips as she spoke, “Our marriage will make Astum an eternal empire.”
At the sound of Kyle’s unrestrained laughter, Angel’s face froze instantly. His emerald eyes emitted a transparent gleam as he stared at her.
“Angel, eternity means nothing to me. I only need today. And today, you’re not a part of it.”
At this complete rejection, Angel’s half-bared chest heaved. She smiled weakly, shaking her head in disbelief.
“We still have plenty of time,” she said. “Tomorrow, I might be there for you. Don’t rush it. I’ll take my leave for today.”
As Angel turned away, she clenched her fist so tightly that the knuckles turned pale.
Ky, I’ll definitely become Queen of Astum. You have no choice but to choose me.
The sound of her footsteps echoed faintly.
When Angel’s footsteps finally faded away, Kyle pressed his temples together with a shallow sigh. Marriage wasn’t what he needed right now.
What he needed was to know who was trying to kill him.
* * *
A knock on the door woke Lorienne from a deep sleep. Despite having a ‘Closed’ sign hung outside, the knocking persisted in a rhythmic pattern, with brief pauses between each knock—a prearranged code.
Lorienne threw off her covers and jumped to her feet. Making herself momentarily dizzy, she steadied herself against the wall. If someone was knocking despite the shop being closed and she left it unattended, it could mean trouble.
Staggering out to the shop, Lorienne didn’t even bother to open the peephole to check. Instead, she flung the door open to reveal a familiar face.
“Marmo! Come in quickly.”
“Miss Lorienne, how are you?”
“As usual, I’ve been fine. It was about time you came, and I was waiting.”
Lorienne held onto the hand of the teenage boy who was about as tall as her. Marmo was her sole source of news about Elrond.
“You look pale, Miss Lorienne.”
‘I’m fine. I used too much magic a few days ago. I rested well. I’ll be fine soon.”
Only then did the boy manage a smile with cute little fangs peeking out. His worried face brightened a little.
“How’s my brother? How’s he doing? Is he well?”
Her watery purple eyes trembled earnestly with anticipation. The boy nodded with an effortless smile.
“He’s well, thankfully. I saw him briefly outside a week ago. He seemed a bit thinner than before, but he still looked healthier than anyone else.”
“Really? That’s a relief… I remember House Ortance didn’t have too bad a reputation, but how are they treating the slaves?”
It was common for a slave to enter a noble house and stay there until death, but Elrond, the eldest son of the Kreutz family, had already been sold three times. The aristocracy of Rixir knew Elrond Kreutz very well and were willing to pay a hefty sum to keep him as a slave. The nobleman who initially took Elrond as his slave had even thrown a lot of parties, wanting to show off his prize.
It gave them a sense of superiority having the son of the Chancellor of Rixir and once heir to the duchy as their slave.
