The Reward for Saving The World is a Husband - Chapter 31
“They said if you refuse, they’ll choose Beric. They informed me yesterday. I have to give them an answer within a month.”
Elias had always strongly wished to make his own decision when it came to marriage.
His life had been ruined by his parents, and he didn’t want to pass on similar wounds to his own children.
But unfortunately, the place where he now stood was no better than a battlefield where swords flew and arrows rained down.
The luxury of worrying about a child who might or might not be born was beyond him—just two days ago, he had been driven alone to the dragon’s lair, pushed there by Beric’s tyranny.
Standing on the edge of life and death, it was obvious that choosing the 2nd Princess was the way to survive.
But then why did Elesha, smiling up at him so brightly, keep coming to mind? A woman who could not aid in his survival, who would only become a weakness.
‘If I don’t protect her, she’ll be dragged into the palace and used until she’s discarded.’
Including his friend Leonard, there was hardly anyone in the royal family who could be described as having any decency.
In the ruthless competition they faced from the moment of birth, kindness was nothing more than a poison that killed you first, ensuring you’d be the first to fall.
Therefore, any prince or princess who survived to adulthood would inevitably become accustomed to treating people as tools.
Even the young 8th and 9th Princes would be no exception.
Even if they welcomed Elesha into their lives now to gain the favor of the 1st Prince, the moment she lost her usefulness, they would toss her aside without a second thought.
If divorce would be considered a flaw, they’d kill her off without a trace.
The thought of that possibility made his chest unbearably tight.
‘No. I know exactly how this will end, and I can’t let her go.’
If they both stood at the crossroads of life and death, wasn’t it him who had the better chance of survival? Not Elesha, who had been locked away for so long, unaware of how the world worked.
‘Once I brought her here, I became responsible for her. That’s the right thing to do.’
Resolving his thoughts, Elias met Leonard’s gaze squarely and spoke.
“I’ve already talked to her. I said I would take her as my mistress.”
For a moment, Leonard seemed to doubt his own ears, then he shouted in surprise.
“Did you just say mistress? You? Taking a mistress? The same Elias who’s never even had a relationship or a single partner is offering to do that?”
Bombarded by questions, Elias simply nodded once in response.
“She’s really captured your interest, hasn’t she?”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever paid this much attention to a woman. And it seems like… she likes me too.”
Though he was merely stating facts, Elias could feel his face heating up. He had never imagined the day would come when he’d talk to Leonard about something like this.
“I’ll handle everything else. I just need your help with her. Please.”
“Wow, this is crazy…”
Leonard murmured to himself, his expression a mix of disbelief and bewilderment.
“You’re asking me for help… with a woman…”
Leonard stared at Elias for a long moment before leaning back against the seat and crossing his arms.
“Anyway, what the Second Princess wants is to become the mistress of Tenaclade or a house of comparable stature. So I’ll try negotiating with her. But, be prepared to make a few concessions. She’s not the type to accept a deal unless it’s to her advantage.”
“All right.”
Leonard scoffed in disbelief as he watched Elias respond so readily, a far cry from how he had been before.
“Incredible, really. For someone like you who never even glanced at the most beautiful women in the Empire to be this smitten… She must be quite the beauty. Now I’m even more curious to meet her.”
“……”
Elias himself was equally baffled by the lengths he was willing to go to just to keep that woman by his side, even at the risk of making compromises.
But when he recalled the softness of her body in his arms, the feeling of their fingers intertwined, the sweetness of her lips… Suddenly, titles, obligations, and even the Emperor seemed trivial. He found himself yearning to return to her at once.
No, even thinking of those bright, sunlit eyes gazing at him as if he was the only person in the world made the thought of surrendering a few advantages seem like a small price to pay.
‘…Right, well. Beauties like her aren’t common.’
They say an extraordinary beauty can save a country—or bring it to ruin.
Repeating the contradiction once again to himself, Elias forced his mind to stop wandering back to Elesha.
The serpentine den that was the Imperial Palace now loomed just ahead.