MPD CHAPTER 11

← Marriage on the Premise of Divorce

Chapter 11

Chapter 3: The Announcement

A week had passed since Leian entered the palace. Because he had not yet officially become a member of the royal family, no secretary or attendants had been assigned to him. Only Carlton, a guardsman who would serve as his escort and guard, had been assigned. Except in the evenings, he followed behind Leian like a shadow at all times.

Most of the wedding preparations proceeded under Charlotte’s lead. The guests, the order of ceremony, and the makeup of the reception, everything depended on her decisions.

In any case, since this was not a marriage Leian had wanted, it was rather comfortable that he didn’t have to offer any opinions.

But as the wedding approached, what Charlotte considered most important was that Leian have a child as soon as possible.

Under the law of the state church, premarital pregnancy was strictly forbidden. Even so, the reason Charlotte was so anxious was that the King’s health was that poor.

Just the other day, Leian had gone to visit the King and was startled. His condition looked so bad it was a wonder he was alive at all. Seeing that, he understood why Charlotte was acting so impatiently.

But unlike what Leian wanted, Edward seemed to be putting a little more effort into the pheromone showers. Leian had nothing to say about it, since he grew exhausted and fell asleep first every time.

He himself wasn’t confident he could do more than this while struggling so much just from receiving his pheromone.

“So you bathe together every evening?” Leian, walking slowly down the corridor lost in thought, stopped dead in his tracks.

“That’s what they say. It’s obvious, isn’t it? With a pretty face like that, he must have seduced His Highness the Prince with his body.”

“Well, now that he’s become an omega and his path is blocked, he’d have to turn his fortunes around somehow.” Faint whispering voices drifted from a room just three steps ahead.

“So were the two of them lovers from the start? As far as I know, they didn’t even meet while he was staying at the villa.”

“They were probably friends before that. Then Mr. Ashford, having become an omega, heard the rumor that His Highness was returning to the palace and seduced him.”

“That could be. That’s why they rushed into sharing a bed like that.” He had known, when he agreed to the contract with Edward, that people would look at him like this behind his back. But hearing it directly like this felt strange.

“But it’s really strange. I knew His Highness was an alpha, but I thought he disliked omegas and only enjoyed relations with women!”

“I thought so too, but come to think of it, he didn’t exactly have a reputation as a womanizer, did he?”

“Huh, then does it only stand for that boy?”

At that moment, Leian’s heart sank. It was just as he had expected. These people were talking not only about Leian, but about their family as well.

This was something Leian, and his parents too, had all known would happen. The people entangled in this marriage were not Leian alone.

‘Meryl…!’

Leian quietly thought of his younger sister, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

‘Tell me honestly, Meryl. Did you really become pregnant with His Highness Edward’s child?’

‘Yes, this child carries royal blood.’

‘But His Highness is a presented person. A presented person cannot enter a marriage contract with an unpresented person. That child will be a bastard! Why on earth did you do such a thing?’

Leian didn’t know whether he had been angry at Meryl then because he was truly worried about her, or because he was jealous that she was carrying Edward’s child.

‘His Highness promised to take this child as a royal grandchild.’ Meryl told him firmly of Edward’s promise. Straight after, Leian went to Edward in a single stride.

‘I’m telling you plainly, I have no relationship whatsoever with your sister!’

But Edward looked straight into Leian’s eyes and denied any relationship with her.

‘Then whose seed is the child in her belly?’

Leian hoped Edward would deny it, yet at the same time, if it wasn’t true, he was at a loss for what to do about Meryl.

‘Just tell me whether or not that child is yours!’

‘I don’t want to answer. Whatever I say now, you won’t believe me.’

‘Still, tell me! I want to believe the words that come from your mouth!’

‘Think whatever you like. I have no desire to persuade someone who doesn’t believe me.’

Edward never gave Leian any answer in the end. Leian still hadn’t heard a definite answer from him about it.

But somehow the rumor spread, and after that day, word began going around that Edward, a nobleman and a presented person, was carrying on an improper relationship with an unpresented woman and had even fathered an illegitimate child.

Edward was driven out of the palace over the affair, and Meryl fled to a convent.

After that, Leian didn’t know how to treat Edward. During the year they had grown apart, he had tried to understand what had happened, but he still hadn’t found the answer.

He couldn’t know whether the child Meryl had carried really was Edward’s seed, or whether Edward had promised to marry her. He didn’t have the confidence to ask, either.

It was confusing to think how he should treat him if he learned the truth, so perhaps it was better never to know.

“Whew…”

Leian let out a small breath and set off again with heavy steps. His head was complicated, but for now he had to deal with what was facing him.

From the palace to the Crystal Palace, where the exposition was being held, it was about 30 minutes by carriage. Leian, naturally, ended up riding in the same carriage as Edward.

Since the pheromone showers had begun, Leian had become terribly uncomfortable being alone with Edward.

When he closed his eyes, Edward’s naked body and the sensation of their skin colliding came vividly to mind, and it felt as if his pheromone scent were wrapping around his lungs.

Each time, a warm feeling rose in his lower belly, and he had to hurriedly immerse himself in other thoughts.

“You got the order of ceremony for today?”

Edward, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke, and Leian, lost in his own idle thoughts, flinched in surprise.

“Ah, yes!”

Since Leian was not yet officially a member of the royal family, Edward’s secretary was handling this and that business for him.

Edward told him that only after holding the wedding and gaining the title of Crown Princess would royal staff and property be assigned to him.

“Until someone asks you first, hold your tongue, and when you are asked a question, get my permission first before you open your mouth.”

“Yes, I understand.”

In any case, even without being told, Leian had no intention of stepping forward and chattering away.

Still, it was only natural for Edward to be anxious, watching him like a child set down at the water’s edge. Leian was unaccustomed both to standing in such official settings and to being the talk of people’s mouths.

He must be worried that Leian might make a verbal slip and disgrace the honor of the royal family.

“Leian.”

At the low voice, Leian, who had been staring only at his own knees, flinched and lifted his head. Edward was leaning back against the seat with his arms crossed.

Deep wrinkles etched between his brows were thick with regret.

“When you’re nervous, it shows all over your face.”

Leian already knew his face had gone stiff. He tried to move his muscles and force a smile, but the corners of his mouth trembled.

“Are you afraid of standing before people?”

Edward laughed, finding Leian’s expression amusing.

“No, it’s not that… I’m just afraid I’ll make a mistake and cause trouble for you or the royal family.” With all the warnings he had received from Edward, he couldn’t possibly feel at ease.

“Of course you mustn’t make mistakes, but you don’t need to be that frightened. Unless you’ve killed someone, I’ll sort it all out.”

At Edward’s indifferent voice, Leian paused and gazed at him. In his calm expression, Edward’s childhood overlapped.

Leian had admired him, even though they were the same age, like a sturdy support at his back. He had felt that no matter what happened, if Edward was beside him, he could get through it as if it were nothing.

Seeing that Edward again after so long made his heart thump low.

“Yes, I won’t be nervous.”

Leian nodded once, big and deliberately spirited.

“And one more thing, something important left to say.”

Had his answer displeased him? Edward’s expression darkened further. Leian’s face, already wearing a forced smile, froze along with it.

“What is it?”

“People will ask you about your sister. No one is curious about the truth anymore, but we can’t stop the talk from coming up, so we need to get our story straight in advance.” Since it was the topic he most wanted to avoid, Leian swallowed hard.

“I’ll just do as you tell me.”

Leian didn’t know the truth of that day in any case. He had no desire to dig into it. He wanted to believe both Edward and Meryl. He didn’t want to think either of them had lied to him.

“If anyone asks about that story from now on, just say you don’t know, that you don’t remember, no matter what.”

“I’ll do that.”

Leian looked down at his smooth shoes. When he first heard the news, he had stared blankly at Edward’s shoes just like this.

“People are very interested in our love marriage, so at least in front of people we have to act affectionate, but don’t think that makes us a real married couple.”

Act affectionate. Leian turned over in his mind the coldly spat word. He had never once expected to become a real married couple with him. Nor did he want to.

Even so, there had never been a single time when Leian had not been affectionate toward him. How much more kindly did he have to act toward him?

“…I’ll try.”

Trying was all Leian, who had nothing, could do. Edward, as if he knew that, said nothing more.

A heavy silence fell once more over the carriage as the conversation ended. The real wedding hadn’t even begun yet, and Leian already felt exhausted.

Could he keep pretending nothing was wrong? That anxiety rose relentlessly, like weeds.

***

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