<Chapter 12>

*  *  *

“The imperial decree has arrived. We’re to hold the wedding within the month.”

Inosensia’s mouth opened into a perfect O, as if she’d heard the most unexpected news.

“An imperial decree?”

“Read it yourself.”

Rather than explain every little detail, Temenos handed her the Emperor’s letter.

She made a series of incoherent sounds—”Uh, um, oh”—as a flurry of emotions crossed her face. Then, lifting her head, she furrowed her elegant brow.

“I don’t get it. First, he wanted to kill me, and now he’s throwing a tantrum about us getting married? Why?”

Temenos raised two fingers.

“One, to confirm whether his assassin succeeded in killing you. Two, to pressure you in case they didn’t.”

“How does ordering us to get married pressure me?”

“Ever heard the phrase, ‘The first time is the hardest; the second is easy’?”

Inosensia caught on quickly.

Though she hadn’t even flinched upon seeing Temenos’ unmasked face after losing her memory, this revelation drew a gasp of pure disbelief.

“So basically, it’s marry or die, is that it?”

“Who can dare to guess the intentions of someone so high and mighty?”

Temenos’ voice dripped with sarcasm, but he added, with a tilt of his chin toward the letter she had placed on the table: “Either way, he’s confident we won’t manage to go through with the wedding.”

Clearly, the excuse of ill health wouldn’t fly. The Emperor’s envoy had arrived with an armful of rare, health-boosting remedies, leaving no room for that argument.

To outsiders, the Emperor might seem benevolent and compassionate—a ruler pitying a young boy orphaned too soon, even arranging his marriage for his sake.

Temenos once believed that too. He’d thought the Emperor was someone worth dedicating himself to—until the day of his title succession, when the Emperor had ripped off his mask in front of a gathering of nobles.

As he reflected on those memories with a bitter smile, a cheerful voice shattered the silence of the study.

“All right. Let’s do it. Let’s get married.”

Lost in thought, Temenos didn’t process her words at first.

“What did you just say?”

“I said, let’s do it. It was postponed, not canceled, right? Besides…”

Inosensia leaned in, covering her mouth with one hand as she whispered: “You said the Emperor doesn’t believe we’ll manage to hold the wedding. Wouldn’t it be satisfying to see his reaction when we actually go through with it?”

For a moment, Temenos was struck speechless.

Satisfying? No, the Emperor would feel like he’d been hit over the head.

Not that he could openly show it—it was a marriage he had arranged, after all.

Unconsciously, Temenos found himself picturing the Emperor’s grimace and let out a small, dry cough.

“Think carefully. A decision made on impulse now could lead to regret later.”

“Regret? Me? Why would I?”

“Why”? Does she really not know?  

Ah, memory loss…

Her behavior made it seem more plausible that she had indeed lost her memories.

Temenos studied her clear, untroubled face for a moment before speaking.

“You might not mind now, but what if your memories return? What will you do then?”

When he indirectly reminded her that she had once hated the idea of this marriage so much that she’d thrown herself from a tower, Inosensia gave a simple reply: “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Was she not understanding the gravity of his words?

Temenos frowned, only for Inosensia to mimic his expression by furrowing her own brows.

“Didn’t I tell you? Stop bringing up the past. Let’s focus on our bright and shining future.”

“Bright and shining future?”

“Sure! From a nameless orphan to a duchess—it’s a pretty bright future for me, don’t you think?”

But then she hesitated, glancing at him cautiously.

Catching that hesitation, Temenos’ brow twitched slightly. Her sudden unease at facing him dampened his mood considerably.

“On second thought, Your Grace, this marriage doesn’t seem to offer much benefit for you.”

“Your Grace”?

‘Hah.’

Wasn’t she the one teasing me with that “Temi-Menny” nonsense before? And now she’s calling me “Your Grace”?

“…What a cleverly phrased statement.”

“What is?” she asked.

No matter how innocent your face looks, feigning innocence won’t work.

Temenos raised his sharp gaze at Inosensia and questioned her.

“Were you trying to make me say, ‘You’re right, this marriage is of no benefit to me, so I won’t go through with it’?”

Inosensia’s eyes widened in apparent surprise, her expression completely genuine.

“No, that’s not it at all! I honestly thought this marriage was only beneficial to me…”

“Then if that’s true, there should be no issue in proceeding with this marriage as planned.”

“I suppose so.”

“Then I’ll take that as your agreement.”

“Um… Are you really okay with it?”

At her final confirmation, Temenos scoffed lightly.

“No matter how many times you ask, you won’t hear me say I’m not.”

“Well… all right, then. Let’s get married.”

“This is a mutual agreement. Don’t think you can change your mind later.”

“Exactly! And don’t forget—you’re the one who said it was mutual agreement, Your Grace.”

She called me “Your Grace” yet again! 

‘Is she doing this on purpose?’ Temenos wondered, frowning slightly.

Still, he suddenly felt an odd sense of irritation.

Why do I even care about this?

After some thought, he found a plausible reason.

Her amnesia aside, there are still unresolved suspicions about the prophecy…

Yes. I can’t trust her just yet. That lingering distrust must be why her presence stirs up a strange unease deep in my chest.

Temenos stared at Inosensia, who blinked up at him curiously, before reaching out to summon David.

“Bring me the marriage documents.”

“Pardon?”

“Now. Immediately.”

Hearing the commanding tone, David scrambled to obey.

Moments later, the marriage documents lay on the desk, and Temenos swiftly signed them.

“Sign here.”

“Got it.”

Inosensia picked up the pen and signed with confident strokes, each letter neatly formed.

“Did I do it correctly?”

Temenos, confused at her question, remembered her amnesia.

“Come to think of it, you didn’t forget how to read or write?”

Curious herself, Inosensia explained brightly, “I wasn’t sure either, so I borrowed books from the library to try. Turns out, I can still do both!”

She seemed genuinely amazed by this discovery. Feeling a sudden wave of suspicion, Temenos examined her signature twice, then a third time.

He couldn’t let her later claim, “This signature says ‘Inosensiya,’ not ‘Inosensia,’ so it’s invalid.”

“David, keep this document safe.”

“Ah, wait a second. Just in case, I’d like to have a copy for myself too.”

Temenos raised an eyebrow.

“To destroy the evidence?”

“No, no! I mean, let’s just write another identical one.”

With a quiet sigh, Inosensia mumbled to herself, as though talking to no one in particular.

“Have I been deceived so often that I can’t even trust people properly anymore…”

Her remark was so casually blunt that David instinctively glanced at Temenos. Fortunately, Temenos seemed more amused than annoyed, realizing he’d been unnecessarily on edge.

“Bring another copy.”

“Yes, sir.”

Soon, Inosensia left the study, cradling her copy of the documents with a satisfied smile on her face.

The sound of Inosensia’s footsteps, accompanied by her lively humming, could be heard in Temenos’ left ear, which was covered with golden hair and dotted with a few scales.

Over the soft melody, David’s voice rang out, full of admiration.

“You’re incredible, Your Grace.”

Temenos felt a brief sense of emptiness but couldn’t pinpoint the cause. He replied absentmindedly: “What are you referring to?”

“You managed to get her to sign without her saying she didn’t want to marry. That’s what you were aiming for, wasn’t it?”

“I wasn’t particularly…”

…Was I? Did I deliberately push her to sign the documents to prevent her from backing out?

…Yes. I couldn’t risk her refusing to marry.

After all, this is a marriage arranged by the Emperor. I have no right to refuse it either.

That’s why I pushed her to sign the marriage documents.

It certainly isn’t because of her brazen comments about amazing abs and broad chests.

“Your Grace? Are you unwell?”

“What?”

Temenos, misunderstanding the comment, looked at David with wide, horrified eyes.

David, taken aback by his intense reaction despite only expressing concern, quickly added more to his explanation.

“I mean, you kept rubbing your stomach earlier, so I thought you might have a stomachache…”
 

<To be continued>

Join the GS Discord to stay updated on the latest chapter releases:

https://discord.gg/PRZEAJZE3J