Chapter 10

“What? Whose death anniversary?”

Demian suddenly remembered Gael’s death anniversary. July 7th. Around this time last year, he had just departed for war. Back then, Briseyes had cried so painfully when she heard the news of Gael’s death.

‘It’s because of me. I’m such a worthless sister…’

‘It’s not your fault, Bri.’

At that time, he had briefly returned from the battlefield for Briseyes. That’s why he remembered it—because Briseyes had collapsed into his arms and cried.

“Let go of that hand.”

At Callisten’s commanding voice, Demian found himself obeying without thinking. The Crown Prince’s eyes, as deep as drops of blood, were somehow threatening.

Demian involuntarily shrank back whenever Callisten looked at him like that, perhaps because of his memory of facing Callisten on the battlefield.

“I wondered where you went after the victory ceremony, so you visited the cemetery?”

“Yes.”

Demian felt slightly relieved at Callisten’s words. He now had an idea of whom his wife had met.

If it was Gael’s death anniversary, it made sense that those who had been particularly close since childhood would visit. Even if the Philia Marquis family regarded the fallen Gael as a disgrace to the family, he wasn’t that to them.

Since Demian had been repeatedly rejected by Briseyes since childhood, he knew well how close Callisten, Gael, and Briseyes were. He had been watching them to win her heart.

Realizing that the person she had met was Callisten, Demian felt truly relieved.

This man would remain motionless like a wooden statue even if an unknown woman stripped naked and tried to seduce him.

The Crown Prince was someone who had twisted the necks of women who had jumped into his bedroom to seduce him.

Moreover, the Crown Prince had other scandals attached to him.

Ironically, Demian had no idea how Callisten actually looked at Briseyes.

“Did you hit Bri?”

“I never did.”

“Then why are there so many bruises on Bri’s arms?”

Demian wondered how he knew about the bruises on his wife’s arms. Had she rolled up her sleeves to show him? He felt upset at the thought, but also wondered why rolling up sleeves would be such a big deal.

“She fell down the stairs.”

“Would falling down stairs cause such bruises?”

Callisten was still looking at Demian suspiciously.

“Do I look like a despicable person who would beat his wife, Your Highness?”

“I don’t know you well. All I know is that Briseyes is the type of person who wouldn’t say anything even if she suffered such treatment.”

Callisten said this in a low voice while looking at Briseyes, as if telling her to tell the truth even now.

“I-it’s true, Your Highness!”

Ella, who had appeared out of nowhere, spoke up. The maid Ella was a loyal servant who had attended to Briseyes since her time at the Philia Marquis residence. She had been Briseyes’s playmate when they were young and had been respectful to Callisten as well.

“I see, so that’s it.”

Upon hearing the maid’s words, he acknowledged that the injuries were indeed from falling down the stairs.

If Demian had really hit her, this would have been the perfect time for her to confess everything to him. Ella was not the type of maid who would remain silent if Briseyes were being abused.

“You should apologize, Your Highness the Crown Prince. You suspected me.”

Demian said this while still unable to properly meet Callisten’s eyes. Callisten looked down at him with a bored expression and said:

“It’s not me who should apologize, but you. Bri is like family to me. How dare you treat her so carelessly?”

Callisten sighed as he saw Briseyes clutching her own arm.

“Please don’t interfere in marital affairs. Bri did something wrong, so she’s just receiving admonishment from her husband.”

“Admonishment is given by someone in a higher position. Bri is your wife. Does it make sense to say you’re admonishing her?”

“Your Highness.”

“Ah, this is making me feel so dirty.”

The more Demian conversed with Callisten, the worse he felt. And since the Crown Prince had achieved great merit, he didn’t want to be on bad terms with him.

“I will apologize, Your Highness.”

“You should apologize to Bri, not to me.”

“I’ll do that when we’re alone.”

“Fine. I’ll believe that you won’t act like a petty person who says he’ll apologize but doesn’t.”

Callisten sighed and spoke mockingly.

“By the way, what brings you here?”

Demian asked, trying to change the subject. Callisten responded with a relaxed expression, forcing a smile:

“I’m going to the Academy starting tomorrow. I wanted to ask if you had any organized notes to show me.”

Briseyes remembered that Callisten had a habit of pressing his thumb and index finger together whenever he lied. Like now.

“Ah, I see. That would be difficult today…”

“I’ll lend them to you!”

Delilah looked at Callisten with a bright smile while touching the ring hanging from her necklace.

“If you come to my room, I have notes from today! I’ll lend them to you.”

“On second thought, it seems a bit late to study in advance.”

Callisten said this while glancing once at Briseyes.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Take care, Your Highness.”

With that, Callisten left.

Demian, who seemed to have lost his steam, spoke about Briseyes:

“You’ve become quite arrogant since His Highness the Crown Prince returned, wife.”

Briseyes thought that while the Crown Prince Callisten was already overwhelming, Demian was even worse right now.

“Just apologize, Demian.”

“Do you think I will?”

Demian looked at her mockingly as he spoke.

“Demi, can we go to our room now?”

Delilah looked at Demian with a worried expression. The maid Ella involuntarily stiffened when she saw Delilah. She couldn’t look at her kindly, thinking that her mistress had been continuously suffering because of Delilah lately.

“Dili, you always say such pretty things.”

Briseyes didn’t want to hear their conversation anymore, so she tried to withdraw.

“If you keep acting like a thorn in my side, I won’t be able to tolerate it, Bri.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since we’re married anyway, you need to bear my child. A Grand Duchess who can’t even have a child will eventually be abandoned.”

“……”

“So when I say I’ll give you my seed, accept it obediently. Stop playing hard to get.”

Demian said this and moved away from Briseyes with a more relaxed expression than before. Even so, he looked towards the door as if checking whether the crazy Crown Prince had really left, and when he confirmed that he was no longer in the mansion, he took Delilah’s hand with relief.

“Then, sleep alone in your room. Good night, wife.”

Demian said this mockingly and passed by Briseyes. Delilah looked back at them with a distant expression, then sneered at Ella.

“Ha……”

“My lady!”

Once everyone had disappeared, Briseyes almost collapsed to the floor as her legs gave way.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Please help me up, Ella.”

“Yes.”

Ella quickly supported her and strongly helped Briseyes to her room.

⁕⁕⁕

“Don’t go to school today.”

Demian had woken up early and was blocking Briseyes from leaving her room.

“Move.”

“I said don’t go.”

“Mmph……”

He grabbed Briseyes’s wrist tightly as she tried to pass by him and turned her around.

“You dare to leave while your husband is speaking?”

“Have you forgotten that I said I would divorce you?”

At Briseyes’s words, Demian gripped her arm more tightly. Briseyes involuntarily shrank from the pain.

“Let go!”

When he roughly released her hand, Briseyes staggered.

“I am your husband. So you cannot go to the Academy without your husband’s permission.”

Briseyes thought it wouldn’t be good for her to provoke him further, so she just glared at him.

“Hand over the details of the dowry you brought and the merchant guild. Everything you managed while I was away.”

“That’s my property that I brought when I married you.”

“You are my wife, so everything you have is mine. Even you are mine.”

Her eyes felt hot, perhaps because her wrist, which he had gripped and released, still ached.

“If you agree to hand that over, I’ll let you go to the Academy.”

“……”

“What’s the point of a woman receiving education anyway? Once married, it’s enough to just help manage the territory.”

‘I thought you looked most beautiful when you were studying.’

Briseyes felt even more miserable as she recalled what Demian had said before they got married.

“Just have many children and stay modestly in the mansion like other women. When I get tired of Dili, I’ll come back to you.”

Hearing his words, Briseyes realized that the person she had loved never actually existed.

If she continued to be foolishly victimized, she would lose everything she had.

She didn’t want to lose herself to him either.

She thought it was finally time to truly make up her mind.

“If I don’t go to the Academy today, His Highness the Crown Prince will come.”

She didn’t want to use this method, but since Callisten was the only person Demian was uncomfortable with, she thought it was necessary.