7. Arranged Marriage

Duke Ashford's mind was in turmoil as he made his way to the palace.

"What could be the Emperor's true intention for summoning me?"

He had discussed with his colleagues the use of his privilege regarding the Emperor.

"I intend to ask the Emperor to end the engagement using the privilege request, although I'm aware that doing so will make the Emperor hostile towards the Ashford family."

He wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.

"Hopefully, the Emperor won't request an earlier wedding date."

That's why Duke Ashford had not yet held a debut party for Eleanor. He feared that the Emperor would hasten the marriage if Eleanor had already made her debut.

Furthermore, he had heard embarrassing rumors out there. Rumors about the Crown Prince having a woman residing in his mansion. It was a disgrace and an insult to the Ashford Duchy.

"If the Emperor rushes Eleanor's marriage, I will use my privilege to refuse, regardless of the consequences."

He had arrived in front of the Audience Room, and the guards reported to the Emperor. When he was allowed to enter, he stepped in nervously.

"Greetings to the sun of Astoria-"

"No need to be too formal with me; our relationship is close, isn't it?" The Emperor interrupted with a smile.

"It is an honor, Your Majesty..."

"Good afternoon, Duke Ashford. How are you and your daughter? I hope you are both well."

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty. Yes, we are both doing well."

"I called you here to discuss something important."

As Emperor's face turned serious, cold sweat ran down Duke Ashford's back.

'Please don't let it be what I'm expecting.'

"Our relationship has been good, and I deeply regret having to inform you of this, but it seems Crown Prince Lucas and your daughter cannot continue this engagement."

Duke Ashford was too stunned to speak, but deep inside, he was overjoyed.

"....!"

"Don't misunderstand, Duke Ashford. I am canceling this engagement, but I still intend to maintain a brotherly relationship with you through marriage and preserve our good ties."

'What does he mean by maintaining a relationship through marriage when he just broke off the engagement with his son?'

Emperor Julian's words sounded ambiguous. Then suddenly, Duke Ashford's eyes widened, and a nauseous feeling gripped his stomach.

'Don't tell me he intends to marry my daughter himself...!!'

Seeing Duke Ashford's visibly frightened expression, the Emperor continued.

"I regret making this decision about the marriage, so I will provide you compensation."

"Ah, that's not necessary, Your Majesty..."

"No, no. It is necessary. Accept my goodwill, Duke. What compensation do you wish for? Name it."

"Truly, Your Majesty, I cannot think of anything..."

"In that case, let me decide for you. How about a marriage with my nephew, Grand Duke Cassius Caspian? That way, you and I will still be relatives, even though not through the Crown Prince."

Emperor's face smiled gently, but his thoughts were as cunning as a snake.

Duke Ashford sighed with relief, realizing his assumption was wrong, but disbelief soon replaced it.

Instantly, Duke Ashford's face turned as white as cotton.

'What does the Emperor mean? He ends the engagement with the Crown Prince but proposes to marry my daughter to his nephew?'

He was furious to realize that his daughter's life was being arranged so easily by the Emperor. Even he, her own father, had not yet considered her marriage.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but-"

"No buts, Duke. This is not only my good intention, but also an order. I cannot bear seeing my nephew remain without a partner. Won't you help me, Duke?"

'Does he think I am a fool? In public, the Emperor always praises Grandduke Cassius and behaves as if they are a friendly uncle and nephew. But who knows what goes on behind closed doors?'

'Moreover, the Emperor has only one son, and the nobles often compare his incompetent son to Grandduke Cassius, who is like a hero.'

'Furthermore, they believed that the heir to the throne should possess golden eyes, as it was a characteristic of the Astoria royal family from generation to generation.'

'If even I can realize this, there is no way the Emperor doesn't know and acts like a loving uncle and nephew. This marriage cannot possibly be a good intention.'

Emperor Julian is a fair ruler who cares about his people. However, as he grows older, he becomes increasingly anxious about his throne. Day by day, he appears more and more like an old man clutching onto his gold and afraid of others taking it away.

'It is unlikely that he would give an advantage to his nephew by merging Ashford Duchy and Caspian Grandduchy. I believe he is more likely to elevate Cassius' position to crown prince rather than arranging this marriage with goodwill. '

Duke Ashford clenches his fists behind his back, answering through gritted teeth.

"I have to discuss this with my daughter, Your Majesty. After all, it's about her married life."

"A child should not only be obedient to their parents but also should not decide their own future, Duke."

'How dare he say that without looking in the mirror? Look at what his son has done! So disrespectful!'

"But still..."

"Duke Alexander Ashford, I am not only proposing for your daughter to marry my nephew, but it is also an order."

Duke Ashford fell silent, unsure of what to do.

'If I knew it would be like this, I should have used my privilege from the beginning and quickly arranged Eleanor's marriage with the son of a close friend of my late wife.'

"I hear you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Julian smiled with satisfaction.

"Very well, there is much work awaiting me. You may leave."

"Very well, Your Majesty."

Duke Ashford left the audience chamber like a person leaving a casino with empty pockets.

As he made his way through the palace, he ran into the man who would become his daughter's husband, Grand Duke Cassius.

"Your Grace," he placed his right hand on his chest and gave a slight bow.

"Duke Ashford," Cassius nodded his head.

"Did you just meet with His Majesty the Emperor?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Hmm, he summoned me as well. What do you think he wants to discuss with me?"

It was strange because the Emperor requested meetings with both him and Duke Ashford on the same day.

'What does that old man want by summoning me?'

Seeing Grand Duke Cassius casually discussing the Emperor as if he were talking about an ordinary noble, Duke Ashford was slightly surprised.

'Ha... Why are both men engaged to my daughter so far from being right? One is like a bully, and the other is like a snake. '

His face looked very tired.

"It is not my place to guess the Emperor's intentions, Your Grace."

Cassius raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Of course. I was just joking. Well then, until later, Duke," he said with a very cold tone.

And he walked away just like that.

"If it weren't for his position as the Grand Duke and he was in a cold war with the Emperor, that boy would have been a good candidate for my daughter..."

In Duke Ashford's eyes, Grand Duke Cassius was a handsome, courageous warrior, but was also cunning.

The Emperor often attacked him silently with intrigue, but somehow he managed to turn the Emperor's attacks to his advantage.

Ten years ago, when he was only 14 years old, the Emperor sent him to the battlefield under the pretext of allowing him to learn more as the heir to the Caspian duchy.

But all nobles knew that the real reason was for the Emperor to get rid of him.

However, unexpectedly, two years ago, Cassius returned from the war with victory, which further garnered support from many nobles.

"The child sent to the battlefield to die came back as the God of War at the young age of 22..."

Because of this, the Emperor, feeling increasingly threatened, seized Grand Duke Cassius' forces.

"It's common knowledge that his golden eyes are the thorn in the Emperor's life, considering Crown Prince Lucas didn't possess such eyes."

"Furthermore, Magnus Lancaster, Cassius's father, who is Emperor Julian's elder brother, is the original heir to the throne."

In the Astoria Empire, the line of succession is not determined by the child born from the Empress's womb, but rather by whoever is born first, regardless of whether they are born from a concubine.

Therefore, even though Magnus was not the biological child of the Empress Dowager, he is the rightful Crown Prince, despite the close age gap between him and Emperor Julian.

Emperor Julian was born two days after Magnus's birth, and then the Empress Dowager adopted him because the concubine who gave birth to Magnus passed away.

However, Magnus gave up his status as Crown Prince and handed over his position to Emperor Julian to marry Evelyn Caspian, Cassius's mother, and decided to take her last name.

Until now, people did not know why Magnus did that. Was it out of love, or were there other hidden reasons? The answer remained a mystery.

Duke Ashford took a deep breath.

"What kind of fate awaits my daughter in the midst of this storm, dear Lord..."

He shook his head and turned to walk towards his horse-drawn carriage.

"How do I deliver this news to Eleanor?"

However, their last conversation seemed to suggest that Eleanor had already moved on from the Crown Prince.

"I hope my intuition is right, I hope she no longer has feelings for the Crown Prince."

Then he boarded the carriage and prepared himself to share this news with her daughter.