CHAPTER 4 "ARCHDUKE KYLE ROMANI" (1)

"You've arrived."

The horseman's voice gave the impression that the Archduke's mansion was a cold place. However, in contrast, it looked grandeur and splendid.

When I finally arrived at the mansion, there were several people who came to meet me. A neat-looking old man stood in front of them. When our eyes met, he bent over and bowed politely to me.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Jean, the head butler here. It's an honor to be graced with your presence."

"Nice to meet you too, Jean."

Butler Jean, he was a close assistant to the Archduke. It seems that he has been serving and maintaining this area in place of his ancestors. I smiled at him because I knew he was a good man.

"Are you hungry because of the long trip?"

"No, I'm fine."

"I see. Then you must be tired, we'll prepare your bath and bring you to the bridal chamber afterwards."

After he spoke these words, there were around ten maids who followed his commands to assist me.

The Empire's law was rather unique. Married couples would have their first night together after two or three month in their marriage. Therefore, there were a lot of people who would get married without knowing each other's faces. They were even considered lucky if they somehow met their significant other in an event or maybe they were able to see portraits of each other.

In my case, there was a sort of special rule, this is why I was an exception.

I took a bath and immediately changed my dress to the red bridal sleep-gown with the help of the maids, Jean then assisted me to the bridal chamber. As I walked along the seemingly endless corridor, Jean stopped in front of a room with a large door. It seemed that I finally arrived at the chamber. Jean knocked the door a couple of times.

"Master, her highness has arrived. I'll open the door."

Even with no response, he opened the door without hesitation. The door looked quite old and heavy, but Jean opened the door easily without a sound, as if it had been well managed despite its looks.

"Come in, your highness."

Jean pointed at the door and suggested that I enter inside. I became slightly nervous as I walked into the room. This was the first time I was looking forward to meeting Kyle.

****

It was a captivating room that was tinged with a red color.

I became nervous when I saw the man sitting in front of me, he was Archduke Kyle Romani. With dark hair that looked like a black crystal, alongside his mysterious aura, he looked so handsome that it was hard to look away from him. However, this wasn't the reason I couldn't look away from him. There was something else that bothered me.

This person… it feels like he has no emotions.

I looked softly at him, the latter had an expressionless face. His eyes looked like there was something hidden deep inside of them.

Without feeling frightened, I raised my skirt and greeted him.

"My name is Riddel Spencer, the second daughter of the Spencer family. I'm so glad to meet you."

"I don't need a greeting. This marriage is just business," he answered like a machine.

I didn't respond to his words. Since I knew the reason why he was acting like this, I wasn't offended and I didn't think that he was a cold-hearted person. Whether he understood the meaning of my silence or not, he continued to talk and went straight to the point.

Only

"As you know, I'll die in 6 months. Until then, you don't need to get involved with me at all, you'll get your inheritance when I die."

The fact that he'll die in 6 months is what his curse was.

The Archduke of North, Kyle Romani is cursed with the Frost Curse. Two years ago, Kyle defeated the Blue Dragon in the war. However, the dragon's black magic put him under a curse that slowly froze him. Not only did it freeze his physical body, but after that day, Kyle also slowly lost his human emotions, and at the same time, he began to assimilate with the Dragon's emotions.

As the days went by, he became increasingly violent as if he were someone else. He was constantly filled with madness and had the desire to kill anyone who came near him. People gradually grew afraid of him, some of them even thought that he became insane.

He was suffering from a lot of unfulfilled desires in his heart, but in the end, he ended up dying from the curse. The day he died was the exact day when the Blue Dragon was a few years ago.

I looked at his tender face. His indifferent demeanor made me feel a bit dejected. I gently smiled to shake off this despondent feeling.

"Archduke, please keep this in mind. I didn't marry you because I wanted you to die quickly."