[Chapter 175] Conditions of Marriage

It was a fitting statement. The Duchess was in a position almost equivalent to the Princess Consort and had a certain degree of freedom from the palace.

And under no circumstances could the woman's family claim rights over her unless she requested protection herself.

Neris's heart raced. In many ways, her chest felt tight.

How dare she stand beside him. Hadn't she already convinced herself not to do so? And hadn't he also agreed with her opinion?

Cladwin looked at her face and gave a wry smile. He took out a box wrapped in black velvet from his arms.

"Elen said not to even think about returning to the White Swan Castle unless you wear this ring."

The lid of the box opened slowly. The light that briefly entered through the curtain illuminated the gem inside the box. In an instant, the large gem sparkled as the sunlight penetrated, creating hundreds of small lights that filled the carriage.

A cushion-cut diamond slightly larger than Neris's thumbnail, surrounded by small purple diamonds, sparkled on a platinum ring.

"What is this? A gift?"

"It's my mother's wedding ring. I removed some heavy decorations from there and reset it to suit you."

She felt increasingly overwhelmed. Neris tried to refuse before the atmosphere became heavier. But Cladwin quickly added more.

"It seems the palace is trying to bring up the marriage talks with Ejet while I'm in the capital. They probably thought it was a good excuse to keep me tied up."

Ejet. In an instant, Neris's mind blazed with anger.

"In her previous life, Neris didn't harbor particularly great anger towards her little sister, Ejet. But the idea of Cladwin marrying her was absurd. The palace would interfere under the pretext of being the Duchess's brother, so they would control him.

However, to casually refuse the marriage talks brought up by the palace, an excuse was needed. For example, already being engaged to someone else...

'Who could it be?'

The Duchess Natasha and Valentine were not worth mentioning, and the Viscountess Megara and Idalia were the same. Who could serve as a suitable excuse to reject the marriage talks with Princess Ejet immediately?

Neris sighed. She admitted it. No one came to mind.

It wasn't that no one came to mind in a hurry. She... didn't know of a woman good enough to match Cladwin.

Neris sighed once again. It would take considerable strength to accept the marriage with the man she had already rejected and tried not to think about.

'No, that's not all.'

She knew. The fact that she was secretly pleased. Perhaps she was grateful for this excuse arising.

But not wanting to be too greedy, she decided to firmly set the final nail after that winter night.

"I understand. But... there are conditions."

"What conditions?"

Cladwin's face paled. His gray eyes, resembling diamonds, sparkled and narrowed.

"Anything. Tell me. Do as you wish."

"If you promise to marry me and set me free, I truly appreciate it. And I won't demand more from you. So, find a suitable woman even after marrying me."

This time, pain crossed Cladwin's face.

Seeing his distorted face, Neris felt like crying herself. But she straightened her shoulders and composed her expression firmly.

Just as she had done countless times to calm herself when she had to do something unpleasant.

Cladwin silently gazed at Neris's face for a long time. Her heart fluttered, gradually starting to tear apart with pain.

Finally, his lips parted.

"If you wish, I can promise that. If you find a woman more suitable than you to become the Duchess, I will elevate her."

It was strange. She heard the words she wanted, yet her heart raced madly.

But it had to be this way. So Neris hid her tears and smiled gracefully.

"Yes. Thank you."

The sound of horses galloping wildly outside could be heard. Judging by the hoofbeats, it seemed to be a single horse.

She seemed to know who it was. Neris peeked through the curtain by the window to see who was riding so frantically along the street.

Long, flowing silver hair and sky-blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

Nelucian stopped the carriage absentmindedly shortly after passing by. He gazed blankly at the carriage.

Through the window, his gaze met Neris's.

"Neris!"

"Nelucian's face contorted fiercely. He turned his horse to approach, but Aidan blocked his way.

"Where are you going, Elendria Duke."

"Move!"

The usual kind and clever tone was nowhere to be found. Nelucian tried to push past Aidan, but it wasn't easy. With subtle movements, Aidan perfectly controlled his horse, blocking Nelucian.

Flames sparked in Nelucian's eyes.

"My brother is over there, step aside, Knight!"

"The brother of the Duke is not here. Only our lord is present."

"What nonsense, he's watching me from there!"

Nelucian's menacing approach seemed like that of a madman. Neris brushed aside the curtain and chuckled.

Brother? Nelucian had always had only one sister. It used to be sad, but now she considered it fortunate.

If it had been a sibling of such a person, she wouldn't have been able to escape even through marriage this time.

"Let's go quickly. It's too noisy."

"If my wife wishes."

The coachman swiftly drove the carriage away from Nelucian.

Neris knew why Nelucian had returned. He must have realized it with his keen mind.

If Neris could only use the jewel box once a day, she wouldn't waste it on Nelucian.

The carriage seat was plush. Cladwin moved to sit beside Neris, who had leaned back against the soft cushion. As a result, the two who had been facing each other until now ended up sitting side by side.

"Left hand."

"Got it."

Cladwin slid a diamond ring onto Neris's left hand. His fingers holding her hand were warm, and there was no hint of cologne. Just being close made her feel good.

As the ring wrapped around her finger, it felt cold and solid, yet somehow reassuring. Neris suddenly looked at her left hand, now feeling heavier, under a ray of sunlight.

Even as the Princess Consort, she never had such jewelry. It would have been taken out only from the Empress's jewelry box or treated as a precious item for special occasions like portrait painting.

The diamond was so clear and emitted a pure radiance.

Neris marveled without any particular thought.

"It's similar to your eyes. You may not be a gem, but sometimes your eyes shine with a white glow like this when they catch the light."

"Is that so? And these purple diamonds are similar to your eyes."

"What was the original setting?"

"There was a turquoise emerald. I removed it and kept it separately."

"Was it in the parlor where your mother's portrait was?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"It just seemed fitting there."

It seemed like a place preserved from the time of the former Duchess, set apart from the flow of time. Neris stopped looking at the ring and neatly placed her left hand on her knee.

"I thought so too."

"Yeah... So, shall we go to the priest first? Priests won't easily marry us."

Officially, the only requirements for marriage were the betrothed man and woman, along with the ordained priest. However, life is never that simple. Many priests, especially in high-ranking marriages, wouldn't grant marriage approval without significant behind-the-scenes negotiations.

For someone like a Duke, it was customary to pay a substantial sum to the Pope before being allowed to marry the desired person. Otherwise, if the Duke's newly established marriage alliance didn't sit well with other nobles, they could influence the Pope to oppose it.

In other words, it meant that the temple wouldn't readily approve high-ranking marriages without a hefty bribe.

Knowing this fact well, the priests in the capital were cautious, even if they oversaw small congregations. Cladwin seemed to have thought of everything in response to Neris's concerns, smiling leisurely. His eyes remained fixed on the ring on Neris's hand with satisfaction.

"Don't worry. We have a priest who will marry us."

"You've arranged it? How long will it take from here?"

"A week?"

A week in the capital?

Neris blinked. Cladwin gently lifted Neris's left hand and kissed each fingertip as if they were precious.

"If it's a week from here... Are we going to Ulveris? By Papal decree?"

"That's right."

"Why would the Pope approve our marriage? Did you arrange it with the Pope?"

"No, not directly with the Pope. It's not just one priest in the Papal decree, right?"

"Few people can refer to the Pope as 'that person.' Neris had a headache.

"So, are we really... just going in this carriage? Have you prepared for the trip already?"

"Yes."

"What were you planning to do if I refused?"

"If you refused, we would just head back to Maindland, that's all."

In any case, it seemed like the conclusion was to leave.

Although it was a forced statement, seeing Cladwin's eyes sparkle with joy, Neris forgot her desire to nag.

Anyway, wasn't he happy again?

Soon, even a teary smile emerged, surprisingly given the seriousness of the situation.

"I used to enjoy reading books with elopement in love when I was young. I never thought I would play the cheerful and courageous lady role in such a story at my age."

"You're twenty this year. It's an appropriate age to become the protagonist of a story."

Finding Cladwin's voice both absurd and charming, Neris burst into laughter.

***

Outside the carriage, Aidan couldn't help but smile upon hearing her laughter.

Seeing this, Talfryn mimicked a choking sound.

"Ugh, even rocks can laugh. Is the world coming to an end?"

"I'm not a rock."

"You can even talk!"

Talfryn's mischievous prank prompted Aidan to flick his reins a few times.

Skillfully dodging it, Talfryn sprawled on the horse.

"It's a long way to Ulveris. I hope nothing happens until we return."

"Nothing will happen. Hylbrin is there."

Not everyone who came from Maindland was currently with this group. It was difficult to completely clear out the mansion they had been staying in from dawn until now.

Furthermore, with some injured individuals, a few people had decided to stay behind to guard the mansion. They also wanted to prepare for the return of the lord and lady after their marriage in Ulveris.

Dora had decided to stay and receive treatment at the Duke's mansion in the capital. Leaving only the subordinates, including the injured, to worry about them was intentional.

Hylbrin had dealt with his fair share of followers and had a strong enmity towards the "southern folks," so they weren't going to leave the mansion unguarded for anyone to ransack.

"It's fortunate that our advisor, no, our visionary, seemed to overlook it easily. A naive person."

Aidan raised an eyebrow at Talfryn's lament-like words.

"Disappointed?"

"Are you disappointed that the contraptions I set up to make me look like I was dying over the past few weeks weren't needed? Slightly, yes."

The fact that Neris had been arrested on assassination charges against Viscount Tiphian was already frustrating, but the reality of being trapped in the Elendria Viscountcy, which was just distant relatives, naturally displeased everyone present.

However, Cladwin didn't want to leave that dissatisfaction as it was but rather saw it as an opportunity.

Having received orders, Talfryn had been working behind the scenes for weeks to ensure that Cladwin and Princess Ejet's marriage talks were brought up by the royal side.

However, Neris sat quietly in the carriage without showing any signs of requesting evidence for the marriage talks.

"It's a good thing."

"You're quite talkative today. Is it because you met the visionary?"

Aidan just smiled without replying. Talfryn also had a smile on his face shortly after.

The carriage continued on towards the sacred land.