"I dislike anything sweet," Duke Lucas said after a few minutes of awkward silence.
The moment he arrived, he offered her a seat across from him and she quickly took it saying nothing. She glanced at the brewing tea in front of them as she tried to avoid the Duke's gaze.
"For this visit, I chose to give the emperor the most bitter tea that I can offer to the empire. It shows my undying appreciation for the support that the empire has given to the Kingdom over the years."
Rosalind's lips twitched. She was almost certain that the empire stopped sending soldiers to the north. They had been using some excuse to avoid sending their own people to that barren place.
To compensate, they sent some rice and corn — something that does not exist in the north. But traveling up north takes about a month and by then, the rice and corn were already in their worse state.
Moreover, the dangers surrounding the trip weren't low.
Because of this, the help that the Aster Empire promised fell into oblivion.
"But you are not here to talk about that,right?" The corner of his lips turned upward. His blue eyes glinted with something she could only recognize as amusement. Clearly, her discomfort amuses him.
"I- I didn't know you were a Duke."
"And I didn't know the abandoned daughter of the Lux Family could heal."
"That— "
"A deadly secret," he uttered. "I understand."
Rosalind's expression grew serious. She was here to offer a deal to the Duke, but the fact that this man already knew what she was capable of was enough to change everything. She frowned.
If the Lux family heard something about her being able to heal a wound from a cursed object, they would immediately manipulate her to marry into royalty. She was not going to let that happen.
No. She needed to leave the Aster Empire.
Should she do something to silence him?
"Though fighting against you is very tempting, I would rather not do it," he said. It was as if he could read her thoughts. "Do you want to hear the disadvantages of doing so?" he asked, smiling.
She said nothing. Of course, she knew that fighting against him would only reveal more things about her. That would remove the only advantage she had left.
"It seems that the Duke isn't as cruel as the rumors say," she pursed her lips. Despite her unexpected mishap, she pretty much only had one goal in mind. She wanted to leave the Aster Empire and she could only do it with the help of the Duke.
"I don't know about the rumors surrounding me, but I do have some ideas about the rumors surrounding you."
"Your people are very… competent."
"I'd take that as a compliment."
"As you should," she answered.
"Though I am used to keeping people that are competent, I tend to throw away the ones who don't benefit me," the Duke said with nonchalance. She immediately knew he was warning her.
The man knew that she came here because she wanted something and he wanted to tell her that his answer will only depend on the thing that she could do for him in return.
It was a business transaction.
"Tea?" he asked. "I opened a box of the gifts that were supposed to be given to the royalty of Aster."
She chuckled at that. The well-known bitter tea is actually hated in the Aster Empire. Only a few people prefer drinking something that tasted the medicine.
"Thank you. I would like to have some," she answered. An obvious surprise flashed on the Duke's face.
It didn't take too long for him to steep the tea leaves and poured her a cup.
Rosalind accepted it, the back of their hands brushing together. She ignored the little skip that her heart made and focused her attention on the hot tea. She drank it without batting an eyelid.
"Aren't you scared that I would poison you?" he asked.
"No." Poisons don't work on her. The one with both the light and the black Blessing could nott be killed by any sword or poison. It was an advantage and a curse at the same time. This was because her body would use the Blessing of the light to practically destroy everything foreign, even if it was medicine.
In the past, no medicine would work on her when she suffer from stomach aches. Not even the medicine that was designed to relieve pain could help her.
The limitations were inconvenient, but the ability that camewith it was still very useful.
He snorted.
"Killing me inside my tent would cause you fewer problems." That and the Duke was well known for loving blood. He was pretty brutal and didn't like to kill his enemies with poison. It was said that the man loved to behead his enemies. He loved blood and torture. Supposedly, the Duke literally bath in the blood of his enemies in the past.
And this was the reason he had become so strong— not even someone who received a Blessing could beat him.
Though, at this point in time, the Duke is still not that known for this monstrous strength. Everyone knew he was strong and lawless, but no one would believe it if she tells them the truth.
The Duke could easily kill someone who received the Blessing of the Goddess.
Obviously, something that will happen in the future will reveal the truth about him.
"I thought I would hear you say how you expected me not to harm you because you saved my life. It seems that I was thinking too much about the… lady," he mused.
"I didn't save your life. Your body was healing then. I didn't need to do something about your wound." This was a fact that she discovered before she started healing him. If she had known that his body could heal — albeit slowly — from a cursed weapon, she wouldn't have to risk it!
She could only blame her own self for pitying the man who offered her meat while in that state.
"You were right. I didn't need your help," he frankly stated. "And I could have killed you now." Her presence could definitely make the empire stronger.
"But you didn't."
He laughed and leaned back.
She had already met dangerous people in her past life, people who stabbed her in the back, people who left when she lost her Blessing, and people who tried and failed to kill her. All of them wore a smile on their faces as they continuously hurt her behind her back.
In the past, she was clueless and wasn't aware that she was like a lamb surrounded by tigers in a tiger's den. Just thinking about the past was enough to upset her.
Those people were fantastic at hiding their intentions!
At least, the Duke was different.
She knew he was dangerous.
She knew he could kill her if he wanted to.
And unfortunately, she didn't have any other choice.
"I would like a deal, a business transaction," she stated, confident in her words. Since the Duke already knew that she could heal, she immediately used this to her advantage.
"I am listening," he said.
She took a deep breath before she said, "Let me be your bride," she opened her palm and showed him a dark smoke that slowly surrounded her hand. "In exchange, I am going to serve the Wugary Kingdom… with the Blessings that I have."
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There was silence.
A thick, suffocating silence.
Then he started laughing.
She frowned. What if people around his carriage heard him laugh ominously? They would think the young Duke had lost his mind.
"It seems that the rumors about the young lady being smitten with the young duke were true," he said.
"Smitten?" she asked.
"You haven't heard about what your stepmother wanted your servants to spread around the capital?"
"I don't— " she swallowed as realization hit her. "She had sent someone to spread rumors? I have yet to arrive…" she snorted. Of course, this was something that Victoria was very good at. Creating rumors.
The rumors surrounding her in the past might be something that Victoria spread to create a poor impression about her. After all, how could they allow a Marquess's daughter to marry a lowly baron if she had an excellent reputation?
"Do not worry, my people were able to catch the messenger. The rumors will not spread in the capital. Unless, of course, you wanted me to spread it."
"You— did you just agree?"
"I don't see any reason not to agree. Wugary would gain someone who had a Blessing while I gain a bride. Though… I am curious, what are you getting out of this deal?"
She didn't expect him to just agree with her proposition. She expected more questions and maybe him telling her that he would think about it. Perhaps it was because of her Blessing?
"Freedom," she answered.
"Freedom?"
"I want to have my freedom. I want to leave Aster."
"You wanted to leave the place where you were born?" the Duke asked, lifting his perfectly carved eyebrow.
"Why not?" Why not leave the place where she grew up bullied? The place that was full of snakes? The place where she would die?
"Have you heard of the harshness of the North, young lady?"
Of course she had.
In her past life, she was quite close to Dorothy, the queen. Dorothy pretended to have the Blessing and to keep up with that, Rosalind had to be close to her at all times. Because of this, she had heard the things that the King and Queen discussed the North and their plans to abandon it.
"I have," she said. "Though I may not look like it, I can read."
He nodded, pursing his lips.
"Do you understand what would happen if they know about your Blessing after you married me?"
"They might want me back."
"And?"
"And… the Aster Empire can declare a war against the Kingdom." They can also tell the other kingdoms to stop sending basic supplies to Wugary. And as the Kingdom located nearest to the forbidden lands, this might be akin to a death sentence to the Wugarians.
She knew about the consequences.
But she still chose the Duke.
Albeit knowing that this was going to be a losing game, she still chose him.
She smiled. "Isn't this why I chose Duke to help me?"
He lifted an eyebrow, so she continued. "The Duke is strong and mighty. The Empire can force the other kingdoms to stop sending supplies, but the Duke has been guarding the North for so long. Forcing other kingdoms is going to damage their reputation. It will be an uphill battle, but I believe the Duke has the ability to defeat them at their own game."
"For someone who did not receive any training or education, you are surprisingly good with words, young lady."
"I will take that as a compliment."
"You are very much welcome to do so."
She pursed her lips and waited for him to ask more questions, but he didn't. Instead, he started drinking his bitter tea.
"Are you not curious why I chose you, your grace?" she asked.
"I would be lying if I said that I am not."
"I chose you because I know you despise women." Getting married around seventeen or eighteen is the norm. Yet, the Duke stayed unmarried even now that he was approaching twenty-five. The reason wasn't exactly a mystery to most people.
The Duke's soon-to-be bride would die before reaching the North.
They will die for various reasons like poisoning, random attacks from monsters, assassination, and even just some sudden health problems they encounter as they travel north. Everyone knew the Duke killed them, but no one can actually prove it. And no one dared to go to the North to confront the man.
Soon, everyone would accept the fact that they cannot use women to control the warrior of the North.
In fact, the Duke remained unmarried even in her past life.
"Interesting notion. Given that this is our first meeting, isn't it disrespectful to say that your future husband had no interest in women?" he smirked.
"Am I wrong?"
"Perhaps."
"I knew you wouldn't dare do anything that I wouldn't want," she said. There were rumors that the man might be impotent, but again, there was no way to actually prove it, as he married no one in her last life.
"Now, that is correct."
"I do not want any complications in this transaction. I cannot give the Duke my heart and I know the Duke would return the favor. That is why I chose you."
He only smirked at her, clearly amused by her words.
But she was telling the truth. She didn't want to complicate things in the future. Someone who cannot give her anything aside from her freedom is the best person for her plans.
"You can use me as your shield. The other kingdoms would stop sending women as soon as you marry me. In exchange, please do not involve yourself in my business."
"Fair enough. I don't see any reason why I would not accept this business transaction," he answered almost immediately. "It seems that the lady really knew how to talk."
She said nothing. In her past life, she had studied everything from politics to court etiquette just so she wouldn't become an embarrassment to her older sister, who was already the Queen. She thought it was her responsibility to learn as much as possible for her older sister.
After all, she always thought that Dorothy Lux sacrificed herself to save her!
How could she not reciprocate?
Oh…. How foolish.
"Then I bid the Duke goodbye. Have a good night, Warrior of the North," she smiled, then in front of the Duke, she used the Blessing of the night. Her body slowly turned into black dust until it disappeared inside the carriage.
Seeing the surprise on the Duke's face made her a little proud.
She knew that taking someone like her as a bride is perilous, so she wanted to show him what she can do. That she can be useful. This was the only way for him to take all the risk to have someone like her beside him.
"Interesting," Duke Lucas mused. He was still staring at the space where she disappeared. What are the odds that someone like her would appear in front of him now?
The Blessing of darkness. He chuckled.
At this time and age, only a few people knew about the eighth Blessing.
But he did.
He smirked.
Oh, he did.
After all, he was the one who killed the person who received the last Blessing of the darkness… hundreds of years ago.
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