Chapter 3: What’s the amulet price? (2)
Many people get married for their own house, family, and happiness. Marriage between the nobles was also based on these things, but there was a political aspect.
For example, women often married their families for family connection purposes, or chose to marry as a way of reviving the family honor.
Being in-law with a powerful family meant that if a child from that family became the official successor, they would gain a higher position among the nobles.
"M-marry? Did you say marry just now?"
The Duke of Ephesia, who proposed to her with a gentle smile, graceful gesture, restrained expression, and a polite way of speaking, rose up from his seat and smiled at her.
"Yes."
Julia was confused. He said he came here to pay the rest of the payment, but why did he say marry? Why did he say he'd marry me? What does it mean?
Rio opened his mouth with a smile as Julia looked at him, unable to speak.
"You don't have to answer me right away. But this is all I can think of to pay you with something worth my life."
Julia blanked out at his words, she looked at him again then spoke.
"Money! Please, just give me money! A lot of money! Lots of money! A huge sum of money that the Duke of Ephesia would consider to be worth his life. You can just do that!"
At Julia's forceful words, Rio carefully opened his mouth and thought for a moment.
"I can just do that?"
"Yes! You can do that. Marriage… it's too much."
Rio, who laughed while waving his hand, looked at her and nodded.
"Then we should get married."
"No, why are you talking about that again?!"
As they continued to discuss marriage, Julia opened her mouth and screamed.
"What do you mean?"
His grinning face and curled lips were captivating. Unlike his white skin, his lips were very red and thick.
"If you marry me, my money will soon become my wife's money. Then, that money is all going to be yours."
"…"
"Oh my, is that so?!"
Julia, speechless by Rio's logic, stared blankly at him. On the contrary, her mother, Sheila, clapped her hands happily. Julia glared at her mother then looked at him again.
As if dissatisfied by his words, Julia spoke bluntly, putting her hand on her waist.
"I'll give you a discount."
"You're giving me a discount?"
"Yes. Please just give me one more blank check and leave. Let's call it even with that."
Give it to me. When she opened her palm and stretched it out to Rio, he looked at her with a confused look. But if they kept pushing this, it seemed like only talks about marriage are going to continue.
'I haven't even been in a relationship; what do you mean marriage? There are still lots of things I want to do.'
They said life is destiny. It was natural to Julia, who had no memory of holding a man's hand, moreover a happy and beautiful relationship while living a shaman's life, to wait for a man who would always care for her and make her happy.
Even if she didn't get married to a prince that she saw in fairy tale books when she was younger, at the very least, she didn't want to get married like she was being sold for money or using people's generosity.
That's why Julia rejected so many marriages offers to her. A fairytale love story? She didn't even hope for that. But not this as well.
When Julia fixed her gaze on him and didn't waver, Rio puckered his lips slightly.
"Is that really okay?"
"It's okay."
"That's all I have to do, right…"
Rio muttered and took a blank check out of his arms and put it on her palm. Julia looked satisfied at the touch of her palm. Rio, who was looking at her face, knitted his eyebrows.
'This is tough.'
The check was shoved between his arms again, as if it had disappeared. Julia's eyes became vicious.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you mean? I'm trying to think about it again."
"There's no need to think about it again. I will finish everything after receiving it. That's the end of the deal between us."
"No, it's not it."
Rio paused for a moment and opened his mouth.
"I want to ask for more deals."
"Deals…?"
"I'd like to make a deal to ask you a few more favors, apart from the amulet that you gave me last time. I'll pay you again then."
What is this man plotting? He said he wanted to get married, but now he wants to make another deal. Julia opened her mouth after thinking for a while.
"On one condition, you shouldn't bring up weird things such as marriage."
"Alright. It won't happen, so don't worry. Then, you're accepting the deal, right?"
"…Okay. What is it?"
"We can't talk about it here. I'll send you a carriage soon, so come to the Dukedom of Ephesia. It won't take long, only for a day or two, so make sure you're ready. You can bring your people along with you."
"What's the long story?"
"I'll explain that again when you get there. For now, I'll assume that you have accepted the deal."
A swooping sound gently flowed down the fabric and got caught in his fingertips as he trimmed his clothes. She realized how expensive the clothes he wore were. As her eyes slowly went up and confronted his eyes again, he wore the mask of a polite gentleman once more and smiled.
"Then, Lady Julia, I look forward to seeing you again. I hope you stay healthy until then."
Julia stared blankly at his back as he stepped out of the room after he finished talking.
*
On the carriage, Rio stared outside with a relaxed look on his face. Olden, who was sitting across him, opened his mouth politely.
"Did everything end well?"
Rio smiled and shook his head at Olden's question.
"She can't remember me."
"Wasn't it the same as the last time?"
"I thought she'd remember this time. Even though I've been waiting so eagerly…"
"Why don't you explain it to her?"
"I'll put it off later. It's been a very long time, so I'm going to approach her slowly. I think I was too hasty."
I was nervous, unlike myself. Rio muttered and clenched his teeth. Olden, who was glancing at him, shut his eyes quietly.
"You look exactly like your father when you're running all over the place."
"…I have no choice."
Rio, who had a sullen look, bit his fingernails and grinned.
"I'm nervous that someone else will take her."
She is mine. Rio muttered and looked out. Silence and the sound of the comfortable carriage only raised his heartbeat.
*
Just a week after Rio's visit, three carriages arrived to pick Julia up, just as he said. Julia looked curious as to why three carriages came.
"I am Baron Doria, I serve the Duke of Ephesia."
Julia felt his dignity in his gesture when he introduced himself elegantly. But first of all, she was curious, so she opened her mouth.
"Why three carriages?"
"Ladies usually have a lot of luggage, so it's a special order from the Duke."
"…"
What kind of nonsense is that? Julia looked at the two bags, one in her hand and another in Patrick's, who had always escorted and assisted her.
"This is everything, though?"
"You said… everything?"
Doria looked at her with an awkward expression. Two bags that were difficult to be considered as big.
"Is it only these two?"
"Yes. Patrick's and mine."
Correction. It was only one. Doria's eyes seemed to sway for a moment, but soon, he nodded his head. He opened the carriage's door gracefully then bent down.
"Please come in, Lady Viscount Julia."
"Please just call me Julia, Baron Doria."
"Understood, Julia."
Julia answered his polite smile with a slight smile as she got into the carriage. Patrick, too, tried to follow her when Doria stopped him.
"What's the matter?"
"There should be no one who should get into the same carriage as the Lady."
"What… did you say?"
Patrick looked blankly at Doria, who said strange things. Then Doria straightened his neck.
"It is, of course, to stop a possible assassination threat. It's the Duke's creed that even insiders should not be trusted."
"…"
Patrick burst out laughing at Doria's words. As Patrick didn't get on the carriage yet, Julia looked out and spoke.
"Come on in."
"Julia, trusting internal servants carelessly to the point where a man and a woman get on a carriage together would be a huge risk of an assassination."
"If he wanted to assassinate me, he would have killed me 20 years ago. He has had a lot of opportunities since I was born. I know that good man's mind, so just let him in. I have no qualms about it."
Doria stopped talking at Julia's words and froze. Then, Patrick smiled and looked him up and down, then got into the carriage. When Doria, who was waiting outside to close the door, froze up, Patrick gently pulled the handle of the carriage's door from his hand, and spoke.
"What a shame, huh."
Doria's eyes immediately widened, perhaps because Patrick's grin provoked him. Patrick shut the door quickly, just in case he was going to shout something. Julia looked at him vacantly then criticized him.
"I told you to fix that smile. If someone else looked at that, they would get angry."
"It's an expression that I learned from you, Ma'am. How can I fix a face that I see every time?"
"I smile like that, you say?"
"Yes. Like this."
It was bizarre to see him pull his eyes and mouth together. Julia looked at his face and suddenly shouted at him, who claimed it to be her face.
"When did I do that?!"
"I'm telling you. Last time it was like this…!"
"Don't do that!!"
When Julia threw the book in her hand, Patrick dodged it quickly and lifted her book back, then handed it to her politely.
"Please calm down…"
"Calm down…"
Julia, who was glaring at him, soon sighed and gazed outside. Even though their daughter was leaving, her parents didn't show the slightest bit of their faces. Julia had no choice but to think that she was not their youngest daughter, but just a money-making machine.
The carriage movement was smooth. The weather was pleasant, and although it was a long-distance, the comfort of the carriage was more comfortable than its speed. She was dozing off and looking out, enjoying her free time.
Patrick, his knight escort, fell asleep and tried to protect his sleeping hours rather than protecting Julia.
Julia looked at him and shook her head as she clucked her tongue. But it was a very long journey, so she understood how he felt. Ephesia Dukedom and Robinheartz Viscounty were so far away that it took an entire day to reach it.
Eventually, Julia, who was reading a book and looking outside, began to doze off with her eyes closing softly.
[Does your life satisfy you?]
'Crone, long time no see. Where have you been?'
[Were you waiting for me? Why? Is there anything else you want to ask me?]
'What do you mean? Sometimes I just miss you.'
[Miss me my ass.]
'You're still the same. Even so, sometimes you stop by like this. It's nice to hear your voice.'
[You told me to go away once. You're so fickle.]
She couldn't help but smile at the laughing voice. Her voice that was heard sometimes was the only medium for Julia to reminisce about her past.
[Even so, you seem like you're doing well. You even met a cool guy.]
'Guy?'
[Yes. He's a very cool guy. And he's handsome. But be careful.]
'Be careful, you say. What do you mean? And who are you talking about?'
[Remember what I used to tell you. God must always be worshipped with respect. If you ignore it, you will lose your life without your knowing!]
'Crone?'
Julia's face twisted as her voice faded away. Julia felt nervous when she called Crone again but couldn't hear her voice. She wanted a reply, but she couldn't hear it.
"Ma'am. Ma'am."
Julia slowly straightened her face at the sound of calling for her. The red sunset that entered her sight was impressive–and Patrick, looking anxiously at her with his back in the sunset. Julia looked up at him and straightened her bent body.
"Where are we…?"
Julia looked around with a blank look on her face. The closed carriage door was opened, and a cool breeze flowed through it. Her empty mind was now slowly working. As she got up from her seat and came out of the carriage, a more refreshing wind swept over her.
Her reddish-orange hair fluttered when a strong wind blew.
"How was the trip?"
Julia glanced at the voice that was heard from her side. The face and eyes that created a radiant feeling. A hearty smile. And a man who looked at her with a gentleman's mask.
"It was good."
A man who responded to her answer with a beautiful smile. And a man who offered something ridiculous for his own life. Julia's lips raised.
"Good to see you again, the Duke of Ephesia."
"It's an honor to see you again, Julia."
She raised her hand as he bent down, offered her his hand, and then took his hand.
A large castle was seen behind him, and a vast sea was spread beneath it. A large city, protected by a large wall, that looked as if you could see its horizon.
Dark sunset was falling, as a subtle red light blessed the whole place.
Unlike her place that was surrounded by mountains, his place was beautiful and could make you smile…
"Welcome to the Dukedom of Ephesia, Julia."
This was the Dukedom of Ephesia.
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