Married into the enemy family - chapter 10

Callion, having entered the bedroom, said nothing. Without any excuses or sarcasm, he merely stared at Ronin with cold eyes.

‘The smell of alcohol…’

His expression nearly distorted for a moment, but Ronin calmly continued speaking.

“…The servants will not come this way until this morning. Therefore, you may speak comfortably.”

This was the bridal chamber. Out of consideration for the two who had spent their first night, the servants wouldn’t arrive until the afternoon. Except for Pam, who had to come and collect the proof.
Because of this, Ronin could guess the identity of the visitor. Since there was no reason for Pam, who had achieved her goal, to return, the only other possibility was Leofric, who had run away on the first night.
At Ronin’s words, Callion stared at him intently. Callion was mulling over the words Ronin had spoken.

‘Lord Leofric, he says.’

Not Duke Leofric, nor that bastard—having spurned him on the first night, he had prepared himself for at least that much—but Lord Leofric. For Callion, whose pride as a knight was high, it was not a bad title.
Callion took his time observing Ronin, searching for even the slightest hint of displeasure. But there was not a single change in expression on his wax-like face.

‘How unexpected.’

He had certainly thought Ronin would throw a tantrum. Since he was a child of the Alistairs. He had committed the act prepared for at least that much.
However, Ronin Alistair’s behavior was completely different from what he had anticipated.

“…Last night, my maid utilized her quick wits and we overcame the crisis.”

Opening his mouth like that, Ronin Alistair met his gaze. There was no resentment or anger whatsoever in that gaze.
Instead, he added with utmost politeness:

“If I happened to make you uncomfortable, please tell me. I will be careful in the future.”

He was delicate and refined. He couldn’t help but acknowledge that much.
Ronin Alistair didn’t blame him for an irreversible past, but merely asked for the reason.
When even that proved unfeasible, he revealed his own hand first, and when there was no reaction to that either, he obediently gave up. Even though he had every right to demand an explanation.

‘It’s not as if he knows the circumstances, either…’

Callion’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Last night, he had received a secret communication from the North. The letter was written in cipher, out of concern that it might be intercepted along the way. When he decoded the cipher, this message appeared:

[Delay the ceremony]

The letter was short, but it contained the core message. Callion, without hesitation, looked for a way to delay the ceremony.
Since the ceremony at the Temple had already taken place, there weren’t many options available to him.
As one of those methods, Callion did not head to the bridal chamber and secretly fled.

‘I will endure the day like this, and when the sun rises, I will declare that we did not consummate the first night. Then this marriage will be deemed illegitimate and completely invalidated.’

So Callion waited all night in the wine cellar. Until the scent of aging wine thoroughly permeated his entire body.
After staying up all night like that, Callion moved again. To go to the Temple and claim the illegitimacy of this marriage.
Just then, he received another secret communication.

[Proceed with the ceremony as planned]

A different message had arrived regarding the same event.

‘…I need to change our compromised cipher system first.’

He couldn’t think for long. Since he couldn’t know which communication was the real one, he had to choose the option with the least potential fallout.
Thus, Callion returned to the bridal chamber. To be honest, he was half in doubt even as he came here. The Alistairs would try to maintain this marriage as much as possible, but as humans, their pride was bound to be hurt.

‘I came expecting a tedious argument, yet…’

Not only did Ronin Alistair not cast blame, but he had handled the matter perfectly.
Thanks to him, what happened at dawn today would be buried right here. Those unwavering sky-blue eyes gave him that certainty.

‘He is a far more terrifying opponent. I must not let my guard down.’

It would have been better if he had thrown a fit and acted emotionally. If he had been incompetent enough to fail at handling this matter perfectly.
If he had, things would have become tricky, but they wouldn’t have been perplexing.
His political enemy tightened the grip around Callion’s neck once more. With those clear eyes.

“Do you have anything else you’d like to say?”
“No. I do not.”
“Then let us at least have a meal. I will instruct them to prepare food good for eating the day after drinking.”

‘Drinking?’

He was puzzled, but soon realized the heavy scent of wine lingering on his body. Callion almost made an excuse without realizing it, but then closed his mouth.
In the end, Callion ate hangover food with a completely sober mind. Unlike Callion, who ate spicy and greasy food, Ronin lightly satisfied his hunger with salad and fruit.
After finishing the meal like that, the two parted ways without much to say. Originally, they were scheduled to depart for the North tomorrow, but they had decided to pull it forward by a day and leave in a few hours.

“It’s not like we’re just going to the outskirts of the capital! What kind of manners is it to suddenly head to the North like this? You’re literally just having the ceremony and leaving!”

Only Pam, who suddenly had a lot of work to do, complained like this. Ronin hovered around to help Pam, only to be met with a fierce scolding: “Lord Ronin, just go sit over there! It’s chaotic enough as it is, so don’t get in the way!”
After much bustling, the two who somehow managed to finish preparing soon gathered in front of the city gates. Several people from the Alistair side had come out to see the two off as they headed to the North.

‘The second wife, was it.’

Callion’s gaze fell on Jainar’s swollen belly. She even smiled brightly when their eyes met.

‘How vulgar.’

Callion pretended not to see her gaze. Then he made eye contact with Ronin Alistair. Ronin Alistair was listening carefully to what the Marquis was saying, his face still expressionless.
Only after spending several more minutes like that did the Alistairs finally make a move. Unusually, he mounted a horse instead of taking a carriage, which was also unexpected.

‘I really don’t know how to handle him.’

For example, right now. Ronin Alistair was slipping his foot into the stirrup and mounting the horse, but he looked so unsteady he could fall at any moment.

‘The horse must be larger than what he usually rides. He doesn’t seem accustomed to horseback riding, either.’

Callion quickly noticed Ronin’s problem. The knights standing by belatedly grasped the issue as well. However, no one helped; they just held their positions.
If Ronin Alistair had been an Omega, they would have exercised chivalry and escorted him. Even if he was an Alistair, they would have had no choice but to help. Partly because of the surrounding gazes, but also because they themselves had been educated as Alphas.
But Ronin Alistair was a Beta. Not an Omega who rightfully needed protection and could bear children.
After groaning for a while, Ronin Alistair finally managed to mount the horse. His back straightened, his shoulders pulled back… It was exactly the posture from a textbook.

“We are finally returning to the North.”

Baldwin, who had approached closely at some point, said in a quiet voice.

‘The North…’

Complex emotions sprouted in Callion’s heart. However, he was born and raised as a noble. He could adequately hide his own feelings.
Producing something resembling a smile that could reassure his adjutant, Callion spoke.

“Yes, let us return. To the North.”