I Had an Arranged Marriage With My Unrequited Love — Chapter 20

WOW, THIS LOOKS SO DELICIOUS!

COMING TO A PLACE LIKE THIS TOGETHER, IT REALLY FEELS LIKE WE'RE GROWN-UPS.

...BEING A GROWN-UP IS SO EASY, HUH.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE MONEY, JUST ORDER WHATEVER YOU WANT TO EAT TODAY.

...PHIL IS SUCH AN UNPREDICTABLE KID, I SWEAR.

THE CARRIAGE WE TOOK WHEN WE LEFT THE TEA PARTY DIDN'T HAVE A FAMILY CREST ON IT.

AND HE JUST WALKS INTO AN EXPENSIVE RESTAURANT LIKE THIS WITHOUT A CARE...

WHAT KIND OF KID IS HE, REALLY?

I WANT TO GET CLOSER TO HIM, BUT...

...HEY, PHIL.

WHAT'S YOUR FULL NAME?

AH, I'M JUST CURIOUS!

IF YOU JUST TELL ME WHAT FAMILY YOU'RE FROM, I'LL SEND YOU SOME OF THE COOKIES I MADE.

...WHAT KIND OF CHILDISH COOKIE NONSENSE, I'M NOT EATING THAT.

FORGET IT, JUST HURRY UP AND EAT, OR I'M GONNA EAT IT ALL.

YEAH, ALRIGHT.

WOW~ IT'S GETTING NICE AND BREEZY NOW THAT IT'S EVENING.

PHIL, SHOULD WE HEAD OVER TO THAT HILL OVER THERE?

...HEY,

ABOUT YOUR QUESTION EARLIER... I'M SORRY I DIDN'T ANSWER.

IT WAS MY FIRST TIME EVER RECEIVING SOMETHING FROM SOMEONE WITHOUT ANY CONDITIONS ATTACHED,

AND MY FIRST TIME GETTING THIS CLOSE TO ANYONE, TOO.

I'M JUST NOT USED TO TALKING ABOUT MYSELF... THAT'S WHY.

HEY, IT'S FINE.

I JUST WANTED TO GIVE THE COOKIES TO YOU, THAT'S ALL! I DON'T NEED ANYTHING IN RETURN.

LET'S TALK MORE OFTEN FROM NOW ON, OKAY?

...YOU'RE A REALLY WEIRD KID.

YOU'RE ONE TO TALK, PHIL!

THAT DAY, THE SUNSET WAS UNUSUALLY BEAUTIFUL.

AS IF THE DAYS STRETCHING OUT AHEAD OF US WOULD REMAIN PEACEFUL FOREVER.

HOWEVER, NOT LONG AFTER THAT...

A HORRIFIC PLAGUE BEGAN TO TRULY SWALLOW THE EMPIRE WHOLE.

NO, MY DAUGHTER!

STAND BACK!

WEEPING ECHOED THROUGH EVERY STREET, AND CARTS COLLECTING CORPSES ROAMED THE ALLEYS.

DUKE, MY LORD!

NEITHER THE IMPERIAL FAMILY NOR THE HIGH NOBILITY...

NOT A SINGLE PERSON COULD ESCAPE THE SHADOW OF DEATH.

THIS IS A DISASTER! THE DUKE OF DELOISTER HAS PASSED AWAY!

WHAT SHOULD WE DO NOW?

ALL THE DIRECT HEIRS ARE DEAD, AND THE FUNERAL'S ALREADY BEEN HELD...

AT THIS RATE, THE HOUSE IS FINISHED!

NO, THERE IS STILL ONE PERSON LEFT.

...'FELIX.'

FROM NOW ON, YOU MUST TAKE EXTRA CARE OF YOUR POSTURE AND CONDUCT.

BECAUSE YOU...

WAIT! YOU CAN’T!

THAT CHILD IS AN ILLEGITIMATE SON!

HOW COULD WE GIVE THE DUKEDOM TO AN ILLEGITIMATE CHILD...

I'M IN FAVOR OF IT. ISN'T THIS CHILD THE ONLY ONE LEFT TO CARRY ON THE FAMILY NAME?!

YOUNG MASTER.

YOUNG MASTER, PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER.

FROM THIS MOMENT ON, YOU ARE... THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE OF DELOISTER.

THUS, TIME FLOWED PAST IN A BLUR ALONGSIDE THE PLAGUE.

WHILE MY OLDER BROTHER AND FATHER LAY BEDRIDDEN, THE HOUSE COLLAPSED UNDER DEBT AND SHATTERED MORALE.

WE WERE DRIVEN OUT, PRACTICALLY CHASED AWAY TO A RURAL VILLAGE.

THERE, I LOST TOO MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING MY YOUNGER SIBLING.

IRENE, LET'S GO.

...YEAH, JOSHUA.

...SO MANY PEOPLE DIED.

COULD IT BE THAT... PHIL? DID SOMETHING HAPPEN TO YOU, TOO?

YOU'D KNOW I'M FROM THE MUBER FAMILY, YET THERE'S BEEN NO WORD...

IRENE, WHAT'S WRONG?

...SISTER SARAH.

I...

...I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO ASK HIS NAME PROPERLY...

AND HE WAS MY FIRST LOVE...

ONE YEAR, TWO YEARS... AS TIME GRADUALLY PASSED, THE PLAGUE SUBSIDED,

AND ONE DAY, AN APEX ‘DUKE’ ABRUPTLY APPEARED,

IN THE LEADERLESS HOUSE OF DELOISTER.

WITH THE FAMILY’S PRESTIGE WANING AND ALL DIRECT BLOODLINES CUT OFF...

THERE WAS NO WAY THEIR COLLATERAL RELATIVES WERE GOING TO WELCOME THIS.

FOR A BLOODLINE LIKE THAT TO REPRESENT OUR HOUSE-DOES THAT EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE?

IF WE CAST THE KID ASIDE RIGHT NOW, WHAT'S GOING TO BE LEFT IN OUR HANDS?

WE JUST SET HIM UP AS A FIGUREHEAD, AND WE CAN TAKE THE REAL POWER FOR OURSELVES...

STOP.

I WILL PROVE MYSELF BY EARNING ACHIEVEMENTS.

IF I RETURN FROM THE BATTLEFIELD WITH MERITS, EVEN HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THEM.

THEREFORE, ARRANGE FOR ME TO SEE HIS MAJESTY DIRECTLY.

...AS YOU KNOW, THE LATE EMPEROR PASSED AWAY A SHORT WHILE AGO.

NOW, THE IMPERIAL PRINCESS, OUR SOLE REMAINING SUCCESSOR, WILL ASCEND THE THRONE.

THE MOMENT YOU SUCCEED THE DUKEDOM, YOU WILL BE THIRD IN LINE FOR THE THRONE.

ARE YOU... PREPARED?

YES.

I WILL PROTECT THE FAMILY NAME, NO MATTER WHAT.

AS A 'DUKE.'

LONG LIVE HER MAJESTY THE EMPEROR!!

FOLLOWING THE ENTHRONEMENT CEREMONY OF THE SOLE SURVIVING IMPERIAL PRINCESS,

THE YOUNG DUKE IMMEDIATELY SET OUT FOR THE BATTLEFIELDS ON THE BORDER.

THE REASON THE BOY DESIRED POWER STRONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE.

IT WAS...

BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMEONE HE WANTED TO PROTECT.

OH, THE SOCIAL SEASON IS OPENING UP AGAIN.

DID YOU SEE THAT NEWS, TOO?

A FEW YEARS LATER.

THE EMPIRE WAS RAPIDLY REBUILT, AND PEOPLE BEGAN TO FORGET THE TRAGEDY.

THEY SAY THE WAR HERO, THE DUKE OF DELOISTER, IS RETURNING.

IRENE! COME OVER HERE.

YES, FATHER!

IRENE, YOUR ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN DECIDED.

THE COUNT HAS GRACIOUSLY SHOWN INTEREST IN YOU...

MY SHORT, FOND FIRST LOVE WHOSE NAME I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW.

I HAD BELIEVED HE WAS SIMPLY FORGOTTEN LIKE THAT.

UGH, MY HEAD...

IT FEELS LIKE I'VE BEEN HAVING A VERY, VERY LONG DREAM...

THE SMELL OF FLOWERS...?

...AH.

THIS SCENT, IT'S SO FAMILIAR...