I Had an Arranged Marriage With My Unrequited Love — Chapter 5

EVEN YESTERDAY, THE TWO OF THEM WERE STROLLING AROUND THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT ON A COZY DATE TOGETHER,

WERE YOU NOT AWARE OF THIS, DUKE?

WHEN I LOOKED INTO LAST TIME'S PHOTOS,

I HEARD THAT MY WIFE HAS HAD A CLOSE FRIENDSHIP WITH THE HASSLER FAMILY SINCE SHE WAS YOUNG,

HOW COULD TWO PEOPLE LIKE THAT BE HAVING AN AFFAIR?

THIS IS ABSURD.

YOU MAY TAKE YOUR LEAVE NOW.

...THEN ARE YOU SAYING, DUKE,

THAT YOU DON’T CARE EVEN IF THESE PHOTOS ARE MADE PUBLIC TO THE PRESS?

SOMEONE IS BOUND TO LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS AND HARBOR SUSPICIONS, I'M SURE.

ORDINARY CITIZENS LIKE MYSELF, YOU SEE, LOVE A GOOD PIECE OF GOSSIP.

IS YOUR GRACE REALLY ALRIGHT WITH THE DUCHESS'S REPUTATION BEING DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD...

RIGHT NOW,

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE THREATENING?

HOW DARE YOU, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME?

URGH...!

YOUR GRACE!

...WHAT SHOULD I DO?

THERE ARE MANY WHO ENVY AND FEEL JEALOUS OF IRENE, WHOSE SOCIAL STANDING SUDDENLY SOARED BY THE EMPEROR'S COMMAND.

ON THE DAY THESE PHOTOS MAKE IT INTO THE NEWSPAPERS, SHE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BECOME THE CENTRAL FIGURE OF A MASSIVE SCANDAL.

IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN...

...WHAT IS YOUR ASKING PRICE?

AH! THIRTY GOLD! THIRTY GOLD WILL DO!

THAT'S STEEP FOR JUST A FEW PHOTOS. YOU BROUGHT THE NEGATIVES, DIDN'T YOU?

OF COURSE I DID, YOUR GRACE. I'VE BROUGHT EVERYTHING...

THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER PHOTOS LEFT, ARE THERE?

ABSOLUTELY NOT, I WOULD NEVER PULL SUCH A CHEAP STUNT!

IN THAT CASE,

WOULD YOU BE FINE WITH SIGNING A CONTRACT STATING THAT IF ANY PHOTOS RELATED TO MY WIFE ARE LEAKED,

YOU WILL PAY A PENALTY OF THREE HUNDRED GOLD?

...OF COURSE, DUKE.

LOOKING AT HER CLOTHES, THESE WERE TAKEN JUST YESTERDAY.

EVEN THOUGH SHE SMILED SO BRIGHTLY YESTERDAY,

IS THAT THE KIND OF EXPRESSION SHE'S BEEN SHOWING ME TODAY?

EVERYTHING STARTED GOING WRONG

AROUND CHRISTMASTIME.

YOUR GRACE.

HOW DOES THIS NECKLACE LOOK?

LADY MUBER... NO,

I THINK IT WOULD SUIT THE DUCHESS OF DELOISTER QUITE WELL.

THE MARCHIONESS OF GRANTEA, THEODORA

I CAN'T REALLY TELL,

ISN'T THIS ONE MORE EXPENSIVE?

HM, YOU PREPARED THE MOST EXPENSIVE WEDDING GIFTS IN THE EMPIRE,

BUT I HEARD THE DUCHESS HASN'T BEEN WEARING THEM MUCH.

I GUARANTEE IT, LET'S GO WITH THIS ONE.

I'M GOING TO TRY IT ONCE, SO PLEASE HELP ME OUT, YOUR GRACE.

BY THIS TIME, IRENE HAD ALREADY CHANGED.

IRENE.

WHEN MY NORMALLY ALERT NEW BRIDE REMAINED FAST ASLEEP FOR DAYS ON END,

AT FIRST, I THOUGHT SHE MIGHT JUST BE TIRED.

BUT EVERY TIME WE OCCASIONALLY CROSSED PATHS,

A SHADOW HUNG OVER HER FACE INSTEAD OF A SMILE.

DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?

WAS IT A MISTAKE TO RUSH INTO SHARING A BED?

...OR PERHAPS,

WAS THIS DIFFERENT FROM THE MARRIED LIFE SHE WANTED?

IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS, COULD AN EXPENSIVE GIFT POSSIBLY MEAN ANYTHING?

JUST AS I WAS THINKING I NEEDED TO FOCUS ON REPAIRING OUR RELATIONSHIP,

A MAN CALLING HIMSELF A ‘REPORTER’ STEPPED INTO MY OFFICE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

...MY WIFE IS HAVING AN AFFAIR?

TAKE A GOOD LOOK, YOUR GRACE.

DOESN’T THIS LOOK LIKE AN AFFECTIONATE ATMOSPHERE TO ANYONE?

...WELL.

IT JUST LIKE SHE'S BUYING THINGS WITH SOMEONE SHE KNOWS.

THAT'S ENOUGH. I HAVE WORK PILING UP, SO LEAVE AT...

YOUR GRACE?

BEFORE I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, I HAD BOUGHT THE PHOTOS FOR A HEFTY SUM.

FIND OUT WHO HE IS.

UNDERSTOOD. WHAT SHALL I DO WITH HIM AFTER THE INVESTIGATION?

KILL HIM.

Y-YOUR GRACE...!?

...NO, WAIT.

FIND OUT WHO HE IS.

AND WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP HE HAS WITH MY WIFE.

YOUR GRACE.

JOSHUA HASSLER.

HE IS THE SECOND SON OF THE VISCOUNT HASSLER FAMILY,

AND I'M TOLD HE HAS HAD FREQUENT EXCHANGES WITH THE VISCOUNT MUBER FAMILY SINCE CHILDHOOD.

IT SEEMS THE TWO OF THEM GREW CLOSE BECAUSE THEY ARE AROUND THE SAME AGE.

AFTER BEING AWAY FROM HIS HOMETOWN FOR A LONG TIME TO STUDY,

HE RECENTLY CAME TO THE CAPITAL FOR HIS CHRISTMAS VACATION, IT APPEARS.

HEARING THE EXPLANATION,

A PICTURE IMMEDIATELY FORMED IN MY HEAD.

A PEER NOBLE WHOM SHE HAD BEEN CLOSE WITH SINCE CHILDHOOD.

A MAN AND A WOMAN WHO HAD BEEN SEPARATED FOR SOME REASON,

ONLY TO MEET AGAIN AND HAVE THEIR AFFECTION SPARK...

...NO, THAT CAN'T BE.

MY MARRIED LIFE WITH IRENE WAS 'HAPPY'.

SHE ALWAYS GREETED ME WITH A SMILE,

AND EVEN ACCEPTED MY REQUESTS TO SPEND THE NIGHTS TOGETHER.

IF SMILES LIKE THOSE WERE ALL A LIE...

EVEN THOUGH I TRY TO THINK RATIONALLY,

THE DATE THE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN...

AND THE DATE SHE REFUSED TO SHARE MY BED ARE THE SAME.

THIS COULD MEAN, PERHAPS, THAT REALLY...

PRESENT DELOISTER DUCAL ESTATE

IT'S ALREADY NIGHTTIME...

WHAT TIME IS IT?

...HUH?

FELIX HASN'T COME BACK YET?

EVEN WHEN HE USUALLY HAD A LOT OF WORK, HE DIDN'T STAY AWAY UNTIL THIS HOUR,

AND DIDN'T HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR SAY HE WOULD LIGHTEN HIS WORKLOAD?

WHY ON EARTH...

MADAM!

THE DUKE HAS...!