Ian believed that if the ring he had prepared was not a wedding ring, he would not have been caught. That was right, Laritte… had always been tactless in a strange way. Nevertheless, how did she discover the ring’s purpose..?
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“….”
The balcony with a particularly bright moonlit night sky.
The secret dance on the dark balcony of the splendid castle disappeared.
When the Ducal couple stopped dancing, only the flowers in the long row of pots on the railing rustled.
In the darkest part of the shining castle, Ian and Laritte’s eyes crossed.
“….”
“….”
Laritte got a little drunk, and her lips were raised slightly higher than usual. Seeing that, Ian had turned to stone and stood still.
He had a thousand thoughts.
‘I feel bad for myself that she found out that the ring was fake… Did she find out that it was a wedding ring?’
She’d think of himself as an idiot, stupid husband who can’t even get a wedding ring properly.
At this moment, he now had no energy left to catch the culprit selling fake jewelry. Just… He had to jump out of here and end his life…
As his thoughts reached their extremes—
“You see?”
—Laritte lowered her head and looked into his complexion.
The balcony was dark because the curtains blocked the light from the banquet hall. Still, Ian saw her very well. She blushed and put her shoes back.
“The fact that it’s a wedding ring… how…”
She didn’t seem to understand Ian’s slurry in words.
“What? Of course, I know. Why else would you give me a pair of rings? You probably didn’t prepare two rings for me, so I can have one on my left hand and one on my right.”
Although it was fashionable to share rings that proved friendship between ladies, they were not supposed to get a friendship ring with their relationship, right? Laritte was calm, unlike the serious Ian.
The wedding ring, he would get another one later…
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Her gaze then turned to the door leading back to the banquet hall before she opened her mouth.
“If you feel depressed because you were deceived, shall we go back soon? We should also greet the Emperor.”
“But…but—”
“When you wanted to say something important, it ended with giving me a ring, isn’t it?”
Saying so, her hand touched the ornate door knob on the balcony.
Ian’s lips did not open.
Actually, what he was really going to say was to ask for a wedding…
When the door was gently opened by Laritte, the splendid light of the banquet hall entered the balcony. Seeing her hair gleaming in the golden color of the chandelier, his mouth opened inadvertently.
“Still, I can’t say anything without the ring.”
It was Ian’s last conscience. What kind of face did he have when he got caught having a fake ring, to even confess to wanting a wedding?
This was the most rude behavior in the world.
Laritte rubbed her lips.
What can’t he say without the ring?
Curiosity was an absolute emotion that dominated humans.
…So, he could only say it when he has the ring?
Laritte closed her door again and reached out for the flower pot that adorned the railing. She chose a small pink flower from among the small, pretty, colorful flowers like wildflowers.
After she picked it up, including the stem, she raised his left hand. Ian couldn’t even ask what she was doing and just stared at his hand quietly without saying anything. It was because the distance between the two of them was too close.
“Ta-da. Was it like this? The ring. A flower ring.”
On the ring finger of his left hand, there was a flower’s head tied to a stem, creating a ‘flower ring.’ Laritte lifted her carefree face and looked up closely at Ian. When she asked silently whether he liked it, Ian wanted to laugh out loud.
Who else would make a ring out of flowers on the spot when there was no ring?
“…Which artisan made it? What a beautiful, one-of-a-kind ring.”
As she made the same flower ring for her finger, she smiled. Ian bowed his head and placed his own forehead on Laritte’s.
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From the distance, their breath met. He had been planning in detail what he would say to her in which order after he held out the wedding ring. He did not recall any of it, but now he is not angry or resentful.
He just smiled from the depths of his heart, overflowing with happiness.
“Haha, hahaha. Haha…”
Because their foreheads touched each other, Laritte felt a slight vibration as he laughed.
“Ha, haha?”
Laritte laughed along without knowing the reason.
“I have to admit. There is no way I can win.”
He admitted his defeat and uttered what he had been holding down.
“Yes. Now, let me tell you… Will you please take this ring and marry me, Madam?”
“Oh.”
“Even though we were married, we never had a wedding ceremony like one. As atonement for that, I will offer you the greatest and most grandiose wedding in the Empire.”
“You speak naturally, like flowing water, as if it were already prepared lines.”
Laritte couldn’t understand why he was into the idea of having a wedding. Well… This husband had a very delicate side of him.
‘Cute.’
Laritte thought to herself.
Ian was still smiling, resting his forehead on her. At that moment, there was only each other in their eyes.
His eyes were filled with Laritte, nodding her head.
* * *
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The Ducal couple returned to the banquet hall.
Ian thought.
‘Anyway, I’ll have to give the order to pursue the guy who sold the fake jewelry.’
He quickly found a red-haired woman among many people.
Before being a knight of the Duchy, Redra was the head of the Count Riecula family so she was able to enter this position. She wore a suit that was closer to Ian than Laritte’s, and maybe that was why the ladies surrounded her, blushing.
“Count Riecula.”
Ian called Redra.
Redra, as if she had been waiting for this moment, quickly slipped out of the circle of women. She was always a person who hated such splendid occasions. Even Redra was looking for him.
“I have done what you have commanded.”
“I’ll see to that later. I have one more request. The criminal is on the run, so you must move quickly. The jewelry I bought from the Lahema family was fake. I think it has something to do with the recent famous fake jewelry rumors.”
“Ah, that…”
Redra wanted to say something, but Ian wasn’t finished.
“Anyway, you can use anything from the Duchy, so do your best to track it. So, what were you trying to say?”
“We have already arrested the criminal.”
…Huh?
Ian doubted his ears for a moment.
No matter how good a knight Redra was, she couldn’t complete her mission before her lord had even ordered her.
Redra told the whole story.
“Didn’t you command us to investigate the two nobles who spoke behind Madam during the day? Focusing on their weaknesses, we discovered suspicious behavior.”
Two male nobles who insulted Laritte were behind the offer of money to make fake jewelry. Thanks to that, they are able to arrest all the criminals naturally and hand them over.
Ian let out a low laugh.
“No wonder the nobles have been energetic. They couldn’t keep their mouths shut after earning a lot of money.”
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The Imperial Family had to step in to arrest the nobles, not the subordinate.
Having secured all the evidence, Ian immediately went to Oscar. When he heard that, he was delighted. He was so happy that he even forgot about his thoughts just before when he decided to hate Ian, who didn’t even come to greet him.
“You mean you have found the criminal? As expected, Ian is great. Thank you, the imperial family was also damaged by the fake jewelry.”
It didn’t take long for the two male nobles who were finally behind the scenes to be placed in the middle of the banquet hall. The atmosphere was good because quite a few of the nobles in the banquet hall also suffered losses.
They admired the Duchy’s dignity but wondered what kind of punishment would be imposed.
“I-I was wrong. Please, don’t kill…”
The two nobles who cursed Laritte trembled.
Oscar stood in front of them and made a solemn voice for his young age.
“Your sins of making fake jewelry for the market are not light at all.”
“Please forgive me, Your Majesty! We lost our mind for a while and did something we shouldn’t have dared to do.”
“Ian, what kind of punishment do you think they deserve? You are also a victim and the one who caught them, so I think you have enough authority to punish them.”
The nobility raised their heads. Indeed, the criminals have been caught because it has also caused damage to Duchy Reinhardt. People muttered to each other, fearing what kind of punishment Ian would bring.
He was that fearsome Duke!
Would he think that slashing their head right now is too weak a punishment? If it was the Duke, he could have taken out their intestines and displayed them himself.
However, Ian was in a better mood now than anyone else. When everyone’s eyes turned to Ian, he replied.
“Being so pitiful and begging for forgiveness weakens my heart.”
What…?
People felt like they were hearing the strangest words they’d ever heard. The Duke took pity on someone?
Meanwhile, Ian placed his cheek on Laritte’s head. They looked like a sweet couple.
“Isn’t that right, Laritte?”
Being in a very good mood, he even forgot that the reason for the wedding was actually to kiss her. He was going to have a wedding with Laritte. It was just too good to imagine.
“Are you drunk?”
Laritte pushed his face away, but Ian continued to fuss. The nobles’ mouths were wide open at the sight they had never seen before.
Ian believed that if the ring he had prepared was not a wedding ring, he would not have been caught. That was right, Laritte… had always been tactless in a strange way. Nevertheless, how did she discover the ring’s purpose..?
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“….”
The balcony with a particularly bright moonlit night sky.
The secret dance on the dark balcony of the splendid castle disappeared.
When the Ducal couple stopped dancing, only the flowers in the long row of pots on the railing rustled.
In the darkest part of the shining castle, Ian and Laritte’s eyes crossed.
“….”
“….”
Laritte got a little drunk, and her lips were raised slightly higher than usual. Seeing that, Ian had turned to stone and stood still.
He had a thousand thoughts.
‘I feel bad for myself that she found out that the ring was fake… Did she find out that it was a wedding ring?’
She’d think of himself as an idiot, stupid husband who can’t even get a wedding ring properly.
At this moment, he now had no energy left to catch the culprit selling fake jewelry. Just… He had to jump out of here and end his life…
As his thoughts reached their extremes—
“You see?”
—Laritte lowered her head and looked into his complexion.
The balcony was dark because the curtains blocked the light from the banquet hall. Still, Ian saw her very well. She blushed and put her shoes back.
“The fact that it’s a wedding ring… how…”
She didn’t seem to understand Ian’s slurry in words.
“What? Of course, I know. Why else would you give me a pair of rings? You probably didn’t prepare two rings for me, so I can have one on my left hand and one on my right.”
Although it was fashionable to share rings that proved friendship between ladies, they were not supposed to get a friendship ring with their relationship, right? Laritte was calm, unlike the serious Ian.
The wedding ring, he would get another one later…
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Her gaze then turned to the door leading back to the banquet hall before she opened her mouth.
“If you feel depressed because you were deceived, shall we go back soon? We should also greet the Emperor.”
“But…but—”
“When you wanted to say something important, it ended with giving me a ring, isn’t it?”
Saying so, her hand touched the ornate door knob on the balcony.
Ian’s lips did not open.
Actually, what he was really going to say was to ask for a wedding…
When the door was gently opened by Laritte, the splendid light of the banquet hall entered the balcony. Seeing her hair gleaming in the golden color of the chandelier, his mouth opened inadvertently.
“Still, I can’t say anything without the ring.”
It was Ian’s last conscience. What kind of face did he have when he got caught having a fake ring, to even confess to wanting a wedding?
This was the most rude behavior in the world.
Laritte rubbed her lips.
What can’t he say without the ring?
Curiosity was an absolute emotion that dominated humans.
…So, he could only say it when he has the ring?
Laritte closed her door again and reached out for the flower pot that adorned the railing. She chose a small pink flower from among the small, pretty, colorful flowers like wildflowers.
After she picked it up, including the stem, she raised his left hand. Ian couldn’t even ask what she was doing and just stared at his hand quietly without saying anything. It was because the distance between the two of them was too close.
“Ta-da. Was it like this? The ring. A flower ring.”
On the ring finger of his left hand, there was a flower’s head tied to a stem, creating a ‘flower ring.’ Laritte lifted her carefree face and looked up closely at Ian. When she asked silently whether he liked it, Ian wanted to laugh out loud.
Who else would make a ring out of flowers on the spot when there was no ring?
“…Which artisan made it? What a beautiful, one-of-a-kind ring.”
As she made the same flower ring for her finger, she smiled. Ian bowed his head and placed his own forehead on Laritte’s.
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From the distance, their breath met. He had been planning in detail what he would say to her in which order after he held out the wedding ring. He did not recall any of it, but now he is not angry or resentful.
He just smiled from the depths of his heart, overflowing with happiness.
“Haha, hahaha. Haha…”
Because their foreheads touched each other, Laritte felt a slight vibration as he laughed.
“Ha, haha?”
Laritte laughed along without knowing the reason.
“I have to admit. There is no way I can win.”
He admitted his defeat and uttered what he had been holding down.
“Yes. Now, let me tell you… Will you please take this ring and marry me, Madam?”
“Oh.”
“Even though we were married, we never had a wedding ceremony like one. As atonement for that, I will offer you the greatest and most grandiose wedding in the Empire.”
“You speak naturally, like flowing water, as if it were already prepared lines.”
Laritte couldn’t understand why he was into the idea of having a wedding. Well… This husband had a very delicate side of him.
‘Cute.’
Laritte thought to herself.
Ian was still smiling, resting his forehead on her. At that moment, there was only each other in their eyes.
His eyes were filled with Laritte, nodding her head.
* * *
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The Ducal couple returned to the banquet hall.
Ian thought.
‘Anyway, I’ll have to give the order to pursue the guy who sold the fake jewelry.’
He quickly found a red-haired woman among many people.
Before being a knight of the Duchy, Redra was the head of the Count Riecula family so she was able to enter this position. She wore a suit that was closer to Ian than Laritte’s, and maybe that was why the ladies surrounded her, blushing.
“Count Riecula.”
Ian called Redra.
Redra, as if she had been waiting for this moment, quickly slipped out of the circle of women. She was always a person who hated such splendid occasions. Even Redra was looking for him.
“I have done what you have commanded.”
“I’ll see to that later. I have one more request. The criminal is on the run, so you must move quickly. The jewelry I bought from the Lahema family was fake. I think it has something to do with the recent famous fake jewelry rumors.”
“Ah, that…”
Redra wanted to say something, but Ian wasn’t finished.
“Anyway, you can use anything from the Duchy, so do your best to track it. So, what were you trying to say?”
“We have already arrested the criminal.”
…Huh?
Ian doubted his ears for a moment.
No matter how good a knight Redra was, she couldn’t complete her mission before her lord had even ordered her.
Redra told the whole story.
“Didn’t you command us to investigate the two nobles who spoke behind Madam during the day? Focusing on their weaknesses, we discovered suspicious behavior.”
Two male nobles who insulted Laritte were behind the offer of money to make fake jewelry. Thanks to that, they are able to arrest all the criminals naturally and hand them over.
Ian let out a low laugh.
“No wonder the nobles have been energetic. They couldn’t keep their mouths shut after earning a lot of money.”
Sponsored Content
The Imperial Family had to step in to arrest the nobles, not the subordinate.
Having secured all the evidence, Ian immediately went to Oscar. When he heard that, he was delighted. He was so happy that he even forgot about his thoughts just before when he decided to hate Ian, who didn’t even come to greet him.
“You mean you have found the criminal? As expected, Ian is great. Thank you, the imperial family was also damaged by the fake jewelry.”
It didn’t take long for the two male nobles who were finally behind the scenes to be placed in the middle of the banquet hall. The atmosphere was good because quite a few of the nobles in the banquet hall also suffered losses.
They admired the Duchy’s dignity but wondered what kind of punishment would be imposed.
“I-I was wrong. Please, don’t kill…”
The two nobles who cursed Laritte trembled.
Oscar stood in front of them and made a solemn voice for his young age.
“Your sins of making fake jewelry for the market are not light at all.”
“Please forgive me, Your Majesty! We lost our mind for a while and did something we shouldn’t have dared to do.”
“Ian, what kind of punishment do you think they deserve? You are also a victim and the one who caught them, so I think you have enough authority to punish them.”
The nobility raised their heads. Indeed, the criminals have been caught because it has also caused damage to Duchy Reinhardt. People muttered to each other, fearing what kind of punishment Ian would bring.
He was that fearsome Duke!
Would he think that slashing their head right now is too weak a punishment? If it was the Duke, he could have taken out their intestines and displayed them himself.
However, Ian was in a better mood now than anyone else. When everyone’s eyes turned to Ian, he replied.
“Being so pitiful and begging for forgiveness weakens my heart.”
What…?
People felt like they were hearing the strangest words they’d ever heard. The Duke took pity on someone?
Meanwhile, Ian placed his cheek on Laritte’s head. They looked like a sweet couple.
“Isn’t that right, Laritte?”
Being in a very good mood, he even forgot that the reason for the wedding was actually to kiss her. He was going to have a wedding with Laritte. It was just too good to imagine.
“Are you drunk?”
Laritte pushed his face away, but Ian continued to fuss. The nobles’ mouths were wide open at the sight they had never seen before.
