Aedis didn't trouble himself with reciting every mistake his son had made so far.
In a cold voice devoid of any warmth, he ordered him,
"Leave and reflect on your actions."
"I d-did no-nothing wro...!"
"Does it sound like I'm giving you a choice?"
Aedis lifted his foot. As if they had been waiting this whole time, men adorned in a black uniform emerged and grabbed Gilbert.
Of course, he wouldn't let himself be taken away without a fight.
"Why are you so heartless when it comes to me?! Why the hell?!"
Gilbert raised his voice and released his feelings of injustice. If one had not known Gilbert's true nature, it would seem like Aedis was the villain in this situation.
"Tell me! What does Rehan have that I don't?!"
I heard the sound of leaves being trampled behind me. When I shifted my gaze, the notary that had been following Aedis bowed his head with ease.
The sound of those footsteps didn't belong to any of us–
The Emperor hurriedly arrived and made eye contact with Aedis, clearly without a clue on how to act. I didn't care though.
As expected, the person who had business with me wasn't the Emperor but Aedis himself.
Aedis left the Emperor's side as his former aide and servant.
But your majesty, he's someone you should be wary of in particular.
Because Aedis naturally had a tremendous presence, and he wasn't just some deranged guy who murdered anyone he found annoying to look at.
Unless he had a concrete reason, he wouldn't touch anyone because he was too lazy to do so.
And since it came to the extent that Aedis had to come out, it meant Gilbert had seriously screwed up.
"Seems like you still have that bad habit of wanting me to hand feed you."
Hearing Aedis' words, the Emperor paled. He seemed to be pointlessly sympathizing with Gilbert's feelings.
However, the Emperor was killed in the novel by Gilbert, who was blinded by power. He became much more of an insane bastard than he was right now, declaring he would ascend the throne and strengthen the Imperial Family's power.
Even though Gilbert actually died, I had already been thinking of dropping the novel there and then.
"Ugh, haa…."
In her breathless state, Monica groaned and inhaled deeply. Experiencing not only Gilbert's bloodlust but Aedis' presence as well was way above her capability.
The best choice right now would be to get her away from here, away from Aedis.
"Are you alright, Monica?"
"Do I-I look o-okay?"
Monica glowered at me with her eyes opened wide.
I flashed her a genuine smile.
"You look like you still have some life left in you. Though, you shouldn't reject my helping hand. You might get hurt."
Monica stared at me for a while before letting out a groan and taking my hand.
She squeezed my hand with a lot of power.
She proceeded to get up, her face covered in a cold sweat and her makeup all ruined.
"I just n-need a l-little rest."
"I'll notify your partner then."
She didn't seem to notice the presence of Aedis or the Emperor at the moment.
Monica managed to walk without tripping but it was still hazardous for her. Aedis glanced at his subordinate, who promptly began to follow Monica.
Then, I looked over to the man who would soon be my husband.
Even if I were to speak vain words, it'd be hard to say that he looks like a person of good nature. His pupils in particular resembled those of an ominous demon. They were of such a deep ice blue that it seemed like they were imitating the eyes of a human… rather than actually being the eyes of a real human.
He didn't look friendly, and he didn't look merciful; he seemed like a person who wouldn't even die if you cursed him.
Though, he does indeed have a handsome face.
Maybe the author wanted to make him the demon king but decided to change it.
Even though he was handsome enough for it to be overwhelming, no matter where I looked, he didn't look like a nice person at all. He was far from the 'refreshing yet handsome' type of man.
Yeah, he had more of a classic dark vibe. His eyes slanted slightly upwards, looking as if they were painted by the devil himself.
The moonlight shone upon his aloof, pale face. Following his high nose bridge were red lips. Though he was relaxed, his uniform and cape gave off a decadent air.
Um... really... for the first time, I felt like the novel's description was a bit lacking.
For a man who considered breathing annoying, he had a flawless, muscular body that appeared to be as hard as marble. He truly looked like a god who lived amongst demons in the underworld.
Feeling my persistent gaze, Aedis blinked. Even his eyelashes were pretty.
It's a shame his black hair, that seemed to have the perfect amount of shading, was a bit messy.
I want to see his hair slicked back next time.
I felt a strange urge to dress him in clothing that wasn't black.
"Do you know how to dance?"
My remark that came without a greeting made him laugh.
"Shall we dance to a song?"
"Alright."
He extended his gloved hand. Lightly, I held it. Then, I heard him give orders to all of his subordinates that were still here without sparing a glance at them.
"Take care of the issue."
He didn't give Gilbert any attention when he was being dragged away either.
The Emperor must have escaped from sight long ago. To be honest, I expected all the other nobles in the hall to react the same way.
The reason why Aedis lived isolated, far away from all human contact, was because people ran away terrified merely from seeing his shadow.
He was similar to a predator who was born in a rabbit's den. He was so overpowered that even normal people would repeatedly ask if he was really human.
His abilities and looks weren't ordinary.
Somehow, I felt like I could stay up all night staring at his face, but that wouldn't be good.
Moving on, I was able to withstand his presence. Since I chose Aedis Kallakis as my husband, I was prepared to not be intimidated by him. Gilbert also helped me prepare.
He seemed to want to kill me more and more every day, therefore there was no one better to practice on.
The hall was around the corner. The attendant seemed perfectly fine until they had to announce Grand Duke Kallakis' entrance.
The attendant checked the list of attendees, glanced back at the dark cape with an extravagant crest on it, and rubbed their eyes.
The name 'Aedis Kallakis' seemed to have clearly been written on the paper.
But instead of an old grandpa, the attendant saw a handsome man instead.
"Oh... ooh…."
"Open it."
"Y… yes!"
Hearing his cold order, the attendant opened the door.
The moment Aedis and I entered with light steps, the entire hall was engulfed in silence. He held my hand and crossed the hall, ignoring everyone around us.
If I always attracted this much attention, I wouldn't want to go out often either.
Even after seeing the crest embroidered on Aedis' cape, most of the nobles here looked certain that he would commit treason.
His eyes looked past the musicians, and the performance that had been halted resumed.
Anyhow, his hand that was on my waist didn't feel unpleasant. Since I was the one who brought up dancing in the first place, I put on a straight face clear of any embarrassment and danced along to the melody.
Hmm, I don't think he'll step on my foot though.
With a small smile, I let myself relax.
The corners of his mouth also raised, as if he read my mind.
Praising him wouldn't be hard.
"Your Excellency."
I danced along with the correct steps before he corrected me.
"Aedis."
Is it already time for us to refer to each other with our names?
"Um, Your Excellency Aedis?"
"..."
He didn't respond.
"Mr. Aedis."
With a bit of reluctance, I finally let go of his title. As if he was retaliating, Aedis seized his chance to question me.
"There's something I'm curious about."
"I'm the one supposed to be questioning you but it seems like you're doing it in my stead."
While we swayed to the rhythm of the music, the other nobles seemed relieved that no one was murdered.
Charlie Morgoz looked a bit better than before. The shape of her mouth indicated she was trying to tell me something but turned her gaze away when she saw Aedis.
"Why me?"
Umm?
For a moment I paused because of his need for an explanation.
His eyes were filled to the brim with boredom, but a slight hint of curiosity was visible.
"I'm curious as to why you selected me as a spouse candidate instead of simply breaking off the contract."
Selected. What a peculiar choice of words.
"I'm very greedy."
The dance ended at the right time.
His voice, spoken in a cool tone, was buried by the countless applauds all started by Charlie.
"Where did you hear?"
The subject of his question was omitted, but it was impossible for me to not know what he was talking about. I wasn't shocked about the fact that the young Grand Duke Kallakis had two adopted sons, nor was I scared of him.
He must have found me interesting.
And for now, I needed to keep him interested.
A picky man such as himself could change his mind any time, even if it was because of the slightest boredom.
He came to see me because of his interest, so it was obvious what would happen if that interest died out.
"I know nothing except for the fact that you're bored to death."
I avoided his question vaguely and let out a poor compliment.
"Dancing, you're good at it. You're doing well."
"Just 'well' isn't enough."
You're wishing for too much already.
"Can I touch your hair?"
I saw Charlie, who successfully alleviated the hall's atmosphere, approach with her partner.
Aedis smiled not so politely.
"That's also fine."
He kissed the back of my hand. His attitude was gentlemanly, but I couldn't tell what feelings those eyes held when he bent over.
"I've fulfilled my role as your partner, meaning I'm done for today. I look forward to seeing you again."