Chapter 16
I Could Never Have Imagined You Held Such an Impure Thought
Feeling embarrassed that her own shallowness had been mistaken for kindness, she rolled her eyes slightly before suddenly speaking.
“Th-then… the person who gave birth to Your Highness—”
Anette had meant to ask what had happened, but seeing his slightly enlarged blue pupils, she stopped mid-sentence and quietly apologized a moment later.
“I was rude. I’m sorry.”
“No, no.”
Kardin quickly waved his hand.
“I was just a little surprised. I didn’t expect you would take interest in my birth mother.”
Even he hadn’t paid much attention, except the very first time he learned the truth.
“Hmm… she was promised sufficient wealth and a new status in return for giving birth to me. She lived comfortably in the palace during her pregnancy. But she passed away immediately after giving birth,” Kardin explained calmly.
Anette flinched slightly at his words. Though their situations were very different, she couldn’t help feeling a subtle sense of shared pain.
“Well, perhaps the late Emperor acted first, worried something might go wrong afterward.”
However, Kardin, who seemed deep in thought with his eyelids lowered, spoke coldly.
“It was foolish. To be pregnant, to announce it, and to believe that giving birth would set her free—foolish all of it.”
Anette’s face twisted slightly.
“Is it really necessary to be so absolute? Maybe she did what she could because the circumstances left no other choice… perhaps she thought it was the best she could do…”
She realized too late that she might have crossed a line.
She had never shared such intimate thoughts with anyone before. Not even with her blood-related brother, Franz, had she opened her heart, so there was no way she could fully maintain the proper boundaries now.
Moreover, she hadn’t said that out of pity or because she assumed Kardin’s mother had extenuating circumstances.
Her lips had simply moved on their own, sensing the subtle resentment Kardin carried when speaking of his birth mother.
“I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn again.”
Even so, Anette wanted Kardin not to hate the woman who had given birth to him. It was a clumsy, awkward form of comfort.
Kardin understood her intention.
“You really are too kind, Princess.”
Though hidden behind his mask, a faint smile crossed his face.
“If I may speak presumptuously for a moment…”
“…….”
“Surely your mother loved you dearly, Princess. It must have pained her not to watch you grow up. Had she been able to, every day would have brought her immense joy, as if she possessed the world, and she would have been prouder of you than anyone.”
Anette shivered.
Kardin’s words seemed to pierce straight to her very core.
The Grand Duke might truly know her as well as he claimed. Otherwise, how could he speak as if aware of her belief that the late Queen would hate her?
Seeing Anette frozen as if struck by lightning, Kardin, hidden behind his mask, smiled wryly and quickly changed the subject.
“Perhaps now, you can at least understand that you are far more noble than I am, and that someone like me, a mere illegitimate child, is far beneath you?”
With his teasing tone, Anette regained her composure and looked at Kardin with a peculiar expression.
She couldn’t understand how the Grand Duke could so casually reveal his weakness.
‘And he doesn’t even seem to care that he’s illegitimate.’
Of course, it was a secret that must never be revealed, yet he seemed deliberately trying to ease her mind.
‘Why would he belittle himself like that… ah.’
At that moment, her eyes narrowed.
‘No matter how I think about it… this man…’
“You’re not disappointed because I’m illegitimate, are you?”
Kardin’s voice turned slightly sour as he spoke to Anette, who had remained silent. Though playful, there was a subtle unease beneath it.
Anette immediately confirmed her previous suspicion.
This man wanted to close the distance between them, to become closer—and surprisingly, he seemed to be doing so with genuine affection.
‘Why…?’
The question naturally followed, but she didn’t have time to ponder it deeply. She had to answer him.
“Disappointed? Not at all.”
Did she even have the right to say that?
She had been born in a way that would make any husband suspect her fidelity from the start. The king had later corrected rumors about the late Queen, but his actions still made it clear that he didn’t regard Anette as his own child.
Being illegitimate or having noble blood was meaningless to someone born with such a fatal flaw in lineage.
Still, she didn’t elaborate.
If Kardin truly knew her as he claimed, he would understand her circumstances and the rumors without needing a detailed explanation.
And she had no intention of openly admitting, even to him or the world, how poorly she had been treated.
“I’m glad to hear that. Well, that’s enough for today.”
Unlike the Grand Duke, who had voluntarily revealed his weakness first.
“I’ll tell you the next secret when we arrive at the Grand Duchy. So remember: I’m a liar, but not a swindler.”
Kardin smiled faintly at Anette, who looked as if she were trying to understand the difference.
“Oh, and there’s no need to worry about your body returning to its original state. Of course, the official marriage will have to be slightly delayed…”
Ah, that was a bit disappointing.
Kardin had just realized his plan to make Anette his wife as soon as possible had hit a minor setback, though the unexpected joy made up for it. For now, being engaged was sufficient.
“In any case, this won’t ruin the marriage. It may take some time, but there’s a way to restore your body.”
Kardin spoke seriously, without his usual playful tone.
He couldn’t explain in detail yet, but he wanted her to trust that it would be resolved quickly.
“I’m relieved to hear there’s a solution,” Anette said, nodding decisively.
Kardin was taken aback.
“You’re trusting me?”
“……Are you lying?”
She narrowed her eyes slightly, and Kardin quickly jumped up to deny it.
Anette couldn’t help but laugh.
She didn’t know why—whether it was just for comfort, or because it was the first time someone asked her to trust them—but she wanted to trust him.
Seeing her laugh, Kardin widened his eyes in surprise, then mirrored her smile.
He was a self-proclaimed liar, yet beneath his mask, he revealed emotions so openly it was almost unbelievable.
“By the way…”
It was then.
Kardin’s radiant smile faded as he suddenly frowned, lowering his eyebrows in a way that would have made anyone familiar with him cringe.
“I could never have imagined you held such an impure thought, Princess.”
“Impure… thought?”
Anette blinked in disbelief. Kardin nodded gravely, expressing mock sorrow.
“Even if it’s a political marriage, it’s still a marriage. And yet, a mistress?”
“Ah…”
“While I respect your heart for wanting to consider even an illegitimate child as your own, honestly, I’m not pleased. I never intend for my wife to suffer the same grief my mother felt.”
“……!”
Kardin had said this precisely because he wanted Anette, who had little expectation for marriage, to take it seriously and wholeheartedly.
He also wanted to show that, unlike the late Emperor, he would never treat her lightly.
Anette paled. She had only intended to express her readiness to endure anything for the marriage, but it seemed she had inadvertently touched a sensitive point about his birth.
“I-I’m sorry.”
She felt guilty for thinking earlier that he didn’t care about being illegitimate.
Kardin was surprised by her apology. Though he had been slightly upset by her words, he wasn’t truly angry. Seeing her so earnest, any remaining annoyance melted away.
“Hmm… had my mother heard that, she would have scolded you despite how fond she is of you,” he added mischievously.
Anette’s eyes drooped slightly, and Kardin quickly added:
“But you didn’t know, so it’s fine. Just don’t ever have the ridiculous idea that it’s okay to have a mistress. Be faithful in marriage.”
“Yes!”
Completely caught up by Kardin, Anette gave him the answer he wanted, yet she didn’t realize how grateful she was that he accepted her apology so kindly.
She nodded adorably, clenching her fist, and Kardin’s lips curved in a smile that wouldn’t stop.
Kardin cleared his throat and hurriedly composed himself.
“Lastly… you mentioned something earlier.”
Anette instinctively parted her lips. She feared he would question everything she had said.
‘At least it’s the last one,’ she thought.
“W-what do you mean?”
“You said you would do your best as long as the marriage wasn’t broken, right?”
“Yes… I did.”
Aside from a faithful marriage, did he wish for something else?
Anette straightened up, suspecting this might be the real point.
“Is there something you wish for me to do?”
“Yes. It’s embarrassing… but there is.”
Kardin blushed slightly, nodding.
Thinking the Grand Duke wouldn’t make unreasonable demands, Anette swallowed hard, tense as she waited for his next words.
What came next was completely unexpected.
“I want you, Princess, to do whatever you want, without asking anyone—including me—for permission.”
