If I Don’t Get Married I’ll Die

Kalius was sitting in an empty office with only an assortment of desks and chairs, looking at some documents that needed to be sorted out.

The mansion he rented during his stay in the capital was simple and ordinary, unlike the splendid mansions owned by the long-established noble families of the empire.

Kalius didn’t want to waste a lot of money on accommodations when he wasn’t intending to spend a lot of time in the capital in the first place.

He only changed his plans and delayed his return to Lonheim because of Chloe.

“Marquis.”

“Brentian.”

Brentian, his aide, walked into the office.

He had long blue hair neatly tied back and was quite slender for a man from Lonheim, famous for their burly build.

As there weren’t a lot of objects and furniture in the office, Brentian’s tidy footsteps echoed through the ceiling.

“Did what I ordered go well?”

“Yes. I don’t know why, but everyone likes it, saying that it’s a free drinking party every day.”

“Good.”

Kalius nodded in satisfaction.

Recently, he had been sending his men to pubs all over the capital to spread word.

A rumor about a holy relic with mysterious powers possessed by Lonheim’s saintess.

A gift from God that was said to bring back the dead, recover lost health, and restore past youth.

It was a story that was originally dismissed as a legend.

Lonheim, which had little contact with the world, was an unknown land that no one was interested in. No one believed the legends that came from such places.

However, as travelers to Lonheim began to appear, the story that the holy relic actually existed spread. Then people from all over the world came searching for it.

In an instant, the beautiful and white snowfields of Lonheim turned into bloody tombs.

Still, the strong warriors of Lonheim defended the territory and the holy relic well for hundreds of years.

However, ten years ago, the holy relic of Lonheim disappeared due to an attack by some assailants, and the saintess, who had been taking care of the relic, was murdered.

No one knew where the missing holy relic went. Officially.

Brentian asked with concern.

“Will it be fine to spread more rumors when there are already a lot of exaggerated stories about the holy relic?”

“They’re already exaggerated anyway, what difference will one or two more make?”

“It may prove to be more difficult to retrieve the relic.”

“Staying still would not make it any easier either. Nothing has changed.”

Brentian was silent for a moment, but eventually stubbornly continued. This time he said in a casual tone.

“I don’t want to place bets on what you’re trying to do, but as an old friend of yours, I have something to say. Why won’t anything change? Using you as bait will put you in danger. They’ll come looking for you.”

“That’s what I’m aiming for, Brentian.”

Brentian raised his voice a little as if he was frustrated.

“Don’t do anything dangerous. We have already made great sacrifices for the holy relic. Did you forget that they brutally murdered the saintess?”

“Forget?”

Kalius wanted to say more, but he stared at Brentian expressing that he wouldn’t bother.

Brentian faltered.

“I apologize.”

There was no way Kalius would forget.

Because the saintess of Lonheim was Kalius’ mother.

Kalius let out a sigh and assured the anxious Brentian.

“If Queen Kavala moves in any way because of this, it will be proof that she stole our property. I’ve been cautious until now because I only had a suspicion, but from now on, I will be able to move with confidence.”

He was confident.

Even though he said that it was only a suspicion, Kalius said it as if he was convinced that Queen Kavala had the holy relic.

“Besides, Queen Kavala cannot harm me until she finds the real key.”

He was the only one who had the information.

At that time, the chilly night wind in the empire’s mainland that came from somewhere, swept through the office quite sharply.

However, these two were people who wouldn’t budge even if they were naked in the middle of a fierce blizzard in Lonheim.

The sticky winds unique to the South only left them with a slight discomfort but dispersed without much effect on them.

“To get more information, the Queen will try to plant a spy. But it won’t be easy for them.”

Kalius laughed with ease.

During this trip, he had only taken a few elite knights and common servants.

In other words, an unknown face will never be able to join the group.

“Now what kind of bold method will the empress try to plant a spy?”

Kalius smiled deviously as he said that.

***

Lying on my side, I blankly stared at the morning sunlight shining through the curtains.

The long night that felt like an eternity had ended and the day had come. It was the same thing.

‘I couldn’t sleep today either.’

A sigh came out. Due to not being able to sleep these past couple of days, my body won’t move as I intended; as if the connection between my soul and the body had gotten loose.

‘I feel like my soul is leaking out somewhere.’

After my regression, my revenge came with insomnia.

I would vividly recall the moment I died whenever I closed my eyes.

The fear or the shock of my death was not what bothered me.

What bothered me was the truth that I learned at the moment of my death. The feeling after realizing the betrayal of the person I believed in.

-”What an irritatingly d*mb woman.”

The words of the knight who killed me kept replaying in my head.

‘How did I not realize it all this time? How could I have been deceived?’

My teeth trembled.

‘Was I st*p*d?’

Andrea and Kavala were the ones who tricked me. They’re the evil ones. I knew it in my head.

However, the anger inside me was not only directed at them, but also at myself.

‘Why was I so st*p*d? Why didn’t I doubt them? In retrospect, there were many strange incidents, so why didn’t I realize it then?’

I blamed myself, then blamed myself again.

Even though I hadn’t eaten anything, my chest felt stuffy as if something was pressing on it and it was hard to breathe.

I kept remembering my childhood whenever Andrea would smile at me and say, “This brother will always be by your side, Chloe.”

‘It’s revolting.’

Barely lifting my body that felt as heavy as wet cotton, I gripped and pulled on my hair.

‘I trusted you.’

It was as if I could hear someone in my ear saying, “Foolish Chloe, st*pi*d Chloe. It’s all your fault. It’s because you’re a moron.”

Anxiety enveloped me, as if someone was attacking me from all sides.

I fumbled and pulled my blanket over my body. I wanted to protect myself like that.

It was then.

“Chloe.”

Cal peeked out from behind the curtain.

He seemed to have managed to sneak into the imperial palace today as well.

“Cal!”

I greeted Cal in a hushed voice so that the maids outside the door won’t hear.

Seeing Cal now, my breath that had been choked up, suddenly cleared.

Cal looked at me with worried eyes as I gasped like someone who was underwater.

“You didn’t sleep again? I was worried, I’m glad I came early. What’s wrong with you these days? Are you really not sick?”

I smiled faintly and shook my head.

The words ‘My heart hurts’ filled my throat, but I didn’t say it.

“I don’t know.”

Seeing me say that, Cal let out a frustrated sigh.

“You look like you’re thinking of bad things.”

I was stunned and lowered my gaze.

“I’m right? Sigh.”

Cal sat down next to me and though he spoke like he was scolding me, his voice was full of affection.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you, but either way it’s not your fault.”

“How would you know?”

“I don’t know the situation, but I know you. Of the many bad things that happen around you, you are rarely to blame.”

“……!”

“Believe in yourself, Chloe, you are a better person than you think.”

The guilt that had been tightening my throat disappeared at Cal’s words in an instant.

The tip of my nose tickled and tears started welling up.

I hit Cal as I laughed and cried.

“Tch, you don’t know anything.”

Could I have survived without Cal? No at all. Whether it be in my past life or in the present.

I hugged Cal and wet his small shoulders with my tears.

“Cal, the only one I trust now is you and me. I won’t trust anyone else. I won’t live foolishly again.”

“Yes, yes. Make sure to do well.”

My only peace and consolation, that was who Cal was to me.

“I’m glad you’re here, Cal.”

After leaning on Cal’s small shoulder, I raised my head and looked sadly at him.

“But when I leave for Lonheim, we will…”

In my past life, I lived with Viscount Perseus in a mansion in the capital that wasn’t too far from the imperial palace.

So even after my marriage, I was able to secretly meet Cal. But Lonheim was too far from the capital.

“We’ll…….”

I couldn’t bear to say it, and as I was holding Cal’s hand tightly, he said something unexpected.

“Chloe, I’ll be with you wherever you go.”

“What…? But how…”

“Don’t worry. I have a way.”

Cal grinned as he said that.

“…..!”

I stared blankly at him.

It was because Cal’s and Kalius’ smiling faces overlapped for some unknown reason.

‘What is this feeling of déjà vu?’

Then, suddenly, I heard movement from the outside.

I hurriedly let go of Cal.

“Go Cal, quickly!”

“I’ll be back.”

Cal disappeared through the window where he came in.

As soon as the boy disappeared, the bedroom door opened and my maids rushed in.

“You’re awake.”

The maid that talked down to me sighed and pulled me around like a puppet. She sat me down, stood me up, dressed me and touched my hair with not-so-kind hands.

As if I were an inanimate object, the maid who I was entrusted to finished one final check and glanced me up and down.

“Well, I guess this is enough. Go out now.”

“Go out?”

I was puzzled. They were the ones who preferred that I be confined in my bedroom all day like a doll.

I wondered and hesitantly went out into the drawing room. Then I was surprised.

“What’s all this?”

Red roses in full bloom filled the drawing room.

An errand boy held out a letter on a tray and handed it to me.

The name “Kalius Rodrian” was clearly written on the envelope.

A very curious maid rudely stuck her head out behind my shoulder.

“Isn’t that a love letter? Quickly read it! Come on!”

They didn’t like me, yet somehow my love story was interesting to them.

‘Since it’s a letter he sent publicly, it’s okay if I read it here right?’

I carefully opened the letter, hurriedly read a few lines, and gaped blankly.

「Princess Chloe, a person more dazzling than the sun during the day and brighter than the stars at night. The first time I saw you was at a party in the imperial palace a few days ago.

It was an exceptionally beautiful night. Looking back now, all the beautiful things like the trees, flowers, and the wind was a foretelling of that fateful encounter between you and me.

Ah, I can still vividly feel the intensity of my soul burning when I met you…」

Having read that far, I double-checked and the name ‘Kalius Rodrian’ was clearly written on the envelope.

Even then, I was not convinced, so I asked the errand boy.

“Is this letter really from Marquis Rodrian?”

The boy confidently nodded his head.

‘Maybe I’m wrong. Please tell me I’m wrong.’

“Certainly.”

How the hell am I supposed to interpret this letter?

‘By any chance, is it an assassination attempt to stop my heart through cringing…?’

It was a reasonable doubt.