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A marriage proposal without a bouquet or a ring felt entirely surreal.
Eileen desperately hoped she had misheard, or that it was some sort of cruel joke.
However, Eileen’s hearing was perfectly fine, and Cesare was not a man given to such jokes.
*‘Why?’*
Countless questions flooded her mind, making her head spin.
Eileen took a slow, deep breath, struggling to stabilize her ragged breathing before she managed to respond.
"I...
I don't want to marry you, Your Grace."
He was still smiling softly when he asked, "Would you rather put your head on the chopping block than marry me?"
"It’s not that."
Fear tightened her throat.
But gathering every last ounce of her courage, she managed to squeeze out the words that truly mattered.
"You don't have any feelings for me.
You still see me as just a child."
"True.
You are my child."
That statement, spoken as if it were the most natural thing in the world, sent a painful sting through her heart.
"That’s exactly why I don't want to.
You need an heir, and for that... you would have to *do that* with me."
Eileen bit her lip hard before whispering in a trembling voice, "And you... you wouldn't be able to do that with me."
A large hand suddenly gripped Eileen’s neck.
Cesare leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against hers.
He invaded her mouth with a soft, insistent heat that made Eileen flinch and try to push him away.
A wet sound echoed as their lips parted.
Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt ready to burst.
With wide, disbelieving eyes, Eileen stared up at Cesare.
He was no longer smiling.
His deep, dark red eyes were fixed directly on her.
"Well?" he asked, his voice lazy as his lips moved slowly.
"Are you convinced now?"
***
Their first meeting had occurred when Eileen was ten and Cesare was seventeen.
Eileen had occasionally visited the Imperial Palace with her mother, who served as the prince's wet nurse.
Being a curious child, Eileen would explore the gardens every time she was there.
Usually, she held tightly to her mother's hand, but that day, she had seized a moment of distraction to chase a small butterfly and had promptly gotten lost.
She had wandered the vast gardens alone for a long time, and just as she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she had stumbled into Cesare.
"Waaaaah!..."
At the sight of him, tears had poured down like a river—she had finally found an adult.
Eileen had immediately lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Sobbing against his broad chest, it was only after she had finished loudly blowing her nose that she dared to look up at the "adult" she was clinging to.
Illuminated by the early summer sun, the man was dazzlingly beautiful.
Meeting his petal-like scarlet eyes, Eileen had been so surprised she actually stopped crying.
She had even peeked behind his back to look for wings—perhaps he was an angel?
But instead of white wings, the girl had only found other, even older-looking men.
Unlike the oblivious Eileen, Cesare had immediately recognized the sobbing girl as his wet nurse’s daughter.
He had quirked his lips into a light smile.
"So, you’re Lily."
It was a tender nickname that only her mother used.
With wide eyes, Eileen had frozen as Cesare plucked a nearby lily for her.
Then, he had personally carried her out of the garden in his arms and returned her to her mother.
Eileen had received a thorough scolding that day, but she hadn't been sad in the slightest.
She had simply smiled endlessly at the beautiful lily she’d placed in a vase.
And before bed, she had meticulously written everything about the "angel" she’d met at the palace into her diary, making a wish that she would see him again on her next visit.
After that encounter, Cesare would occasionally ask the wet nurse about Eileen’s health, and each time her mother was given the opportunity to bring her along.
For a small girl, it was the height of happiness.
The child would sit opposite the nearly adult man, enjoying afternoon tea.
Most of the time was spent with her talking incessantly.
Unlike other children her age, Eileen’s interests were entirely focused on plants.
And Cesare would patiently listen to her endless stories about them.
Surely he must have been bored to death, but he never once interrupted her.
And so, their relationship had continued in that way until the present day.
*‘I thought he was an angel, not a demon...’*
Even though she had been a child, there was no excuse for her blindness.
Even then, Cesare had been a seasoned warrior who had survived countless battles.
He had carried an aura that kept ordinary people at a distance.
And yet she had thrown herself into the arms of a man whose cold demeanor resembled a sharpened blade!
She had ignored all the other adults standing behind him.
*‘I should have hugged Lord Rotan instead.’*
Then none of this would be happening today.
Eileen walked out of the inn in a semi-conscious daze.
A luxurious black carriage stood before the entrance, looking entirely out of place on the shabby street.
Rotan helped the swaying Eileen inside.
"I will accompany you, Lady Eileen."
She allowed herself to be seated.
*Thud.* The door closed, and the soldier on the front seat took up the reins.
Rotan sat down beside Eileen.
Normally, he would have taken a seat next to the coachman.
Looking at her unexpected companion in surprise, Eileen noticed him handing her a handkerchief and some lemon drops.
"..."
Perhaps because she had been a crying child when they first met, both Cesare and his knights had always viewed Eileen as a crybaby and treated her like a little girl.
Eileen was an adult now and didn't cry at every little thing.
The lemon drops... well, she still liked those occasionally.
Unable to refuse Rotan to his face, she accepted the offering and placed it on her lap.
Then, she stunned him with the news.
"Lord Rotan.
His Grace has proposed to me."
"I see."
A calm reaction.
Eileen squeezed the handkerchief and the candy in her hand.
She didn't dare mention the kiss, but she emphasized the point:
"He *offered to marry me*, do you understand?"
Rotan raised a thick eyebrow.
His gaze clearly said, *‘And what am I supposed to say to that?’* Even after Eileen explained that His Grace—who had viewed her as a child for over ten years—had suddenly proposed marriage, the knight didn't show the slightest hint of surprise.
"Are you not shocked by this?"
"Is it not obvious?
You could be executed, after all."
With impassive logic, Rotan uttered something unimaginable.
"Your life must be saved, and His Grace happens to be in need of a Duchess.
He simply chose the most efficient method."
"Efficient..." Eileen murmured, floored.
Even in the face of her stunned grumbling, Rotan’s expression didn't change.
It seemed Eileen was the only one who found this situation insane.
She thought for a moment about the "proposal" she had received.
Execution or marriage.
There was, essentially, no choice.
Eileen now had a rough understanding of why Cesare had done this.
In the Empire, House Elodd was counted among the Grand Duke’s supporters.
They had no money, no power, and no influence—only the fact that Eileen’s mother had been his wet nurse.
The Duke gained no benefit from the existence of the Elodd barony.
But if Eileen were executed for drugs, it would bring shame upon Cesare.
The Duke's opponents would use any excuse to humiliate him.
It seemed he had decided to distract everyone with loud news of his victory and a wedding, while simultaneously covering up Eileen’s mistake.
Likely, he was guided by more than just political motives.
To Cesare, Eileen was someone he could trust.
Her house couldn't increase his influence, but at the very least, she wouldn't stab him in the back.
Cesare’s trust in Eileen was entirely based on his relationship with her mother.
Originally, the Elodd barony didn't have a senior heir, which Eileen was.
Her mother had lost her firstborn shortly after giving birth.
Later, after entering the Imperial Palace as a wet nurse, she had immediately recognized Cesare as her destiny.
She viewed him as a child sent from heaven and revered him like a deity.
To bring a wet nurse who had lost a child into the prince’s household was normally unacceptable.
Nonetheless, Eileen’s mother had been chosen for an obvious reason: Cesare was an abandoned prince.
The former Emperor already had too many children.
There were more than a dozen officially recognized heirs.
Born into such circumstances, Cesare was not wanted.
To survive, Cesare had betrayed and been betrayed countless times.
Among the endless traitors, Eileen’s mother had remained fanatically loyal to Cesare until her final days.
She was one of the few people Cesare truly trusted.
Because of her, his daughter Eileen was also under his protection.