Ch.78Praester’s Hypothesis (1)

Daisy was taken aback when her father suddenly announced that her fiancé had been decided.

While she didn’t have anyone specific in mind… there was someone she had feelings for.

She had vaguely hoped something might develop between her and Caden.

But that hope ended in that moment. After all, Caden already had a partner, so he couldn’t possibly be her match.

Just a few days ago, her father had told her to keep Caden in mind. So when a different match was decided so quickly, she couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed.

But at her father’s next words, Daisy had to catch her breath.

“…therefore, your match will be Caden Praester.”

“…Pardon?”

Daisy blinked her clear eyes. A radiant light began to spread across her face, which had just shown mild disappointment.

“I told you a few days ago, didn’t I? That Caden Praester could become your match, so prepare yourself.”

“B-but, Caden and Judy Ice…”

“Hmm? Judy Ice? You mean the illegitimate daughter of the Ice Family?”

“…Yes.”

“What does Judy Ice have to do with this? Could it be that she’s Caden’s lover?”

“……”

Daisy suddenly realized that her father didn’t know about the marriage arrangement between Caden and Judy.

She remembered that when Caden first told her about it, he mentioned they hadn’t announced it publicly due to circumstances.

“N-no. That’s not it.”

“Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t matter. There’s no room for emotions in a political marriage. Now you just need to think about how to live well with Caden.”

Count Hexter gazed slowly at Daisy.

“…Still, this is a match your father carefully considered. Though he’s an adopted commoner… I hear he’s favored by the former Duchess Riana. I’m not sure about his relationship with his twin… hmm. But forming a marriage alliance with the Praester Family will be more beneficial to us than with some mediocre family.”

“…Yes. Th-that’s right.”

Daisy wasn’t properly hearing the conversation. Her mind was racing too quickly.

As her father said, there truly was no room for emotions in a political marriage… but now that she was the protagonist of such a situation, Daisy’s feelings were different.

The realization that she would truly become his wife. The anticipation of the emotions they would feel as they grew closer. The relief that she would be connected to Caden rather than some strange person.

The excitement about Caden himself as a person.

All these emotions flooded in at once, just from hearing that he had become her fiancé.

“Besides… isn’t he quite beloved by the common people? Former Duchess Riana has requested that Caden settle in our territory. This is fortunate as well. You won’t need to leave for Praester territory. Additionally, our people will welcome him because of the food supplies he gifted… though it’s your decision, I believe there couldn’t be a better groom.”

“……”

“Daisy, do you think you can maintain a good marriage?”

This was something Daisy could answer with a clear mind. She raised her head and looked directly at Count Hexter.

“Yes. I can do it well.”

****

Kirsy arrived at the library.

She had just realized that she was being too swept along by circumstances.

Though she was far from studious… she thought she might learn something new, just as she had previously discovered information about kissing.

She sensed that this desperate situation wouldn’t end on its own.

Even if she somehow managed to break off Caden’s engagement, her grandmother would just bring in another match.

Many things needed to change.

And as an escape route, Kirsy finally chose confession.

There was no other way. Somehow, she needed to confront her feelings.

Having realized her love late, she needed to move quickly.

Asena had already been methodically preparing something.

Whether it was her determination to expel him, or their prearranged kisses…

She had recognized her feelings and acted on them.

Of course, Kirsy wasn’t blind to the fact that even Asena’s plans were falling apart recently.

She couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore.

Though many things had become uncertain, some things remained clear.

She couldn’t bear the thought of Caden leaving her, and she wanted to spend her life with him.

She realized that she could only be happy if his affection came to her and no one else.

“…Sigh.”

Before exploring the library shelves, Kirsy needed to calm her mind.

The aftermath of her argument with her grandmother still lingered.

Though she had decided to pursue Caden without worrying about her grandmother’s opinion… it wasn’t as easy as she thought.

After all, her grandmother had loved them.

It was painful to hurt her grandmother’s feelings, but she couldn’t just watch Caden leave.

This was her life, and she would achieve what she wanted.

No matter who it was, even her grandmother, she couldn’t give up Caden.

She roamed the library, quickly scanning the books with her eyes, trying to find what she needed.

‘The Art of Romance.’

‘The Cruelty of Political Marriages.’

‘How to Connect Hearts with Your Partner.’

‘When Will I Fall in Love with My Fiancé?’

She found it difficult to find a book that perfectly matched her situation.

There weren’t many books about confessing one’s feelings. Perhaps because political marriages were so prevalent.

‘Kissing for Beginners.’

She paused at a book she had seen before. Was it because it was familiar? Before she knew it, her hand was touching the book.

Kirsy flipped through the book, scanning the familiar illustrations and explanations.

From deep French kisses to leaving kiss marks.

Back then, she couldn’t grasp the book’s explanations.

Under the illustration of a kiss involving tongues, it simply stated, ‘The final stage of kissing. Provides deep pleasure.’

She had always expected kissing to feel good, but she couldn’t relate to the phrase “deep pleasure.”

She wondered if it could really make such a difference.

…But now, having experienced it, she realized how inadequate the explanation was.

Well, not exactly wrong, but she recognized how poorly it was described.

‘Deep pleasure’ wasn’t sufficient to explain it.

The fact that she was finding it hard to breathe just imagining it was proof.

A pleasure that melts the brain. An instantly addictive pleasure. Like a drug.

That’s how it should have been described.

Though she knew it was wrong, Kirsy knew that if given the chance right now, she would do it again.

Every night, she had painfully reminisced about their kiss.

And she had countless fantasies about what to do next time…

Tightly embracing his neck while pressing her lips against his without any gap. Inserting her finger into his mouth to draw out his tongue, then licking it like candy. Breathing through his mouth. Sucking his upper and lower lips until they swelled. Flipping him over while embracing him, kissing him while pinned underneath. Very gently, imagining he was awake, kissing him carefully with fluttering emotions.

There was so much she wanted to do.

At the same time, Kirsy also knew that kissing wasn’t the end.

As she had learned during sex education, there were greater pleasures beyond.

It was hard to imagine. If it was physical pleasure, she might vaguely experience it. Perhaps similar to the pleasure she felt when soothing her heated body at night while imagining Caden.

What she was curious about was the emotional pleasure, like what she felt when their lips met.

And that was something she couldn’t do while he was asleep.

After all, both bodies needed to move, which wasn’t possible if he was sleeping.

If she wanted to know that pleasure, she had no choice but to make an effort here in this library.

After her brief reminiscence, Kirsy put the book back on the shelf.

After exploring for a while, her eyes stopped on a book.

‘The Commoner’s Way of Love.’

Without even reading it.

She immediately sensed that there would be much to learn from that book.

Because among commoners, political marriages were rare.

Confessing one’s feelings and forming relationships would be commonplace.

****

The next day, Judy rose with a heavy body.

The previous day, she had ended up shedding tears.

Only then did she realize how much she had been looking forward to her engagement with Caden.

One always realizes the value of something after losing it. Perhaps being alone allowed her to be honest with herself.

At the same time, she felt incredibly wronged.

While their potential relationship was initially possible due to family circumstances, it was also broken off due to family circumstances unrelated to the feelings of those involved, which was hard to accept.

Once again, the one who interfered was Nera Ice.

She appeared as if it were natural, right in front of the future Judy had finally allowed herself to hope for.

Her half-sister and someone she disliked.

Nera was the reason she was in the family and the reason she suffered as a child.

There wasn’t direct bullying, but the dismissive attitude was daily. Nera would frown when approached and interfere with everything.

Though she didn’t want to blame others, Judy believed that Nera had contributed to her defensive personality.

And this incident made Judy hate Nera even more.

It was the first time she had felt such a clear desire to curse someone.

Though Judy knew she couldn’t do anything against Nera, the legitimate daughter, she knew she would harbor this resentment until her death.

After all.

Who kicks and spills wine at a meeting like that? Why did it have to be at that moment?

If it hadn’t been for that moment, she could have endured everything. She could have withstood all the insults and humiliations. Why did it have to be then?

Her first friend and someone who shared the same pain. Someone she had seen shine so brightly and appear so upright.

It wasn’t because of his appearance or family that she was attracted to him. She had opened her heart to him, captivated by his inner self.

And somehow, he had suddenly come within her grasp. With a fluttering heart, she had reached out to hold him.

But when she opened her hand, his light had already escaped.

All because of Nera.

This felt so unfair that Judy had shed tears the previous day.

“….Hah.”

But that was brief. Judy washed herself and got dressed. She tended to her swollen face and strapped her sword to her side.

The guard duty must continue.

Leaving behind the bed that seemed to pull her back, she headed to Daisy’s room.

.

.

.

Caden wasn’t seen all day.

Perhaps that was fortunate.

Her emotions were still raw, and she wasn’t sure how to face him.

It would be better to talk when her heart had calmed down.

Today, too, he seemed to have been dragged somewhere by the twins.

Perhaps they were having a family meeting.

Speaking of family meetings, Judy thought of Nera.

Of course, she had never been included in family meetings… but still, Nera came to mind.

She wondered what excuses Nera was making.

The cause of this broken engagement was almost entirely her fault… how was she justifying her actions to their father?

As the sense of injustice passed, cold anger and hatred kept rising.

If an opportunity for revenge ever came… Judy knew she would act. This was certain.

The hatred she had suppressed since childhood had overflowed because of this incident.

She couldn’t endure it anymore.

“….Sigh.”

But Judy calmed her mind.

She couldn’t keep thinking about other things while on guard duty.

Even in a peaceful academy, unexpected incidents could occur.

One is most vulnerable when distracted.

As she tried to clear her thoughts, Daisy, who was sitting at the student council desk, stretched her neck.

“….?”

As Judy looked puzzled, Daisy carefully turned to face her.

“….Is something wrong?”

Judy asked.

“….I… I think I should tell you.”

Daisy’s face was filled with apology as she spoke.

“….I heard. About Caden and…”

Judy replied, hiding her saddening emotions.

“…It’s alright.”

“….Pardon?”

“….It’s family circumstances.”

“……”

Was it to comfort herself? Or was it too painful to keep silent? Judy spoke as if making an excuse.

“….The Praester and Ice families… were never meant to be together.”

Saying this made Judy’s heart ache terribly.

Increasingly, she realized how varied her feelings had been regarding her engagement to Caden.

She thought the conversation had ended, but Daisy didn’t turn away.

She still wore an apologetic expression.

“……”

But Judy could also detect a slight expectation in Daisy’s face.

As an uneasy feeling swept over her, Daisy spoke.

The words that burst out were so sudden.

As if Daisy could no longer contain herself, she said:

“….I’ve become the next match.”

“…………….Pardon?”

“…..I… have become Caden’s fiancée.”

Daisy whispered, avoiding eye contact.