Chapter 162

While Elise blinked in stunned disbelief, Andrei continued speaking, his tone calm and measured—as if he were discussing the weather, not reshaping her life.

“Before our parents passed away,” he said quietly, “they had someone in mind for you. A man they believed would treasure you for life.”

Her brows furrowed. “Who…?”

“You know him. We both do.”

“…No way.” A faint, incredulous scoff escaped her lips. Her voice turned sharp. “You don’t mean Barnon, do you?”

Andrei nodded once. “So you knew.”

Elise stared at him. “Andrei, are you hearing yourself right now? You’re seriously saying this? Do you even understand what kind of situation we’re in?”

“I do,” he replied steadily. “That’s why I want to move quickly. We can hold the official ceremony and announce it publicly later. For now, just the vow.”

She took an involuntary step back. “What on earth are you talking about…”

She was so stunned, so blindsided, that the words wouldn’t form properly. As her thoughts scrambled for logic, Andrei’s voice carried on—unchanged, disturbingly calm.

“I’ve thought about it ever since you came of age,” he said. “I never brought it up because I knew Barnon didn’t love you in the romantic sense. He sees you as a sister—just like I do. But affection and love aren’t always the same thing. And now, I think that might actually be… a good thing.”

Her voice came out a whisper. “Why?”

“Because,” Andrei said, his gaze steady, “even if I’m gone, he’ll protect you. And the child in your belly. He’ll raise them as his own.”

Elise’s lips parted in protest, but no sound came. Her breath caught, and her eyes shimmered with the first stirrings of panic.

Andrei saw it—how her expression cracked, how the light in her eyes faltered. He offered a strained, almost apologetic smile.

“You need a husband, Elise,” Andrei said, his voice quiet but firm. “Not someone to fall in love with, but a loyal companion—someone who will stand by you for life, even if I’m gone. You may never know love the way others do, but you’ll have peace. Security. That’s not so bad, is it? In fact… for the child’s sake, it might even be better.”

“I… I don’t understand why you’re saying all this, Andrei.”

Elise lifted a trembling hand, as if to physically stop his words. Her chest rose with shallow, uneven breaths. The proposal had blindsided her—but more than that, something about his tone, his urgency, felt… wrong.

That part—“even if I’m gone.”

What had he meant by that?

Her eyes narrowed. She knew her brother too well. Andrei wasn’t the kind of man to suddenly force marriage on her—not when he’d spent years rejecting suitor after suitor, shielding her from politics and promises alike. He had always been her fiercest protector, drawing lines no one was allowed to cross.

And now he wanted to send her off like this?

Something was deeply wrong. And this wasn’t the first time he’d made cryptic remarks.

Her voice wavered. “Andi… tell me the truth. What are you preparing for? Is it Ugel’s invasion—or is it… what happens to me after you’re gone?”

Andrei stilled.

That silence, sharp and suffocating, told her everything. The moment it stretched between them, Elise felt her heart plummet. Emotion surged up, raw and relentless, tightening her throat.

“You’re planning to disappear, aren’t you?” she whispered. “You’ve been hiding something—something dangerous. And now you’re just trying to tie off loose ends before you vanish?”

She took a step forward, her voice rising. “How could I not worry?”

“What?” Andrei asked, his tone low, almost incredulous. “You’re asking what I’m thinking? That’s my question.”

For the first time, his composure slipped.

His jaw tensed. A muscle in his cheek twitched. His eyes, usually steady, burned with something fierce and wounded.

“How long,” he said through clenched teeth, “did you think you could hide it, Elizabeth?”

Before she could react, he stepped forward and seized her shoulders. The sudden contact startled her, and her fingers slipped from the edge of her robe.

Elise’s breath caught. Through the parted folds of Elise’s robe, he caught a glimpse—just a moment—but enough to see the unmistakable curve of her belly. His eyes snapped shut, as if the sight physically pained him.

Elise froze.

Her world tilted, everything spiraling out of control.

Since the turn of the year, even her loosest dresses had struggled to conceal the truth. Week by week, her body had changed—so visibly that she had already resolved to tell Andrei. Soon. Just… not like this.

Not exposed. Not cornered.

Her fingers fumbled at the hem of her dress, trembling.

“I’ll explain,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve been meaning to for a while, but… the timing was never right…”

She tried to stay steady, but the words trembled out, betraying her calm. Across from her, Andrei’s eyes lingered on her rounded form, his jaw tightening with every second.

“It was a mistake,” he said at last, his voice low and bitter. “Keeping you hidden behind me all this time.”

Elise blinked. “What?”

“I must’ve shown you too beautiful a world,” he said, his tone hollow. “If everything looked like a fairytale to you—like a place where flower petals are always falling—this is what happens, isn’t it?”

The response she’d prepared withered on her tongue.

A fairy tale in bloom?

Her lips parted slightly… then slowly closed. Her world had never been anything close to a field of flowers.

“…Don’t say things you’ll regret,” she murmured.

“Regret?” Andrei snapped. “I’ve been regretting it. I should’ve found you a proper match, married you off years ago. If I had, maybe you wouldn’t have so easily given away your body and your heart. That bastard—he wouldn’t have dared to offer such a vile contract!”

His voice rose, finally cracking under the weight of restrained fury.

A bitter ache surged through Elise’s chest. Her fists clenched at her sides.

“So you think I should’ve just let my head be cut off in Van Yela’s capital?” she shot back. “That man was my only hope!”

“Then you should’ve used him!” Andrei’s voice was sharp, unrelenting. “Used him and left him—not offered yourself like some sacrifice!”

His chest heaved. He paused, forcing his breath to slow, though his rage still simmered beneath the surface.

Then, with a glare that pierced through her defenses, he asked, cold and direct:

“Tell me plainly, Elise. Was he just a means to survive—”

His voice dipped.

“—or do you love him?”

“Does that even matter?” Elise snapped. “Look at reality, Andrei! Is this really the time to get swept up in feelings?”

“Reality?” His eyes narrowed. “Your current state is my reality, Elizabeth.”

Her attempt to keep the conversation civil shattered—like a sandcastle devoured by a crashing wave. Andrei’s raw hostility burned through any hope of reason. Elise bit her lip hard, glaring up at him. His hands, still gripping her narrow shoulders, tightened with restrained fury.

“So that’s it, then?” she hissed. “Is that why you’ve been so desperate to settle everything this month? What—afraid you’ll go soft when you face your ‘husband’ on the battlefield?”

“That’s not it.”

“Oh, really?” Her voice rose. “Did you enjoy your time in Rotiara that much? Was it warm? Comfortable? Did you fall head over heels like some idiot?”

“I said no!”

With a cry of frustration, Elise shoved him hard in the chest. The force broke his grip, and she stumbled back, her chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. Her lungs felt tight, her composure slipping beyond reach.

“You’re misunderstanding everything,” she said sharply. “I swear—I never once thought of the North as home. I just… I needed something. Someone. He was kind to me when no one else was, and I got attached. It was stupid, I know.”

Andrei said nothing. His silence was thunderous.

“But if you’re worried I’ve let my feelings cloud my judgment, don’t be.” Her voice shook with restrained anger. “I know where the line is.”

She turned away from him, sweeping up the scattered papers from the table. As her fingers brushed over the glowing sigils, they flared briefly—light pulsing with her agitation.

“I’m rushing this because I want to protect you. And Argan. That’s all there is to it.”

“…Elise.”

She didn’t look at him.

“I don’t think there’s much more for us to say right now. I’ll be going out with the Duke of Bellator next week. Just be aware.”

Andrei’s expression darkened, his voice flat and final. “Not this time.”

“I’m not asking for your permission,” she shot back. “I’ve already decided.”

“I’m the Emperor, Elizabeth.” His voice dropped, cold and absolute. “I’m forbidding it.”

She turned on him with fire in her eyes.

“You’re only Emperor when it’s convenient,” she said bitterly. “The way you talk, I half-thought you were ready to abdicate—like a man who’s already made peace with disappearing.”

“Don’t be sarcastic.”

“Then don’t try to control me, Andrei.”

Elise’s voice was as sharp as a blade now, matching his tone without hesitation.

“You’re not my parent, Andrei. I’m not some child whose life needs to be mapped out from start to finish. I know you carry guilt when it comes to me—but that doesn’t give you the right to control everything I do.”

Andrei’s eyes flashed. “So I’m not even allowed to speak? I’m your only family, Elise. The man you chose—do you even know how much blood is on his hands? How disgracefully promiscuous he is? And now you come back carrying that kind of man’s child…!”

That was it. The final spark.

Elise’s composure cracked.

“Don’t talk like you know everything,” she snapped. “I was the one who seduced him!”

Andrei recoiled, stunned. “And that’s something you’re proud to say in front of me?! Are you seriously defending that man right now?”

With a frustrated growl, he turned away, dragging a hand through his hair.

“Three years ago—no, four now—when the Grand Duke came to the capital as an envoy… he saw you. Do you even remember the look in his eyes?”

He did. He remembered too well.

Those eyes hadn’t bothered to mask their hunger. That sharp, glacial blue—so deceptively clear, but already darkened with desire. Andrei had almost been fooled by the Grand Duke’s austere grace, his stoic manner. Almost.

But no matter how noble his bearing, the man was a butcher. A conqueror. A ruler who bowed to no one. A mad dragon dressed in polished armor.

“And he even asked for your name,” Andrei muttered bitterly. “I thought I was lucky I didn’t introduce you back then…”

He trailed off mid-sentence.

Elise’s expression had shifted.

Her previously blazing gaze had softened—wide and uncertain, like a startled rabbit. The sudden change knocked the wind from his fury.

A thick silence settled over them.

Then, after a long pause and a brief fidget of her fingers, Elise asked, almost in a whisper, “…How did he look at me?”

“What?”

Andrei blinked. The question caught him so off guard he momentarily forgot his rage.

Elise glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her voice quieter still. “Did he really… ask for my name?”

He stared at her. Her cheeks were visibly pink now, blooming with the faintest blush.

“…Yeah,” he muttered, slowly. “His chamberlain told him the Empire didn’t accept suitors’ petitions—but he still demanded to know why—Elise!”

He suddenly shouted, realization crashing in all at once. Elise flinched and turned away, her now-glowing cheeks confirming everything.

“Don’t tell me—was that your face just now?”

“Enough.” She waved a hand, flustered. “Let’s drop it.”

“Drop it? That was the most suspicious face I’ve ever seen—!”

“There’s no point talking,” she said quickly, sidestepping his outrage. “You’ll just get mad again. I don’t want to fight about you and Rezette. And like I said—I’m going on the next strike mission. I’ve already told Barnon and the Duke of Bellator.”

Andrei’s voice dropped to a growl. “You? In that condition? You’re overestimating yourself.”

Elise didn’t argue. Her next words were soft. Measured.

“You’re right,” she said quietly. “I’m not doing well.”