The Duchess’s Contract Marriage

Chapter 3

Rubiana was feeling a little depressed about shooting out the eye of her possible future brother-in-law. She wouldn’t have cared about one less eye if he was her potential husband, but she was a little bothered by the fact that he could end up marrying her sister. She also didn’t feel good about the fact that she was the one who had hurt him.

Without any knowledge of her older sister’s worries, Kalena seized the southern, eastern, and western regions and advanced to the capital. She didn’t bother with the northern region—even the king left the north alone because of the dragons nestled in the mountain ranges there. The once-abandoned land was also rumored to have been settled by escaped convicts.

The central capital, which was suffering under the hand of a tyrant, couldn’t withstand the rebellion brought by the young Countess Luxen. Kalena had no trouble getting through the seven gates, and the subjects of the capital welcomed her army, showering them with flowers.

At this time, the king and his lieges were locked up in the castle, preparing for the final battle. The king spotted Kalena from a distance, fell in love with her shining appearance, and sent an envoy to negotiate. He wanted to take Kalena as his wife, have a child with her, and make them the next great king.

Kalena didn’t feel a need to answer. Rubiana beheaded the envoy at once. Margrave Feltherg made a beautiful display of the envoy’s separated head and body on a horse and sent it back to the king. That night, the final battle unfolded.

One night was all it took. As Kalena put her sword through the terror-stricken tyrant’s neck, the sun began to rise. As such, this final battle came to be known as the Battle of Dawn.

The dawn brought forth a new day, and with it, the kingdom’s new leader, Kalena. Rubiana’s only sister became the queen of the kingdom. And before she even felt like she could breathe again…

“Help me, Ruby.”

Kalena held out her hand. Rubiana was in the middle of washing her hands of the blood of those who remained loyal to the tyrant to the end. Kalena had said to wash up and then talk but instead followed her just to say those words.

I don’t think she’s going to tell me that the crown is too heavy and pass it off to me. Maybe she wants me to go to the north and bring her back a dragon.

Rubiana didn’t think about it too seriously and asked in a sulky voice, “Now what?”

“I want to make this kingdom an empire. You’re going to help me, right? Oh, and let’s go hunt some dragons after.”

Kalena didn’t want to be a queen but rather an empress—not just any empress, but an empress on a throne of dragon hide.

“Do we really have to?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it too much work?”

“Nope.”

“Do we really have to go that far?”

“Yeah.”

Rubiana could see that she had made up her mind and wouldn’t waver.

“Okay. What should I do?”

She had sworn her loyalty to Kalena, to protect her path and help her achieve all that she wanted. Now, Rubiana had no choice.

Together, Rubiana and Kalena set out on their expedition. Ludante and Margrave Feltherg followed along, and the four of them completely seized the neighboring kingdoms. Most of the kingdoms were destroyed and absorbed into their empire, but a few on the outskirts of the continent were merely sworn into allegiance.

After finishing their expedition, the group made their way back, hunting dragons along the way. Kalena had the army stand by, and with Rubiana, Ludante, and Margrave Feltherg, set out for the northern mountain ranges. Kalena mostly looked on while Ludante ran wild, and Rubiana and Margrave Feltherg offered assistance as needed.

“We have to kill it without ruining its hide.”

Kalena was worried that their swords might damage the dragon’s hide.

“Didn’t you just see me almost get stepped on just now?”

“Right, you should be more careful, Ruby.”

There was no reply. Rubiana returned her focus to the dragon with a warm, sisterly expression on her face. Just as Kalena began to yawn from boredom, Ludante stabbed the dragon in the eyes and split its heart. The dragon died, leaving behind two pieces of its heart and a clean hide.

With a throne draped in dragon hide and a crown adorned with a dragon’s heart, Kalena became the first empress of the empire. The three knights that had remained loyal by her side and protected her became dukes: Duchess Ashelion, Rubiana, Duke Dominus, Ludante, and Duke Feltherg, Cedric. All three dukes had flowers on their coats of arms, so people referred to them based on the flowers on their family’s emblem: Ashelion of the Silver Lily, Feltherg of the Iron Cross Rose, and Dominus of the Black Tulip.

Empress Kalena gave each of the new dukes a territory among the northern, southern, and western regions. Duke Dominus, who originally ruled the east, was given the west. Duke Feltherg, who originally led the west, was given the south, and Duchess Ashelion was given the north. The eastern region with its wide plains was to remain under the direct control of the empress.

Rubiana became the master of the north, where they had slain the dragon, a desolate wasteland with deep mountain ranges and hidden criminals. But these convicts weren’t the only creatures that lived in the north—all sorts of monsters, born of dragon blood, were swarming in the mountains. Rubiana had to fight off these beasts for the sake of the empire.

“I’m giving you the north because I trust you to protect my empire. It’s all up to you, Ruby.”

Empress Kalena was drinking as she said this to her sister.

“You couldn’t even say this sober.”

Rubiana shook her head and went to the north to build a wall, pushing the monsters over it. At the same time, she captured the criminals hiding in the northern region. She received blood oaths from them to become good subjects and collected taxes. Those who still had all their limbs were made into soldiers.

Turning the convicts into upright, loyal subjects proved to be more difficult than fighting the monsters. Rubiana was close to thirty when the north became somewhat stabilized, although she couldn’t completely wipe out all the beasts.

One day, when she was twenty-nine, a letter adorned with the empress’s seal arrived. It demanded that Rubiana return to the capital. She left for the capital as cold winds were swirling in the north. The empire had been stabilized under the hand of the first empress, and the capital was flourishing. It was hard to believe that the glamorous central high society had been under the bloody tyranny of the old king until just years ago.

In that place, the cold northern Duchess Rubiana had become the symbol of fear. She was a cruel killer who could make the heads of monsters explode with just her hand. She was a tough, crazy warrior who would execute any soldier who disobeyed her, a vicious barbarian who made cloaks out of monsters’ skin and ate their raw flesh. The nobles of the capital looked at Rubiana with a mixture of admiration and fear.

“I’d heard that she had three eyes and was a muscular beast over two meters tall, but I guess not.”

“I heard that she was a horrible person with black eyes and black hair.”

“Some say that she’ll break your neck if you so much as bump into her.”

“Oh my goodness. How could such a wild, uncivilized person be related to Her Majesty?”

Even the sons and daughters of the nobles who participated in the Battle of Dawn were saying these things about her. Rubiana suspected that there had been an epidemic in the capital in the past few years that caused everyone to develop amnesia. Kalena burst out laughing like it was a joke when Rubiana arrived and told her of all the rumors she had heard.

“Is this a laughing matter, Your Majesty?”

Rubiana spoke formally in front of the two dukes and other officials in the room.

“Isn’t it? And you didn’t do anything but listen? You should have broken their necks right away.”

In an expression of loyalty, Rubiana responded with a disgusted look at Kalena when asked why she didn’t break the necks of her loyal subjects.

“Your Majesty, did you happen to spread those rumors?”

“Don’t try to frame me for this. Why would I do that?”

Rubiana let a sigh slip out.

“So it was you, Your Majesty. Why would you do that?”

“Because it’s fun.”

There was silence.

“All I did was let slip about the letters you sent regarding the hard times you spent in the north.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I did it so that others could remember your sacrifice and be grateful to you for your suffering in the north. They were the ones who spread those weird rumors.”

Rubiana had nothing to say.

“If you don’t like it, you can just break their necks. Got it?”

“I told you—I am not going to break anyone’s neck.”

“Really? That’s too bad. I was kind of looking forward to it.”

Kalena laughed loudly. Duke Dominus and Duke Feltherg, the two most handsome, eligible bachelors in the empire, looked at Kalena with passion burning in their eyes. Rubiana stared coldly at the two beautiful young men sitting next to her sister. She even considered warning them not to sit so close to Her Majesty.

Kalena started talking again.

“Stay in the capital for a while. I’m sure that all those unbelievable rumors will settle down.”

“I haven’t been able to clear the north of monsters yet,” Rubiana replied.

“You probably won’t be able to do it in your lifetime. You should stay in the capital as long as their attacks aren’t serious.”

“Why?”

Why do I need to waste horses going back and forth every year? It’s not like I’m suspected of not being loyal.

Rubiana thought it was strange. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that the horse cried on the journey to the capital. Given how long the journey was, she had to change horses many times. Since she’d adjusted over the years to living in the barren north, where there was a lack of supplies, she felt that it was a waste.

Rubiana looked dissatisfied, and Kalena laughed and spoke lightly as if she knew exactly what her sister was thinking.

“Don’t be like that. Just stay by my side and help. There’s a lot to do because our system isn’t set in place yet.”

Her tone was light, but the words felt heavy. Come to think of it, Kalena’s face looked a little thinner. Of course, that was from Rubiana’s point of view. If Cedric and Ludante knew what she was thinking, they might look upset and say something like the following.

“Your face looks even worse.”

“Do you really think that? It looks like the monsters’ blood has tainted your eyes.”

However, neither of the men could read minds, and Rubiana didn’t dare say what she was thinking aloud.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

She simply accepted the empress’s request. In Rubiana’s mind, Cedric and Ludante had lost quite a few points in the potential husband department.

Come to think of it, this potential husband talk reminds me that I have sworn an oath to god. I will soon be thirty—I guess I should get started on trying to find a husband soon. I should probably try and have at least two kids—one child to offer to god, and one child to remain loyal to the empress and take the duke’s title.

To do this, she needed to find a suitable man. She would need someone with a strong lower body who could easily contribute to two children.

I guess I could try and find a husband while I’m here. I can help my busy sister by weeding out the men who are wasting her time and also look for my potential husband while I’m at it. I’ll also probably feel better about using so many horses to go back and forth from the capital.

Rubiana felt a bit better.

2. A Meeting

Kalena gave Rubiana the closest estate to the imperial palace. She didn’t refuse, and the news immediately spread through the city’s high society. Rubiana spent one night in the imperial palace and went to the mansion she had been given the next day. A mountain of invitations had arrived before she could. It had only been a few years since the new dynasty had been established and the empire had been founded.

I can’t believe that central high society has flourished so much in only a few years.

Rubiana was impressed. She was even more impressed with the elegance of the nobles after attending teatime and a banquet. They had rushed to send her invitations, but when she actually attended the meetings, they slowly backed away while looking at her, almost as if they were wondering if she’d actually come.

Rubiana lost her interest in the capital’s high society before a week was up. However, regardless of her feelings, she had to attend a few social gatherings each week. The people who decided her schedule were Kalena and the head lady-in-waiting she had sent.

Kalena had to show off her friendship with the three dukes while stomping on the sophisticated assholes of the capital. As such, Rubiana had no choice but to attend the social gatherings that Kalena went to. The head maid, however, was a little more loyal to Rubiana’s goal. Incredibly, she was able to distinguish which of the gatherings among the mountain of invites would attract promising young people.

Rubiana wasn’t sure if it was Kalena’s intention, but the head lady-in-waiting bore a striking resemblance to their maternal grandmother. Rubiana, who had been close with their grandmother, couldn’t bring herself to behave rudely to the head maid. Thus, the head lady-in-waiting naturally became the head of the entire estate. Rubiana had to helplessly accept the invitations that the head of the estate gave her.

“Damn it, damn it.”

“It is not proper for a beautiful young lady to speak like that.”

Whenever Rubiana tried to rip up the invitations, her grandmother—or rather, head maid—comforted her with gentle, elegant words. To her relief, she at least wasn’t forced to wear dresses to these events.

At first, Rubiana had been shown a few pretty dresses that had been brought in, but she tore them up with a big smile. She didn’t even feel guilty despite doing something that would be unfavorable to her grandmother.