Chapter 8
“So that’s why you said you’d get married first. To get ahead of them.”
“That’s right.”
Now that she understood, Kaiden looked different to Chloe.
‘I thought he was just a crazy bastard. Turns out he’s a crazy bastard with a lot of scars.’
She felt not just pity but a strange sense of kinship. His circumstances weren’t all that different from hers.
Actually, hers might even be better. At least she didn’t have to fight her own blood over a title.
“But I don’t think it’s a very good method.”
Despite everything, Chloe remained rational.
This wasn’t some dramatic disruption on the wedding day—his revenge was simply to get married earlier than them. It might sting his ex-fiancée emotionally, but it was hardly a satisfying kind of revenge. If anything, people might just think he was immature.
But Kaiden clearly didn’t see it that way.
“Harn is greedy. No matter what it is, he needs to have the title of ‘best’ or ‘first’ to feel satisfied.”
The first wedding held at the Empire’s finest hotel—Harn Verder wanted that.
“Visuals and symbolism speak volumes to people. Like how the Duke of Verder seems to have chosen his firstborn as the heir.”
Harn, marrying into a noble family with the full backing of the house—and that family owned a magic stone mine. Naturally, people would think:
‘The Verder family’s shipbuilding business must be going to Harn.’
And you couldn’t separate shipbuilding from magic stones.
In people’s minds, Harn would be solidified as the next head of House Verder. That was what Harn wanted.
“But what happens if we steal the ‘best’ and the ‘first’ right from under their noses?”
“I imagine they’ll lose their minds.”
It wouldn’t be just Harn going mad—Rosetta Crimson, full of vanity, would probably explode too.
And they’d be sending the message that the Verder family’s power structure wasn’t set in stone. That the Duke allowed the ‘first’ and ‘best’ to go to the legitimate son instead.
“That’s why I brought you to the Cent Hotel’s wedding hall that day. I wanted everything I did to reach Harn’s ears.”
“And the reason we strolled around Barrington Street pretending to be lovers… was for that too.”
“Correct. I know quite a few people in Barrington.”
Chloe swept her bangs back with an irritated hand as she watched Kaiden nod so calmly.
“You should’ve told me beforehand. You dragged me around like I was an extra, and I had no idea what was going on.”
“I figured you wouldn’t come if I told you ahead of time.”
He wasn’t wrong. She hated meddling in other people’s business.
But if Kaiden had explained everything, maybe her sympathy and that faint sense of solidarity would’ve made her follow anyway. Of course, Chloe didn’t bother saying that out loud. Instead, she just softened her tone.
“But the wedding date’s already set, right? It’s going to be hard to use the hall before them.”
“That’s not something you need to worry about.”
The loyal Viscount Cent had once promised a heartbroken Kaiden that he’d free up the venue whenever Kaiden needed it. It was the only favor he could offer as someone who supported Kaiden.
A verbal promise was still a promise. Kaiden planned to make full use of that opportunity.
“Well, now I get why you’re in such a rush to get married. But…”
“But?”
“Why me, of all people?”
It took a lot of effort for her to say the word “of all people.” It was humiliating to devalue herself like that, but she had to face reality.
“My family can’t offer you anything. I’m older than you… and I’ve even been married before.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because I need you to change the game against Harn Verder.”
“Me?”
Chloe blinked slowly, not understanding. Kaiden quietly stared into her confused amber eyes and began listing what he knew.
“Chloe Garrett. You’re a research fellow in the Geology Department at Dembert International University. Professor Rexon Dorr, the department head, trusted you enough to almost make you the youngest professor ever. But that fell through because of your marriage.”
“How do you know that…”
“But Professor Dorr has no intention of letting someone like you stay just a research fellow. That’s why he keeps sending you on field expeditions.”
Chloe was a top-tier graduate of Dembert International University, the continent’s best and most prestigious school. Professor Dorr recognized her talent and did everything he could to make her a professor.
But in the end, Chloe didn’t become one. Being the only woman in the lab played a part, but the biggest reason was something else.
‘Because of the wedding with Durr.’
Preparing for the wedding and studying for the professor’s exam happened at the same time. Chloe chose marriage. And just like Durr wanted, she quit research to become the perfect wife.
After the divorce, she returned to the lab—but by then, the gap between her and her peers had widened considerably. No matter how talented she was, recovering from over a year-long hiatus wasn’t easy.
To close that gap, Professor Dorr encouraged her to go on expeditions.
The world was vast, and untapped resources were everywhere. Dorr hoped Chloe would discover a new underground resource and write a stellar paper, which would help her not only graduate but also become a professor.
“And what does that have to do with you?”
There was no need to ask how he knew. This was Kaiden Verder. If he wanted to know something, he’d find out.
“I’m currently looking for a certain mineral. If my assumptions are right, it’s buried somewhere along the Empire’s coast.”
“You’re saying the thing that could flip the game is a mineral… Are you saying it’s a new kind of magic stone?”
“You really are smart.”
Kaiden smiled like he was praising a child. Chloe, embarrassed by his look, quickly spoke.
“The people you want revenge on are Harn Verder and Rosetta Crimson, and their greatest assets are the magic stones.”
If a better magic stone than the current ones emerged, the Crimson family would lose its power. And the Verder shipbuilding business would have to shift course too.
“Sorry, but anything discovered during field research can’t be shared with outsiders.”
“But a spouse isn’t considered an outsider, is it?”
Kaiden intended to exploit that very fact.
“So that’s why you need me.”
“Exactly. I’ve got information about a new magic stone, but as you know, I’m no expert. I’ve hit a wall.”
If she were to discover a new mineral suspected to be a magic stone, she would discreetly hand it over to him and help him purchase the land around it—that was what Kaiden wanted.
“Sorry, but even between spouses, I can’t leak information. That’s academic misconduct.”
If it got out that research data had been leaked externally, it would be over for her. Chloe had no intention of taking that kind of risk.
“More importantly, I’m a scholar. I can’t act against research ethics.”
“You’re very principled.”
Kaiden murmured as he looked into Chloe’s resolute eyes, then shifted his posture.
“Then let’s change the approach. Just introduce me to the person responsible for your research.”
“Well, that much…”
Chloe almost said yes out of habit, but she quickly came to her senses. She had promised herself she would just listen—and yet she had nearly walked into his trap again.
She decided to change the subject.
“Is it really okay for you to tell me all this?”
She had just learned not only Kaiden’s family secrets but his entire future plan. If she told Harn Verder, Kaiden’s strategy would fall apart.
But Kaiden smiled, completely unconcerned.
“It’s fine.”
“How so?”
“Because we’re going to get married.”
“Pfft!”
For the second time, Chloe spat out her tea.
