TTPD 07

Chapter 7

The Reason for Marriage (7)

“It can’t be explained in detail, but the House of Riley gains something, and the Reynolds Marquisate gains something as well. Since it benefits both sides, I accepted.”

“I understand what the marquisate gains. Just forming ties with the House of Riley would give the marquis— no, Father— more than enough.”

Grayson did not miss Edith’s slip of the tongue.

‘She says ‘the marquis’…’

Edith continued.

“But doesn’t the House of Riley have nothing to gain from… Father? The Reynolds Marquisate has no military strength, nor enough influence to offer a prince. All they have is money.”

“We’ll see.”

He didn’t mind telling her, since she would become his wife.

But he was curious to see how far this unexpectedly clever woman could deduce.

“Try guessing. The reason.”

His voice held a hint of playfulness, and Edith was startled.

Grayson rarely revealed emotion—he was like a finely crafted doll—so hearing that tone surprised her.

He remained seated with his fingers interlaced on the table, quietly watching her.

‘He’s testing me.’

If so, what could she gain by giving the correct answer?

She still didn’t fully understand Grayson, so she couldn’t judge.

But failing the test would be worse, so Edith forced her mind to work.

‘A deal between the king and the marquis. What would the king want? He has three sons and two daughters. Crown Prince Cassius, second prince Leopold, and Princess Mallory are the children of his first wife.’

Edith recalled a conversation between Reynolds Marquis and Mateo.

‘After Leopold married the Duke of Cortez’s daughter, he started coveting the position of crown prince with the power of the Cortez family behind him. If that’s the case…’

She wasn’t certain this was the right answer, but she decided to try.

“To keep me away from the struggle for power?”

Grayson’s eyes widened very slowly.

He stared at Edith with mild surprise, then smiled.

“Correct, Lady Reynolds.”

“…But I still don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“If a man gains influence through his wife’s family, it’s only natural he would aim for a higher position. His Majesty knows that as well, so why did he marry Duke Lachent to the daughter of House Cortez?”

The title of Duke Lachent belonged to the king’s second son, Leopold.

“If His Majesty wanted to secure the crown prince’s position, he could have married Duke Lachent to a woman like me—someone with nothing to offer.”

“A parent’s love is not always divided equally among their children.”

“Ah.”

That answer was enough.

Edith could understand Grayson’s position as a child of the current queen.

“You’re not going to ask anything else?”

“Like what?”

“Why I’m treated differently, for example.”

“Well… everyone has family matters that are difficult to talk about.”

“It’s not difficult to talk about.”

“Then will you tell me?”

“The former queen was a royal maid. She was the daughter of a minor count’s family in the countryside. She entered the palace young, served as a maid, and fell in love with my father, who was crown prince at the time.”

There had been fierce opposition, but they married anyway.

And that marriage led to a war among brothers.

“My father had two younger brothers. When he insisted on marrying a maid, they rebelled, claiming he was unfit to be crown prince.”

This was all before Edith was born.

“My father had no choice but to kill them. After that, he kept his position and lived happily with the woman he loved, raising children together… but that happiness didn’t last long.”

When the queen died, King Franklin fell into deep grief.

Still, his ministers pressured him to remarry quickly—afraid he might once again make a reckless marriage like before.

The second queen, Grayson’s mother Colette, was the second princess of the Kingdom of Edes.

“My father doesn’t dislike me. But compared to the children born from the woman he truly loved, it’s only natural that he cannot give me the same size of affection. Do you understand now?”

Edith pressed her lips together.

Could she understand?

She understood the king’s reasoning.

Having once killed his own brothers to keep the throne, the king would never risk a repeat of that tragedy.

And because the crown prince was born from the woman he cherished, the king would protect his heir even if it meant marrying his third son to a woman rumored to be mad.

‘Even though the marquis pretends to care about me now, the king must already know exactly where I stand in the Reynolds household. He must know the marquis would never risk himself for my husband.’

But even so, she still couldn’t understand Grayson.

“But couldn’t you have strongly refused this marriage? I want to know why you accepted it.”

“To fulfill my duty.”

“Duty.”

“I believe it is the duty of an unloved third prince to reassure the king and the people.”

“You are loved—by the people. They’ll all be upset and oppose this marriage.”

“But they’ll be reassured. They’ll know I will never have the chance to raise a sword against my brothers.”

“The marquis might use me to gain influence and make you his weapon.”

“Do you really believe that?”

Edith shook her head.

The Marquis of Reynolds was greedy for money but lacked the courage to risk his life for power.

If he had such ambition, he would have tried to make Lilian the crown princess years ago.

And Mateo, who would inherit the title, was no different—driven only by greed, not power.

They would never involve themselves in a dangerous struggle.

The king must have seen right through them when proposing this marriage.

“So, for the sake of our peaceful married life—and to ease His Majesty’s concerns—you must promise me a few things.”

Edith straightened instantly, focusing on him.

“A contract between us?”

“If that’s how you see it, even better.”

Grayson unclasped his hands and leaned back.

Relaxing into the chair, he crossed his legs and spoke slowly.

“I have no intention of dragging this marriage on forever. I think it will bring me more loss than gain.”

The words about how the loss would be greater pierced her heart like a sharp needle, but Edith understood his situation and quietly nodded.

“We’ll enjoy a reasonable amount of dates until the wedding day. The next time we meet, we’ll hold hands, and around the fourth meeting, we’ll share a light kiss.”

Edith’s face flushed at the unexpected words.

“A k… kiss?”

“Of course. We’re a couple meeting with marriage in mind.”

“Well, yes, but…”

What kind of plan is this…

She had expected him to talk about how a duchess should behave, what she should do or avoid in the ducal household.

Instead, he was talking about when they should hold hands and when they should kiss.

Having never heard anything so direct before, Edith couldn’t pull herself together.

“I don’t want this marriage to look like something forced on me because my father needs it. And I don’t want it to look like I’m marrying because you have leverage over me. This marriage must always appear as something you and I choose to do.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Edith took a deep breath, calming her startled heart.

“Please continue.”

“We’ll behave like an ordinary couple. It might be good for you to study that part a little.”

“Yes, I will.”

“After the wedding, we’ll share a bed for about the first week. That should be enough to show that our relationship isn’t bad.”

She had vowed not to be surprised by anything he said, but the sudden mention of sharing a bed made her face burn as if it would explode.

Grayson watched Edith’s ears and neck turn red, amused.

“It’s not shameful for a husband and wife to share a bed.”

“Bringing that up on the first date can be overwhelming.”

“Ah. My apologies. Too stimulating for a lady?”

“Very much so, Your Grace.”