The Royal Deal

Chapter 11 – Magical (1)

“Amethyst Lohikin?”

The duke asked surprised, to which Gen replied immediately. “Count Lohikin’s eldest daughter is now in her twenties. The two of you have quite the age gap of 8 years but since it’s a contract marriage I doubt it will be an issue.”

“No, tell me why she’s the right one.”

He sensed the annoyance in the duke’s voice and realised he was missing out the main point.

“Ah! I hear that the lady is ‘refusing marriage’ itself. But the lady is twenty years old this year. She is nearing the end of her marriage eligible age so I’m sure Count Lohikin is worried. Don’t you think this is very similar to someone else?”

“Me? So how does that make her the right one.”

Gen carefully studied the duke’s reaction and smiled.

If the duke himself didn’t want to get married and was willing to take part in a contract marriage to fool the eyes of others, then she would also feel the same.

There was no better contract than this.

Grasping Gen’s intention, the duke asked the next question.

“So how is it? For her?”

“Oh that… I think it might be best if you meet her yourself during the commemoration party for the Belicean palace. The empress has kindly invited all young noble ladies to the party. I am sure she will be there too.”

“Hmm, a party with all ladies.” After a moment’s delay, he finally said, “I will attend.”

“Really?” Gen sighed in relief as the duke agreed to go but couldn’t help but feel suspicious of his lack of resistance.

“Yes. It’s obviously Belice’s plan. She wants to identify a potential partner for my marriage. So, no matter what, I’ll have to go,”

“That is correct.”Gen sighed again in relief.

Disregarding the intentions, things were going according to plan; he relaxed a bit, satisfied with his accomplishments and was praising himself internally, when the duke spoke smugly.

“I bet my sister Belice threatened you about this.”

“What? She did not.” Duke Skad scoffed and continued, “I know the Belice let you come back in one piece, even after the 58th reply. It is as likely as the sun rising from the west.”

Gen heard the skepticism in the duke’s words and wondered how the two siblings were so alike in their terrible thoughts. Perhaps it was because they were twins.

*

Amethyst wasn’t sure if this was a fairytale. She could only conclude that it was a different world. She was 16 years younger in this world, and her real body had been left behind in a different dimension.

God must have taken pity on me and given me this new opportunity.

Amethyst mocked her situation, trying to find the humor with this incomprehensible turn of events.

‘I don’t know what has happened to the real Amethyst Lohikin or when she is coming back. I really don’t care right now. I have an opportunity to live for myself here, and not live for others. It may be selfish but I am exhausted of my life as an unappreciated mother and wife. I can just pretend I am on vacation in a foreign land and simply enjoy the new experiences.’

Amethyst felt sorry for Count Lohikin but had firmly rejected the idea of getting married. The only thing left to do was to adapt to this new world. It would be nice to live as a daughter of a Count. Life of a noble’s daughter must certainly be one of comfort.

The daily chores of her previous life had been endless: her constantly hungry family, the piling dishes, the daily laundry, and a messy home. The children who would fight all the time or whine for anything and everything.

‘It should be okay to escape for a while.’

Her new life was like a beautiful dream. Amethyst couldn’t remember the last time she did anything leisurely for herself. In this new land, however, all she had done so far was relax, eat and sleep. What a vacation after 11 years of struggle.

She couldn’t set aside the nagging anxiety of being forced into a marriage by the Lohikins though. Her current self was not a ravishing beauty by any means. It would be best if maintained a low profile.

She wished she could do whatever she wanted but this seemed to be a conservative society, albeit a comfortable one. Fortunately for Amethyst, her new parents were wealthy and her new brother Matin was their heir. Their attention was not on her.

She wanted to go out and explore however.

The Count’s house was great but there were too many who knew this Amethyst well.

Any action could garner suspicion, and she always had to be on her toes in case her identity roused any suspicion. The servants were probably just doing their job, but Amethyst did not know if they had been placed there to spy on her.

“‘I’ll do everything I want to do in the Count’s house.”

‘I will learn swordsmanship, then learn to ride a horse and to hunt. I should at least be able to protect myself.’

And then the thing she most wanted to do was to travel. “It’s a waste of my time to stay in the Count’s house when there is this this amazing world out there to explore!”

‘Perhaps I could use studying as an excuse to travel.’

‘It would be great to learn magic too…or maybe that’s too complicated for me. I guess you need to have talent for that. Well you never know what hidden talents I have. I have lived a repressed life for too long.’

Amethyst was considering the different possibilities when Yellie opened the door and interrupted her thoughts.