Contract Marriage: Rewritten - Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Translator: Yonnee
—
Laniakea considered the condition he had proposed.
After the attack, the idea of divorcing and living a peaceful, quiet life outside had become little more than an impossible dream.
If she fulfilled her original duty and bore an heir, she would be the mother of an imperial scion and thus officially receive the protection of imperial knights.
One year, one child. A child between her and Hyperion.
It wasn’t the first time she had considered it. When she came to the empire, she had already prepared herself for the possibility of sharing a bed with him.
But in the three years they had been married, their interactions had amounted to only a handful of shared meals. She had stopped thinking about spending the night with him altogether.
Laniakea looked at Hyperion, seated before her.
His tall stature, his large frame, his stoic demeanor that made him seem a little intimidating—but also his strikingly handsome face. And now, even though he was in a position to simply command her, he was instead carefully considering her feelings.
‘A child… with this man?’
She knew what happened between a man and a woman in bed. As an adult and a royal, she had received the necessary education.
But she had never once imagined herself engaging in such an act.
When she first learned how children were conceived, the very thought of it had repulsed her.
As she grew older, the realization that everyone was born through the same process dulled that initial aversion somewhat. But to Laniakea, it had never been something to be enjoyed.
She had been born a royal, and thus, it was simply a duty she would one day have to fulfill—nothing more.
As Laniakea remained silent, Hyperion’s expression dimmed slightly.
“I suppose… I’m not to your liking. I look like this, and my personality isn’t particularly good, so it’s only natural that you would find this unpleasant. And yet, here I am making such a request, so of course, you must find it disgusting—”
“That’s not it!”
Laniakea hurriedly interrupted him.
“It’s not that I dislike Your Highness. It’s just… everything has changed so suddenly that I’m struggling to take it all in…”
She meant it.
She didn’t dislike Hyperion. In truth, she hadn’t spent enough time with him to form such feelings in the first place.
Besides, ever since he had returned to the imperial palace, hadn’t he always protected her? When the empress lunged at her during the funeral, when the assassin stormed into the annex—
Hyperion had thrown himself in harm’s way to shield her.
There was no reason for her to dislike him. If anything, she felt a growing sense of fondness toward him.
And on top of that…
Embarrassingly enough, she felt that having a child with him might not be impossible.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Laniakea’s face flushed red.
‘What in the world am I thinking?’
She quickly shook off the thought and steadied herself. Before answering him, she asked something that had been on her mind for a while.
“But, Your Highness… why haven’t you asked me about the spirit?”
When she had been brought to his residence, she had expected Hyperion’s first question to be about that.
If spirits could be summoned within the empire, it would be a tremendous asset for him once he’s the emperor, allowing him to stabilize the imperial palace.
Besides, he had killed the assassin the moment the man mentioned reporting the spirit. Watching that, Laniakea had assumed Hyperion intended to keep any information about the spirit to himself.
She had expected him to interrogate her about it once she arrived here.
And yet, all he did was repeat the proposal he had made the previous day. He hadn’t spoken a single word about the spirit.
As if he had seen nothing at all.
At her question, Hyperion responded without hesitation.
“Because you don’t seem to want to talk about it.”
Laniakea’s eyes widened at his answer.
Because she didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t force her.
In that moment, her vision blurred.
Perhaps it was because the tension that had gripped her since the attack was finally releasing.
Or perhaps it was because the last person she had expected to consider her feelings… had chosen to do so.
“Laniakea? Are you alright?”
Startled by her sudden tears, Hyperion’s voice rose in concern.
Seeing her husband so flustered over something as small as her reddened eyes, she opened her mouth.
“…I accept Your Highness’s proposal.”
She believed that if it was this man, he would keep his word.
* * *
The next day, the emperor passed away.
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