It’s Not Night - Chapter 198.2

After climbing a seemingly endless set of stone steps, Andra finally found herself facing a vast space that seemed as large as the royal gardens.

The first thing Andra noticed was the inner wall, lined with dozens of memorial tablets. Behind them, both walls were filled with stone carvings resembling beasts.

There was no explanation, but Andra quickly understood that this was the Airak family’s private altar. The two memorial tablets placed at the very top carried names she recognized.

The ancestors of the current Airak family were the northern nomadic Borghin tribe’s chieftain, Taid Airak, and the youngest daughter of King Hailf I, Princess Idin Ishur.

However, what truly astonished Andra was the altar itself. This place, preserved over time, was of significant archaeological value.

The most surprising thing, though, was that this altar was a space that only members of the Airak family could enter. The fact that she, an outsider, was here was astonishing in itself.

The Duke, who had been silently staring at the memorial tablets, suddenly spoke.

“Lady Avelin.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“How much do you know about Airak?”

“…I apologize, but there isn’t much information available. I only know a few basic things.”

The North was a closed society, and most of the known information about Airak was well-known but superficial. Unless someone was a part of the North, there was little chance of learning more about Airak.

The Duke stood with her hands behind her back, gazing up at the two highest memorial tablets, and asked Andra.

“Do you know the story of Taid Airak, the ancestor of Airak, and his wife, Princess Idin Ishur?”

“All I know is that the first Margrave of the North, along with Princess Idin, had a political marriage…”

“Then I suppose you’ve never heard that Taid Airak was betrayed and killed by Idin Ishur?”

At the Duke’s words, Andra blinked in surprise. The first Margrave of the North was betrayed and killed by his wife? This was a new story to her, as the Duke had said.

“The princess hated the North due to the arranged marriage, which was forced on her, and she longed to return to the central. According to records, she always wished to go back. The problem was that the ancestor would never have allowed it. The ancestor seemed to have had a fondness for his princess-born wife. So, what do you think happened to these two later?”

“…betrayal.”

“That’s right. The reason the princess hated the North was ultimately because of her husband, the ancestor. Driven by her desire to return to the central, she conspired with her husband’s half-brother and betrayed him. The ruler, who once roamed the North as a chieftain and the first Margrave of the North, met a tragic and pointless death.”

“…Is that the end of the story?”

“If that was the end, wouldn’t it be a pity? Unfortunately, even after her husband died, the princess never returned to the central lands. The half-brother she had allied with wouldn’t let her go.”

Andra looked confused at the unexpected twist in the story. Why? It was as though the Duke had read her thoughts, as she calmly continued.

“Well, there were many reasons, but the biggest one was the legitimacy issue that would arise later. The princess and the ancestor had no children. If the princess had left for the central in that situation, there would have been no justification left, so support would have been cut off, and maintaining the family line would have become difficult.”

“Which means…?”

“Exactly, the half-brother and the princess passed off their child as Taid Airak’s. It all happened far in the North, and, in the end, what mattered to the king was whether the Airak family had royal blood mixed in, not the details of the truth.”

The Duke finally turned her gaze away from the memorial tablets and looked back at Andra.

“What follows isn’t a pleasant story. The princess committed suicide, and the half-brother, who had killed his brother to take his place, went mad.”

“Ah…”

“In fact, it wasn’t all tragic. Airak learned one important lesson: never betray your clan. Those who walk the path of betrayal will meet a miserable end.”

After finishing her story, the Duke suddenly extended her hand toward Andra.

“Aside from betrayal, I’ll allow you to do whatever you wish, Lady Avelin. That’s the condition for my approval of your marriage.”

Andra looked up at the Duke. Her sharp, pale green eyes, identical to Dustin’s, seemed focused. Yet, it wasn’t frightening. Without hesitation, Andra took her hand. Only then did the Duke offer a faint smile.

“He’s a fool, obsessed with self-harm, but I trust you’ll take care of him. From now on, he’s yours.”

“Yes, thank you… Wait, self-harm?”

Andra froze at hearing a word she wasn’t supposed to.

“Oh, so he pretends to be fine in front of you? Now I understand…”

The Duke let out a small laugh, as if everything had clicked into place. But Andra was the only one caught off guard by his reaction.

Self-harm? Pretending to be fine? Her expression hardened as she grew more confused. The Duke, sensing her confusion, quickly added,

“By the way, no returns.”