Toxic Marriage - Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2.1

A marriage proposal…?

The sudden words relieved the excessive tension. Freya blinked her eyes that she had been struggling to keep wide open.

“… From whom?”

Tyrann sighed silently and swept his face.

“From the Margrave of Niflheim.”

Freya felt nervous again.

The Margrave of Niflheim.

The man who had the fanatics shouting at the top of their lungs since early morning.

Freya was also aware of the man. No, there was probably no one in the empire who wouldn’t know him.

It was the successive margraves of Niflheim who had been defending the northern front, known as the Dam of Death, for over a hundred years, and without them, the empire wouldn’t be able to enjoy such peaceful summers.

Although they were a family of heroes who deserved such respect, the fanatics cried out for their overthrow with bloodshot eyes, and the reason the expression on Tyrann’s face was so unusual was because of the margrave’s abilities.

In this world, there exists righteousness, the power that constitutes a person, and evilness, the power that destroys a person.

The ‘righteousness’ that helps people was considered a blessed sacred power, and it was also called divine power, and those who have divine power are admired by people for their existence alone.

It was the case with Tobias, the sage who had passed away, as well as Tyrann and Freya.

On the other hand, the immense ‘evilness’ the margraves of Niflheim possessed for generations made people feel fear just by coming near them.

So even though the lords of Niflheim had defended the border and won many wars, the people still feared the power that came from their blood.

In reality, the first margrave was just an ordinary man, but after being drafted into the northern war, he slit the throats of countless people and ended up obtaining the power of ‘evilness’.

Eventually, death would appear wherever the margrave’s sword touched, and he would be called the devil.

However, the margrave’s abilities were enough to stimulate people’s fear and curiosity at the same time. This was due to their strange behavior for generations.

The first margrave, who had distinguished himself in battle and even received a title of nobility, shut down Niflheim and isolated himself. He surrounded the citadel with a high and thick wall and solved most of his affairs there, to the point that it could be said that no outsider had seen the faces of the margraves for a hundred years.

Communication with the outside world was only done through a direct dispatch with the emperor.

People have made many assumptions about the heads of the margrave family of Niflheim, who had not shown their faces for generations.

They said that they never show their faces because they were severely injured in the war, that they were consumed by their power and have the appearance of a beautiful devil, that they celebrate a festival of slaughter inside the walls every day, and so on…

And the most outrageous assumption of all was that the first and second generation of margraves were still alive, even though they were known to have died young, and that they didn’t age nor die due to their power.

Of course, most of the imperial people consumed the rumors but did not seriously believe them.

They were absolutely ridiculous.

“It’s ridiculous. The only saintess left in this century marrying a man with the power of evilness.”

At the same time as she thought that, the words came out of Tyrann’s mouth. Freya looked at the angry amber eyes in front of her.

Tyrann was a priest who was expected to be the next pope and the most powerful saint. A man chosen by the power of the holy god. It was natural to regard this proposal as disrespectful since the power of evilness was considered a bad thing.

Though he was always displeased with men who tried to court her…

Freya was disturbed in many ways by the talk of marriage.

“Even if that weren’t the case, it’s a strange thing. Doesn’t the Margrave of Niflheim seek a bride within his own territory?”

Thinking about it, it was known that the previous lords of Niflheim were so isolated from the outside world that they only found brides from within the citadel. In that sense, this proposal was exceptional.

“I guess they’re starting to want to get rid of the stigma of being the devil. As the only saintess, your existence alone is valuable to them.”

As the world became more peaceful, the divine power that God exerted to protect humans disappeared and only a few people were left with that power.

Freya’s family, the Marquisate of Lindberg, was like that. It was the only family that inherited the disappearing divine power.

‘Though I’m the only one left now.’

Freya’s parents died in an accident when she was a child, and Freya, their only daughter and whom the two of them dedicated themselves to protect, was the only one who survived.

Because she was the only saintess left in the empire, Tyrann, an admired priest, became her guardian despite not having any blood ties.

“It seems that the Margrave of Niflheim wants to seek honor now. That’s why he even incited the emperor to send such an arrogant letter.”

Tyrann’s cold gaze grazed the letter on the table.

The torn envelope had a wax stamp with the imperial family’s seal. Freya took out the letter and read it. It wasn’t long before her eyes grew wide.

“… It’s an edict.”