Toxic Marriage - Chapter 2.2

Chapter 2.2

As Tyrann had said, it was not the Margrave of Niflheim who directly suggested marriage, but the emperor of the country. The contents of the letter were gentle, but it was definitely an order, not an invitation to marry.

It seemed that the rumor that the Margrave of Niflheim was wielding the security of the north as leverage to have the emperor in the palm of his hand was not just a rumor.

Freya was quietly gazing at the emperor’s letter with a serious face when Tyrann took it from her hands.

“I won’t accept it.”

Freya raised her head and looked at him. His lips twisted.

“The old and sick fox is also cowardly and frightened. But Freya, I’m going to refuse this marriage. I didn’t protect you so much just to marry you to that desolate land.”

Freya couldn’t smile happily. Even though she had left the top button undone, her neck felt tight.

She didn’t want to marry a man whose face she didn’t even know as Tyrann had said, but she also felt suffocated when he tried to hide her too excessively.

Tyrann’s goodwill, who was too close to be called a stranger but not related by blood to be called family, had an unconditional aspect to it since they first met. Freya had been finding that goodwill to be increasingly burdensome.

Since when did she start feeling like that?

“Freya, my decision is only for you. To protect you, whom the Marquis and his wife, who were people with great righteousness, sacrificed their lives to save.”

Freya’s heart naturally grew heavy when she heard those words.

“You don’t seem to trust me anymore.”

Freya had no choice but to yield whenever she saw Tyrann’s wounded eyes.

It was hard and sad to hurt the person who protected and nurtured her instead of her parents, so it was better for her to be a little more yielding and give up.

However, that couldn’t be the case this time, as his decision could be dangerous.

“… If you reject this edict, you may have problems becoming the next pope.” Tyrann’s cold face suddenly softened at Freya’s concern.

“It’s nothing for you to worry about.” Tyrann’s hands stroking her hair were as warm as his eyes. “Nothing is more important to me than you.”

Even with the ecstatic face looking at her was like that of an angel, she wanted to avoid his gaze for some reason. Freya resisted the urge and got up from her seat.

“If there’s nothing I can do right now, I want to go back and rest. My heart was beating too much because of how surprised I was.”

Tyriann nodded willingly.

“Freya.”

Just as she was about to turn away with his permission and call Risyr, Tyrann stopped her.

As soon as he turned around, a long finger swung towards her face.

“The button is undone.”

Tyrann fastened the top button of Freya’s uniform, which she had deliberately left undone. The white slender nape of her neck was hidden.

“…”

Freya paused for a moment and then turned around to leave the parlor, hiding how suffocated she felt.

***

Risyr, who was waiting for Freya in the hallway, seemed to be wondering why Tyrann had suddenly called her, but she couldn’t say anything. Nothing had been decided yet, so she had to remain silent about today’s events for the time being.

Freya returned to her room alone and sat in the armchair powerlessly.

She thought that she would get married someday. She knew that Tyrann would tear apart the marriage letters she was sent without giving them to her, but she also knew that he didn’t have any other feelings for her.

Although he couldn’t explain it in words, Tyrann always looked at her with the same eyes as he looked at a younger sister. She wouldn’t have thought this way if she had ever gotten the feeling he was looking at her with love for a person of the opposite s*x, but he always treated her consistently.

So, Freya believed that if Tyrann married someone, things would get better. If he had a ‘real’ family, then he would find her a good match.

‘But I’m suddenly getting married to the Margrave, who is called the incarnation of evil.’

Freya frowned and sighed.

Tyrann said he would refuse, but it wasn’t something that could be easily settled.

This refusal could damage the relationship with the imperial family, which had been friendly to the Holy See, and in the worst case, it could disrupt Tyrann’s certainty as the next pope. But even so, this important decision was followed by ambivalent feelings that she did not want to make solely for Tyrann.

Even in front of a serious event like marriage, she felt like she didn’t have a choice.

Freya somehow felt like she didn’t want to do anything. Acting and thinking about it would make no difference. She felt a dull pain in her head.

Unable to do anything, Freya spent several days in her room like a calm lady, which was something rare. She wondered how things were going, as Tyrann hadn’t looked for her in a while.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Lindberg.”

As another uneventful day passed, a person secretly came to see her.