Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 100
Everyone already knew that the Duke of Carlisle had only just come of age. Therefore, they had no great expectations for today’s meeting. At best, they expected some arrogant young noble to show up, pretending to be important.
Considering he was already a high-ranking noble, and had become the head of the most prestigious family at such a young age, his arrogance must be immeasurable. Perhaps, like Count Kirchner, he would demand money in exchange for allowing them into parliamentary politics.
However, the moment they faced the Duke of Carlisle in person, they immediately realized their assumptions were wrong.
For merchants who had built their businesses over many years and met countless people, the ability to see through others was a survival skill. And they could tell right away—Lucius Carlisle was not the type to live off his noble bloodline or his family’s prestige.
His eyes were too indifferent for someone obsessed with wealth, and his expression was far too composed for someone blindly chasing power. From what they had seen, such eyes and expressions were more common among religious figures than politicians. In short, he was not a man who desired material possessions.
The Duke of Carlisle was the first to extend his hand and greet them.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Lucius Carlisle.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace. My name is Hans Bauer.”
Starting with Hans Bauer, the others present exchanged greetings with Lucius. Once everyone had taken their seats, Hans examined Lucius with a serious gaze.
As expected of a former soldier, his physique was impressive. Compared to the middle-aged men seated before him, he seemed like a giant. Hans had seen the previous Duke of Carlisle a long time ago, and he too had been a man of great stature. It seemed to be a family trait.
Now that he thought about it, he had heard rumors that Lucius had distinguished himself in battle. There were even claims that had he not left the military early, he could have risen to a significantly high rank.
“You must still be in the honeymoon phase. I hope we aren’t causing any trouble with the Duchess.”
At Hans’s lighthearted joke, laughter erupted among the group. The Duke’s marriage to a commoner woman he had long loved was still a hot topic in society.
In truth, that alone set him apart from the arrogant nobles of old. Even now, most nobles shunned interclass marriages to maintain their exclusive cartel. But Lucius Carlisle had boldly made a commoner his Duchess.
“My wife fully supported this meeting this morning, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
Lucius’s answer, accompanied by a light smile, made Hans narrow his eyes. When an individual entered an exclusive social group, they usually shed their previous identity to blend in. However, Lucius’s words suggested that the Duchess intended to maintain her connection with the commoner class even after becoming Brianna Carlisle.
Perhaps this time, they had truly found the right person.
For all this time, discussions about the formation of the House of Commons had remained just that—discussions. No real progress had been made. The nobility had been too busy debating whether including other classes in parliamentary politics would be beneficial or detrimental. Meanwhile, the commoners had been repeatedly drained of their funds. Time and again, they had been told that if they provided financial support, efforts would be made on their behalf.
“Let’s get straight to the point. Your Grace, what can you offer us?”
Jumping straight to the heart of the matter was neither the refined approach nobles preferred nor entirely polite. However, Hans had no time to waste chasing illusions. It was time to grasp something tangible.
“Until now, the nobility has given us mere crumbs of bread while expecting us to offer them gold in return. Is Your Grace of the same mind?”
It was clear that the nobles had no real intention of granting the House of Commons any substantial authority. They acted as though allowing them to speak a few words in parliament should be enough.
If Lucius was no different from the other nobles, then there was no point in staying here any longer. And that sentiment was shared not just by Hans but by everyone present.
Faced with this blunt question, Lucius gave his answer.
“There are only three things I can promise you: the right to debate legislative matters, the right to vote, and the right to audit government affairs.”
The first two were things they had long desired and fought for. But the last one was entirely unexpected.
“The right to audit? What do you mean…?”
“As it stands, the King and the House of Nobles cannot hold each other accountable. I need something to break that rigid framework.”
Lucius had struggled to expose his brother’s death and bring the Crown Prince to justice. Through that process, he had come to realize that under the current system, even if he proved the Crown Prince’s guilt, punishing him would not be easy.
In the past, the King had granted power to the nobility in exchange for securing his own safety. As a result, a mutual non-aggression pact had been formed, making it virtually impossible for the nobles to depose the King or remove him from the throne. There was always a trade-off—gaining something meant losing something else. That was the way of the world.
So, if it couldn’t be done as a noble, he would have to borrow another’s hand to achieve it.
“Quite literally, I will grant the House of Commons the authority to investigate and oversee all government affairs. This isn’t just crumbs of bread—I am handing you gold in its entirety.”
Hans drew in a sharp breath. “I-is that really possible? Are you saying we could truly have such immense power?”
“I will make it happen, no matter what. The only thing you need to remember is that if you receive this gold, you must prove its worth. Can you do that?”
Lucius knew full well that this proposal was the sweetest offer to those who had long been starved for power.
And that was precisely why he knew they wouldn’t refuse.
***
Once everything was settled, Lucius rode his carriage back to the ducal residence. Unlike before, he realized that he felt unusually excited.
Well, of course—Brianna was waiting for him.
Lucius smiled as he gazed out at the sky through the carriage window. He wanted to return to the mansion as quickly as possible, to see Brianna’s face again. And just like last night, he wanted to bury himself inside her soft body once more, in that warm and narrow place.
The intoxicating thought lasted only for a moment before he let out a curse.
“Damn it, just twice a week!”
Lucius now wished he could kill his past self for ever saying such a thing. If he had known it would be like this, he would have demanded three times a week.
No, better yet, he should have insisted from the start that frequency was meaningless and that they should simply share a bed every night.
Back then, he hadn’t realized just how good it would be…
Running a hand over his face, Lucius let out a long sigh.
He had expected spending the night with Brianna to be maddeningly pleasurable, but last night had far exceeded his expectations. He had felt as though he had traveled between heaven and hell countless times. Being inside Brianna was pure heaven, but simply watching her sleep beside him, her bare shoulder peeking out, was a living hell.
In the end, Lucius had feared that if he stayed any longer, he would lose control and ravish her in her sleep. So he had dressed her in a robe and distanced himself from the bed as if fleeing, waiting until morning when she awoke.
Brianna, I really must be crazy about you.
As his carriage arrived at the Carlisle mansion, his lips naturally curled into a soft smile. He spotted Carl standing outside the entrance, waiting for him.
“Where is Brianna?”
The moment Lucius saw the butler’s face, the first thing he asked was about Brianna. Was she feeling any better? He had told her to rest—had she ignored his words and started working again? If she had, then next time, he would have no choice but to keep her occupied in the morning as well.
Just as he was considering this, Carl spoke up.
“Madam rested well all morning and only began moving about in the afternoon. However, Your Grace, a letter arrived.”
“A letter?”
Only then did Lucius notice the envelope in Carl’s hand. Judging by the butler’s expression, it seemed important. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have personally come out to greet him just to hand over a letter.
“Who is it from?”
“That is…”
Carl, looking unusually troubled, hesitated before handing the letter to Lucius instead of answering.
The moment Lucius saw the sender’s name, his face turned ice-cold.
MANGA DISCUSSION
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