Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 154

“Exactly. He ended the war, drove out the Crown Prince. Just think of all he’s done in such a short time.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t Lucius who drove the Crown Prince out. The Crown Prince had fled the kingdom.

The changes weren’t limited to the end of the war. The House of Commons’ inspection revealed new facts that the Crown Prince had committed acts of treason.

At first, the Crown Prince vehemently denied all charges. That he colluded with an arms dealer to supply defective gunpowder to the military, and that he had been in secret contact with the Kazak Empire.

However, evidence related to him continued to emerge. The arms dealer was captured and confessed that he had acted under the Crown Prince’s orders. An additional confession was obtained from a clergyman who had collaborated with him as a middleman.

Even so, the Crown Prince continued to deny everything. He tearfully insisted it had nothing to do with him and pleaded his innocence. Many people believed his words. He had denied the allegations so fiercely, and it was hard for people to believe that a Crown Prince would commit such acts.

Just as the wave of sympathy for him reached its peak, a letter personally written by the Crown Prince to the Emperor of Kazak was made public. It was undeniable, decisive evidence. Even those who had supported him turned their backs, trembling with a sense of betrayal.

As a result, unprecedented fury toward the Crown Prince swept across the kingdom. Petitions calling for him to be punished according to the law poured in daily. The people’s anger didn’t stop there—it turned toward the entire royal family. When the public mood soured to the point of questioning whether the royal family should even continue to exist, the king himself had to step in, drawing a line and declaring that this matter had nothing to do with the rest of the royal family.

In the end, the Crown Prince was formally brought to trial. And the day before he was to be detained, he fled abroad.

“They say the person who orchestrated all of this behind the scenes was the Duke of Carlisle. He must be something else. And still young too, I hear.”

As the praise for Lucius continued, Brianna felt one corner of her lips involuntarily lift and asked her, “Do you think he’s impressive too, sis?”

“Yeah. And I heard he even gave up his power voluntarily.”

Until now, the House of Carlisle had monopolized the highest authority in parliament. Lucius’s father had established the current parliamentary system, and his older brother had developed it—so in a way, it was natural that the power had been passed to Lucius.

Recently, Lucius drafted a bill limiting the Speaker of Parliament from serving more than three consecutive terms. It was a measure to prevent a single person or family from monopolizing power.

“Honestly, I don’t really get that. Isn’t it better to just let the smart person stay in charge? What if some idiot ends up taking over?”

“Even the smartest person will become corrupt if a small number of people keep holding power. I think it’s better for the future.”

Leona once said that letting go of power you already hold is harder than seizing it. Lucius had accomplished that. And only after finishing all he needed to do.

As the Crown Prince’s misdeeds were revealed one by one, Florian was finally cleared of the false charge that he had accidentally set fire to the powder magazine. Though they couldn’t prove that the Crown Prince had killed the previous Dukes of Carlisle, at least his treason had been widely exposed.

Even if there had been evidence of the assassinations, Lucius wouldn’t have used it. The moment this case shifted from being about treason to a power struggle between the royal family and the nobility, the core of the issue would blur. And no one understood that better than Lucius. That was why he never appeared directly and instead brought the House of Commons to the forefront—even if everyone knew he was behind it all.

“…When I think about it, he really is amazing. He accomplished all of that after everything he went through.”

An ordinary person might have crumbled under the deaths of his father and brother, and then his closest friend. But throughout all those years, Lucius carried out his duties steadfastly, as if hardship and despair had never touched him. The one thing he missed was the Crown Prince’s escape abroad.

Perhaps that was the one thing even he hadn’t anticipated. Brianna let out a faint laugh when she heard it. Still, a Crown Prince of a nation running away just to avoid punishment? It was such a stark contrast to Lucius, who had calmly awaited judgment in prison while falsely accused of his brother’s murder.

“Well, people like us can’t even imagine what it’s like in their world.”

At Natalie’s shrugging words, Brianna smiled. “You’re right. He really is someone from another world. Someone I could never reach…”

“Right? And to think someone like that married a commoner, doesn’t it just blow your mind?”

Only the fact that the Duke of Carlisle had married a commoner was known here; little else was known about the Duchess’s background. Thanks to that, Brianna was able to live here without any other inconvenience.

“…There must have been a reason.”

Natalie tilted her head at the bitter murmur. “What do you mean? I heard the two of them got married because they were deeply in love.”

“Well, it’s not like we can really know all the details on their side.”

“True, how could we know everything about someone else’s marriage? No one knows that my Levin, who everyone says is a sweet guy, is actually a total nag.”

Grumbling heavily, Natalie got up from her seat.

“Ah, I’d love to stay longer, but I should head back now. If I’m any later, Levin will start nagging like crazy. You don’t know, do you? It’s enough to make your ears bleed.”

“There’s no more alcohol to drink anyway.”

Brianna shook the empty bottle.

“The liquor’s gone, and you’re missing your rabbit-like kid and nagging husband at home, so that’s why you’re leaving.”

At the gentle teasing, Natalie burst into giggles. As Brianna walked her to the door, Natalie grabbed her hand and earnestly said, “Levin chased that creep away today, so he won’t come near for a while, but still, lock up properly before bed. And if anything happens, run straight to our house, okay?”

Brianna nodded with a smile. “I will. I’ll lock up and sleep well, so don’t worry.”

After Natalie left, Brianna cleared the table and washed up.

Before going to sleep, she pulled out a stack of newspapers from the drawer of her nightstand.

It was a collection of articles she had saved, each time someone from Bastogne appeared in the news.

The most recent issue featured a drawing of a female singer standing center stage. It was an article announcing the successful debut of La Fenice Theater’s new prima donna, Lily Serna.

Recently, Lily had finally become the prima donna she had dreamed of and stood proudly on stage. Brianna rejoiced as if it were her own success when she read that every seat to Lily’s performances had sold out.

With natural talent, tremendous effort, and strong sponsorship, Lily’s abilities began to blossom rapidly. Now, she had become one of the most famous soprano singers in Bastogne.

As expected, Lucius never lashed out at Lily for helping Brianna escape, nor did he try to block her sponsorship out of spite. Instead of resorting to such cowardly tactics from behind the scenes, he simply did what needed to be done. That much was evident just from reading the papers.

Seeing his name in the news nearly every day, Brianna felt mixed emotions. She was proud of him and relieved that he seemed well, but also felt somewhat wistful.

Ah, this man isn’t affected at all by my absence. Maybe he’s already completely forgotten I ever existed.

Though it hadn’t been reported in the news, the divorce papers might have been submitted a long time ago. Perhaps the next Duchess of Carlisle had already been secretly decided.

“Well, people like us can’t even imagine what it’s like in their world.”

Recalling what Natalie had said earlier, Brianna quietly lowered her eyes.

The days she spent as a duchess now felt like a distant dream.

Only after leaving him did she come to understand. Lucius Carlisle was like a shining star. When he had been close, he was too bright to see clearly—but now that she was watching from afar, she could feel the brilliance of his dazzling light down to her bones.

That man had always been someone I could never dare to approach.

So choosing to let go early without coveting someone like him—that had truly been the right decision.