The Reason for Marriage - Chapter 21.1

“You don’t know that you are being used right now. No matter how warm and tender his smile is, you shouldn’t believe it. You don’t know how quickly His Highness decided to establish the Bureau of Technology. He is a man who is determined, for his gain only.”

Suddenly, Iveca remembered Daniel’s firm statement, that all interests were prioritized over ideology. She didn’t know that the idea that she’d envisioned, was only a means of stability for him. No wonder, she would be a useful tool for Daniel. Although she ignored the fact that she had already known, she still felt bitter whenever it came to mind.

Iveca shook her head, not willing to share her doubts with Anrig, “He is a good man. He has always been by my side. He cherishes me.”

“If he cherishes you,” Anrig replied through gritted teeth, “he wouldn’t have done something like that. He shouldn’t have put your name on something like that, thus making you a target for countless enemies. I was in the conference hall and Your Majesty has quoted everything that you have in place to quell the backlash; an aristocrat, a queen, or even an employee of an affiliated organization! Now, look at the results, in less than a day, you were almost dead. Don’t you know that it is just the beginning?” Anrig shook his head in frustration as he continued, “Let him go, Ive. Just say you want a divorce. You should run away right now.”

“I don’t want to!” She shouted.

“Ive!”

“I have already sworn my loyalty to His Majesty since I was in the Bureau of Investigation.”

“You aren’t in the Bureau of Investigation, right?”

“Nevertheless, I made that decision in the past. If any confusion arises, I will follow my judgment.” She glared at him stubbornly. “He said I did well. Each of the ten clauses was written carefully and with deep consideration. He is someone who recognizes and acknowledges my efforts, together with the rest of the Judicial Affair Bureau staff. So, I want to do better. This is something that I can do well.” Anrig frowned upon recognizing certain desperation in her voice as she continued to protect Daniel, “He said he would always be there for me. We are partners, we are on the same side.”

“Please, Ive.” Anrig held his forehead as he tried to reason with her, “How many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn’t fall for His Majesty’s sweet words. During the battle for the throne, he met all kinds of noble ladies, seducing them with the possibility that they could sit on the queen’s throne. He gave them false hope and emotional torture, but in the end, none of them were to his liking. It is too easy for him to say sweet things to a woman.” Her heart pounded and fell as she listened to his words that cut like a knife.

“In addition, I told you before that there is another woman that he was seeing. You wouldn’t even be able to begin to imagine how close they are.” EJ’s name came to mind and Iveca bit her lower lip as he spoke further, “Should I explain more so that you are sure? The woman was called to the palace every day, so that is why I know her well. She is the same height as you and also has the same purple eyes as you. It’s uncanny how similar you two look and he might be looking into your eyes while thinking about her.” Iveca didn’t want to hear about that anymore and she shook her head involuntarily.

“Your Majesty is looking for the missing woman. Do you think His Majesty will still say sweet things to you once she returns?” Seeing her eyes trembling, as if she were about to cry, Iveca continued to push her, “She was a woman with pale blonde hair like your sisters. She was fierce and confident…”

“Stop! Just stop!” She yelled, unable to listen to another word. She didn’t want to hear any more of what Anriq had to say and she raised her hand to cover her mouth, choking back tears. The words she had heard could never be erased.

Anrig was surprised to see the tears in her eyes because he had never seen Iveca cry before, nor had he ever seen her looking so vulnerable.

“His Majesty and I are in a relationship that is far from something called love, since the beginning, and you don’t need to get involved with this.”

Anrig took her hand and lowered it, and without letting go of her wrist, he spoke gently, “Put your hand on your heart and think again. There is no way that someone as observant and good at reasoning as you, have never noticed this. Don’t you feel any sense of incompatibility with His Highness? Truthfully?”

She couldn’t answer. Although Daniel knew that she could not be pregnant, he still held her every night, up until this day, and talked to her about a successor. It was hard to say that the tremendous pleasure that he gave her, in private, was one of her motivations to give her heart to him so carelessly. As he’d said to her, it was only the two of them in this world, so they had no choice but to feel a strange bond between them.

Even though Daniel knew exactly what her situation with Anrig was before, he’d never asked about it, not even once. But he also still used the same pen he’d been given by EJ; a complicated man – with no one ever knowing what he was thinking.

When she couldn’t answer, Anrig spoke again in an exasperated tone, “The consequences of every sweet word he’s said will remain unchanged. You stand on your own by His Highness’s side and face every danger directed to your name. Why don’t you know that?”