My Happy Marriage (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter Pr

  PROLOGUE  

Harsh sunlight beat down on him, scorching his skin.

The imperial capital, crowded with large, modern buildings, was already sweltering enough. But when he looked at the fluttering heat haze coming off the pavement, he felt even more sickened from the weather.

With his sweaty shirt clinging uncomfortably to his skin, Arata turned his gaze forward.

A white parasol… Is that her?

Ahead of him stood a young woman holding a parasol, wrapped in a summery kimono with a pretty fringed pink flower pattern over its cool white-and-blue fabric. From her extremely pale face, which looked as though it could collapse at any moment, Arata knew that she was the person he was looking for.

That being said, he didn’t have any particular business with her this instant; he’d simply wanted to get a glimpse of the girl—Miyo Saimori—whom he had heard so much about.

There wasn’t much sense in scoping her out, as no matter what sort of person she may have been, it didn’t change their plans whatsoever. This was a simple act of curiosity, nothing more.

After all that anticipation. But as long as I have my mission, that’s enough for me.

What was important was the human who possessed the Gift herself. That and the duty given to him and his family, their fervent wish.

Instead of considering what sort of person this Miyo Saimori was, he hoped her personality wouldn’t prove to be a nuisance, and he was simply coming to confirm this for himself.

At any rate…

She looks pretty normal, I’d say. Plain, even. Kind of gloomy, though.

Any drearier and she’d look like a ghost. He’d heard that her betrothal to the head of the Kudou family had started to transform her, both internally and externally, but he could see no signs of this.

He sighed in dejection. Suddenly, the woman lost her balance as she walked over in his direction.

She was going to fall.

In spite of his cold feelings of apathy, Arata half-heartedly extended his arms.

“Whoa there.”

He sounded utterly shameless as he feigned coincidence.

Now collapsed in his arms, the woman didn’t betray his first impression—she was quite slender and light. Little wonder her stamina would give out just from standing underneath the blazing sun.

“M-my apologies!”

She bowed, shrinking back in such fear that it made Arata look on with pity. As he observed her, he felt both faintly sympathetic and oddly satisfied that he would be protecting this woman going forward.

Given her frailty, she definitely needed protection.

Though she really did seem to have a dour and miserable personality after all.

“It’s okay, please raise your head.”

In any event, everything was already set in motion.

He would suck her in, snatch her away, and then finally find value in himself.

Arata plastered a smile free of malevolence on his mouth and stared her squarely in the eyes.

The spacious parlor was completely quiet.

The interior of the ornately decorated room had almost no furnishings, save for a futon laid out in the middle of the floor. There, lying under its covers, was an elderly man.

“Hideous. Truly an eyesore.”

The man muttered venomously, glaring with his gaunt, deep-set eyes. Yet his body had withered away like a dying tree, so the only sound that feebly escaped his lips amounted to little more than a sigh.

He was revered as the most exalted man in the empire, and until recently, he would always be accompanied by a swarm of people. For him to now be so lonesome was nothing short of cruel irony.

“Your Majesty, may I come in?”

Suddenly, a voice called to him from outside the room. After a brusque “yes,” the sliding door opened, and a refined young man quietly entered.

The elderly man again whipped his eyes around and glared at his visitor.

Clad in a well-fitted three-piece suit, the chestnut-haired man was a bit difficult to deal with but a necessary pawn for the old man’s current plans.

“What is it?”

“I humbly request you bestow your approval regarding the incident in question.”

The man now remembered. He had put this pawn on standby for the time being.

He unearthed the memories, which were often liable to elude him as of late, until he finally found the reason why the young man had come to him.

“I see.”

He plainly replied to the visitor kowtowing at his bedside.

Preparations would soon be complete. Just a little longer, a little longer until he could eradicate all of his worries and concerns.

“Please, Your Majesty, I ask for your approval. I simply cannot wait any longer. Things need to be where they belong. Please grant us the opportunity to fulfill our fervent wish.”

“Watch your words. You say too much.”

“…My apologies.”

It was a feeble rebuke, but it was more than enough to quiet his impertinent young guest.

Though his body had withered, the authority the man was born with still remained hale and hearty.

“Things will start to move soon. I shall authorize your actions, as well.”

As he spoke, the man gnashed his teeth in humiliation and frustration.

Why did he need to concern himself with whelps and girls? Normally, he was loath to have such inconsequential people force him into this emotional turmoil.

Detestable. Atrocious. Odious.

Nevertheless, if he gave up here, everything would be for naught.

This was all so that his blood would be carried on for generations to come. To ensure no one could threaten him. To leave the institutions he had kept strong behind. Threats would be eliminated.

“Do not misread your opportunity.”

“…Understood. Then I will begin our operation as scheduled.”

The young man bowed and exited the room with quiet footsteps.

Silence fell once again on the tatami-floored chamber.

The man thought of the future. Even when he closed his eyes, he couldn’t see it anymore.

Of course, not once had the gods showed him the future of his descendants. That was precisely why he needed to make his own moves—so he could take hold of the future he envisioned.

The man rang the bell left at his bedside, and a chamberlain poked his head into the room.

“You called for me, Your Majesty?”

“…Drive the ghosts in the Burial Grounds to the countryside. Regardless of how many live or die.”

“Understood.”

The chamberlain solemnly accepted the man’s orders, nary a hint of an emotion showing on his face.

“I’ll crush that Gift, no matter what…”

There would be no need for it in the country his son was to reign over.

Slowly lowering his eyelids, the man fell into a deep, deep sleep.