Chapter 18.2

The Aftermath of a Big Fight: Cermiane’s Point of View. (2)

“This is the Ring of proof of the imperial lineage given to Cermiane when he was born.”

Ralphine, seeing my black ring for the first time, was astonished. In addition, her parents, the former Marquis, and her eldest brother, the current Marquis de Caliente, were pale and stunned from the beginning. The man who he had reluctantly given his daughter and sister in marriage to, thinking he was a knight, had suddenly become a prince. It is natural to be surprised.

Ralphine eldest brother married from a noble family and succeeded to the marquise’s title, her second brother established a branch family and became a count, her third brother also established a branch family and became a viscount, her fourth brother became a son-in-law of a count’s family, and her youngest brother became a son-in-law of a viscount’s family. The eldest sister married into a ducal family. The second and third sisters married into a marquis family. The fourth and youngest sisters married into a count’s family.

In other words, Ralphine has many brothers and sisters in the aristocratic world of the empire, and in the upper echelons of nobility. If Ralphine were to become crown princess, the Marquis de Caliente would probably become a major force in the nobility. And they would be a powerful backer for me.

I did not expect Ralphine, her parents, or her siblings to play such a role. As it turned out, my marriage to Ralphine was a major driving force in my ascension to the throne.

However, that would only be possible if Ralphine does not become enraged and demand a divorce due to my concealed identity. Ralphine was currently in a daze, but she will definitely come back to her senses and become angry. It is impossible for her not to be angry.

I urged Ralphine to turn to Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress, and kneeled once again. Then, I presented my oath:

“To Your Majesty, the one who stands as the representative of the almighty god, the great sun of the empire, the shining seat of glory, the ruler of the north, south, east, and west, the guardian of the sword and the balance, your beautiful majesty, I, Cermiane, as a member of the imperial family, pledge to devote all my strength to Your Majesty and the Empire.”

My mouth went dry. Cold sweat erupted from my entire body. Emperor His Majesty is the representative of the almighty god, so this is an Oath with the almighty god and the Empire, as I swore to Emperor His Majesty. There is no turning back now.

Next, it was the oath of the Empress, but Ralphine, who was dumbfounded, did not speak. If she does not swear here, inevitably, she and I will be divorced. I prayed as I stared at her out of the corner of my eye. Our eyes met. Her golden eyes were shaking with agitation, but she stared at me sharply for a moment and then swore firmly.

“I also swear to dedicate all my power to His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire.”

I almost collapsed with relief. At this moment, we officially became members of the imperial family as a married couple. Standing behind Emperor His Majesty, I had made up my mind while looking down at the nobles. I was prepared to face Ralphine’s fury.

“…Why didn’t you tell me this until now?”

Ralphine directed a penetrating gaze towards me after I finished telling her all the circumstances. It was a reasonable question. It’s not that I didn’t think it would be better to tell her. However, I couldn’t make up my mind. As someone who detests noble socializing and desires to live freely, my status would become a hindrance to her. I was afraid that she would hate me because of that.

In the end, this was the choice I made.

“I was planning to keep it a secret for the rest of my life. I was going to take it to my grave.”

Ralphine looked incredulous. She seemed to be beyond anger and more in a state of disbelief. I can understand how she felt. In the end, my choice was a big failure. Thanks to me, Ralphine became the prince’s consort without even knowing the circumstances. She probably harbored serious mistrust towards me. This is a fatal problem for a couple who need to have trust to be able to rely on each other.

“Why didn’t you want to be royalty so badly?”

However, Ralphine didn’t seem to be too concerned about it. Maybe she never trusted me enough to harbor doubts, or maybe she had already decided to abandon me.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to, but I thought I shouldn’t. My mother always said, “I received great favor from Her Imperial Majesty the Empress. It’s presumptuous for you, who is an illegitimate child, to be on the same level as the Emperor’s Crown Prince. ”

When I spoke, Ralphine looked like she had a headache. Her expression looked like she couldn’t understand what I was saying. It also looked like an expression that said, ‘This person is saying something stupid.’

“And I also respected my older brother, and I didn’t want to do anything that would cause trouble during his reign as the next emperor. In the end, I thought it would be best to serve as a knight without becoming a member of the imperial family.”

As I continued, Ralphine sighed deeply. She glared at me while tapping the table with her fingers in frustration.

“Haven’t His Majesty the Emperor, the Empress and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked you many times to become a member of the imperial family?”

“Oh, yes. After my mother passed away, I was invited to the inner palace several times and was encouraged to do so. But I declined.”

“You should have become a member of the imperial family at that time.”

I blinked my eyes, unable to understand Ralphine’s stern tone. I could feel her anger rising again.

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