ITDHC 02

Chapter 2

Richard, who had been approaching the bed, was startled when he suddenly met the light-green eyes peeking out from above the blanket and stopped in his tracks.

There was someone in his room, even though he had expected it to be empty as usual.

And she looked terrified, as if she might faint at any moment.

After a brief silence, Richard stared at the unwelcome presence before him. His handsome brows furrowed deeply, and he muttered in an irritated voice.

“…You’re so tiny I can barely see you.”

He then walked back to the door and turned the handle.

Click.

But the door was locked. Richard’s already cold expression hardened even further.

Click, click.

No matter how many times he tried, it remained locked.

“Crazy bastards.”

Cursing under his breath, Richard slammed his fist against the closed door.

Gasp.

Elissa jumped at the loud noise. Only then did she realize that he was not a demon, but the man who was going to become her husband.

She also realized that this was not her room.

It was his.

Then—

The wind…?

A strong wind began gathering around the bed.

Elissa looked toward the window, wondering if it had been left open. But although the window rattled in the wind, it was firmly shut.

Seeing this, Elissa understood.

So that’s the Rubellin power.

The wind gathering around Richard was the same power Hannes had used in the novel.

Among the descendants who carried Rubellin blood, children with the family’s power were occasionally born. They could freely control the wind and use magic based on it.

That power was the reason the family was known as the “Rubellin of the Storm.”

Richard and his son, Hannes, were among the descendants who had inherited it.

Is he going to break the door down?

Elissa anxiously watched Richard, wondering if he would use his power to do something.

“…I’ll kill them.”

Richard muttered the words in a murderous tone, but instead of doing what he threatened, he made the wind disperse.

When Elissa saw Richard start walking, she flinched and quickly pulled the blanket over her face again, leaving only her eyes peeking out.

Fortunately, Richard did not go to the bed. Instead, he went to the sofa and collapsed onto it.

From where Elissa was, she could only see his legs sticking out from the sofa.

Apparently, he had no intention of coming to the bed.

He is my husband, though. Shouldn’t I at least say hello…?

After watching Richard for a while, Elissa slowly sat up.

Then she cautiously greeted him.

“H-hello, Young Duke?”

There was no response.

Still, Elissa stubbornly continued.

“My name is Elissa Loengrin. And… as of today, I’m Elissa Rubellin. I hope we can get along.”

By referring to herself as “Rubellin,” she was essentially saying, I’m your wife, so at least acknowledge me.

But Richard showed no reaction whatsoever.

He did not even look at her once, despite clearly still being awake.

Elissa narrowed her eyes as she stared at Richard’s legs sticking out from the sofa.

She did not know whether he was a good person or a bad one, but one thing was certain.

He has absolutely no manners.

Well, fifteen was probably the age when everyone carried around at least one dark, brooding dragon inside their hearts.

Elissa glared at Richard’s legs for a moment before huffing and lying back down.

And so, their first night as a married couple passed.

The next morning, Richard stormed into the duke’s office.

Albert was just lighting a cigarette, but he greeted Richard with an indifferent gaze without showing the slightest surprise.

“I was just about to call for you. You came at the right time.”

“Cancel it.”

“Cancel what?”

Although he knew exactly what Richard had left unsaid, Albert pretended not to understand.

Richard answered through gritted teeth.

“Cancel this marriage.”

“A vow made before the goddess cannot be undone so easily.”

“I never participated in that ceremony.”

“So you want to annul it?”

Richard answered his question with silence.

Albert inhaled the smoke from his cigarette and slowly exhaled it. Only after some time did he finally speak.

“Do you dislike the girl’s appearance? I thought she was quite pretty, even if she is still young. Apparently, she isn’t good enough for you?”

Richard’s expression visibly twisted.

But Albert continued without caring.

“Or are you going to talk about some personal feelings, saying that you cannot marry someone you do not love, just like your father? You, who will one day become the head of the Rubellin family?”

“……”

“Well, fine. That’s fine too. Once I get the princess out of the way, I can simply get rid of that girl.”

“……”

“So live with her until she becomes an adult. It would be even better if you produce an heir during that time. After that, you can bring in whatever woman you like as the lady of the house—”

“That’s not what this is about!”

Richard’s voice rose, and a fierce wind gathered around him. The documents on the desk were sent flying wildly through the air.

Albert’s aide hurriedly tried to catch the papers, flapping his arms as he struggled to deal with them alone.

Yet despite the chaos, Albert did not even blink as he faced Richard.

His blood-red eyes were so cold and harsh that it was difficult to believe they belonged to a grandfather looking at his grandson.

“You are the only heir of our family. It is your duty to take a partner and continue the family line.”

“……”

“Your position, everything you enjoy right now—all of it was given to you because you are my heir. If you refuse to fulfill your duties as the heir, then you have no right to remain in that position.”

At what was essentially a threat, Richard’s lips twisted.

His grandfather did not see him as a grandson.

He saw him merely as a stud whose purpose was to continue the family line.

Richard glared at his grandfather with murderous eyes.

“When did I ever ask for this position?”

His voice was filled with deep anger and disgust toward him.

Not once had Richard ever wanted to become the heir of Rubellin.

If he could, he would even get rid of the power he had inherited.

“I have absolutely no intention of doing anything with that tiny little girl, so never let her into my room again.”

After delivering the warning, Richard turned around and roughly threw open the office door.

He was about to leave when his steps suddenly stopped.

Elissa was standing in front of him.

He had no idea how long she had been there.

Did she hear us?

Richard looked at Elissa.

He did not know when she had arrived, but the conversation between him and Albert had certainly not been pleasant to hear.

After briefly studying Elissa’s expression, Richard frowned and looked away.

Either way, it had nothing to do with him.

Elissa stared at Richard in surprise for a moment, then gave him a small bow and walked past him into the office.

“You called for me?”

“Richard, you listen too.”

Albert stopped Richard as he tried to leave.

Richard was about to ignore him and walk away, but he closed his eyes and swallowed a sigh before reluctantly standing beside Elissa.

Albert looked at Elissa indifferently and spoke.

“I heard you didn’t attend the first breakfast of your marriage.”

Instead of answering, Elissa avoided his gaze.

The maid had told her that it was customary for newlyweds to greet the head of the family and have breakfast together on the morning after their wedding.

But when Elissa woke up, Richard was already gone, and Albert was not in the dining room either.

She had thought Albert would not know about it.

Apparently, he received reports about everything.

Elissa swallowed a sigh and resigned herself to a long lecture.

But contrary to her expectations, Albert seemed to understand both Elissa and Richard.

“Well, fine. You two probably only properly saw each other for the first time this morning, so it’s understandable that things are awkward.”

“……”

“If you live in the same room for a while, you’ll get used to each other. You can gradually grow closer that way.”

Richard spoke in a low voice.

“I already told you. We will not be sharing a room.”

“It is only natural for a married couple to share a bed. What exactly is the problem?”

Neither Albert nor Richard seemed willing to give an inch, and the tension between them remained taut.

Richard glared at Albert, then silently turned and left.

The door behind Elissa slammed shut with a violent gust of wind.

Albert stared indifferently at the closed door for a moment before turning his gaze back to Elissa.

“By the way, I have something to give you. Aaron, bring it.”

When he called for his aide, the man handed Elissa a book he had prepared beforehand.

Elissa accepted it without even knowing what it was.

“Starting tomorrow, a teacher will come to teach you about that book. It will help if you familiarize yourself with the contents beforehand. Study diligently so that you can properly support the future head of the family.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Elissa respectfully bowed to Albert and left the office.

Then she looked down at the book she had been given.

The Virtues of a Wife.

Judging by the title alone, it sounded like it would be filled with old-fashioned nonsense based on patriarchal values.

Elissa let out a long sigh and headed back to her room.

That night, the maids once again pushed Elissa toward Richard’s room.

When she entered, Elissa nervously looked around.

But Richard was nowhere to be seen.

Isn’t he here…?

Then something caught Elissa’s eye.