Wrong Marriage and Sweet Love

After a burst of pain, Joyce felt much better; it seemed Clint didn’t want her to suffer for too long. She leaned against Luther for support, her breath weak. “I’m feeling better; he must have stopped.”

“I can’t believe it actually worked,” Reuben said, unable to comprehend the bizarre situation. “I’ll ask the elders if they’ve ever heard of such dark magic and how to break it. Clint coming up with this method shows he’ll stop at nothing.”

Grizela thought for a moment and said, “If I remember correctly, only the one who cast the spell can break it. There’s no other way.”

Darrin’s face darkened. “We can’t kill Clint, and we need him to break the spell himself? That’s impossible! Are you sure? If not, I’ll assassinate him. We can’t let the young marshal be controlled by Clint.”

Joyce glanced at Darrin. “I once had a gun. If killing him could solve the problem, I would have done it already. His special status means killing him would spark a war between two countries. Likewise, he won’t easily kill me either. For now, my life is safe.”

Grizela eyed Darrin. “You’re too reckless.”

Darrin fell silent.

“So, what do you suggest?” Darrin asked Grizela. “Do you have any good ideas? Tell me, and I’ll execute them.”

Grizela remained silent.

“The Yoshikawa family won’t let this go easily. For generations, the Tanaka family has been deeply entangled with the Yoshikawa family. My father was forced to marry a Yoshikawa woman, Taura, who gave birth to Clint. The Yoshikawa family already harbors resentment towards Pascaylia because OGW, which they controlled, was destroyed by you all. Now that Clint hasn’t ascended the throne, they will undoubtedly incite civil war,” Reuben explained. “My father could never escape the Yoshikawa family’s grasp; even though he loved my mother, he could only imprison her and give her nothing else.”

“I met Chiyuki. The Yoshikawa family wants to marry her off to Clint; isn’t that close kin?” Joyce asked. She believed that intermarriage among close relatives led to generations of obsessives.

“Blood-wise, it’s a bit close, but Chiyuki’s lineage is diluted enough,” Reuben replied.

“But Clint doesn’t want to marry Chiyuki. Does that mean he might turn against the Yoshikawa family?” Joyce asked again.

“Before you came, it was unlikely he’d turn against them, but now things are different,” Reuben pointed out. “By bringing you to the East Palace, he’s provoking the Yoshikawa family.”

“So, can I understand it this way? Clint also wants to break free from the Yoshikawa family? Or rather, he wants to completely subdue them?” Luther asked.

“That seems likely. Even though he has Yoshikawa blood in him, he still bears the Tanaka name. He wants to change the situation where the Tanaka family has been restricted by the Yoshikawa family for years,” Reuben analyzed. “From what I know of him, he doesn’t want to be controlled by anyone.”

“Is a surname so important to you?” Joyce frowned.

“To him, yes; to me, no,” Reuben smiled bitterly. “If I could choose, I’d rather have the surname Sitou.” Now that he had brought his mother back home, he had no attachment to Rohomes. What his father left him on his deathbed was not an inheritance but a burden and shackles.

Joyce was stunned.

Luther squinted his eyes; from Reuben’s words, it seemed he didn’t want to inherit the throne.

“If I’m not mistaken, the Imperial Household Agency supports you,” Luther asked.

Reuben nodded; because of this support, he couldn’t withdraw. Elders like Hajime had high hopes for him. If he gave up the throne, where would that leave them? If Clint later purged the Imperial Household Agency, what would become of them? Their lives would be at risk.

Luther remained silent; he understood Reuben’s predicament.

“So what are your plans now?”

Just as he finished asking.

Joyce suddenly experienced another wave of pain, more intense than before. She sweated profusely and bit down hard on Luther’s arm, leaving deep teeth marks.

Luther’s heart tightened; knowing she was in more pain than before meant Clint was forcing Joyce back.Content © provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

He held her tightly, trying to ease her pain.

Seeing her lips trembling uncontrollably.

He took a sip of hot water from a cup on the coffee table and fed it to her mouth-to-mouth without caring about others around them to ease her stomach spasms.

Grizela turned away shyly.

Darrin was unfazed by such scenes; seeing this, he quickly poured another cup of hot water.

After several rounds of feeding her water this way, Joyce regained some warmth and her pain eased slightly.

Luther was tormented inside; leaving Joyce here pained him deeply but sending her back to Clint was unthinkable!

Reuben suddenly stood up with a dark expression and unreadable thoughts.

Joyce clung weakly to Luther’s shoulder. “I’m feeling better now; don’t worry about me. He won’t dare let me die.”

Anger surged within Luther. “There is no war between our countries! You’re a warlord’s daughter; how can he treat you like this? I’ll take you to confront him!”

Joyce grabbed Luther’s collar tightly. “No! He’ll kill you! You can’t go!”

“But he’s making you suffer,” Luther couldn’t finish his sentence-how much longer could she endure such pain?

Reuben watched them intently; Joyce and Luther had come so far together against all odds-reuniting their family with Iris and adding twin sons-only for their happiness to be disrupted by another country’s throne dispute. He couldn’t let them suffer anymore.

“This place is safe for now; stay here while I find a solution and wait for my news,” Reuben said before turning away swiftly.

“Your Highness! Wait for me!” Grizela quickly followed Reuben’s steps.

Darrin felt uneasy with the chaotic situation and grabbed Grizela’s arm gently in concern. “Take care and be cautious.”

Such concern during troubled times warmed Grizela’s heart; she nodded before leaving.

Reuben walked faster as his resolve grew stronger within him.

He could give up the throne-he didn’t want anything anymore-not even being emperor-burning the edict as if it never existed-and exchanging Jade Seal for Joyce’s antidote-leaving Rohomes forever with his mother-never returning again-with some time-to dissolve Imperial Household Agency-minimizing damage-fulfilling their wishes-that was what he wanted in life.