The sharp intake of breath from someone in the crowd rang out with startling clarity.
The nobles in the Great Hall looked back and forth between the throne and me, and even the Old Prime Minister had frozen in place, clutching his documents. I was no different. I had definitely heard Alecia’s words, but their meaning refused to register.
To welcome me as her husband.
Me? Alecia’s husband?
“...Huh?”
A vacant, stupid sound leaked from my lips.
Seated upon the throne, Alecia was smiling serenely beneath her crown. This wasn't the expression of someone making a joke. It was the look of someone who didn't intend to let me leave until I gave her an answer.
That was when I finally understood.
This girl... she knew that if she talked to me beforehand, I’d flee back to my domain, so she chose to spring this in front of every noble in the kingdom! If I refuse here, I’ll be dragging the new Queen’s name through the mud; if I nod, my life is decided right then and there.
What a terrifyingly scheming woman...!
That said, if I were to suddenly scream "No!" like a lunatic, I’d look like a complete madman. I swallowed the breath stuck in my throat and managed to scrape together some semblance of etiquette.
“Y-Your Majesty...! While I am honored by your gracious words, there are several matters I must confirm regarding this proposal.”
“Yes. Let us hear them.”
I thought she might be at least a little troubled, but Alecia’s smile didn't waver. It seemed she had predicted I would start making excuses.
“First, I am the head of House Razgrim! If I become Your Majesty’s husband, I would have to move to the royal capital... I cannot simply abandon my domain and my vassals!”
“I never said you had to live in the royal capital. You may continue to live in your domain just as you have until now. I will only have you come to the capital when necessary, and the royal family will cover all travel expenses.”
The first objection was crushed effortlessly.
“H-However, I am ignorant of the etiquette of the royal palace, and I have only just attained the rank of Duke. If someone who does not even understand the duties of a Duke stands beside the monarch, it will bring shame even upon Your Majesty.”
Because I was panicking, my phrasing turned out a bit strange at the end.
“I will provide the necessary tutors and chamberlains... Besides, is there anyone here who does not already know that your manners are lacking?”
Not a single voice of denial rose from anywhere in the Great Hall.
You’ve got to be kidding me! At least one of you should have said that wasn't true!
“Then... what will become of House Razgrim?! If I enter the royal family, the house will be left without a head... I have no successor decided, and this is not a matter I can accept lightly.”
“You may remain the head of your house. Naturally, both your family name and your domain will be preserved. As for any future children, we can decide now on a way to ensure that both the royal family and House Razgrim continue their lineages.”
I was silenced by her logic.
If I said I didn't want to live in the capital, she’d let me stay in my domain. If I said I didn't know etiquette, she’d give me tutors. If I said I couldn't do it because I was the head of the house, she’d let me stay as I was.
—This girl, did she think through every single thing I was going to say?!
Not yet...! I still have the status I just obtained... It’s a waste to let go of it when I’ve only just realized there are fewer people I have to bow to, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
“...In that case, I shall relinquish my ducal rank!”
The Great Hall erupted into a stir. Behind me, I heard Clarice gasp, and I felt Lydia turn her gaze toward me.
Alecia blinked once, but she immediately regained her composure.
“I will not permit it. The ducal rank is a reward granted for your contributions in the Royal Selection. If you relinquish it simply because you wish to escape marriage, the rewards of the royal family will be looked upon as trifles, will they not?”
“But if I am not a Duke, I would not be a suitable husband for the Queen, would I?!”
“Currently, you are a Duke. There is no problem.”
“That is why I am telling you I am resigning from being a Duke!”
“And that is why I am telling you I will not permit it.”
Her polite tone finally crumbled.
How can anyone be this tyrannical?! But right now, Alecia truly is the King. If the person who granted the title refuses to take it back, I can't return to being a Count on my own. The ducal rank, which I had thought was so convenient until just a moment ago, now looked like a chain around my neck.
“Is there anything else?”
Alecia tilted her head. Her composure was infuriating.
There has to be something. The capital, etiquette, being the head of the house, the ducal rank. Even with all of those crushed, there must be at least one reason she can't accept...
Then, I remembered my dream.
No, surely... am I really going to say this in front of every noble in the kingdom? Clarice and Lydia are right behind me. The Former King, Regnard, and even Duke Eldran are all listening.
Even so, if I stay silent, my dream will vanish forever.
I closed my eyes and let out a heavy breath as if making an agonizing decision.
“I... I want to play around with women.”
This time, the air froze in an entirely different sense.
Alecia blinked, her brows furrowing as if she couldn't process what she’d just heard.
“Pardon?...What are you talking about?”
“Exactly what I said! I have worked this hard so that I could live a life of decadence, surrounded by beautiful women and drinking fine wine! But if I become the Queen's husband, that dream will never come true!”
Someone choked somewhere in the hall. Even Regnard had a look of pure disgust on his face.
“If the King's husband touches other women, it won't end as simple infidelity... I might be punished for defiling the name of the royal family. In other words, the moment I become your husband, I have to give up on my life of decadence!”
“Are you... seriously comparing being the King's husband to not being able to play with women?”
“It is a vital issue to me!”
“...We will discuss that matter in detail later, once we are alone.”
Her voice was calm, but every ounce of warmth had vanished from her smile.
“Wait a minute! Why put it off?! Accept it right here as a reason to refuse!”
“That is not a reason to refuse marriage; it is something to be discussed as a rule after the wedding, is it not?”
I thought she would be so repulsed that she'd withdraw the offer, but I’d only succeeded in increasing the number of things I’d be interrogated about later. Haven't I just dug my own grave?!
I had no more excuses left to list.
It wasn't that I particularly disliked Alecia. Her face was to my taste, and she had large breasts. She was sharp and had the resolve of a monarch. Since I was the one who supported her to the end, I respected her as a person as well.
But that was a separate matter.
“...You didn't ask me anything.”
When I lowered my voice, Alecia’s smile finally faltered.
“You chose this place because you knew I would run, didn't you? You thought that if you declared it in front of everyone, I wouldn't be able to refuse.”
“If I had spoken to you beforehand, you would have listed reasons just like you did now and returned to your domain, wouldn't you?”
“That’s right. I definitely would have run. But chasing after me while I’m running is different from blocking my escape and deciding my life for me.”
In my previous life, I couldn't say no.
I’m counting on you... Only you can do this... If you refuse here, everyone will be in trouble—every time words like those were piled on, I took on the work because I couldn't say I didn't want to. I wore down my time and my body, and in the end, I didn't even know what I was living for.
Back then, I could only nod in silence.
—But things are different now.
I might lose the ducal rank... I might drag Alecia’s name through the mud and turn every noble in the kingdom into an enemy... Even so, if I nod here, I will be handing my life over to someone else again.
That was the one thing I absolutely refused to do. I have no intention of ever again walking down a path decided by someone else in silence.
I will choose my own life. This time, I’m going to be the one who does the exploiting and makes my dream of a life of decadence come true.
I took a step forward and placed a hand over my chest. Not to run away, but to bow my head and thrust my will forward in front of all the nobles in the kingdom.
“Your Majesty! I am truly grateful for your overly generous words.”
I paused there, then looked up.
“However... that reward—I must refuse!”
Behind me, there was the sound of something collapsing heavily.
“Lady Clarice?!”
When I turned around, I saw Lydia holding the unconscious Clarice, having completely lost her usual composure.
“D-Duke Razgrim! Please take back those words this instant! To refuse an offer from the King in this place...! Father, stop laughing and do something!”
Duke Eldran was frozen with his mouth agape. But after a few beats, his shoulders began to tremble, and he finally clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha! He did it! On the very day he became a Duke, he threw back a marriage proposal from the Queen!”
Even as the Old Prime Minister called for order, the commotion among the nobles did not subside. Even Regnard was looking at me as if doubting my sanity.
It seemed Alecia, seated on the throne, also hadn't expected to be genuinely refused. Her eyes were wide, and she couldn't find her voice right away.
“Why?...Do you hate me?”
When her voice finally came out, it was tinged with the anxiety of a single woman.
“I do not hate you.”
When I replied instantly, the tension left Alecia’s shoulders just a little. Even so, she didn't seem convinced, her gaze wavering.
“It feels a bit strange saying this myself... but I am fairly confident in my appearance, you know?”
By the time she finished, her cheeks were faintly flushed.
“Your face is to my taste, and your breasts are large. Looking at you as a woman, I have no complaints.”
“Y-You didn't have to mention my breasts right here and now...!”
Alecia’s face turned bright red in an instant. She started to reach for her chest, but realizing she was on the throne, she hurriedly returned her elbows to the armrests. Clarice, who was just starting to regain consciousness, heard that and rolled her eyes back once more.
“Then... why go so far as to refuse?”
As she pouted with her red cheeks, she looked like a woman who couldn't understand why her proposal was rejected even though she’d been told she was attractive.
I straightened my back and looked Alecia straight in the eye.
“I am Vain Razgrim—no, I am a Duke now, aren't I? Do not underestimate me. I defied Prince Regnard, and I did not obey in silence when you tried to cut our contract. Did you think I would be afraid to show such disrespect to royalty now?”
The Great Hall fell silent.
“I am a man who can say no even to royalty. That is why I refuse.”
Alecia did not answer immediately.
Her fingers gripped the armrest of the throne, and the redness in her cheeks lingered. She was trying to maintain her composure as the King, but I could tell she couldn't easily accept my words.
“...So that is your answer.”
“Yes.”
“Even if I wanted you not because I am the King, but as a single woman?”
I was momentarily at a loss for words when she asked that with a slightly trembling voice.
Looking at her as a woman, she was more than my type. But if I nodded here for that reason, I would be accepting that she could decide my life without asking me anything.
“You did not let me choose. That is why I cannot say yes.”
“If I had spoken to you beforehand, would you have accepted?”
“No, I definitely would have run.”
“...That part doesn't change, then.”
Alecia smiled troubledly. But she immediately cast her eyes down and bit her lip with a hint of frustration.
“Then I should have just chased after you as you ran. Instead of blocking your escape in front of everyone, I should have done it again and again until you looked my way...”
In those words, there was not the strength of a monarch, but the regret of a single woman.
Even so, Alecia did not look away from me.
“I cannot accept this... and I have no intention of giving up right now. However... if I press you further here, I would be ignoring your will again, wouldn't I?”
Alecia steadied her breath as if to hide the lingering redness in her cheeks and straightened her posture as the King.
“...I understand. Then, the matter of welcoming you as my husband will be put on hold for the time being. However, I have no intention of withdrawing it.”
“...I said I refused, not that I wanted it on hold.”
“I am respecting your will for now. But that does not erase the fact that I chose you, does it?”
A different kind of smile appeared on Alecia’s lips.
“If you are a man who can say no even to royalty, then I just have to make you say yes.”
With her cheeks still flushed, Alecia smiled beneath her crown.
“However, I will not use a royal decree anymore. This time, as a single woman, I will woo you.”
The Great Hall buzzed once again.
Duke Eldran was laughing with his hands on his stomach, and Lydia was speechless. Only Clarice, still in Lydia’s arms, showed no sign of waking up.
As I looked up at Alecia on the throne, it finally dawned on me. It didn't end with my refusal. By turning down a marriage proposal from the King, I had made the woman it was most impossible to escape from in the kingdom get serious.
Alecia narrowed her eyes playfully.
“Be prepared, Vain. Next time, I will make you choose me yourself.”
“Hahahaha... that’s a bad joke, hey.”
It was decided that my quiet life as a Duke would be noisy before it even began. When I received the thousand gold coins, I thought today was the best day ever, but it seems I celebrated too early.