I Left my Cheating Husband and Married a Beast

Chapter 36

Beloni walked alongside the Third Prince, maintaining a precise distance between them.

The Third Prince, noticing this, adjusted his walking speed to see if she would change her pace, but she kept the same distance as if measured exactly.

Giving up on his little game, the Third Prince tilted his head slightly and openly stared at Beloni.

Seeing her again after about a month, he noticed she looked healthier than before.

He already knew the answer without asking, but he still chose to bring up his previous question.

“Have you thought about my question before?”

“…Your Highness, to be honest, no one wants to be a concubine.”

Especially not if it meant giving up the position of Grand Duchess.

Beloni swallowed the last part of her sentence, but the Third Prince easily inferred what she had left unsaid.

“It’s better than dying.”

The chilling remark made Beloni stop abruptly.

“Am I walking toward my death right now?”

“Not yet. If I kill you now, while the Emperor is so interested in you, it will be hard for me to keep my position.”

Beloni quietly sighed in relief.

It seemed the Third Prince had understood and accepted her intentions.

There would be more situations like this in the future, but for now, surviving this moment was what mattered.

As they neared the Empress’s palace, cold sweat gathered in their clasped hands. Beloni took a deep breath, recalling what she knew about the Empress.

The Empress had married the Emperor for purely political reasons.

Both of them had loved someone else, but while the Emperor took his beloved woman as a consort, he paid no attention to the Empress, allowing her to do whatever she pleased. Because of this, the Empress remained childless for a long time.

Only after the consort suffered a miscarriage and later gave birth to the Crown Prince did the Empress have a child—the Third Prince.

This showed how much the Emperor loved the consort.

When she lost her first child, who was a boy, the Emperor immediately declared the stillborn baby the First Prince.

Beloni also recalled an old rumor.

It was said that the Empress had loved the Emperor but had pretended to love another man just to marry him.

When the Emperor eventually found out, he was furious and gave her the worst humiliation he could—refusing to have children with her.

As proof, while the consort had been pregnant twice, the Empress’s belly had remained flat. In other words, the Third Prince had been conceived during a moment of weakness when the Emperor was grieving the loss of the consort.

Whether the rumor was true or not, Beloni guessed there was some truth to it.

After all, the consort’s health had deteriorated after giving birth to the Crown Prince, and she died after delivering a daughter, Elness.

Two years later, the Third Prince was born—right when the Emperor was emotionally vulnerable.

It was too much of a coincidence.

Regardless of whether Beloni’s assumptions were correct, the Empress was not someone to take lightly.

She rarely appeared in social circles and stayed within her palace, so little was known about her personality.

However, she had raised the Third Prince—someone with such a sharp and dangerous nature—so she was certainly not an easy person to deal with.

When they finally reached the large doors, Beloni took a slow, deep breath.

The Third Prince, without waiting for her, immediately opened the door.

Inside, a middle-aged woman who bore a striking resemblance to the Third Prince sat waiting.

Though she was supposed to be around the Emperor’s age, she looked older than her years.

“I greet Your Majesty, the Empress.”

Beloni curtsied, giving the same simple greeting she had given the Emperor.

“You’re here,” the Empress replied indifferently.

“Take a seat.”

Beloni sat across from the Third Prince but did not touch the teacup in front of her.

The Empress openly studied Beloni from head to toe.

“You’re more beautiful than I expected.”

Beloni only offered a faint smile.

Come to think of it, the Third Prince had said something similar when they first met.

‘Is there some bad rumor about my appearance?’

Since everyone she met made similar remarks, it seemed likely.

“But the Grand Duke isn’t someone who would fall for looks alone… Did you use something else to take the position of Grand Duchess?”

Though the question was asked casually, its weight was heavy.

However, Beloni had anticipated this question, so her smile remained steady.

“Beauty alone has its limits, Your Majesty.

I won his heart with everything I have.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

After all, “everything” included the fact that she was the only one who could break his curse.

“How amusing. The Grand Duke ended up with a woman just like me.”

“I appreciate the compliment, Your Majesty. I’m not as beautiful as Shanur, but I’m glad you think well of me.”

She cupped her cheeks and smiled sweetly, causing the Empress’s expression to momentarily stiffen.

The Third Prince, who had been indifferent until now, seemed entertained by their exchange.

“Hah, well. As his sister-in-law, I suppose I should ask about your first meeting, shouldn’t I?”

“Of course! Our first meeting was truly fateful.”

The public only knew that Beloni and Shanur had been lovers for months, but no one had ever asked about how they first met.

“It was a day with heavy rain. I was in the plaza when the heel of my shoe broke, and I injured my ankle.

Just then, Shanur suddenly appeared and helped me. The moment our eyes met, I knew I would marry him.”

Beloni smiled brightly on purpose.

‘It’s better to seem a little naive.’

It was the first time the Third Prince had seen her act this way, but it didn’t matter.

If she played the role of a love-struck fool, the Empress would be less wary of her.

“…Quite the interesting first meeting.”

“Your Majesty thinks so too? It seems Shanur and I were destined to be together.”

The more she giggled, the more the Empress’s face twisted.

Feeling a bit more at ease, Beloni reached for her teacup and took a sip.

The Third Prince’s gaze landed on her fingertips.

“Mother, His Majesty seems very fond of Lady Beloni. He even gave her a personal gift and made it clear that he is always available to meet her.”

Beloni glanced at the Third Prince.

She couldn’t tell whether his words were meant to help or cause trouble.

Worried that it might provoke the Empress, she carefully observed her reaction.

“…I see.”

However, contrary to her expectations, the Empress did not get angry.

Instead, her expression momentarily softened into something close to weariness.

But just as quickly, she returned to her usual self and turned back to Beloni.

“The Third Prince is not married yet, so I don’t have many young women to talk to.

Would you visit the palace occasionally to keep me company?”

It was a difficult request.

If she accepted, it would be exhausting.

If she refused without a good excuse, the Empress might take offense.

“Oh my, I would love to, Your Majesty, but…”

“But?”

Luckily, Beloni had a secret weapon.

“Shanur wouldn’t like it!”

“…What?”

Beloni covered her cheeks as if embarrassed.

“He can’t bear to be away from me for even a moment. I’m worried we might end up sharing a room before the wedding… Oh dear, I shouldn’t have said that! Please forget it.”

She let her words spill out while secretly sighing in relief.

Before coming to the palace, Shanur had given her advice.

‘If the Empress or the Third Prince puts you in a difficult position, just say I don’t want to be apart from you.’

Of course, he hadn’t expected her to add such dramatic details.

The Empress and the Third Prince stared at Beloni as she blushed and fidgeted.

The Empress rubbed her temple, clearly frustrated.

“Who even asked for such nonsense…!”

Just then, the door burst open.

Beloni looked up at the familiar voice and met eyes with Elness.

“Oh? Who is this young lady?”

Beloni quickly adjusted.

“Oh my, Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

She gracefully stood and curtsied.

“I greet Your Highness, I am Beloni Jerem.”

The Crown Prince let out a small gasp of recognition.

“Ah! You must be the lady marrying the Grand Duke. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He stepped forward, lightly kissing the back of her hand before speaking again.

“But why are you in the Empress’s palace? Is Her Majesty personally playing the role of a mother-in-law?”

Though his laughter echoed in the room, his voice was anything but warm.