The Villainous Family Loves Me Too Much!

“Why, why, why?”

I shuttered unintentionally under the pressure of those red eyes I encountered again.

“Give me your hand.”

“Why the hand…”

As I cautiously extended my hand, the Archduke released all the handcuffs that had been on me.

“Archduke, no, Lucian. Aren’t you not supposed to release these before we arrive at the territory? The palace magicians might be tracking us.”

“Just grab the handle next to you first.”

“What? Ah!”

Before the Archduke could finish speaking, the carriage suddenly began to race at a fast speed.

The Archduke reached out to me, who was shaking like a balloon, wrapping his arm around my waist to stabilize me.

The Archduke’s forearm was surprisingly firm and heavy. Even the veins protruding on the back of his hand…

“Um, excuse me?”

“First, grab the handle.”

Using the Archduke’s force that pushed me towards the window, I quickly grabbed the handles on both sides of the chair.

“What’s happening!”

“It’s okay, just hold onto that.”

The carriage raced forward like mad, and I tightly gripped the handles below the window.

In the midst of this dizzying jolt, I absentmindedly looked outside.

“Ah! There are no horses on the carriage! No horses!”

The magnificent white horses that were there just a few seconds ago had all disappeared.

The shiny manes, long backs and legs, and the massive muscles. Even the horses that pulled the carriages of the House of Felosite were incredibly magnificent.

I had thoughtlessly appreciated them, but the carriage I was on was racing towards a cliff without a single horse.

“Just calm down, okay?”

Amused by my reaction, the Archduke chuckled.

“How can I be calm in this situation! Use some magic or something!”

“Trust me. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay! Not at all, absolutely not!”

The Archduke leaned back with his arms crossed, looking nonchalant.

So, this was your sinister plan all along.

‘Oh God, Buddha, Jesus, and the unknown deity who brought me here, please have mercy on me…’

While I was silently praying, the carriage reached the very edge of the cliff.

‘Wait. I have this ability, don’t I?’

Using the properties of light to quickly move to flat ground. It was a necessary choice. This is self-defense, so it should be fine.

Although it’s a forbidden power, I had no choice but to use it. I stretched out my hands and closed my eyes.

‘One, two, three… Huh?’

2. Welcome to Felosite, is this your first time?

If this was a cliff, I should be floating in the air by now. Strangely, I didn’t feel like I was suspended in the sky.

“You’re not planning to use that ability now, are you? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t damage the gate. It was just repaired recently.”

At the Archduke’s playful words, I quickly scanned the inside of the carriage.

The carriage was intact. In fact, it didn’t even seem to have fallen off the cliff.

“Ah, and we’ve arrived at the territory.”

The sight before me left me speechless.

‘Is… is this even possible?’

There were skyscrapers like one would see in a modern city from my previous life, carriages that ran without horses, reminding me of cars. People walking on the streets held flat communication stones like cellphones and conversed.

Even the soldiers guarding the walls of Felosite were armed with the latest automatic rifles!

I remembered a comment from Helena, my mother, not long after I possessed this body.

She had said if the Kingdom of Felosite had not willingly chosen to be absorbed by the Castien Empire, the Castien Empire would have been dominated by Felosite instead.

Initially, I thought that was nonsense, but on reflection, she was right.

In the original work, the Archduke of Felosite destroyed the Castien Empire and established the new Felosite Empire.

I had thought that was a forced twist by the author aiming for a sad ending.

At least until I set foot in the Felosite territory.

As soon as I arrived in the territory, I could immediately feel that my mother’s words weren’t baseless.

‘Wow, this setting is like that country in the Marble Universe’s Africa!’

I was reminded of the country of the Black Panther from a franchise movie that I once loved so much. It felt like a movie with its state-of-the-art technology harmoniously blended with tradition, and even its ability and location being deliberately hidden from the world.

‘It seems the author must have really loved such a worldview. Is that why the entrance is made so extreme?’

Come to think of it, in that movie where the heroes came out in droves, one of the characters screamed thinking he was going to crash into a mountain when entering the Black Panther’s country, just like I did earlier.

“Hmm.”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed upon reflection, I only fixed my gaze outside, avoiding looking inside the carriage.

Lost in admiring the bustling streets passing by as if watching a movie, I soon found myself arriving at the Felosite Castle.

“Oh my god.”

The main palace of Castien, built by the best craftsmen of the Empire, was famously the most massive and splendid architecture on the continent.

But Felosite Castle was surprising even to me, who had spent almost three years in the main palace.

The finely crafted building embellished with a vast amount of jewels was something I had never seen in this world. Moreover, the sturdy walls of Felosite were densely studded with precious protection stones that were hard to find in the Empire. The silhouette of the well-built high walls was even beautiful.

“Wow…”

As the carriage entered, I couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment. The castle was of an unimaginably massive scale.

“Let’s get off now.”

The Archduke got off the carriage and reached out his hand to me, with an unexpectedly gentle and graceful gesture.

‘You treat me like a prisoner when you feel like it.’

With a suspicious look, I followed his escort into the main palace.

“Have you arrived, Your Highness?”

As soon as we entered the building, a middle-aged man in a luxurious uniform seemed to be waiting and greeted the Archduke, bowing his white-haired head. Behind him, dozens of servants stood, bowing.

“You must be tired from your journey. Shall we prepare dinner right away?”

“No, prepare a simple banquet. Tell all the family to gather.”

“So suddenly?”

“Yes, Delgado. That should be possible, right?”

A surprised expression briefly crossed Delgado’s face, but, used to such sudden situations, he immediately ordered the servants to prepare the banquet.

“Everything will be prepared smoothly. But… who is this esteemed lady you’ve brought with you?”

“My wife.”

There was a moment of silence in the lobby at the Archduke’s words.

Delgado’s eyes wavered, and simultaneously, I felt the gaze of all the servants, including him, directed at me.

“…That’s impossible. I would have known if Your Highness got married.”

“We just did.”

“Is our master aware of this?”

“He will be soon.”

With every word from the Archduke of Felosite, Delgado’s face became increasingly confused.

The Archduke seemed not to notice, but Delgado’s fingertips were trembling.

“Your Highness, it’s so sudden, I don’t have a suitable room for the lady… no, the Archduchess. What should we do?”

“It’s okay for me. Even a guest room is fine, just comfortably give me any room.”

Delgado, whose spirit seemed already crushed by the continuous attacks of the Archduke, brightened a little.

“Understood, Your Highness, the Archduchess. Then I will immediately prepare an empty room…”

“No, there’s no need to prepare a separate room.”

The Archduke’s voice interrupted him.

Everyone, including me, looked confused, and the Archduke, seemingly not understanding their expressions, continued nonchalantly.

“Of course, we will share my room. We’re a couple, why would we use separate bedrooms?”

No one could counter the Archduke’s words, but everyone looked utterly shocked.