454  Conviction

“It’s been quite a while, son… You’ve improved a lot since the last time I saw you,” the Grand Duke said calmly, his deep voice carrying the weight of quiet authority. “As expected of the one who conquered the final relic of the goddess, I suppose.”

Riley smiled politely, bowing his head slightly in respect. “Surely you jest, Father. I’m still lacking in many ways.”

The man across from him raised an eyebrow, an amused glint flickering behind his cold, unreadable eyes.

“Is that so? Because from what I see, you’ve grown… rather bold.”

A dry chuckle escaped Riley’s lips. “Well, life’s quite unpredictable,” he replied, trying to keep the atmosphere light. “I’d say I’ve simply adjusted to the environment. You know what they say—when in the lion’s den, learn to walk with pride.”

The Grand Duke leaned back slightly, the corner of his lips tugging into a faint, almost imperceptible smirk.

“So, instead of resisting the change… you’ve chosen to follow the current.”

He sipped from his porcelain cup, the soft clink of ceramic sounding deceptively gentle in contrast to his words.

“Not a bad decision, all things considered. Better than pretending the tide isn’t real. Even your speech has improved—you’ve learned to choose your words wisely.”

Riley let out another soft laugh, but a cold bead of sweat trickled down the side of his neck.

Everything on the surface seemed perfectly calm.

They were seated across from each other in one of the castle’s elegantly understated rooms, warmed by the golden hues of the late afternoon sun filtering through the windows.

The scent of expensive tea lingered faintly in the air.

And yet…

There was tension.

A subtle pressure in every word exchanged.

A certain weight behind every glance, every movement.

Riley had met this man before, and over time, he’d gotten used to Luther Heaven’s quiet, intimidating presence—his unshakable composure, his reserved tone, his noble grace.

But today felt different. Or perhaps it was Riley himself who was different.

He had always been Liyana’s supposed lover… her fiancé…

Yet… he was also the man whose relationship with her had grown more complicated with every passing day.

And now, he was here, sitting across from her father—her future father-in-law—knowing full well the absurd things he would soon have to explain.

The rumors. The other girls. The challenges.

All of it.

He took another sip of his tea, trying not to show the stiff way his fingers gripped the handle.

“I wonder,” the Grand Duke said suddenly, breaking the silence once more, “how much of your change is self-driven… and how much was influenced by my daughter.”

Riley froze for just a second, then smiled again—wryly, this time.

“That’s a fair question,” he said, setting his cup down. “Liyana is… a force of nature, after all.”

The Grand Duke’s expression remained unreadable.

“Indeed, she is.”

Riley let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat across from the Grand Duke.

Truthfully, he hadn’t come as prepared as he wanted.

He’d rushed over after making sure Rose and Snow had their fun—and by the time he was done entertaining the two, he was already behind schedule.

Well, he supposed this was the price of having more than one headache in the form of a beautiful girl.

He was just grateful they understood when he told them he needed to handle this alone, despite the fact that both of them had their own business with the Grand Duke as well.

“Hehe~ Just make sure you’re not late tonight…” Snow’s teasing voice still lingered in his mind.

He sighed again, this time internally.

Tonight was going to be another long ordeal—another request to fulfill, another fire to put out.

He’d have to divide his time with unnerving precision just to make it all work.

No rest for the wicked, apparently.

The Grand Duke, seated across from him with the same unreadable expression, finally spoke.

“So? What brings you to my humble abode, and without any prior notice, no less?” he asked, eyes narrowing slightly. “Liyana should still be back at your residence, no?”

Riley gave a faint smile, “Yes, she is. Though this visit isn’t exactly about her. Or—well—maybe it is, a little.”

He leaned forward, hands folded in front of him on the table.

“I came here to inform you of something… and to clear up a few matters that might be… murky right now. Also,” he added, his tone shifting slightly more serious, “I need to ask a favor.”

The Grand Duke raised a brow at that, the faintest twitch of amusement tugging at the corner of his lips.

“A favor, huh? Now that’s rare. Usually, you send Liyana to pester me when you need to make use of my name or my authority.”

“Haha… guilty as charged,” Riley admitted with a soft chuckle, scratching his cheek. “But this time, I figured I should come in person. The situation’s a bit more complicated. I’ll need your authority—and more importantly, your power—more than ever.”

The fact that he needs his authority was one thing but his power as well…?

So, a problem has risen, has it?” the Grand Duke asked, his tone light but observant. “Let me guess… is this a matter concerning your harem?”

Riley let out a small, tired laugh and nodded.

 “Well… yes. Sort of. It’s about more than that though. It’s matters that concerns Liyana’s position in my life. I thought it would be best to come here personally and inform you before the news spreads… or before you hear it from someone else.”

The Grand Duke leaned back slightly in his chair, expression unreadable as he sipped from his tea.

 “I like your honesty.”

He set the cup down gently.

“But if this is about the harem, then you already know I hold no objections. I’ve known you since you were a child. I know how much you love Liyana, how serious you are when it comes to the people you care about. And looking at you now, I can confidently say she’s in good hands.”

Riley blinked, surprised at the smoothness of the praise. For someone like the Grand Duke, even mild approval felt like being knighted.

The older man continued without missing a beat.

“The emperor’s already filled me in on the complications concerning Princess Snow and Liyana’s status. We’ve already come to an agreement based on your proposed plans as well, Liyana herself doesn’t seem to mind anymore. And as for my part, I’ve already sent a formal letter to the emperor, confirming our approval to relinquish any enforced hierarchy between them, they will all have equal standing as your first wives, all that’s left is for you to do your part regarding the saintess’s approval…” the Duke clarified, calmly but with weight behind the words.

“So… what exactly is the problem now?”

Riley exhaled slowly, feeling the tension in his shoulders remain.

“It’s not rally about Liyana’s status,” he said, voice lower now, more serious. “Nor about the positions of the other girls. I made an oath—to love them all equally and fairly. That hasn’t changed. That never will.”

The Grand Duke’s expression narrowed slightly, curious.

Riley looked up, meeting the older man’s gaze head-on.

“The issue lies with something else. Something tied to the compromise I made with the emperor…”

There was a pause. The air between them cooled slightly.

“You already know who I’m in relationships with, yes?” Riley asked, measured.

The Grand Duke nodded slowly, his expression unreadable, eyes half-lidded in thought.

 “I’m aware. Aside from my daughter, Princess Snow and Lady Rose should be among the prominent ones, correct?”

Riley gave a small nod, unsure how to best deliver the rest.

“I don’t know just how much information the emperor has already passed on to you, Father… but back at the imperial palace, during a certain rather… emotional moment, I ended up uttering some things.” He took a deep breath, scratching the back of his head. “Words of love. Of conviction. Names I declared I would cherish with all my heart, promising them happiness—no matter the cost.”

The Grand Duke raised a brow.

“And let’s just say… all the names I uttered—are now officially in a relationship with me, well maybe one is still on the process?”

There was a short pause.

“So, you’ve added a few more to your harem, huh?” The duke’s tone was flat, though a sliver of sarcasm bled through. “Who is it this time?”

“…Alice Holloway,” Riley said firmly. “I wanted to tell you directly that I’m officially dating her now. And… I also proposed—well, sort of—to Lady Seo of the Gyeoul clan from the Eastern Empire.”

The moment the words left Riley’s lips, the Grand Duke’s expression shifted.

Crimson-red eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

And in the next instant—

A suffocating pressure filled the room, crashing down on Riley’s shoulders like a mountain.

The air felt heavy, saturated with pure killing intent.

 It wasn’t magic. It was something older, deeper—pure martial aura honed by decades of battle.

The raw dominance of a man known as the strongest swordmaster on the continent.

Riley instinctively flared his mana, his body reacting before his mind could.

 His aura clashed against the weight, shielding his posture just enough to keep him from collapsing to his knees.

‘As expected of the strongest swordmaster…’ he thought grimly, sweat slowly trailing down his spine.

Yet even as his legs trembled slightly, Riley didn’t budge. His eyes remained steady. Calm. Resolute.

Because compared to what he’d faced… compared to the White Queen’s presence…

This was manageable.

In fact, it was the first time in his life he’d found the Grand Duke’s killing intent—underwhelming.

The thought stunned even himself.

‘Did I really just think that?’

Across from him, the Grand Duke’s eyes widened ever so slightly, catching the stillness in Riley’s stance.

No fear. No backpedaling. No begging for forgiveness.

Just… acceptance.

He studied the young man for a moment longer.

Then, ever so slowly, the suffocating aura began to recede—like a storm passing overhead.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

The playful gleam in his eyes made it clear he’d merely been testing him—a small prank, perhaps, to gauge whether Riley could withstand the weight of the title he was building.

And Riley had passed.

As the duke’s energy subsided Riley felt the pressure release and a laughter echoed in the room.

“Hahaha, forgive me for that, son,” the Grand Duke said with a chuckle, leaning back into his seat as the tension fully dispersed. “I was merely testing your conviction. Seeing that look in your eyes just now… it seems you’re very serious about your words.”

Riley offered a small smile, still subtly adjusting his breath after the earlier pressure test.

“And besides,” the Duke continued, waving a hand dismissively, “adding more girls to your harem isn’t really an issue at this point, is it? Things have already gone far past the point of conventional.”

Then, almost offhandedly, he added, “Oh, and just so you know—I’m already aware of your relationship with the two other girls you just mentioned.”

Riley blinked. “You were already aware?”

The Grand Duke smirked knowingly. “Of course. The emperor as well.”

Riley winced slightly. “I see…”

The Duke chuckled again.

 “After the scandalous scene you caused back at the imperial palace, and the very… bold confessions you made, did you really think we wouldn’t investigate? I’m the father of your betrothed, after all. Naturally, I had to look into your more… shall we say, debaucherous tendencies. And the emperor did the same. It certainly didn’t help that you declared those same names to his face, too.”

Riley let out a short breath, rubbing his temples.

 “Right. I suppose I did say some… pretty absurd things back then.”

“I’m glad you’re self-aware,” the Duke said dryly.

“I just thought it was right to come here and inform you myself,” Riley continued. “Out of respect.”

The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? You came all the way here just to tell me that? I must say, considering your history, I didn’t expect something like this to concern you anymore.”

Riley chuckled, shaking his head.

“Trust me, most of that so-called ‘track record’ of mine is exaggerated—well, mostly. This wasn’t really a problem. I just didn’t want things to spiral out of control or be misunderstood, especially given how sensitive the matter of wives and hierarchy is with the emperor…”

Riley paused; eyes thoughtful.

“Does that mean… His Majesty has no qualms about this either?”

The Grand Duke folded his arms, his expression neutral but contemplative.

 “That, I cannot say for certain. His Majesty has his own standards and political considerations. But from what I understand, he’s more concerned with your resolve than your numbers at this point. Even I’ll admit, I’m still slightly troubled by the… volume of wives you’re collecting.”

He gave a half-hearted sigh.

“Still… if it’s for my daughter’s happiness, then I won’t complain. And I imagine the emperor, in the end, will reach a similar conclusion. So long as none of those girls are left to suffer because of your choices… then so be it.”

Riley didn’t know how to respond at first.

The Grand Duke’s kind words were unexpected—sincere, even.

 For a moment, all he could do was lower his head slightly in gratitude.

“…Thank you, Father,” he said quietly, his voice laced with humility.

The Grand Duke gave him a firm nod, but quickly moved on, not one to linger in sentiment.

“Now that your troubles regarding the harem have been cleared up, I assume there’s a different matter that brought you here? Something a bit more serious, perhaps?” he asked, his tone shifting to a more inquisitive edge. “This favor of yours seems to be your real concern, no?”

“Ah… well, yes,” Riley admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a faint sigh.

His expression grew more serious, the earlier lightness in the air quickly dissipating.

His piercing blue eyes met the Duke’s directly, unwavering.

“I mentioned earlier that I proposed to the Lady of the Gyeoul clan,” Riley said.

“Yes. What of it?”

“Well… what I sent to the Gyeoul clan wasn’t exactly a traditional proposal.”

The Duke raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“It was a letter,” Riley explained, “meant to express the depth of my feelings. My love and intent to take their princess—Seo. I poured everything into it. My resolve, my emotions… and in the heat of writing, I might have… challenged the clan head to a duel.”

The Grand Duke blinked slowly, lips parting slightly in disbelief. “…A duel?”

Riley nodded. “To prove that I’m worthy. To prove everything.”

“I see,” the Duke murmured, leaning back slightly in his chair. “I suppose I’ll make sure to intervene before anything serious happens to you then—”

“No, Father. I believe you misunderstood.”

“Hm?”

“I’m not asking you to stop the duel. My favor… is for you to intervene only if things go too far. Only if the situation becomes truly extreme, I want you to stop me…”

He paused for a moment, then added with chilling clarity:

“Because, I might end up killing the clan head.”

For the first time in the conversation, the Grand Duke fell completely silent.

He stared at Riley, trying to find some hint of arrogance, exaggeration—youthful foolishness.

But there was none. Riley’s eyes were steady. Calm. Certain.

The Gyeoul Clan Head was no ordinary swordsman. He’s the only one in the world whose blade could match his own.

The master of the [Hidden Blade Technique]—a style honed through years of silent killings and duels.

He’s was a man revered, feared, and proven.

The Duke stared harder, searching for bravado—but all he found was conviction. Cold, unwavering conviction.

It was a terrifying realization.

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