Chapter 496 Another Opportunity

Chapter 496 Another Opportunity

Thaddeus chuckled. "Have I said something like that before?"

Mallory's breath hitched. She turned to bury her face against his chest. "You know exactly why I can't smile right now, darling."

She didn't answer his question directly. Instead, she deflected with a coy pout. "Do you remember why I was so heartbroken that I needed you to fill me?"

The amusement faded from Thaddeus's face. He sighed and pulled her closer. "I know. You don't want to marry Noah Ditch. He's a pathetic waste of space—the very reason you became a bargaining chip in the first place."

"I agree with the first part, but not the second."

Mallory lifted her head, her gaze serious as it met his. "Even without Noah Ditch, there'd be some other noble who needed a pawn to keep in check. Thaddeus, is Noah Ditch really the one to blame?"

Thaddeus pressed his lips together, a shadow of melancholy crossing his features. "...Maybe you're right. But Mallory, I can't go against my master's wishes. You know that. If he hadn't sent Lion to save me back then, I would've died in that underground fighting pit. I never would've met you. I can't—"

"Right. Of course. How could I possibly compare to your master?"

Anger flared in Mallory's voice. "I'm just a woman, aren't I? Even though the man I love is an elite knight like you, I still have to accept marrying someone I don't love. I have to leave for another country to be a pawn—a messenger who could be executed at any moment!"

As she spoke, tears began streaming down her face uncontrollably. "If that's how it is, I should've just died falling from that horse years ago. At least then I wouldn't have been saved and fallen in love with you. I wouldn't have ended up in this nightmare!"

"Oh no, Mallory, that's not what I meant!"

Thaddeus frantically reached up to wipe away her tears, but they only fell faster, as if her grief were endless.

"I don't want to leave you, Thaddeus. If I have to leave you, I'll die—I promise you that!"

Mallory sobbed. "Can't you find some way to help me? Or do you not even care if I die? Thaddeus, my body and soul belong to you. Are you really going to let me go, even if it means I'll never see you again? Is that what you want?"

Watching the woman he loved cry like this—even threatening that she couldn't survive without him—Thaddeus felt his stone-hard heart beginning to crack. He tenderly stroked her face before pulling the weeping woman tightly against him.

"No. I don't want that."

Thaddeus clenched his jaw. He couldn't lie to Mallory—not in this moment, at least. All he could do was fulfill her wish, even if it meant going against his master.

But hadn't the head of the Skyway family said she had a way to achieve his master's goal even without Noah Ditch going to Zotfort?

Yes—the head of the Skyway family!

Thaddeus's eyes lit up.

How had he not thought of it before? Tadvi Skyway, the matriarch of the Skyway family, clearly had significant interest in Noah Ditch. Thaddeus had no interest in their tangled history, but if Noah Ditch stayed behind as Tadvi Skyway wanted, then Mallory wouldn't need to marry him. After all, the pet of the Skyway family head had no right to marry a young lady of Mallory's noble status.

And his marriage to Mallory would proceed much more smoothly!

At this realization, Thaddeus cupped Mallory's tear-stained face and pressed his lips to her soft cheek.

"Dear Mallory, please don't cry."

Thaddeus spoke gently. "Perhaps there's still room to maneuver."

Mallory looked at him through her tears. "Really? You're not just trying to placate me now so you can push me toward the altar later?"

"No. I swear on my life, on everything I have, even on my soul—I'm not deceiving you, Mallory. The truth is, the head of the Skyway family, that woman Tadvi Skyway, doesn't seem willing to let Noah Ditch leave."

"But..." Mallory hesitated. "Before I came here, I heard that Aunt Tadvi sent people to the Kendya Manor multiple times. She even came in person, all to get Uncle to execute Noah Ditch. If she really hates him that much, wouldn't sending him away be perfect?"

Thaddeus opened his mouth. "...Not necessarily."

"Hm?"

"When I was ordered to escort that young lady to the Kendya Manor, she happened to want to exercise certain privileges. So she initiated negotiations and allowed Tadvi Skyway to see Noah Ditch once."

"After just that one look, the woman who'd been demanding Noah Ditch's death suddenly changed her tune. She wanted to take him with her. But the name she called him—it seemed to belong to his biological father."

A flash of understanding crossed Mallory's eyes, though her tears continued flowing as if nothing could stop them. "Is that all? If she really had that much influence, your master and my uncle would've agreed already. Why else would they have sent me here?"

"But if Tadvi Skyway's plan succeeds, Noah Ditch won't need to return to Zotfort. Which means you won't need to worry about marrying him!"

"But—"

Before Mallory could finish, Thaddeus gently cupped her face and peppered it with soft kisses. "No 'buts,' Mallory. I know you don't want to marry Noah Ditch. You still want to marry me, don't you?"

"Yes, darling."

"Then that's enough. As long as I have your word, everything I do is worth it."

Thaddeus murmured, as if making some final decision. "If we can both achieve my master's goal, why shouldn't I fight for a future—for myself, for you?"

After Thaddeus left, Mallory sat quietly against the headboard, the marks of their lovemaking exposed without shame in the moonlight.

Perhaps sensing Thaddeus's departure, her maid Kaylin entered. The moment she saw Mallory, her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed crimson.