I Married to Retire, Only to Find Out My Husband Was an Emperor Chapter 2

I, Regina von Eisenbach, was born on the battlefield.

They say my mother only went into labor after cutting off the head of a monster commander while heavily pregnant.

Since we were on the battlefield, there was no proper hospital or medical equipment. My mother gave birth to me inside a military tent.

And so, born amid blood, weapons, and the desperate cries of soldiers, I naturally became part of the battlefield.

The screams of soldiers were my lullabies, and a discarded dagger with a broken blade was my only toy.

I learned how to hold a sword before I learned how to walk, and I learned the words “enemy attack” before I learned to say “Mama.”

Things only got worse when I became an adult.

“The Black Grim Reaper.”

That was the nickname I received when I first stepped onto the battlefield at the age of sixteen, upon reaching adulthood.

Like my mother, I was born with dark black hair, as deep as the night sky.

They say that the sight of me swinging my sword with my black hair flying in the wind, drenched in the blood of my enemies, was pure terror to those who faced me.

Whenever the enemy saw my black hair, their commanders would immediately sound the retreat horn. Even my allies were reluctant to stand beside me.

People often whispered about our Eisenbach family.

“Those people aren’t nobles. They’re a race of warriors wearing human skin.”

Things were so bad that mothers in enemy countries would frighten their crying children by saying, “If you keep crying, the Eisenbachs will come and take you away!”

We were heroes who had saved the Empire, but at the same time, we were terrifying blades that had no place in a peaceful world.

Twenty-four years old.

At last, the Hundred Years’ War, which had been my entire life and my family’s legacy, came to an end.

People called it a miracle.

Fireworks exploded throughout the Empire, and flower petals filled the public squares.

However, for my family, who had spent our entire lives as a “race of warriors,” peace was an even stranger and more bewildering disaster than war itself.

 

 

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“Father, is this… what they call ‘afternoon tea’?”

My older brother, Heinrich, asked with a troubled expression.

Platinum-blond hair and blue eyes.

He was an incredibly handsome man, so much so that he could easily have been mistaken for a sculpture.

He had once been called the “Lily of the Battlefield” or the “White Ghost.”

Yet now, he was sweating as though he had encountered the most difficult enemy in the world.

In his enormous hand was a tiny teacup decorated with delicate patterns.

“That’s right, Heinrich. I heard that nobles in the capital drink this… fragrant water and take a break at three in the afternoon.”

My father, Gustav von Eisenbach, looked just as serious.

He had a mature, sharp jawline and eyes that carried the weight of many years.

When he kept his mouth shut, Father looked like a dignified, middle-aged gentleman.

“Ahem. So, let us hurry and drink this plain water… I mean, fragrant water, while learning proper noble etiquette.”

But deep down, he was a soldier who knew nothing but war, just like my brother.

“If Mother were here, this would be as easy as eating cake while lying down.”

My brother sighed.

That’s right.

The only sensible person in our family, and the only one capable of keeping these two wild beasts under control, was currently absent.

As soon as the war ended, she had announced, “It’s about time I got some rest, too,” and left for her maternal family’s estate in the south to recuperate.

Without Mother, the Eisenbach family was hopeless at just about everything.

“Ugh!”

CRASH!

And then, disaster struck.

My brother had tried to lift his teacup gracefully, but he failed to control his strength and crushed the handle into pieces.

“I apologize! I still have the habit of breaking the necks of my enemies…!”

My brother jumped to his feet and apologized.

The force of his movement knocked his chair backward, producing a loud crash.

“Haah, all that handsome looks, and yet you can’t even act the part.”

Father sighed, pressing a hand against his forehead.

I silently stared at the pieces of the teacup my brother had broken.

To be honest, I was just as uncomfortable.

Until recently, I had been known as the “Black Grim Reaper,” commanding the front lines on the battlefield.

But now, every time I breathed, my ribs hurt because of my corset.

And that wasn’t all.

The long, trailing hem of my dress was just waiting to trip me.

I couldn’t help thinking that running around the training grounds in full plate armor would be far more comfortable.

“Regina.”

Father called my name in a solemn voice.

“Yes, Commander.”

“I told you to call me Father at home.”

“Yes, Father.”

Father let out a deep sigh and set down the teacup that was beginning to crack in his hand.

“We’re already beyond saving. The smell of blood has seeped into our bones, and no amount of washing will get rid of it. Just look at your brother.”

Father gestured toward my older brother with his chin.

“He looks perfectly normal, but the moment he opens his mouth, all he talks about is ‘beheading’ and ‘ambushes.’ No wonder the young ladies keep fainting!”

“I only brought up the most interesting stories I knew because the young ladies approached me first!”

My brother shouted in protest at Father’s words.

“Besides, I even smiled at them kindly!”

“That’s the problem! Your smile is filled with bloodlust! The young ladies say that whenever you smile, they feel as though they should prepare their necks for execution!”

Father turned to look at me again.

His rough, calloused hand covered mine.

“But you’re different. Regina, my precious daughter. You deserve to experience ordinary happiness, at least.”

“Ordinary happiness means…?”

“Marriage!”

“Of course, marriage!”

Father and my brother answered at the same time.

“Didn’t I meet my old comrade, Count Benner, yesterday?”

Father cleared his throat before continuing.

“He told me that you’re already twenty-four, and if we don’t get you married right away, you’ll miss your chance forever.”

His voice was filled with concern.

“Don’t you think it’s time you experienced something called ‘love’ beside a decent person, rather than spending your days on a battlefield that reeks of blood?”

Father’s eyes sparkled.

“…I think Mother would have a different opinion.”

I casually replied while setting down my teacup.

At my words, both Father and my brother flinched at the same time.

My mother, Adelaide von Eisenbach.

She firmly believed that “swinging your sword one more time is better for your survival than wasting time talking about love.”

If Mother had been here, she might have grabbed Count Benner by the collar.

However, Father shook his head with a deliberately solemn expression.

“No. Your mother secretly wishes for this, too.”

He continued.

“Every young lady in high society gets married. How could we let our daughter be the only one who doesn’t?”

“That’s right, Regina. If everyone else is doing it, you should try it, too.”

My brother joined in.

The two of them began preaching about the wonders of marriage as though they had been brainwashed by the noble ladies of high society.

I gave them occasional replies while lightly tapping the broken pieces of the teacup with my finger.

Love and happiness…

As expected, they still sounded like distant, unrealistic concepts to me.

That’s when it happened.

My brother suddenly added something.

“And apparently, getting married means you can officially retire from your position as a knight.”

My fingers stopped moving.

I raised my head and looked at my brother. His blue eyes were shining with seriousness.

“Retirement?”

“That’s right. Under Imperial law, female knights can choose to leave military service as soon as they get married. No matter what happens afterward, you won’t have to answer the Imperial family’s call anymore.”

My brother was certain that I would be interested in retirement.

But to me, retirement seemed like an even more distant idea than love.

I had spent my entire life as a knight.

It was difficult even for me to imagine myself retiring and living a leisurely life.

But…

“We don’t want you to pick up a sword anymore.”

Father’s voice was different from usual.

“Regina, the moment you learned to walk, you chose a broken dagger over a teddy bear to play with. Do you have any idea how much that broke this foolish father’s heart?”