“Perhaps, to maintain our Levizet family’s external dignity, wouldn’t accessories befitting a marchioness’s status be necessary?”

“……What are you trying to say?”

I took a slight breath and chose my words carefully in the suddenly heavy atmosphere.

“Well, how about lending the marchioness a few of the jewels passed down through generations?”

“Don’t even think about it.”

The rejection cut like a knife, making it embarrassing to bring up more. Darn, if not other jewels, it would be good if I could at least get the ‘Heart of Spring.’

Ah, the Heart of Spring is a brooch passed down through generations to Levizet marchionesses. An egg-sized emerald cut into an oval shape is surrounded by small diamonds and pearls like flowers. It held such great meaning that even I coveted its flawless, brilliant, and beautiful color in childhood, but gave up after being severely scolded by Mother.

According to legend, the emerald at its center was a gift from Merovech, who was the ruler of the Levisa County that was the predecessor of the Levizet family, to place in the crown of his companion Fredegund. After several reprocessings, it has been passed down in its current brooch form since becoming the Levizet family.

Considering its precious meaning as a symbol of the family head’s companion, passed from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law since ancient times, it’s understandable. A symbol tantamount to a sacred object that even a daughter couldn’t carelessly be given. Something that only the legitimate mistress of Levizet, the person directly managing the family, could touch.

“Did that child ask you? Since she doesn’t have the courage to speak directly, she asked you to go to her mother-in-law and get some jewels?”

I widened my eyes and shook my head at Mother’s sharp question. Oh no, did I create a misunderstanding?

“Well, I heard from Baron Julard that you’re being manipulated by that child.”

I found the source of the misunderstanding. Anyway, that bastard Caleb is no help in life. While internally grinding my teeth in irritation, Mother continued.

“I thought you were now an adult and a child capable of making sufficiently wise decisions, so I haven’t mentioned it separately until now.”

Mother’s green eyes darkened.

“You seem to like that child, don’t you? Enough to spend even your share of the allowance on that child.”

It’s true that I’ve been spending most of my allocated allowance for this quarter on maintaining Mélisande’s dignity. Because Antoine, who manages the allowances coming into the Levizet family, has no intention of separately providing for the marchioness’s share.

Of course, since I had plenty of accumulated goods and Elene often gave me my share from her tribute gifts, there wouldn’t be any lack in my daily life unless I indulged in luxuries like bathing in wine daily and applying gold powder.

But revealing this fact here would be counterproductive as it would acknowledge Mother’s words. While I was thinking about what to say, Mother continued.

“I don’t know what words that child used to seduce you, but it would be good to moderate the doll play.”

“……It’s not doll play. Just, to the extent that Levizet’s dignity isn’t shameful……”

Mother cut off my squeezed-out words.

“She’s a child who doesn’t match the status of Levizet’s mistress. It would have been more appropriate for her to remain a country wife.”

“……But she’s already the wife who formed a marital bond with Antoine before God and humans. Isn’t this sufficient to be worthy as a marchioness? Since it was formed before a priest who is God’s representative, it was joined by God. Humans cannot dare to sever what God has joined.”

Mother laughed briefly at my argument.

“A bond made by God.”

Mother immediately asked me back in cold words.

“Why does God join couples and protect marriage? Do you happen to know the reason?”

Since I wasn’t deeply versed in theology nor lived a devout religious life, I remained silent. Mother briefly recited a passage.

“When God created man in His own image, He created them male and female, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'”

Though it had been long since I’d been to a temple, having grown up in a court thoroughly infused with religious elements, I immediately recognized that the passage Mother quoted was from the first part of the scriptures, the Book of Genesis. Mother continued coldly.

“The marriage of men and women is for bearing successors and prospering. It is the noble duty of women joined to families through sacred marriage to continue the family line. As I did, as your grandmother did, as countless marchionesses before them did.”

I became dazed at Mother’s words striking an unexpected point.

“For some reason—Antoine has no intention of embracing that child. And does that child have enough earnestness to directly visit the Hawthorn Room in Prudence Palace and request a night? Or is she aware enough of her duty to continue seeking Antoine even if she endures ridicule for doing so?”

The words were so explicit they made my face burn. So right now, Mother was reproaching Mélisande for not being able to spend nights even by seducing Antoine. To think that Mother, who was called the epitome of propriety and refinement, would speak such words.

“Levizet’s family treasures belong to a true mistress who knows how to sacrifice among duties. They cannot be given to just anyone.”

Mother coldly dismissed it.

While I hesitated, not knowing how to respond, Mother seemed to have another headache as she rubbed her temples. I quickly found the sachet in the drawer and handed it to her, and Mother took it and inhaled the fragrance. The camphor scent she favored for temporarily alleviating the chronic headaches she suffered from. After breathing slowly for a moment, Mother opened her mouth in a somewhat softened tone.

“I don’t expect Levizet’s heir to come from that child.”

I quickly raised my head and listened attentively to Mother’s words.

“Well, I plan to marry you off within two years at the latest.”

Though it seemed unrelated at first glance, my brain, familiar with noble society’s workings, quickly calculated its meaning. My spine stiffened rigidly. Mother continued like a sigh.

“Bear only two sons. Sons with Levizet’s succession rights. Definitely while I’m alive.”

Though it didn’t come out of her mouth, we both knew what meaning was contained afterward. One of the two sons born would become the next marquis. I was momentarily stunned by the weight of the meaning in Mother’s words.

Without knowing what I was thinking, I said farewell and left Mother’s room, but the last words I heard instead of a goodnight greeting weighed heavily on me.

“Act wisely.”

***

“Why do you keep sighing like that?”

Elene asked while watching me poke at the ice cream brought from Belleair Annex’s kitchen with a fork. Ice cream made with plenty of fresh eggs and milk was one of my favorite snacks, but I had no appetite for it now.

Similarly, the beautiful lake view visible from the garden table at Belleair Annex didn’t catch my eye. My head felt like it would burst from complexity. Finally, Elene got irritated.

“What on earth are you thinking about?”

“About the possibility of humans succeeding in asexual reproductive breeding with current technological levels.”

“What?”

Elene looked at me as if I was talking complete nonsense, but I just gloomily tormented the ice cream bowl. Why hadn’t I thought about the family succession issue?

If Mélisande became grand duchess and showed mercy so Levizet could continue to exist, naturally a successor would be needed. But successors couldn’t just drop from the sky.

Mélisande absolutely must not get pregnant here. If she gets caught doing something strange and has her ankle grabbed, she might end up living as a gay couple’s camouflage trophy wife for life instead of becoming grand duchess. I couldn’t waste my sister’s predetermined flower path with foolish actions.

But there’s no way Antoine would have children with another woman either. That pure gay’s entire heart and devotion were directed at his lover Caleb.

Then I have no choice but to marry and have children?

When I thought about marriage, which I had vaguely thought I’d do someday, more practically, instinctive rejection surged up. This was definitely the dirty residue of memories left by my previous life’s married life. Childbirth was also quite unpleasant. I didn’t have children in my previous life either! Well, that was because I chose to, not that I’m not able to have them. My spine chilled as I remembered the suffering I went through attending even infertility clinics.

How much my mother-in-law tormented me until it was revealed that the infertility was caused by my husband. Of course, even after the husband was revealed as the cause of infertility, she continued to harass only me, saying it was because I gave stress to her son.

After that, I remembered the day I went to the emergency room with hives from continuously being fed suspicious juices supposedly good for pregnancy that she brought from neighborhood quack health centers. I should have poured all that juice on that husband’s head for not mediating properly before I died.

Here, my family background is solid enough that the same thing is unlikely to happen, but if I marry far away where Levizet’s influence doesn’t reach, it’s all for nothing.

Moreover, this world doesn’t have infertility examinations, and even if I can’t have children, we won’t know whether the problem lies with the husband or wife until one of them has children elsewhere. If I’m unlucky, the husband could have azoospermia while only I get mistreated. My head hurts.

I wish I could just pluck out a child from Antoine through budding. Ah, but remove that selfish mindset completely. And somehow get rid of that strange irrationality that makes him go crazy just thinking about Caleb.

Ugh, Caleb used to be a quite likable friendly older brother, but how did he become an irritation-inducing person who gives me headaches just thinking about him? Acting nice while being fake and doing political scheming. What does Antoine find so good about him that he’s fallen head over heels enough to sacrifice the family and everything?

“Alix.”

Following the stream of consciousness and thinking deeply about Caleb, I seemed to hear a buttery, sly voice. Even hallucinations are irritating.