Chapter 2 (Part 2)

Aethon, who came out late after paying for the meal at the hotel restaurant, spotted Theodore and called out to him desperately.

“Your Grace.”

Aethon, who had approached before he knew it, came next to Theodore.

“Aethon, I want to stay here for a few days.”

Aethon, who had seen Theodore talking to and chasing after a beautiful woman, asked with a suspicious look.

“Did you fall in love with that lady at first sight?”

At Aethon’s words, Theodore’s cheeks turned as red as a ripe plum.

“No. She’s a Mage. I want to propose scouting her for the Grand Duke’s house.”

“No way. Your Grace, your face is all red right now.”

“Get me a room here, Aethon.”

“We need to return to the Grand Duke’s house quickly! The pirates are giving us a headache…”

Aethon’s desperate cries did not reach Theodore.

Right now, he wanted to know the name of the silver-haired beauty who left a strong impression on him.

So, he had to make sure they could meet by chance.

*   *   *

Emperor Argen of the Carpen Empire believes that “the throne belongs to the powerful.”

He himself had to push aside his elder brother, who was the Crown Prince, and kill all his siblings to take that position. The emperor’s seat is one that he had to occupy to survive.

Crown Prince Patzraelli solidified his power by getting engaged to the Hatzbellua family.

Duke David Hatzbellua, who had stubbornly remained neutral, suddenly agreed to the engagement of Patzraelli and Meia, stating that he would support the emperor’s faction. There was no reason to oppose it.

However, the fiancée was changed.

The Emperor opposed it, but Empress Ellermin and Patzraelli insisted on changing the fiancée, stating that they could not bear to see Meryl, the current Duke Hatzbellua’s daughter, marry Demian. The emperor, who had always thought highly of Meia, regretted the broken engagement.

“Empress, do you think changing the fiancée was the right decision?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We needed the power of the Duke’s family, not the person.”

“I clearly opposed it.”

“Was there a reason for your opposition?”

“I thought highly of Lady Meia. She is calm and noble. Intelligent. There is no better candidate for empress. And what do you think the late David would say? He would surely think we were heartless for casting out his daughter right after his death.”

“The dead do not speak.”

The emperor, though disappointed, did not show it to the empress and the crown prince, who had changed the fiancée for the power of the family.

Meia is the flower of the social world.

The emperor knew well that many noble ladies and young women admired Meia and followed her as a future empress candidate.

Men may rule the world as kings, but the ones who truly rule those men are… women.’

Thinking that they might have shaken the Crown Prince’s position by abandoning Meia, who was doing an excellent job supporting Patzraelli, crossed his mind.

However, if the new fiancée, Meryl, supports Patzraelli as well as Meia did, it won’t matter.

The question is how much the young lady, who came up from the countryside, can learn and catch up to Meia.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, the Emperor’s thought was ‘She is not as good as Meia.’

There is no more perfect candidate for Empress than Meia.

“It’s like throwing away all the ripe fruits right before harvest, tsk.”

At Argen’s clicking tongue, Ellermin smiled and replied.

“Fruits rot as they ripen. Pruning to allow new crops to grow well is also important, Your Majesty.”

“Even if fruits rot, their seeds do not.”

“Your Majesty, the fiancée has already been changed. I will do my best to ensure the new crop grows well.”

Ellermin smiled quietly with just the corners of her lips raised.

While Argen and Ellermin were conversing.

Crown Prince Patzraelli, sitting in his study, was going mad. It was because of the constant knocking on the door every time Meryl visited.

Knock knock.

The knocking sound continued, and Aendy, the aide beside Patzraelli, sighed deeply.

Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock.

“Crown Prince.”

“Sigh.”

Meryl, the fiancée who visited at any time, annoyed Patzraelli with her arbitrary actions.

Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock.

“Open the door.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The door opened, and Meryl immediately entered the room.

“Your Highness! Why don’t you meet me?”

“Lady Meryl, knocking is something servants do.”

“I did it because I wanted to see you. I am so miserable because I can only meet you once a week. Are you okay with that?”

“Even once a week is barely making time for me, Lady Meryl.”

“But I’m your fiancée, you should care about me!”

“So, what brings you here today?”

Meryl walked in and sat on the study sofa.

Patzraelli’s brows furrowed. It was not at all the behavior of a noble young lady.

She walked in, said what she wanted, and sat down without being told to.

“I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Do you plan to take concubines after you become emperor?”

Patzraelli was speechless at Meryl’s absurd question.

If he becomes emperor, taking concubines is decided through meetings with the nobles.

Of course, concubines can be taken for complex political reasons or if there is someone he truly gets along with.

“I cannot accept concubines, so please understand my feelings.”

“Whether or not to accept a concubine is decided through discussions. You know that the reason you became my fiancée is to secure my position as Crown Prince with the help of the Hatzbellua family, right? I hope you understand that ours is a political marriage, Lady Meryl.”

“I won’t accept concubines.”

Patzraelli bit his lip mischievously.

She wasn’t a child, yet she was throwing a tantrum like one, making him not even want to laugh.

“Is this talk about concubines what you have to say to a busy person? We haven’t even had the national wedding yet.”

“Then why didn’t you have the national wedding instead of just an engagement?”

Frustrated by Meryl’s words, Patzraelli frowned.

“And Crown Prince, you should meet me three times a week.”

“I met Lady Meia once a week during our ten-year engagement.”

At Patzraelli’s mention of Meia, Meryl started to tear up.

“Are you comparing me to your former fiancée? Sob.”

Patzraelli was just bewildered and disliked the situation.

“Hic, you’re so mean. I want to see you more often. Why don’t you understand my feelings?”

“Let’s talk later. I have a meeting now, so please leave, Lady Meryl.”

Meryl cried more at the clear dismissal.

“Sigh, Lady Meryl. Let’s have dinner together later.”

Feeling slightly better, Meryl left the room, waving one hand energetically.

Aendy flinched at Meryl’s unladylike behavior but did not show it.

“I’ll come back later. To the palace.”

Watching Meryl leave, Patzraelli rubbed his face with both hands in frustration.

He tried to work again but irritably crumpled and threw the documents on the floor.

“Seriously.”

Aendy picked up the papers and glanced at Patzraelli.

“Your look says ‘It feels like punishment’… Aendy.”

“Are you regretting it, Your Highness?”

“It hasn’t been long since the engagement with her, but I already regret it intensely.”

There had never been such trouble during the engagement with Meia.

But Meryl was giving him a headache. A massive one.

“Are you aware of the rumors in the social world, Your Highness?”

“What rumors? It must be about the change of fiancée.”

“It would be fortunate if it were just that. The factions that supported you and those that supported the second prince are starting to send proposals and love letters to the Hatzbellua Ducal residence to make Lady Meia their family’s mistress.”

“What?!”

“Lady Meia is the flower of the social world. Just bringing the flower of the social world into the family raises the family’s prestige. It seems unlikely that Lady Meryl will replace Lady Meia as the flower of the social world. And another rumor is that Lady Olivia and Lady Meryl’s families have become extremely hostile towards each other.”

“What do you mean?”

“The conflict between Lady Meryl and Lady Olivia is currently a hot topic in the social world.”

“Tell me more, Aendy.”

Aendy relayed what he had heard to Patzraelli.

“All the young ladies are siding with Lady Olivia. Naturally, Lady Meryl’s position is shrinking, Your Highness.”

Aendy’s words made the crown prince, Patzraelli, feel a surge of anxiety.

He could not shake the feeling of an impending crisis that he could not pinpoint.