Chapter 6 – At the Crossroads of Choice (1) (Part 2)

“If Her Highness didn’t say she doesn’t want to get hurt, I don’t see the need to stop her.”

“It’s a position where you might end up clashing with the closest person.”

“If the conditions were equally given, would something like that be scary?”

As if it didn’t matter, Lorraine shrugged her shoulders and slowly walked. Stopping just a step away from him, she smiled brightly.

“Since you say so, Your Grace… I think I’ll meet her.”

“Wiig.”

“Advising others on their choices is appropriate. Anything beyond that becomes impolite.”

Lorraine’s public smile remained on her face. It was a smile born not from a comfortable atmosphere but from observing the other person’s reaction.

“Today doesn’t seem like the day… so let’s finish up with the clothes tomorrow.”

“……”

“I’ll take my leave. Please rest well.”

With that, she bowed and walked out of the room.

It seems I’ve touched a nerve.

And in a very unfavorable way. 

Edwin realized.

「Lorraine is quite ambitious.」

A few days ago, Diana, whom he met at the palace, suddenly said that. Surprised by her own words, she shifted her eyes for a moment before continuing.

「Actually, it’s not just quite. Very much so…. But she doesn’t think it’s wrong.」

Recalling a few incidents related to him, Diana chuckled softly.

「Rather, she asks what’s wrong with it, as if she’s confident she can persuade others.」

Where did such a spirit come from?

Diana, resting her chin on her hand, muttered as if sighing. Edwin seemed to know, but kept his mouth shut.

「If our parents hadn’t consented to her entering the academy, she would have risked death.」

「So.」

「That’s the kind of person Lorraine Wiig is.」

She shrugged, adjusting her glasses.

「…If you’re not confident in handling her, give up. She’s not suited for a man who needs marriage to be part of life’s ups and downs.」

Diana was looking at him with a subtle gaze, as if she knew what he was thinking.

Though the color of their eyes and the atmosphere seemed different, sisters were sisters. Edwin couldn’t figure out what to say.

「Well… that’s what I meant. You must be busy, so go ahead.」

「…Did you beat them up?」

Goodness…no, why do you think I beat them up? You’re strange!」

Irritated, Diana momentarily forgot her manners and ran straight towards the judiciary building.

***

Knock knock-.

“Pippa.”

There was no reply; the room remained silent. Jonathan smiled bitterly. The reaction was just as expected.

「I oppose it. I cannot agree.」

Edwin Duncan hurt her by bluntly stating the truth as soon as he heard the Princess’s true intentions….

「Is Pippa still like that?」

Jamie, having completed his given task perfectly, subtly asked Jonathan. Due to the head maid of the Princess’s palace driving people away for her secret lover, the hallway was silent.

“Your Highness.”

Only the moonlight and a few lamps illuminated the corridor.

Jonathan sat leaning against the door. Clearing his throat, he continued.

“…The person you were waiting for has sent a letter.”

Then, a bustling sound came from inside the room.

He vaguely guessed what was happening. A soft smile formed on Jonathan’s lips. But before he could stand up, the door opened hastily.

Oh-?

All Jonathan could do was let out a short groan as he fell backwards.

“Johnny!”

Ugh, as Philippa screamed, a sharp pain hit Jonathan’s back and head. She knelt down, meeting the eyes of Jonathan, who was sprawled on the floor.

“…Sorry.”

“It’s my fault for not getting up sooner…. Here is the letter you were waiting for.”

He took the letter from his pocket and handed it to Philippa. As she stood up with the letter, Jonathan also quickly got to his feet.

The pain was still evident, with his brow slightly furrowed.

“…Shall I call the doctor?”

“I must go.”

“Already?”

She glanced around the hallway and gestured towards the room.

“Come in for a moment.”

“His Majesty was worried.”

At Jonathan’s words, Philippa’s face darkened rapidly.

“…I know I was hasty.”

“Pippa, I’m saying this because you were hurt too.”

“If I were afraid of getting hurt, I would have given up right there.”

Jonathan smiled bitterly.

***

“They say you’re going to marry the Crown Prince of Fontaine.”

“…….”

“As evidence of the peace agreement.”

Philippa’s red eyes shone with a fighting spirit.

“Edwin Duncan said a female emperor is unprecedented in history, so it’s impossible.”

“Your Highness.”

“History is written by the victors, so I’ll become that victor. You said that, Jonathan Rutherford.”

There was a time like that. It was the day the Empress Dowager canceled all her lessons, worried about the Princess’s excellence.

Jonathan was waiting for his father, who had come to the palace to resign.

「Who are you?」

A girl with hair as black as the night sky and blood-red eyes caught his attention. Despite her arrogant tone, her particularly red eyelids captured his gaze.

But that girl no longer cried over failures.

Jonathan, wiping his dry face, cut the conversation firmly.

“Don’t change the subject. What I’m talking about is your hastiness.”

“I know. But I can’t turn back time. I’ll willingly handle what I’ve started.”

Finishing her words, Philippa pulled the call cord hanging by the door.

“You can go, Sir Rutherford. I’ll call you again once the letter is written.”

Jonathan, who was staring blankly at her back as she returned to her Princess-like tone, bowed deeply.

“Have a good night, Your Highness.”

Then he too had to return to being a subject.

***

The ominous premonition was now precisely correct. Edwin, resting his elbow on the desk and his chin in his hand, stared blankly at Lorraine’s crown.

The thorn is firmly lodged.

Lorraine had been exuding a chilly aura for several days now.

“But you know.”

“What?”

“Are you really going to cancel the wedding?”

Philip adjusted his glasses and continued speaking.

“There’s not enough justification. We need a solid reason on our side to cancel….”

“There is.”

Lorraine removed her glasses and set down the documents she was reviewing.

“The diamond mine. There’s a record of Roben investing under a borrowed name.”

Philip hurriedly accepted the documents. They contained details that the money Roben invested under a borrowed name was used as operating expenses for the knights owned by Dunant.

“Dunant can’t own a knight order…. But!”

Lorraine presented the trial records from 70 years ago. It was the judgment on the rebellion caused by Vincent Dunant, the head of the family at the time.

“How did they come to own a knight order?”

Five out of seven judges were in favor of exterminating the family. Everyone expected it would happen. However, the variable came from the Emperor’s side.

“…The special nature of a meritorious family. That alone allowed Dunant to survive. Of course, the Crown Princess at the time was Dunant’s person, but….”

She presented newspaper records from the time, found in dusty old books.

“She was ousted in just two weeks, so she had no influence.”

“Instead of being closed down, Dunant donated part of their property to the country and had to disband the knight order.”

“Yes, and this is just an aside, but right after avoiding extermination, they say they passed the title to an illegitimate child.”

To an illegitimate child they hadn’t acknowledged until then. Her tone carried a hint of laughter, as if she had heard something amusing.

“Ancestors and descendants alike.”

The descendants referred to William, the father of Asiel and Kendrick. Setting aside the fact that he took on mistresses the age of his daughter, the number was too many to count on ten fingers.

“Asiel must have found out by chance that Roben invested in the secret knight order his father had created, and used it to blackmail Roben. And he secured the marriage.”

“Interesting.”

It was a relationship where they ate each other. Unlike the two who seemed intrigued, Philip, an ordinary citizen, was miserable.

What’s so interesting about it?

He had worked with Edwin since birth and with Lorraine for four years and several months, but sometimes he still couldn’t understand their thinking.

“Um… But you know.”

He realized it was time to reveal what he had been hiding. Though he briefly regretted the decision when sharp gazes immediately focused on him, it wasn’t something he could hide forever.

“This was… the last piece of information. Nothing more has been sent.”

Jimmy, sent as an investigator, was one of the elite of the ‘White Eagle Knights’ of the Duncan family. Though he had a clumsy side, he executed his tasks thoroughly.

He always sent carrier pigeons at intervals of no more than four days. But the fact that the pigeon returned with nothing tied to its leg meant only two things.

He had been caught and was in danger, or he was already dead.

To make matters worse, the pigeon returned dead. Philip presented a note with the sender’s name written on it. Edwin, frowning, read the note slowly.

After reading it, he burned the note in the lamp and spoke.

“…How long until the wedding?”

Lorraine answered.

“There’s still a month left.”

“I’ll have to see the Grand Duke.”

He stood up abruptly and grabbed his jacket.

“Paul! Prepare the carriage!”

The sound of hurried movement was heard outside the study.

Sigh-.

Philip let out a big sigh and slumped into his seat.

“…Wouldn’t it be faster to target Roben rather than Dunant?”

“It’s impossible because of the connection with the merchants of Eight Street.”

Unlike the Four Streets created through the imperial plan, the Eight Streets’ commercial district emerged spontaneously.

Marquis Roben was the first to recognize its utility value. He poured money earned from trade into the merchants’ association and changed the method of electing the merchant chairman to suit his taste.

The problem was that Eight Street had a higher influx of ordinary citizens than Four Street.

Then, the sound of a departing carriage was heard outside the window.

Lorraine, watching the Black Wind swiftly exit the Duke’s garden, spoke.

“…The wedding must be canceled at all costs.”