Chapter 104

“…….”

“Honestly, where could you find anyone better than you? You’re the only real sibling of the Elvirtein Emperor and a Grand Duke. You have a good character, and your looks are…….”

“Enough, enough.”

It was truly nonsense.

Really, it was the most absurd sophistry…….

The problem was, Raihan found himself drawn to that nonsense. His expression twisted with emotions he couldn’t quite name—was it self-reproach?

Vicente noticed immediately that his sibling was being drawn to his suggestion.

“Of course, rather than making it official… we should use public opinion.”

“…….”

In fact, not long ago, it was revealed that the person chosen as queen at the Pezento Fireworks Festival was actually Dione Estellon, who had been hiding her identity. This caused quite a stir.

So, the people of Elvirtein liked Dione Estellon quite a bit—she was the daughter of Vega Aviles, had a scandal with Prince Raihan, and had been present throughout the festival, marking its opening.

Just as Vicente had said, if public opinion was swayed by the marriage of the two, people would quickly nod in agreement.

Vicente didn’t know yet, but once it was revealed that Dione was the real owner of Dinua Garden, her popularity would only increase. The owner of Dinua Garden had long been a subject of great interest and curiosity among the people of Elvirtein.

“……Not just anyone can be Emperor, huh.”

“Thanks for the compliment, Brother.”

Even with the obvious sarcasm, Vicente just shrugged and accepted it calmly. If one couldn’t handle comments like that, they couldn’t survive in this world.

How long did Vicente wait, reviewing documents, while Raihan was lost in thought?

“Do you know Dinua Garden?”

“I do. Why do you bring it up all of a sudden?”

Raihan felt puzzled, not by the answer to the suggestion, but by the sudden mention of Dinua Garden, yet Vicente answered anyway.

After hearing Vicente’s confirmation, Raihan replied in a calm tone, as if pointing out a stone on the ground.

“I just wanted to let you know that Dione is the owner.”

“……What?”

This was something he hadn’t expected. How did Dinua Garden end up in Dione Estellon’s hands? And why bring it up now…….

The siblings, sharing the same blood but different thoughts, locked eyes.

“…….”

“…….”

That was an affirmative answer, telling him to use himself as the finest bait.

* * *

A reply arrived from Elvirtein.

The good news was that its contents were exactly as expected, but the bad news……

“This sly snake…….”

The way they proposed to carry out the plan was completely unexpected.

Durant’s hands trembled as he held the letter. Whether it was from anger, shock, or annoyance was unclear. In her opinion, it was probably all three.

To summarize the letter from Elvirtein:

‘Right now, public opinion here is suggesting marriage as a symbol of apology and harmony. What do you think?’

And the card they put forward was none other than Raihan Elvirtein. The other party was—naturally—Dione.

Among the matters mentioned was something about Elvirtein itself. She hadn’t expected them to use it this way. It didn’t feel like a threat, because at the end of the letter, there was a sentence saying that, for this reason, they actually welcomed it and hoped it would be considered positively.

Public opinion was practically manufactured on their side. Of course, it wasn’t just nonsense—if it was, it wouldn’t have become public debate.

Durant threw the letter onto the desk and grabbed his neck.

“Why are they bringing up such an old-fashioned story…….”

It really was old-fashioned. In fact, Durant had almost ended up with a princess from the Verquist Kingdom sitting next to him because of this method. But the situation was a little different back then. They were apologizing for breaking a treaty and offering their own Grand Duke as a gesture of goodwill.

Besides, Verquist had offered their princess to the Crown Prince, whereas this time… it felt oddly strange, as the Grand Duke was being offered to a mere Young Heiress.

Anyway, the explanation was long-winded, but the conclusion was simple.

They wanted the two of them to marry as a symbol of apology and reconciliation.

It didn’t feel so much like a political marriage or like becoming a stud horse, but rather… just amusing. In the end, it must have been Emperor Vicente who decided, wanting to marry off his sibling to her.

‘I’ve barely even met him before.’

……Could he have been secretly watching her? She briefly considered it seriously, then shook her head. That was going too far.

Anyway, imagining Raihan waving a white handkerchief after initially resisting made her chuckle.

Unlike her, though, the news made the people of Essen furious. Why should she go all the way to Elvirtein and marry Raihan when Yurik Schwitz was right there?

‘Even if I explain it’s for harmony… they won’t listen.’

The Triangle Scandal was so—she still didn’t understand how it had come to this—famous. The ‘harmony’ they claimed was really just an excuse; in truth, it was like declaring the winner of the Triangle Scandal would be sent to their side.

Honestly, it was strange that this even became a power struggle between two countries… but that’s how politics works.

As time passes and stories circulate, the original purpose gets lost and attention shifts elsewhere. Sometimes one has to be wary of that, but in this case… there didn’t seem to be any need. Apparently, the treaty issue was going to be handled as Durant wanted.

“Aren’t you angry?”

“Should I be?”

“They used you as bait.”

“……If you look at it, isn’t Grand Duke Raihan the one being used as bait, not me?”

“…….”

Durant clamped his mouth shut at her retort. He had to admit, it didn’t add up.

She’d heard from Yurik before that he had fiercely opposed her marrying Raihan, but this time, the situation was different, so he couldn’t just lie down and protest.

‘Back then, it was just a love triangle; now it’s not…….’

What if she refused? Vicente must have considered that too. In that case, they’d have to find another way to symbolize harmony, and the only thing with a similar effect to her marrying Raihan would be for him to marry Richelle, the other unmarried twin of the royal family, who was of similar age and status.

Of course, it wasn’t strictly necessary to resolve this with a marriage.

“This is a headache…….”

“If you refuse, they’ll have to find another way, but even if they do, they’ll just dodge it, saying it’s not really a symbol of harmony.”

“Seriously, they’re the ones who messed up…….”

“They executed the guilty parties, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, so there’s nothing more to say!”

Startled, Durant suddenly jumped up and raised his voice, then began pacing the office restlessly.

By the way, the letter also mentioned that the executions had been carried out. Only Count Soria survived, while the other three noble families, including Javier, either died or lost their noble status forever and were exiled to the borderlands.

It was expected, but Layan Aviles was also listed among the dead.

Yet she didn’t feel any sense of relief. Maybe she was too indifferent, but all she felt was a simple, ‘So, he’s dead.’ She supposed it was because there had never been any real family affection.

However, the Young Lady of the Aviles Earldom—her cousin—did survive. Before leaving Elvirtein, she had asked Raihan to spare her life, if she truly knew nothing.

Maybe it was just her own small mercy, or maybe just goodwill as a fellow human being.

She wasn’t sure exactly what feeling prompted her. She just… wanted to do it.

As she watched Durant grumbling, she recalled the events of a few days prior.

When she first heard the contents of the letter, she sought opinions from those around her. What did they think was best? Some said that if she liked Raihan, she should marry him. Following love wasn’t a bad thing, they said. But if not, then it was a different story. That was the kind, thoughtful advice given by Nina, Lydia, Mary, and Leticia, all for her sake.