Duke of the Beast and the Vicarious Bride - Chapter 10 - II.

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※ This work contains depictions of coercive relationships, explicit language, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

`II.`

Fiona pressed her forehead gently against the frost-laden window. The sharp cold seemed to offer a momentary respite for a mind worn by the long journey. The carriage interior, heavily insulated and warmed by heat-generating mana stones, was so snug one could scarcely feel the cold, yet it was stifling, as if constricting her breath. Seeking even a wisp of fresher air, she chased the chill seeping through the cracks around the window, then abruptly raised a hand and rubbed vigorously at the glass.

In the distance, the dark ridges of the Kraphelsus Mountains, standing firm and exuding a palpable presence, announced clearly that even this interminable journey, which had stretched over a month, was at last drawing to a close. It had been a week since, after that long trek, they had finally entered the outskirts of the Grand Duchy. Fiona and her party had at last come face to face with the legendary mountain range at the continent’s northernmost tip.

The end of the earth, which none had ever crossed. A colossal range that had thwarted humanity’s boundless expansion. Like a black curtain draped from the heavens, this awe-inspiring terrain stood aloof, as if embodying the divine will to permit no living thing beyond. When she first beheld this vista, so magnificent it seemed unreal, she was as overwhelmed as any other, her breath catching for a moment.

“It’s f*****g huge,” was all her meagre vocabulary could muster, yet no sentiment could have been more honest. Though the initial overwhelming sensation had faded after mere days of familiarity, the mountains still asserted their presence undiminished.

And thinking of the being waiting for her in the castle beneath those mountains—her husband—her chest grew tight once more.

* * *

Just before their departure for the north, the Count, as previously declared, took Fiona to the Imperial Palace. They travelled a considerable distance by carriage from the Count’s manor. The Imperial Palace, situated in the heart of the capital, boasted a scale befitting the empire’s grandeur.

Passing through beautifully landscaped approach roads and gardens, the carriage eventually halted before the main building. Alighting, Fiona’s gaze was momentarily captured by the fountain before her. Clear water sprang refreshingly from a great marble fountain engraved with intricate patterns.

“Stop dawdling and follow quickly.”

Urged on by the Count, Fiona moved with reluctant steps.

The Emperor she encountered in the audience chamber was a brown-haired middle-aged man with a seemingly gentle impression. Though Fiona’s general knowledge was somewhat lacking beyond her expertise in butchery, she at least knew the Emperor’s name.

The ruler of the Vieren Empire, which had conquered the continent; master of the largest and most fertile central territories; guardian of all remaining magic on earth. Reimar I of the Vienescha Imperial Family. He stood before her now.

Unlike the tense Fiona, the Emperor merely glanced at her briefly before turning his attention to the Count without any particular interest.

“Is this the girl? The bastard you spoke of?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I finally present to you my inadequate eldest daughter.”

The Count, deftly sidestepping the word ‘bastard,’ bowed his head in response to the Emperor’s query. Fiona was taken aback. Was he not hiding the fact that she was a bastard? Well, one might as well try to hide the sky with one’s palm; it was common knowledge in the village that she was the Count’s illegitimate child.

Her surprise at this unexpected turn was short-lived, for she soon began to take offence at the conversation between the Emperor and the Count.

“His Majesty remains rather displeased at bringing a mere bastard into such an important affair.”

“I humbly apologise, Your Majesty. My second daughter, Joséphine, is frail of body and also weak of heart; I deemed her unsuitable to entrust with a matter of this magnitude.”

“Hmm…”

“It is true this girl has her deficiencies, yet I dare to speculate that in this instance, they may instead prove advantageous.”

“Indeed. As all that matters is confirming whether she can bear an heir, the origin of the vessel to receive the seed is of little import.”