Chapter 11
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Fiona might have been somewhat unschooled, but she was no fool. The Emperor’s attitude, treating her as little more than a broodmare, greatly vexed her spirit.
“If your daughter succeeds in conceiving, there will be nothing to please His Majesty more. For the Grand Duke’s heir shall bring eternal prosperity to the Empire.”
“As your loyal vassal, to be able to contribute even a speck of dust toward the Empire’s glory, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.”
“There is no need for modesty on this occasion. Was it not your younger son, the Viscount Troyes, who first discovered the ancient castle in the north? Thanks to him, we could proudly proclaim that territory as part of the Vieren Empire. That too is a great achievement.”
At the Emperor’s undisguised praise, the Count of Troyes could not hide his delight.
“Had he not uncovered it, we would have had no justification to present to those greedy kings. And to have restored the severed line of the Aquileia Grand Ducal house—the Troyes family’s contribution is significant.”
“It is merely the loyal heart I offer to Your Majesty.”
The Emperor and the Count continued their conversation as if Fiona were invisible. From their dialogue, she could sketch the rough outline of the situation.
So, they’ve legally acquired the north, is that it?
That the northern part of the continent was a neutral zone claimed by no one was a fact known even to children. A territory boasting vast lands, yet so forbidding due to its perpetually cold climate and harsh terrain that mere access was difficult. Furthermore, due to monsters that had begun swarming some time ago, the north was considered a dangerous region virtually untouched by human feet.
But unconquered lands always stir human curiosity. Especially because of legends concerning immense treasures, fertile soil, and boundless magic said to lie buried beyond the Kraphelsus Mountains, the rulers of the Muyll continent had always coveted that paradise.
And now that bastard Jayden has found evidence that it was Imperial territory all along, and even dug up a descendant of the Grand Duke to create a justification.
So that was why that thorn in her side had been conspicuously absent these past few years—he had been busy with such ambitious scheming. And this Grand Duke’s descendant that Jayden had uncovered was apparently…
My husband, then.
But why had he called him a “beast”? That question remained unanswered.
In any case, looking at how things were unfolding, the Emperor stood to gain nothing but benefits. No, rather, a land he had coveted had fallen into his lap, and he had acquired a puppet Grand Duke to boot—he could manipulate that territory to his heart’s content from now on.
The Troyes family was much the same. Holding Rose as leverage over Fiona, they could lord it over her, and with the prestige of being kin to the Grand Duchess and, eventually, the Grand Ducal heir, they would secure not only the Emperor’s favour but also future economic gains.
Given what Jayden had said about sweeping away monsters with “that thing,” it was impossible to predict what value the northern lands—still a case of “fair to the eye, bitter to the taste”—might come to hold in the future.
Having grasped the gist of the situation, Fiona found her position—mere plaything in the schemes of the Emperor and the Count—utterly infuriating.
This marriage brought her no benefit whatsoever. Separated from Rose, all she gained was the task of swelling another’s belly. And for the sake of these shameless wretches who did not even regard her as human.
“The younger son will also lead the second subjugation himself. Until the Grand Duke produces an heir, we must ensure no harm befalls him.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall instruct him to leave nothing to chance in all matters.”
“Splendid. The Troyes family’s contributions shall long be recorded not only in the Imperial archives but in the history of the Empire itself.”
“It is the utmost glory, Your Majesty.”
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