Chapter 103
“The side room connected to His Highness the Second Prince’s bedchamber was filled with a woman’s belongings. Judging by the traces of daily use, it appears she resided there until quite recently.”
The chief attendant reported in a businesslike tone, leaving out none of what he had seen.
“The owner of the room is Lady Grizelle Willoughby. I heard that after sharing the bed with His Highness Arendtert not long ago, she received from Her Majesty the Empress the position of a ‘temporary’ princess consort. In effect, a mistress.”
BAM!
The Emperor struck the armrest of his chair hard. He glared at the deathly pale Empress and Second Prince.
“What a disgrace to the imperial family!”
“Your Majesty!”
“I have committed a grave mistake, Your Majesty!”
Cressida and Arendtert cried out at the same time, falling to their knees. They trembled violently, unable even to look the Emperor in the face.
“A mistress! A so-called prince who cannot even hunt monsters properly, yet has time to dally with women? Are you in your right mind?”
“Please forgive me! I was overcome with heartbreak from the broken engagement and lost my reason for a moment!”
“For a moment? Then did you share the bed with that young lady only once?”
“T-That, that is…!”
At the Emperor’s sharp interrogation, Arendtert’s lips parted soundlessly. The first time had indeed been a mistake, but afterward he had embraced Grizelle whenever the whim struck him. That was why she had ended up occupying the room beside his.
He had treated Grizelle purely as an object for s*x. That was also why he hadn’t known she had been thrown into the underground prison, nor that he had been summoned before the Emperor because of her.
If he wasn’t seeking her out for intercourse, he didn’t look for her at all.
“Occasionally… but only on very rare occasions!”
“Arendtert Balthazar, every word out of your mouth is a lie!”
Bang!
The Emperor struck the chair once more. His eyes widened as he looked down at Grizelle. Her filthy appearance had concealed it, but the dress she wore was indeed vulgar. The kind of revealing outfit only a mistress would wear.
“How could you install a concubine before marriage, how!”
The Emperor lamented. When he was young, he had indeed dallied with several women, yet at least it was after he took an official wife.
For the first several years after marriage, he had devoted himself solely to his wife until they bore a son. Looking at his eldest son Euclid, born from that period, the Emperor bit his lip.
“At this rate, the order of the imperial family will fall into chaos.”
Muttering to himself, the Emperor then asked Euclid,
“You haven’t taken another woman, have you?”
“Sylaria is the only one for me, Your Majesty. I have no interest in other women.”
“I see…”
The Emperor let out a deep sigh and rubbed his forehead. He clicked his tongue when he saw the Empress trembling pitifully at his feet. Seeing her act wretched after deceiving him left a bitter taste.
“A mistress is out of the question. Arendtert, you will hold an engagement ceremony with Grizelle Willoughby immediately. A man must take responsibility!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“W-What?”
The Emperor’s decision split the reactions sharply. Grizelle’s eyes sparkled with joy, but Arendtert and Cressida looked as though they had been handed a death sentence.
“Your Majesty! My compatibility rate with Grizelle Willoughby is now only around twenty percent! And she’s far from anything resembling virtue—!”
“And what right do you have to speak of virtue?”
The Emperor shouted, his anger boiling over. He pointed accusingly at the panicked Arendtert.
“Do you think I’m arranging your engagement because you’re pretty to look at? This is the only way to clean up the mess! Be grateful you even have twenty percent and live with it!”
“Your Majesty, please reconsider! Is she not a criminal? How can a prince be ordered to marry a criminal!”
Cressida cried out, even shedding tears. Her plan to quickly dispose of Grizelle and bring a highborn young lady in as Second Princess Consort had now collapsed completely.
With no escape, she would be forced to accept the vulgar Grizelle as princess consort. She clutched the Emperor’s hem desperately.
“Please, please! For my sake!”
“For the Empress’s sake, I am resolving it only to this extent!”
The Emperor clicked his tongue and pushed her away. Then he issued an order to the overjoyed Grizelle.
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