Chapter 119. Preparation, Part IV
Translator: Khan
Editor: Aelryinth
He was able to control the marriage of the two powerless Princes with the power of the family of Duke Dudley and the first Queen at his back, but he could do nothing to Killian, born of the second Queen, the Duke of Bertino, and beloved of His Majesty.
That was why he turned to the family of Duke Haint and the family of Duke Kiellini, who had a daughter of marriageable age among the five greatest families of the Dukes. At the time when Killian was not interested in marriage, Francis decided to seek marriage to the family of Duke Haint, as he had excluded Princess Kiellini earlier.
In a rare gesture of sincerity, Francis approached Princess Haint, but he realized that the confident and unrequited princess despised him, and also that she was detestable.
Francis was sick of wasting time on useless work. He left the job to his teacher and right-hand man Marquis Marius, because the presence of Killian was irritating enough to leave Princess Haint alone.
Marius had never disappointed Francis, and the scandal of the Princess Haint and Count Derio began to spread after a while, soon coming to an end with the princess’s pregnancy. Christine later returned to Dublin and heard the story through Eva, but couldn’t help but pay close attention to Princess Kiellini’s work.
Christine wanted to get the princess engaged to Francis as soon as possible to clear away her potential rival. However, it was useless if Francis changed his mind or lost interest in her.
"Why don’t you stop by the costume shop tomorrow and visit Princess Kiellini? I think it would be good to save time to make friends with the princess before His Highness Francis returns."
Christine nodded at Themes’s opinion. "I think so. Penny, tell the butler to send a letter requesting a visit to the Kiellini mansion. I want to restore the estranged relationship with my cousin, so ask them to allow me to visit. I’d like to visit in the afternoon."
But Christine did not notice that she didn’t know Francis very well...
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Francis had met Christine in Bertino and showed a rare generous attitude, as he enjoyed her desperate appearance and was excited by the news of Princess Kiellini’s sudden debut. But that was all.
He was attracted to the unstable, but he hated the weak. What he liked was weeds who persevered when stepped on. It was a great pleasure for him to put under his feet those who wanted to survive, and to torment them as he dashed their hopes.
When Christine offered the daughter of the family of Kiellini to him, he would marry her as if he was obliged to, to keep the conditions of the prophecy, and to plunge Christine into despair at not having Killian for her own.
Christine foolishly believed that she could win Killian’s heart. Even if Killian already knew that the Duke of Dudley was behind the murder of the Empress twelve years ago, she thought that it had nothing to do with herself and she seemed thick-headed, not foolish. He wondered how the gloomy, lifeless sky-blue eyes would change if she found out she was included in his revenge.
A week before the tea party where Christine decided to make an appointment with Princess Kiellini, Francis received a report about Princess Kiellini from Marquis Marius. Francis recalled Christine while listening to the Marquis’s report and showed interest when he heard about the scar on the face of the princess who had returned to Dublin.
"So has she been stuck in the countryside all this time because of a blot on her face?"
Francis was struck with admiration. ’Why is this a gift?’ He rubbed his hands with a pleasant smile.
"I think it’s true that she has been sick. There’s a saying that she has become ill and the scar has gotten worse. They say she hasn’t even received any visitors before the party."
"It’s exciting. What should I do? Do I look nice by appearing in front of a finger-pointed princess at the debut party and capture her heart? No, then there’s no room for my Christine to step out. I can’t give up the pleasure of watching how Christine will cook the princess and bring her to me. What should I do?"
At Francis’ joyful agony, Marius suggested, "Please go to Diaby for a while. She knows she shouldn’t disturb you when you’re in Diaby, so I’m sure Lady Anais will be nervous and work harder until you get back."
"Yes, that would be great. She’s got a scar on her face anyway, so even if she is a lady of the family of the Duke, no one’s going to approach her. I, Christine’s cousin, will appear and comfort her when she feels small after recognizing her situation at the debut party."
At Francis’ words, his servant Havier Delat answered quickly to curry favor with him, "That’s right. Princess Kiellini will be thrilled just by your interest. Until then, it will be okay to give time for Lady Anais to make friends with Princess Kiellini."
"Then I’ll go to Diaby and soothe my tired body and mind after going and coming back all the way from Bertino. I’ll leave tomorrow. Get ready."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As Havier stepped down, Marquis Marius who was sitting opposite Francis said, "I’d like to go to Vicern while you’re down in Diaby."
"Why Vicern?"
"At this point, even if the Duke of Miguel swore allegiance to you, we don’t know how to change his mind. I’d like to meet Marquis Andrea, the maternal grandfather of Princess Charlotte, who became a new Duchess. When the Princess produces a son, he will become the heir to the throne of Vicern. They’ll need our help to get rid of Crown Prince Ludwig of Vicern."
Francis smiled confidently and said, "Do you think that something we have to borrow Vicern’s power will happen? As the prophecy goes, I must be the next Emperor."
Marius replied carefully, "She has been hiding herself for decades, and there is no guarantee that she will move foolishly as Lady Anais thinks. Even if everything goes smoothly and you marry the princess without any difficulty, there is no guarantee that prophecy will be accomplished. Don’t forget that the old fortune-teller was the Empress’s woman."
"All right, if the Marquis says so, it shall be. If the princess doesn’t follow me as I wish, I will get rid of her, but it won’t be harmful if we take precautions. Go and come back well."
At Francis’s words, Marius bowed and stepped down.
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By the time Christine wrote a letter to visit the family of Duke Kiellini, Marquis Anais Robert was being greeted by a butler at the front entrance of the Kielini mansion where he had come to meet with Marquise Raban.
"Welcome, Your Excellency the Marquis. The Marquise is waiting."
Robert asked the courteous butler, handing him his hat and gloves, "Is Iris in the mansion? I’d like to see her face while I’m here."
Robert’s heart was drawn to the niece who reminded him of Julietta after the Imperial Debut Party a few days ago, and inquired about her whereabouts first. The butler answered sadly,
"The princess is out. It’s been a long time since she came back to Dublin. She’s been busy every day."
"I see."
He said he wanted to visit the mansion to see his niece, but he didn’t expect to see her again today because he only received a reply saying she was busy, several times. He didn’t know why, but Mrs. Raban did seem reluctant for him to meet with Iris. Determined to find out why today, Robert followed the butler, who led him to the drawing-room.
"Thank you for visiting us, Your Excellency. I wanted to meet you earlier, but I was in a hurry to visit Tilia, so I had to postpone your request to visit."
Simone greeted the Marquis with a tense face when she saw the blonde hair of the Marquis who resembled Julietta. She didn’t know if it was the right way to go from now on, but it was too late to do anything about it now.
Maribel’s letter, which Gibson brought earlier this morning, no longer gave Simone any time to hesitate. The message read only like this.
[I’d appreciate it if you could recommend a new play in our theater to a nobleman who will visit today. I really want to show the play with heart and soul to you tomorrow afternoon.]
Gibson received Maribel’s letter, which was delivered to the Eloz’s dressing shop, and brought it in immediately. The message seemed to warn against any other consideration, as there was nowhere to retreat.
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