Chapter 101: [Chapter 101] The Situation of Noevian Trovika (1)
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Noevian paused, disbelieving his ears.
"Marry Adrien Pireta, the only daughter of the wealthy and venerable Duke of the East."
Ah. So that's what he meant.
The resolute tone of his voice implied that he had already made up his mind.
Although Noevian had never met the woman, he didn't offer any resistance.
He had never intended to build his own power base through marriage.
If he gained power, someone would become wary of him, and if that someone was the crown prince or the emperor, it would only cause him trouble.
His goal was not the throne, but the power behind it.
Now he was at a stage where he was focused on how to maintain his current life.
"But there's a condition."
"What kind of condition?"
"Our marriage will be a sham. When I said I wanted her, I meant I wanted Adrien Pireta for myself. So, even after marriage, the princess will be mine."
"...But you've already agreed to marry the daughter of the West."
"Doris is greedy and stupid. I'm only marrying her because she's easy to control. I can't abandon the East because of her."
"...So?"
"Well, you can make her your concubine later. When you become emperor."
Usually, Noevian was a man of few words, but this time he furrowed his brow, unsure of what it all meant.
"You're already married. You can't just take another woman as a concubine."
"I'll divorce her, using the excuse of her poor health. When I become emperor, I'll graciously accept her as my empress. No one in the East would refuse to give their daughter to the emperor, especially a divorced one with poor health."
"The West won't tolerate it."
"Then she'll be my mistress."
The crown prince said this without changing his expression.
In fact, Crown Prince Bardenaldo's position was somewhat precarious. With the death of Queen Retinia, his strong support base had weakened.
"It would be convenient to share a wife with your lord to show your loyalty. The East would prefer the position of empress to an insignificant house."
It meant he would appease the East by giving them the position of empress instead of the discarded position of empress consort, and he would secretly keep her as his mistress. His greed knew no bounds.
But since there was no better way to prove his loyalty to the suspicious crown prince, Noevian simply remained silent.
However, there was one thing he wondered...
"Is there a particular reason you're going to such lengths?"
Noevian asked casually, because Bardenaldo never did anything without a reason. As he looked more closely, he saw Roardnes outside the window.
"Ah, Roardnes. My dear brother."
A gentle smile appeared on the crown prince's face.
"..."
"I've taken a liking to that princess."
"I see."
Noevian understood everything from that single sentence about Roardnes having his heart set on the Countess of Pireta.
"That child doesn't know his place, just like his uncle. Isn't it pathetic that he dares to covet a woman who could become a crown princess?"
Noevian was aware of the deep-seated inferiority complex that lurked within Crown Prince Bardenaldo.
"He doesn't know that he should focus on what he can have. I need to teach him that coveting another's possessions will always lead to punishment. That's what makes me a true elder brother."
"..."
A heavy silence descended upon them.
Looking at the crown prince, Noevian wondered if his own brother, the current emperor, had thought the same thing. A surge of resentment welled up within him, but it was fleeting. Soon, Noevian hardened his expression and nodded.
Simultaneously, his anger turned not towards the emperor or the crown prince, but towards Roardnes, who was outside.
For Noevian, Roardnes was a more irritating presence than the crown prince, whom he had to serve.
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After all, Roardnes was the second prince in the line of succession, unlike Noevian.
Unconsciously, Noevian lifted his chin.
Unlike himself, who had been a mere nobody in the palace, Roardnes had a high rank in the line of succession. Yet, he had a fatal flaw.
"Red eyes. A sign of bad luck."
It was an ancient superstition. Red eyes were said to bring ruin to a nation.
With such a flaw, how dare he...
The second prince, Roardnes, always yielded to Crown Prince Bardenaldo. At first, the arrogant Bardenaldo had been smug, but at some point, he must have realized why his younger brother, who was considered a genius by their tutors, always lost to him.
Noevian snorted.
"Only those who have it easy can afford such luxury."
A younger brother who was willing to sacrifice everything for his elder brother to become emperor. And unlike himself, his actions were driven by genuine affection.
It twisted Noevian's heart.
"A mere child living in a fairy tale."
Having finished their twisted thoughts, they turned their heads towards the sound of someone knocking at the door of their study.
A young man with a meek expression entered and bowed deeply.
"Ah, you're here."
Bardenaldo took a few crumpled letters from his pocket and handed them to Noevian.
"This is the man who will be the steward of your mansion, Trovika."
As soon as Bardenaldo finished speaking, the man, who introduced himself as Gaspal, bowed his head almost to the ground.
Noevian stared at Bardenaldo with a stiff expression.
"A gift."
Bardenaldo smiled sweetly.
Noevian had to clench his jaw to control his expression. How could he be so like his father?
Just as the emperor had done when he was crown prince, Bardenaldo was filling Noevian's household with his own people.
The thought of all those servants swarming around his grand mansion made him suffocate.
Bardenaldo gestured for Gaspal to take the letters. Noevian obeyed silently.
"Copy the handwriting in those letters."
"Yes."
"And write a letter like this."
Bardenaldo handed him a hastily scribbled note.
"Adrien, come to our little forest after the debutante ball. I have something to tell you."
"Whose handwriting am I supposed to imitate..."
"Whose do you think? Your new master."
Noevian's expression twisted in anger at Bardenaldo's unsolicited command.
Gaspal left the study in a hurry to write the letter.
"Whose handwriting is it?"
"Roardnes'. Mine now."
"Why are you making up such a letter?"
"Because the princess has feelings for Roardnes."
"..."
"That naive fool Roardnes. He's actually trying to have a romance without even showing his face."
Bardenaldo laughed.
"You mean to say they're already lovers?"
"It's something like that. But it doesn't matter. The princess doesn't know what Roardnes looks like. They've only met while he was wearing his royal academy mask, and he's never even spoken."
How could this be?
Noevian, who had never been close to women and had no intention of being so, felt a headache coming on at the thought of having to play the role of Roardnes. He glared at the crown prince resentfully.
"Did you see what I wrote? Let's reveal your face to the princess at the debutante ball."
Noevian narrowed his eyes at Crown Prince Bardenaldo.
Despite his gentle smile, the young crown prince had a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
***
It was infuriating.
It would have been better if Roardnes wasn't here. If Noevian's words were true, it wasn't a truth that Roardnes could bear.
"And after that... it's just as you know."
Yes, I know what happens next better than you.
****
Adrien, having left the academy due to health reasons, was convalescing at the Pireta estate.
While the East was beautiful and wealthy, she lacked the energy to fully enjoy it. To pass the time, Adrien relied on letters from a few friends she'd made at the academy.
She was particularly delighted when she received letters from "An." He was such a kind boy, and their correspondence always warmed her heart.
When her friend Bianca noticed Adrien's unusual cheerfulness whenever she received a letter from "An," she began to pry, asking if Adrien had feelings for him. Flustered, Adrien would simply reply that he was a very dear friend.
But the perceptive Bianca couldn't miss the budding romance between the two. When she bluntly stated that they were "in love" and asked who the boy was, Adrien could only say that he was a royal.
She didn't know if he was actually a prince of the Lonta family or a foreign prince who had been granted permission to stay in the imperial palace.
He was a student at the royal academy, and for his safety, he wore a mask. They had never seen each other's faces and communicated only through letters.
Despite the time they'd spent together, they had done very little together. Adrien was frail, and "An" had a busy schedule at the royal academy.
"Adrien, come to our little forest after the debutante ball. I have something to tell you."
She received this letter just before the debutante ball.
"Oh my! I'm sure that 'An' is going to confess his feelings to you! Before another man can snatch our Adrien at the debutante ball!"
Bianca, who was reading the letter with her, was so excited she seemed to be more thrilled than Adrien herself. She went out of her way to dress Adrien up for the special occasion.
Their first debutante ball was the annual New Year's masquerade ball held at the imperial palace.
Bianca found the most beautiful mask available in Pireta and presented it to Adrien with a satisfied expression.
'Does "An" really want to confess his feelings? Maybe he'll ask me to be his fiancée?'
Although she liked "An" a lot, the thought of getting engaged made her incredibly shy.
After writing a reply, Adrien spent the following days eagerly anticipating the next.
As the New Year's masquerade ball drew near, she would often look out the snow-covered window, unconsciously wishing to see "An" soon.
'I guess I like him a lot.'
Even though she'd never heard his voice or seen his face, could this be considered love?
She took out the letters she'd received and reread them.
He had something to tell her on the very day they came of age. She couldn't have been more nervous.
'I'll finally be able to see An's face and hear his voice.'
And as planned, Adrien found "An's" mask in the Atilchard Hall, just as he had described, with a single rose tucked in the spot he had mentioned.
He had grown quite a bit since they last saw each other. He seemed more mature than before.
Adrien waved to him happily.
After looking around for a moment, "An" seemed to hesitate before nodding and leading her out of the Atilchard Hall.
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