CMFAR 13

Chapter 13

Contract Marriage for Atilenta’s Revenge

I looked at Henryk, who was not bothering to engage with Tatra at all, and tried to guess what was going through his mind.

Henryk was a man with the ambition to dominate that vast battlefield. Not only did he envision the moment he would ascend to the throne of this kingdom, but he was also likely dreaming of something beyond that.

I suspected that Tatra’s house must have considerable authority. For Henryk, who envisioned such a future, it was common sense that his in-laws should not be too powerful.

He had brought me in as his wife to use me in war, so pushing away a woman he had been close to in the past was also a matter of principle and common sense.

“Lady Białowieża. If you prefer a tender-hearted man, I happen to know an excellent gentleman.”

That was precisely the common sense. The virtues of marriage I knew were also applicable here.

Unconsciously, I clenched both hands beneath the table. I was trying to suppress the anger and resentment rising within me, stirred up by certain people that Tatra had reminded me of.

“He’s a reliable adjutant, so if you wish, I can introduce him to you.”

Though I had not said a single word, Tatra bit her lip lightly and looked at me. The resentment and jealousy in her eyes were so honest that I almost envied her.

No, I wasn’t envious of her honesty alone.

“Your Highness… How could you say such a thing? My father still keeps me close like a bird in his arms, saying there is no suitable match for me yet…”

Tatra trailed off in embarrassment. Though she wore a wounded expression, her underlying intent was firm. Since the man she loved was unwavering, no one else even caught her eye.

That was why she was so wary of me. Honestly, it was absurd.

“I was wondering if I might ask how His Highness came to meet Her Highness the Princess-Consort…”

I fiddled idly with the rose ornament pinned in my hair, recommended by the head maid.

Just as I was about to open my lips to change the subject, trying to ease my rising discomfort—

“Lady Białowieża. That is a story between the two of us, so I’m afraid I cannot satisfy your curiosity.”

Henryk, without even a sigh, continued to treat her coldly.

“I think it would be best to finish the meal first.”

Though my feelings did not settle easily, I even felt grateful to him. Henryk was merely being faithful to our transaction, but I was benefiting from it.

I too deliberately took a sip of wine as if at ease, then parted my lips.

“I do enjoy how lively this time is, Your Highness Henryk.”

Then I smiled lightly at Tatra. A smile with just a moderate amount of goodwill.

“His Highness keeps me by his side because he needs me, Lady Białowieża.”

*This is a waste of emotion, Atilenta.* Knowing that, I still said that one line to Tatra.

Perhaps this was even a proper attitude for a princess-consort. By showing that I was wary of a rival, it would appear to others that my relationship with Henryk was good.

My mind was complicated by the unexpected turn of events. I felt as though I was rationalizing without knowing the right answer.

Even amid that, I observed Henryk once more. His expression remained unchanged. As always, he was as if nothing had happened, maintaining his composed lips and calm amethyst eyes.

I was that kind of man too, in this place.

Recalling the words he had said when he gave me the ring, I decided to act more proactively.

I raised my hand with the ring and lightly clasped Henryk’s hand as if covering it. Flaunting the Bwendian ring he had given me.

“If you truly wish it, you could enter as His Highness’s concubine, or even his mistress.”

“Excuse me? Wh-what did you say?”

“You are so bold even in this place, so I’m saying. Why don’t you ask His Highness? I don’t particularly mind either way.”

As I spoke, I leaned my body slightly toward Henryk. Like a wife leaning on her husband’s shoulder.

Tatra clearly understood my meaning. *Even if someone like you came as a mistress, I wouldn’t care. That’s how much I am confident in His Highness’s love, and how little I fear dealing with someone like you.*

Naturally, Tatra’s gentle and kind mask shattered instantly.

“P-Princess-Consort. How could you say such a thing—”

The elegant atmosphere at the table, shared with members of the royal family, froze in an instant, but I continued to the end.

“Oh dear, I recommend you don’t make that face. People might misunderstand. That your personality is irritable and difficult. Though I know full well that you are not such a lady at all.”

Tatra’s face flushed red, visible to all. After watching her reaction, I slowly rose from my seat.

“Your Highness Henryk, Your Highness Leszcza, Princess Warsha. Would you permit me to step away to the terrace for some air? I finished my meal quickly thanks to the wonderful food. I would be grateful if you would allow it.”

“Do so. You, Atilenta.”

Henryk was the first to nod. Leszcza and Warsha also gave their signals of approval. I immediately withdrew and turned around. I cast only a brief glance at Tatra and left the spot.

Instantly, the smile I had put on in front of them vanished completely.

Ah, I did the same thing as Celena.

I didn’t feel particularly good about it. I wondered if Celena had felt the same. No, there was no way she had.

Only then did I look outside the window. It was midday. It was quite peculiar that this kingdom’s grand banquets started not in the evening but around noon.

I thought I might as well drink some alcohol to match this strange atmosphere. I hoped I could grow accustomed to Bwendowska’s liquor too. I took a glass from the tray a servant was carrying and swiftly stepped out onto the terrace.

—

* * *

The meal with the royal family had ended. In the center of the banquet hall, the royal orchestra was playing. Watching the people dancing freely, listening to the lively and spirited music, Henryk was smiling. Drinking the liquor his adjutant served him, he looked like a man fully enjoying the banquet.

“I heard that even among the same breed of dog, the smaller ones tend to be more feisty. Doesn’t that ring true, my lord?”

Lord Kraków, standing behind Henryk, pressed his brow with a stiff expression.

The head of the Białowieża House was quite powerful. Even in meetings of ministers, their influence was substantial. Lord Kraków thought of the woman married to his master. She had come from a foreign land, so she might not have known what kind of house the Białowieża House was, and thus said such things.

Whether she knew or not, the fact remained that she had unnecessarily made an enemy. Henryk, his lord, wore the face of someone who had witnessed an amusing sight, as if he regarded it as merely a small animal throwing a tantrum.

The knight offered a loyal counsel to his master.

“Your Highness. The fact that the Princess-Consort has a rival is also Your Highness’s responsibility.”

“I know. What should I do then, Lord Kraków?”

Lord Kraków suppressed a sigh, wondering whether this too was all within Henryk’s calculations.

“…Please assign my younger sister as her exclusive lady-in-waiting. That girl is good at these sorts of things.”

Henryk replied, still wearing an easy smile.

“She seems like the type who would do fine without an exclusive lady-in-waiting.”

He was acting as if he knew nothing of his knight’s concerns.

“Since she is the Princess-Consort, having one befits her station.”

“Where she learned the customs of this place—truly, I cannot fathom it.”

Henryk speculated on what she might have learned in her homeland. She had been a princess of one kingdom and a duchess’s wife, so it seemed she had acquired a rather high level of cultivation.

“Yes. Even now she is splendid, but if she were polished just a little more, she would truly be flawless and perfect.”

Henryk raised his wine, darker in color than his own eyes, and drank it very leisurely.

“The lord is right.”

For a woman of the Kraków House’s standing to enter the royal court as a lady-in-waiting, she needed the recommendation or permission of the head of the house—that is to say, Henryk’s knight, Lord Kraków.

“If it’s your younger sister, she is trustworthy.”