TVLT 06

Chapter  06

Artizea took it as she did. What other reason could there be for Milaera to be in such a bad mood?

Lawrence was already twenty-three. Even a son who had been raised as precious as he was could reach an age when he found his mother bothersome.

Especially someone like Lawrence, who had been raised to put himself first in everything.

“Did he say where he was going?”

Milaera did not answer. She only sighed and pressed her fingers against her temple.

By then, Sophie realized that Milaera’s attention had shifted elsewhere. She carefully took out the curling iron and began curling Artizea’s hair.

Artizea habitually offered Milaera the same words of comfort she always did.

“Brother Lawrence has many friends. And he has many things to take care of, too…… So it can’t be helped.”

“Yes. I know. Your brother is a wonderful man, so I suppose there are many people looking for him.”

Milaera sighed.

“I just hope he doesn’t get caught by some sly little vixen.”

“Don’t worry. Brother is a wise man.”

“But women are a different matter. No matter how wonderful a man is, there’s nothing he can do if a woman deliberately throws herself at him. Lust is a man’s instinct, after all.”

Milaera always said things like that. Artizea often wondered whether it was wisdom born from Milaera’s own experience or simply prejudice.

Either way, the answer was always decided in situations like this. What Milaera wanted to hear was comforting reassurance.

“How could Brother ever do that? You raised him so carefully, Mother. Brother isn’t that kind of person.”

When she was younger, Artizea had once genuinely worried along with Milaera, believing that her mother’s words were a real concern.

But every time, Milaera had beaten her for saying things like, “What kind of unlucky thing are you saying?” or “Are you cursing him?”

Now Artizea was no longer hurt by such things, and she also knew that Milaera was not really saying them for her sake.

Milaera nodded at her answer.

“That’s right. Your brother is different from ordinary men. Still, I can’t help worrying. In the end, once a man finds his woman, he is bound to forget his mother.…… You won’t be like that, will you?”

“Of course not, Mother. I’ll always stay by your side.”

Artizea answered politely.

Milaera smiled in satisfaction.

“That’s how it should be. You’re my daughter, after all.”

While they were talking, Sophie finished curling all of Artizea’s hair.

Sophie was not lacking in tact, either, so she deliberately curled it too tightly, making it short and old-fashioned.

Milaera seemed satisfied with that, too.

“Have a good time. Make a donation while you’re there. Go and clear your head a little. You should always keep the temple in mind.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Artizea obediently answered.

Donating to the temple and giving money to the priests to win their favor, as well as winning over servants and lower-ranking officials in the Imperial Palace to build an information network, had all been Artizea’s suggestions when she was fifteen.

Milaera had tried several times to do similar things before.

But she had always been irritated because the results were poor compared to the large amounts of money she spent.

Then she followed Artizea’s advice and succeeded.

Even so, Milaera now believed that she had planned everything herself and that Artizea had merely carried out her errands.

But Artizea did not resent her for it.

Within a few days, or a month at the latest, everything would change.

She did not want to get into an unnecessary argument or be beaten over such a trivial matter, so she pretended not to know and behaved exactly as she always had.

“My lady, are you all right?”

After Milaera left, Sophie asked worriedly.

Artizea nodded.

“It’s not as though this only started yesterday.”

“Yes…… But still.”

“Help me get dressed.”

“Oh, yes.”

Sophie hurried to work.

Artizea did not have a corset.

When Artizea was young, Milaera had made her wear a small corset because she wanted her to look at least a little better.

But once Artizea’s body began to develop into that of an adult, Milaera had forbidden her from tightening it, claiming that it would give men improper thoughts.

Instead, Sophie attached a bustle pad around her hips and dressed her in a dark green striped dress.

Her parasol was beige to match, with a green band around the edge.

Finally, Sophie seated Artizea in a chair and slipped her fingers into her hair.

She massaged Artizea’s scalp while gently loosening the tightly curled hair with her fingers.

The curls gradually loosened to just the right degree and fell softly around her shoulders.

Artizea’s hair had always had a beautiful color, so styled this way, it looked particularly elegant and lovely.

Artizea awkwardly studied herself in the mirror, playing with the ends of her hair.

With her hair covering her dry cheeks, she somehow looked prettier.

“How do you like it? Don’t worry about Madam. By the time you come back, the curls will have loosened completely. If you’re really worried, you can wet them a little.”

Sophie spoke cheerfully.

Artizea did not know what she was supposed to do.

It was not that she had never cared about her appearance.

But this was the first time a maid had simply made her look pretty, without there being some plan or purpose behind the way she dressed.

When she was satisfied with something, Artizea would usually give the maids a silver coin as a reward.

But today, Sophie had not simply done her job well according to some practical need. Artizea merely liked the way her hair looked.

Was it still all right to give her something?

More importantly, was it all right for her to look pretty at all?

Artizea had always carried an almost obsessive anxiety about whether she was allowed to do things for herself.

‘Because now, I have to break free from Mother.’

She made up her mind firmly.

“Do you not like it?”

Sophie asked with an anxious expression.

Artizea shook her head, opened the drawer of the vanity, took out a silver coin, and handed it to Sophie.

“No. You did a good job today.”

“Wow! Thank you!”

Sophie accepted the silver coin with both hands and bowed.

A knock sounded at the door.

Alice, having finished all the errands Artizea had given her, came in. The moment she saw Artizea, she was startled.

“My lady! You look absolutely beautiful today!”

Behind Artizea, Sophie secretly made a V sign with her fingers.

Artizea noticed and gave Sophie a warning look.

Sophie sheepishly shrank back.

Alice, who was even more cheerful than Sophie, said brightly,

“Pretty is pretty! It would be wonderful if you dressed like this all the time.”

“You two certainly know how to flatter. You won’t get anything from me just by saying things like that. Did you finish everything I asked you to do?”

“Yes. I packed the lunch properly and had it loaded into the carriage.”

“Well done.”

Artizea gave Alice a silver coin as well.

Sophie put a small hat decorated with artificial flowers on Artizea’s head as a finishing touch.

Artizea took her parasol, accompanied by Alice, and stepped outside.

The work of changing the future was beginning now.

At that time, Grand Duke Cedric of Evron was staying at the military camp outside the capital.

Cedric was the Emperor’s nephew. His mother had been the Emperor’s sister.

Before Cedric had even turned two, his parents were accused of treason and executed. At that time, almost all the members of the imperial family, except for the Emperor’s own children, were killed.

Only Cedric and Roygar, who was still fourteen, survived the purge.

The Emperor had originally had five children with the Empress besides Lawrence.

However, none of them reached adulthood. Two died of illness as infants.

When the remaining three all died from illness and accidents within the span of two years, rumors spread that the Emperor had been cursed for killing his own kin.

There were even rumors that the ghost of the late Empress Dowager wandered around the graves of the innocent Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Evron, shedding bloody tears.

The Emperor had everyone who repeated such rumors arrested and executed.

But as he grew older, his violent temperament gradually softened. The successive deaths of his children had also left him deeply shaken.

In the end, the Emperor restored the titles and honor of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Evron.

But Cedric had become disgusted with power.

So he had no intention of entering central politics and quietly devoted himself to governing the Grand Duchy of Evron.

Once Cedric’s reputation began to grow, however, the Emperor forcibly summoned him from the north.

He placed him in command of the Imperial Western Army and ordered him to pacify the western regions, where monsters were overrunning the land.

There was a phenomenon known as a monster wave in the west.

It referred to monsters multiplying every few years and attacking human settlements.

When the situation became severe, more than half of the western plains could be devastated by monster attacks.

Commoners lost their homes and became wanderers. Agriculture and other industries were ruined, and human trafficking became rampant.

When monster waves were particularly severe, food became as scarce as during a great famine.

Rumors of people resorting to cannibalism also spread from time to time.

But the Krates Empire, which had lost the spirit it possessed when it was founded, could no longer extend its reach even to the western regions.

Cedric had effectively needed to start by rebuilding the Western Army itself.

After a long and arduous campaign, he cleared a vast area extending beyond the border and reinforced the fortresses.

For the time being, there would be no need to worry about another increase in the monster population.

It had been a great victory.

Yet the Emperor still had not allowed him to hold a triumphal ceremony.

So Cedric had been camped outside the capital for two months.

“This is hardly the time for him to be stubborn.”

His adjutant, Freil, complained.

“Let’s just do it. A triumphal ceremony—why is that so important? Isn’t His Majesty’s real purpose to separate Your Highness from the Western Army anyway?”

The Emperor wanted Cedric to enter the capital with only the Evron Knights under his command and hold the triumphal ceremony that way.

He often separated generals who had achieved military victories from their troops, honored them lavishly, and excluded the army itself from the rewards.

It was a way to win over capable commanders and bring them into the central government while driving a wedge between them and the Western Army.

That way, no renowned military leader capable of uniting the Western Army could emerge.

The west was vast and far away, making it difficult for the central government to exercise proper administrative control.

To keep ruling such a region, the central army had to be strengthened while the Western Army had to be weakened.

Even if that meant leaving the west without the power to defend itself.

But Freil shook his head.

“It would probably be better for the Western Army, too. We can’t keep this up forever, can we? Even if they don’t receive any honor, there should at least be some monetary reward.”

“The soldiers who have suffered for more than a year without reinforcements or adequate supplies deserve that honor.”

Cedric spoke firmly.

“I don’t need a grand ceremony. You cannot reward military achievements with money alone.”

Cedric’s expression hardened.

“The campaign was a great victory, but if we do not bind the soldiers together with honor and pride, the same thing will happen again in a few years. What are we supposed to do if the experienced soldiers we have worked so hard to train are simply discharged?”

“Then Your Highness can just swallow them all up. Tell them to gather at the Grand Duchy of Evron.”

“If the west collapses, the entire Empire will be in danger.”

Even Cedric could not help letting out a small sigh.

“I understand what you are saying, Freil. We cannot stay like this forever.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I am thinking of asking the Archbishop to mediate.”

Freil made a strange face.

The Emperor had a poor relationship with the temple.

“I wonder if that will work.”

“We have to try something. Besides, I was planning to visit the temple anyway. I have been having disturbing dreams.”

“Dreams?”

“Yes.”

Cedric nodded.

A woman he had never seen before had appeared in his dream.

Her hair had gone completely white and was disheveled around her face. Without saying a word, she simply cried endlessly, tears covering her entire face.

In some ways, she had looked so dreadful that it could almost be called a nightmare.

But rather than fear, he had felt an inexplicable sense of pity.

All that remained was a suffocating, desperate feeling, as though something inside his chest were being squeezed tight.

It had been a dream that left a bitter aftertaste in every way.