TVLT 08

Chapter 8

Cedric covered his mouth with his hand and coughed painfully for quite some time. He had burned the inside of his mouth.

“Well, this is something. I never expected to hear something like that from a young lady I met for the first time today.”

Artizea’s face had turned red as she held out her handkerchief to him. Cedric accepted it and wiped his mouth and hand.

Artizea had not actually proposed marriage because she wanted to marry him.

Even though her feelings had changed, Cedric did not know that.

So she had assumed that if she brought up marriage, he would naturally take it as some kind of scheme. She had never imagined that he would understand it as an actual marriage between a man and a woman.

Artizea readily admitted that she had made a mistake.

At this point, Cedric not only had no idea that her feelings had changed, he did not truly know her at all.

It was only natural that he would misunderstand her.

She pressed her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand and said,

“I am not actually asking you to marry me. I am suggesting marriage as a way to solve several of the problems you are struggling with all at once.”

“The problems I am struggling with?”

“You have been at odds with His Majesty over the victory ceremony for two months now, haven’t you? The fact that the soldiers are not being properly rewarded is a problem in itself. But I know you are concerned because, if this continues, it could cause not only the Western Army but also the Southern Army to fall apart.”

The Imperial Family had never treated the provincial armies well.

But after soldiers risked their lives and accomplished great feats only to receive no recognition, the resentment that had been building within the military was beginning to surface.

“His Majesty will be even less willing to give in the longer you hold out. He hates losing to others and having his dignity damaged more than anything else. I assume you came here today to ask the Archbishop to mediate?”

“That is correct.”

“That would not be a wise choice at all. Even if the Archbishop mediates, the only solution would ultimately be for you to give up the rewards and let the credit for the victory go entirely to the Western Army.”

Cedric had actually done that in the past. Even now, he had been planning to compromise in the same way.

At least then, it would not give the impression that the lord of the North was leading the West.

“That would be better. I am not in a position where I need military achievements to advance my career.”

“But someone still has to stand at the front of the victory ceremony. By putting someone else there instead of the person who actually achieved the victories, His Majesty will leave the army dissatisfied with the distribution of rewards.”

“……”

“And all the senior officers in the Western Army who currently follow you will either be driven out or purged. What matters is not simply taking honor away from you. It is preventing the Western Army from becoming yours.”

The honor Cedric had worked so hard to preserve for the West would become meaningless. The Western Army itself would come to see its own reputation as something dishonorable.

“Disappointed commanders will either choose to become warlords instead of remaining loyal to the Empire, or they will abandon the Western Army.”

That was exactly what had happened in the future Artizea knew.

The Western Army had grown weaker and weaker. Then, when another monster wave occurred seven years later, the western region became a living hell.

The loss of the grain-producing region also drove up grain prices throughout the other regions. The poor, of course, were the first to starve.

Cedric’s expression darkened. He knew this much himself.

But that did not mean he had any better solution.

“His Majesty cares for my brother Lawrence. But right now, my brother Lawrence lacks the support of the great nobles. It is obvious that this will become a major weakness when he eventually has to fight for the throne. His Majesty regrets that.”

She continued.

“But that does not mean His Majesty intends to share his own authority.”

“That is true.”

“That is why you are the perfect person. Because you are a member of the Imperial Family with a claim to the throne, you can strengthen my brother Lawrence’s legitimacy. At the same time, you are the lord of the North and an influential figure in the West.”

Artizea took a sip of tea and continued.

“If you leave open the possibility that you might support my brother Lawrence, His Majesty will willingly grant the Western Army the honor it deserves and reward them appropriately for their victory.”

“I understand what you mean, young lady. And that is precisely why such a thing is impossible. Making an alliance with the Marchioness of Rosan is completely out of the question. And marrying you is even more impossible.”

Cedric spoke stiffly.

“The only reason I have listened to you this long is because, although you are clever, you are still young. You do not know me well enough, so I assume you heard such a scheme from your mother and brother and thought it sounded plausible.”

“Your Highness.”

“I would appreciate it if we could consider it even, since I did not get angry with you and you can overlook the rudeness of me leaving in the middle of our conversation.”

“No.”

Artizea caught the sleeve of his coat as he tried to stand.

“I have not finished speaking. And I am not actually asking you to support Lawrence.”

Cedric looked down at her. Artizea spoke quickly.

“All His Majesty needs to see is the ‘possibility.’”

“Young lady.”

“If you leave it ambiguous whether you might support Lawrence or might not, the Western Army will receive the proper treatment it deserves. Even so, are you really going to throw all of that away for the sake of preserving your own reputation?”

“I will not bargain with unjust people just to beg for the honor that the soldiers who earned military achievements rightfully deserve.”

“Then what about the ‘Village of Traitors’ in the Grand Duchy of Evron?”

Cedric glared at Artizea with fierce eyes.

“Are you trying to threaten me?”

“No. I am sincerely giving you advice. The fact that I know about it means that someone else can find out as well, Your Highness.”

“At the very least, I now know that the Marchioness of Rosan and Lawrence have found out.”

“My mother and brother are not very good at handling such delicate matters. You do not need to worry. At this point, I am the only person who knows.”

“They are innocent.”

“I know that too. But if someone deliberately wanted to, it could become the basis for another purge at any time.”

Artizea now knew that he could not leave.

That gave her enough peace of mind to pour more tea into her empty cup.

Her throat was dry.

When she stopped speaking, Cedric dropped back into his seat.

Then he asked in a low voice,

“What do you want?”

“You need to pursue your practical interests a little more.”

“Are you saying that practical interest means joining hands with unjust people to obtain a victory ceremony for the Western Army?”

“I am telling you to give up your personal honor so that you can preserve the honor of the Western Army and protect the Grand Duchy of Evron.”

Artizea spoke calmly.

“My mother and brother know nothing about this meeting. I damaged the carriage wheel and made our meeting look like an accident not to deceive you, Your Highness, but to deceive outside observers.”

“……”

“It is quite common for affection to develop between a man and a woman after an accidental meeting.”

Artizea spoke matter-of-factly.

“So tell them that you fell in love with me, gave up your standoff with His Majesty, and came to the capital because of me. Then propose to me. Very few people will doubt it.”

She was Milaera Rosan’s daughter. People would naturally make their own assumptions.

But Milaera and Lawrence would know that this was not a political marriage. Therefore, no true marriage alliance would be formed.

As she said this, Artizea straightened her back and looked directly at Cedric.

“Outwardly, it will look as though you abandoned the Western Army because of a woman. But in reality, His Majesty will calculate what Lawrence can gain by becoming related to you and will allow the Western Army its victory ceremony.”

Cedric remained silent.

“Moreover, the Grand Duke of Roigar, Lawrence’s greatest opponent, will also become favorable toward you. You can benefit from both sides.”

Artizea emptied the cold tea from his cup and poured him a fresh one.

In the end, Cedric had to ask,

“I understand that Lawrence will make an effort to win me over in practical terms as well. But the Grand Duke of Roigar is opposed to Lawrence. Why would he look favorably upon me if I married you?”

“Because you married me after being blinded by a woman, not because you formed a marriage alliance to support my brother Lawrence.”

Artizea answered calmly.

“Until now, the Grand Duke of Evron has been far too flawless and has always done what is right. But if people hear that you came to the capital because of a woman, what do you think the Grand Duke of Roigar will think? He will think, ‘Even that man can abandon his pride because of greed. Then there must be a way to win him over.’”

“So you are saying I can exert influence over both sides.”

“Yes.”

Cedric had never been a man without influence to begin with.

Evron in the North was the shield of the Empire, and Cedric himself was the greatest warrior in the Empire.

On top of that, he had rebuilt the Western Army and gained great military achievements by stopping the monster waves.

There were many people in the Eastern Army, Southern Army, and Central Army who respected him.

At the same time, he had strengthened his reputation by refusing to bow to anyone and by never forming his own faction.

That was ultimately what made the Emperor wary of him.

Cedric did not possess enough power to threaten the Emperor, but he had enough influence to make the Emperor uncomfortable.

“If I marry you, His Majesty will no longer regard your existence as unpleasant as he does now.”

“……”

“His Majesty hates having his authority disregarded more than anything. But the struggle over succession is the very thing that allows him to exercise that authority most freely. Think about why he has never openly backed his son Lawrence until now.”

“I understand what you mean. His Majesty is a suspicious man. If I become involved in the succession struggle, then even if someone accuses the Grand Duchy of Evron of wrongdoing, His Majesty will see it as nothing more than political maneuvering and treat it as a minor matter.”

Cedric spoke as though thinking aloud.

“Is that how you think I can protect the Grand Duchy?”

Artizea quietly waited for him to finish thinking.

By then, the tea had run out.

Artizea herself poured fresh water into the teapot and turned over the hourglass. Cedric remained silent until all the sand had fallen.

“Then what do you gain from this marriage? If you are not trying to make me take Lawrence’s side through a marriage alliance.”

Artizea lowered her eyes. She would have to lie about this part.

Cedric had no reason to trust her yet.

“What I want is to inherit the House of Rosan in full and become independent.”

“You will inherit the marquisate eventually anyway.”

“I cannot wait that long.”

Artizea said it that way. It was not entirely a lie.

“I am eighteen years old now. I can inherit the title only when I turn twenty. At present, my mother, as my guardian, has the authority to dispose of the assets of the House of Rosan. She will have that authority for the next two years as well.”

Even though the House of Rosan had completely lost its political influence, it still possessed enormous wealth.

Simply having the power to dispose of that wealth at will gave Lawrence tremendous influence.

And as long as Artizea remained under Milaera’s authority, there was very little she could do.

First, she had to escape.

“But with your guardian’s permission, you can marry. Once you are married, you can be recognized as an adult.”

“Yes. But my mother will never let me go simply because I choose someone. It would be the same even after I became an adult. Rather than let me marry, my mother would probably kill the man I chose.”

Artizea spoke coldly.

“In that regard, Your Highness is the best card I can choose. His Majesty will be pleased by your proposal, and my brother Lawrence would never reject it.”

“Are you trying to betray your mother and brother?”

“I am a tool. A tool cannot be said to betray someone simply because it falls into another person’s hands.”

Artizea said bitterly.

She herself did not exactly refrain from treating other people as tools. In that respect, perhaps she was more like Milaera than she wanted to admit.

“Maintain a marriage of convenience for only two years and protect me, Your Highness. If you do that, I will make you the Emperor.”

Cedric’s eyes widened at the unexpected statement, and he stared at her.

“You must do so. If you truly want the people of the Crates Empire to live in peace. Lawrence is cruel, and Roigar is greedy. If either of them takes the throne, the Empire will become a living hell.”

Artizea spoke firmly.