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IGF 7
“The Dowager’s words were true—you really don't know how the world works, having been tucked away in a convent.”
“What do you mean...?”
“I’m sorry, Roselyn. I should have told you sooner, but I was just so busy preparing for your wedding that it completely slipped my mind.”
Selena sneered, her face devoid of any actual remorse. At her following words, Roselyn’s already pale face turned a ghostly white.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Western Adoption System. To facilitate the marriage with you, Isaac was brought in as an adopted son. Now that Isaac is a member of the Bluebell family, even if you divorce, the title of Count remains his. Do you understand?”
The Western Adoption System was a form of matrilocal marriage. In the past, the Empire had a system where a family with no sons to inherit the title, only daughters, would adopt a son and marry him to the daughter to continue the family line. A son-in-law brought in for such a purpose was called a Western Adoptee.
Roselyn had heard that such a system existed. However, it was a practice from several generations ago; in an era where free love and marriage had become common, it was no longer implemented.
“The Western Adoption System is something from the distant past. To bring up a defunct system now...!”
“Unfortunately, the laws regarding that system still remain.”
“An adopted son that even I, the legitimate bloodline of the Bluebell family, knew nothing about? I absolutely cannot accept this. I will file a formal objection, so be aware of that.”
Roselyn spoke stiffly, shaking her head. As if her trembling voice were utterly pathetic, Selena waved her palm in a dismissive gesture.
“Now that you’re a divorcee, who do you think will believe you? I told you repeatedly, Roselyn. There is nothing you can do.”
Only then did it suddenly hit her that everything had been a trap. Trials for nobles are presided over by the Imperial family. If one has no connections to the royals or cannot meet them, they cannot even request a trial. And the royals, along with the high nobles equivalent to them, would never meet someone stained by the scandal of being a divorcee.
Isaac mocked the devastated Roselyn openly. He stood up with Selena and spoke. It was the same voice that had intimidated her on their wedding night.
“If you understand, pack your things and get out of my house. You’d better hurry if you don’t want to be dragged out naked.”
The two of them walked toward the door. Transparent tears dripped from Roselyn’s despairing eyes as she trembled, having nowhere to go. She rushed toward Selena, her voice choked with sobs.
“Madam! I’ll leave. Just please, give me back my mother’s keepsakes.”
“What keepsakes?”
“The necklace. And my mother’s research journals. I won’t ask for anything else. Just give those back.”
“Oh, those? Are they really that precious and dear to you?”
Selena wore a radiantly bright smile. It was the same smile she always wore whenever Roselyn clung to her. Though it felt as if her heart were falling into a bottomless abyss, Roselyn endured and held on, trying to grasp even a single shred of hope.
“Yes. Hic. They are so precious to me. So please....”
“Then all the more reason I cannot give them to you. They are treasures of the Count’s house, so it is only right that the house manages them. You are practically a commoner now, aren't you?”
Roselyn completely collapsed. Her legs gave out, and she slumped powerlessly to the floor, silent tears streaming down her face and soaking into the carpet.
Selena didn't know how many years she had waited for this moment. Finally, everything had happened exactly as she intended. With a look of feigned pity, Selena stroked Roselyn’s hair.
Below the window, the garden scenery looked even more lush. The neatly trimmed trees and shrubs in full bloom announced the arrival of spring. Aiden, whose gaze was fixed on a cluster of violets in the corner of the flowerbed, sensed a presence and looked up.
“Your Imperial Highness.”
Standing at the end of Aiden’s gaze was a man with a face similar to his own. It was the Crown Prince, Deimos. With silver-grey hair and gold eyes like Aiden’s, Deimos was similar in height but had a much leaner build, giving him the impression of a fragile and soft-featured beauty. As Aiden stood up with a welcoming smile, Deimos gently pressed him back down into his seat.
“It’s been a long time, Aiden.”
The joy was evident on his older brother’s face as he patted Aiden’s shoulder. Aiden, too, let the corners of his mouth curl upward. A faint warmth finally entered his eyes, which usually held a sense of coldness.
“I hope you have been faring well.”
“Drop the formalities. As for me, everything is the same. I’m still unable to do anything.”
His tone was light, as if making a self-deprecating joke, but Aiden could easily glimpse the despair and self-reproach hidden within. Deimos wiped his face once and continued calmly.
“This time, Count Bertian was demoted. Something happened in his territory, so he left in haste a few days ago. Since these things happen before I can even try to do anything, it feels as though everything is my fault.”
Nobles close to Deimos often found themselves in trouble, as even the smallest mistake was twisted into a major corruption scandal. This was the work of the defectus, a special investigative agency established by the Emperor to keep the nobility in check, following a suggestion from Lady Rowin, Wijena.
And the vacancies left by Deimos’s aides, who were demoted and sent away, began to be filled one by one by the associates of the Marquess and Wijena. At first, he thought it was just bad luck, but as it repeated, it became a fact that didn't even require effort to realize who was driving Deimos into a corner.
Deimos’s attempts to do something for his confined mother and for the imperial authority that was crumbling under Wijena all ended in failure. New bills he drafted never passed, and useful policies were blocked before they could even be created. Deimos’s body, weak from birth, grew increasingly sickly due to stress. It had already been over five years since he began wasting away from an unknown illness. The once ambitious Deimos was gradually becoming exhausted.
“It is not your fault, Brother. It is because of His Majesty and Wijena.”
Aiden quirked a neat eyebrow and crossed his long legs. It was a languid posture, but it suited him perfectly, as he was a natural predator. Deimos always felt sorry and grateful toward his younger brother, who was always composed and therefore more reliable.
“Right. Did you see His Majesty?”
“He was with Wijena. He started saying something strange about marriage proposals, so I just left.”
Seeing Aiden chuckle playfully and bounce his foot, Deimos’s worried expression relaxed slightly. Deimos nudged Aiden’s shoulder with a teasing voice.
“It is all thanks to you that I can even maintain my position like this.”
He was a Crown Prince who was called fragile, sickly, and powerless. Ironically, it was because of those evaluations that he was able to keep his seat.
Aiden, the Second Prince, was not only naturally disobedient but also constantly rebelled against everything the Emperor and Wijena did, making him deemed not worth the effort to tame.
Because of this, Aiden had been pushed out of the palace from a young age. At ten, he was sent to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage for the sake of peace, and upon returning and reaching adulthood, he was sent to the border under the pretext of eradicating magical beasts. After receiving a sudden order to return, he was finally able to enter the Imperial Palace again after five long years.
“I’m satisfied because I could live relatively freely thanks to you, Brother. I loathe tedious things, so don’t even dream of stepping down.”
His nature would not allow him to spend his entire life shut inside the Imperial Palace, living only for the Empire. Knowing that Aiden was sincere, Deimos laughed out loud.
“It was a win for everyone, then.”
Two pairs of gold eyes curved with a similar warmth. Aiden uncrossed his arms and leaned toward Deimos.
“I shall have to hope that our Crown Prince continues to hold his position well. How is your health?”
“It’s not good. That’s why I came here as soon as I heard you had returned.”
He looked similar to before, so there were no obvious signs. Aiden’s face stiffened slightly at the unexpected answer. He uncrossed his legs and looked at Deimos seriously.
“What do you mean, it’s not good?”
“Exactly what I said. The doctors say they don’t know the cause, and it seems that even if I were to ascend the throne as it is, it would be impossible for me to produce an heir.”
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