[Interlude] Menexes Kingdom (8)
(Continental Year 582)
“Father! I cannot accept being treated in such an insulting manner!”
“Silence! Your feelings do not matter in the slightest. First, focus on making that Third Prince take a liking to you. Right now, that man is simply emotional after being suddenly separated from his wife and child.
Once he calms down, he will surely come to think that a noblewoman is preferable to some barbaric adventurer.
If you fail to capture his interest by then, another woman may end up by his side.”
On the carriage ride back from the castle, an indescribable atmosphere had hung in the air, but with knights surrounding us for security, I could not say anything unnecessary.
So once we returned to the estate and arrived at Father’s study, I voiced my dissatisfaction, only to be met with those words, which left me stunned.
Father had always been kind to me, if anything, one might even say indulgent, yet this was the first time he had ever told me to be silent.
“Damn it… I managed to eliminate that nuisance Raftara, and I was able to get rid of the Second Prince as well.
The First Prince was unexpected, but he died just as planned… and now you’re telling me the Third Prince has a wife and child?”
He muttered to himself as he paced around the room, occasionally biting his nails. I had never seen Father like this before… is he truly the same man?
And what did he mean, he was able to get rid of the Second Prince?
“F-Father…”
“What is it? You’re still here?”
Faced with a figure so different from the father I knew, I could feel both my voice and my hands trembling. What is going on?
“Hmph. If you are to become queen in your own country rather than being sent abroad, then I suppose I may as well tell you.”
As he said that and tapped his cane twice against the floor, four figures dressed entirely in black appeared from nowhere.
Where did they come from? They had appeared without a sound. Faced with these unknown figures, I nearly let out a scream, but in an instant, someone covered my mouth from behind, and no sound escaped.
“You fool. I have told you to remain calm at all times, yet you cannot even manage that.”
I had thought there were four, yet there was another. That realization only deepened my fear, but more than that, the cold eyes with which Father looked down on me as I trembled with tears were far more terrifying, and all I could do was nod repeatedly.
Urged along, I sat down on the sofa and was introduced to them.
“These are members of the ducal house’s shadow division. Only I, as the head of the house, know their appearances and names. They handle intelligence, assassinations, information gathering, anything.
They have done a great deal of work to ensure our ducal house becomes the foremost in this nation.”
The five of them stood lined up before the door. All of them were dressed in black, their faces hidden except for their eyes, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female. Their slender builds were such that I could believe they were all women, but who could say?
And the five merely bowed their heads lightly, none of them uttering a word, making it even harder to determine their gender.
“I want you to investigate this supposed wife and child of the Third Prince.”
“Understood. Will an investigation alone suffice?”
“Yes. For now, confirm their whereabouts.”
The moment he said that, the five vanished again without a sound.
The voice that had responded to Father’s command had been male, yet the dissonance with their appearance remained unsettling.
“You would not be able to discern their true identities. They live normal lives and blend in, so even I only know the identities of a few.”
“Father, what do you intend to do by investigating the Third Prince’s wife and child? Do you plan to make her a secondary consort?”
“Well now, if she proves to be a useful woman, that would be one option.
If he can only be aroused by that particular woman, then we could have her bear a child and raise it as yours.
If she is of no use, then we dispose of her. If she is gone, he will not be able to cling to her forever.
Your primary objective is to attract the Third Prince’s interest, and to deepen your relationship with Prince Shukran so that you may become his stepmother.
Even if the Third Prince proves unsuitable, if you can become Prince Shukran’s stepmother, you will find it easier to wield influence as the king’s mother.”
Having said only that, he waved his hand as if he had no further use for me, and I left Father’s study.
What is this…? Too many things have happened tonight, I feel as though my mind might break.
This should have been a joyous day, the day my future as queen was decided, yet I could not bring myself to feel even the slightest excitement.
Perhaps more than the Third Prince’s words, it was Father’s sudden change in demeanor that shocked me the most.
To Father, what mattered was whether or not I could be of use to this house.
What do you think about this chapter?
