71 – 71. Confusion
Was it because I didn’t respond and hesitated?
“Allen Maydoff. Marry my daughter.”
Emperor Edmund III stared at me intently, repeating the same words.
Even in my dazed state, I instinctively gathered information.
Not marriage, but engagement,
Not “will you,” but “do.”
And above all, what bothered me was that he didn’t specify which princess it was, simply referring to her as “my daughter.”
Surely he wouldn’t be suggesting that I choose one of the three princesses to be engaged to at my own discretion. There must be some ulterior motive behind this as well.
While I was trying to decipher the Emperor’s true intentions, a question suddenly arose in my mind.
“Is this supposed to be a reward?”
Of course, the Emperor had promised more than just his daughter.
He had also mentioned granting me business rights. More precisely, the business rights in the Daesurim area, where the valuable natural stones and silver (which are treated as strategic assets in this world, especially due to trade with Jinkuk) can be obtained, although it is unlikely that I will receive anything else.
Even just the acquisition of timber alone could elevate me to the status of a powerful figure with thousands of employees under my command.
“He also mentioned a noble title.”
It is relatively common for entrepreneurs to be granted a baron title.
However, considering that the Emperor himself mentioned a noble title, it couldn’t be something as low-ranking as a baron. Perhaps he would grant me a title befitting the fiancé of a princess.
Up to this point, it seemed like a reward.
But the engagement with the princess, no matter how much I thought about it, was definitely not a reward. Especially when I considered the purpose behind this engagement.
I needed more information.
“Your Majesty, I apologize, but I…”
“Allan Maydoff.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Yes.”
“I have already proposed the engagement to Kyung in my own words. And I have no intention of retracting that decision, no matter what Kyung says.”
“….”
Refusing would be seen as an insult to the royal family. This also had a subtle Eastern scent to it. It could be a scheme devised by the Empress, but it was not wrong in terms of justification. The Emperor had recommended that a knight take his daughter as a wife, and to refuse without understanding the subject matter would be inappropriate.
What would happen if I were to refuse in this situation? It would likely create a situation where I am gradually being pushed towards death. It would be unreasonable to release a subordinate who cannot be trusted or monitored freely.
However, I couldn’t readily accept it either. How should I respond when the future is foreseen?
There are three imperial princesses, but in reality, there are only two. No matter which one I get engaged to, my life is bound to become extremely tiresome.
It was obvious what the intention was in giving away that precious and lovely daughter of hers. They would probably place me in a visible position and monitor me in real-time. And they would only make use of my talents when needed.
For now, I needed to buy time without giving a definite answer, but I couldn’t come up with a clear strategy at the moment.
While I hesitated, the Emperor was gradually creating a situation where it would be difficult to refuse.
“I have already looked into your background. …To be honest, I investigated it when you were causing trouble under the second princess’s command. After hearing the news that you had produced morphine, I delved into it in more detail.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Your family seemed somewhat unfamiliar, and it wasn’t for no reason.”
“….”
“Your family, which barely maintained its lineage by selling off all authority over the territories two hundred years ago… Of course, I have no intention of belittling the Gyeong family, but it’s true that it’s a bit too much to make them a part of the royal family.”
“That’s correct. I am not qualified enough to become a member of the royal family.”
“That’s why I plan to make you eligible for the Gyeong family first.”
“….”
“On the day of signing the armistice agreement, I will widely publicize the merits of the Gyeongui Palace and bestow him with a title as a pretext. And after a slight delay, we will announce the engagement, so no one will question the sincerity of the Gyeongui Palace. It will be finalized within a month, at the latest.”
The Emperor looked at me with a piercing gaze as he spoke.
He seemed determined to extract my definite answer in this moment. Seeing his stubborn expression, I realized that it would be difficult to evade.
“Have I ever been in such a predicament before?”
I didn’t expect the Empress to be so cunning.
Even now, it feels like the Empress’s shadow looms behind the Emperor.
I have been surprised by Sienna’s actions before, but the Empress surpassed that. Honestly, she seemed to be superior even compared to me.
That doesn’t matter, but the problem is that the Empress is targeting me for some unknown reason.
As I speculated about her motives, a suspicion crossed my mind.
To confirm, I immediately opened my mouth.
“Your Majesty, I am overwhelmed and deeply honored by your generous proposal. However… there is one thing I would like to ask.”
“Speak.”
“I didn’t hear which princess’s name you mentioned as a potential match for me. Of course, I am aware that both princesses are far superior to me. They possess not only beauty but also impeccable character.”
“Are you worried that I might assign you to an illegitimate child?”
“It’s not that.”
“I only have three legitimate children. I don’t know why you need to explain this to Gyeong, but… I have never committed any dishonorable acts throughout my life. It is impossible to form a union with a nonexistent illegitimate child.”
I became suspicious as he kept deflecting the conversation.
However, this time, I couldn’t back down either.
It’s absurd to receive a proposal to become a princess without even knowing who I would be marrying. There was no reason to hide it in the first place.
“Your Majesty, please tell me.”
“…I’ve already said it.”
The Emperor let out a nervous cough for the first time, showing signs of anxiety.
The script was probably already written by the Empress. It must be uncomfortable for the Emperor to hesitate to say it himself.
It didn’t seem like it was just because he didn’t want to send his daughter to someone he considered trash.
“What are you talking about?”
“I have three subordinates… Didn’t I already say that?”
No way, it can’t be.
I looked at the Emperor inwardly,
But.
“I want to make Anais Kallay my concubine while she’s in training at the monastery.”
The Emperor’s words completely betrayed that expectation.
Anais Kallay.
The original female lead. The third princess of the fallen empire, who was abandoned and secluded in the monastery.
I don’t know when the seclusion turned into training, well, I know, but it was still shocking.
“It won’t be a bad thing for the concubine.”
“……”
“Anais has never been disposed of by the enemy. … Ah, she has also been appointed as the current princess as the Emperor’s granddaughter. She still holds that title. It will be helpful to the businessman, Kyung….”
The Emperor was enthusiastically promoting the youngest one in the monastery.
However, it didn’t register in my ears at all.
The command to become the fiancé of the woman I ruined with my own hands was as absurd as it gets.
**
I knew it was my own doing.
Replacing op*ium wine with silosibin,
hitting Anais to satisfy Siena’s hypocrisy,
turning her into a complete wreck and ruining her because of it, it was all my doing.
If I had obeyed Siena’s orders and just sold op*ium in my sleep, none of this would have happened.
“Kyung-eun, return to Madeline. Do you have anything to say?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
Lost in contemplation, the audience finally came to an end.
I didn’t give a definite answer about the engagement, but it didn’t matter.
“Oh, tidy up the surroundings.”
The Emperor had no intention of changing his mind until the very end.
He probably didn’t expect me to say something like “I gladly accept the engagement with Princess 3.” I failed to control my expression and even frowned in front of the Emperor, but he didn’t give me a second glance.
“The Emperor must know that something is off.”
From a purely administrative perspective, it was a pretty good judgment.
Princess 3, Anais, had already fallen into ruin.
Of course, they would go through the motions and arrange the engagement to me.
But the fact that Anais had spread the plague within the system did not disappear.
Come to think of it, it had only been about three months… Only tens of thousands of people witnessed Mrs. Chandler’s public execution.
Perhaps even now, somewhere in the system, health syrup inventory might be traded. Especially around the academy.
In the end, Anais was just a woman with noble blood flowing through her veins; her political life had come to an end.
“If one can make use of such a person in this way, it’s a profitable deal. From the Empress’s perspective, it’s better than her daughter dying in the convent.”
However, it hadn’t helped me in my life at all.
Even if it were to help, it was a dilemma to avoid. Anais would surely want to kill me. I could endure a loveless marriage, but I couldn’t tolerate the risk of being assassinated.
Fortunately, there was still a way to turn things around.
The engagement hadn’t been publicly announced yet.
To bring out the 3rd Princess, who had been abandoned to the convent as a criminal, a procedure was needed. Just calling me and arranging the engagement wouldn’t be enough; it would make the Emperor’s appearance ridiculous.
By seizing that opportunity, I could create a situation where the engagement couldn’t be forced. It was possible to overturn the situation even if I dealt with it now.
But hesitation crept in before formulating a specific plan.
“It’s not just about avoiding the engagement.”
The Emperor of the Empire would still find a way to restrain me. Perhaps not just binding me with the engagement but employing even more sinister methods.
I knew that my actions, undertaken with the intention to survive, would cause ripples.
The current situation had even the Empress, who seemed to outrank me, intervening.
A situation similar to my past life, where I fought with my father for years, ended up in prison, and my mother, who had tried to obstruct it, engaged in a mud fight with me, might unfold.
In the end, I overcame everything, but there was nothing left.
Moreover, the Emperor was a presence that could be considered the embodiment of state power.
“It’s impossible to confront him directly.”
But I had no intention of giving up or accepting.
There was no need for me to directly confront the Emperor and Empress.
In addition to the three princesses of the Britannia Empire, there were two more princesses.