“Her name is Edith, right?”
Patricia asked in a flat voice. On the contrary, that calmness made Count Gerturk nervous.
“If you mean the fourth wife of Viscount Fortrion, who was proposed to by the little Duke of Lexion, then that is correct.”
“They’re not officially married yet, I guess.”
“That’s correct.”
Patricia carefully reread the newspaper she had thrown on the table.
It stated that the child Edith had brought was unmistakably of Lexion’s blood.
『 She has been trying so hard to keep it under wraps, and now she’s spilling the beans about the heir, hoping to use Gilbert’s accident to get some sympathy for being forced to hide a premarital pregnancy.』
In the empire, it was never a proud thing for a noble to have a child before marriage.
However, Gilbert, that foolish bastard, went to the territory and tried to kill them both, so it became impossible to take issue with Edith’s premarital birth while hiding in Lexion’s territory.
Given that one wouldn’t have expected such a situation, they even announced the news of the baby as if they had been waiting for it.
Whoever was behind this seemed like they were putting a lot of thought into it, and that bothered Patricia.
『 The Little Duke of Lexion even proposed to her at a swordsmanship tournament and even bore a worthy heir, so we can’t afford to get ourselves into trouble now.』
Patricia knew very well that if she used the whip too hard on Edith, it would backfire.
In that case, it was better to approach her by pretending to apologize for her brother’s accident and by pretending to acknowledge her presence within the social circle.
“Edith… we need to take that woman as a hostage.”
“What?”
“Our sick Emperor has no interest in playing around with women, so I am the eldest among the women in the Imperial Family.”
“Are you suggesting…”
“Send a letter to Lexion. Apologize for the trouble Gilbert caused and say that, as compensation, I will offer her the position of my lady-in-waiting as soon as the marriage is completed.”
At that moment, Count Gerturk’s mind spun around quickly.
『 It’s not just anyone, but if the Imperial Consort were to offer the position of a lady-in-waiting to the wife of the next head of the family, the backlash would be severe…』
No matter how senior Patricia was within the Imperial Court, House Lexion was not an ordinary lower-ranking noble house. They didn’t have to bow down to anyone, as they had imperial blood in their veins, and, in fact, the Duke of Lexion, a former prime minister, often voiced dissenting opinions to the Emperor.
『 If the Little Duke’s personality is anything like the Duke’s, then the Little Duke must be quite a character.』
Just as Count Gerturk was wondering how to bring up this topic, Patricia burst out laughing.
“There’s no need to put on such a stiff expression, Count. I know Lexion isn’t the kind of house that would pledge allegiance to an empty name.”
“…”
“I heard that at the swordsmanship tournament, Edith… that woman gave first aid to the Countess Coben’s daughter?”
“That’s right. She was accepted into the Academy’s Department of Medicine but hasn’t enrolled yet, citing marriage as the reason.”
“Let’s tell her I’ve encountered some health issues, so let’s politely ask her to serve me as my lady-in-waiting for just a few months. It’s rare to find a lady with deep knowledge of medicine, and it would be difficult for her to refuse when a sick person asks for help.”
Patricia had a point. No matter how much House Lexion stood in opposition to the Imperial Consort, she was still the mother of the next Emperor.
It wasn’t as if she was asking her to serve as a lady-in-waiting for a lifetime; merely for a few months to assess her health. If she were to refuse such a request, she could spread the rumor that she turned away from helping the ill.
“But if she still refuses, there’s no other way. We’ll just have to assume that the Little Duke and his fiancée have rejected my apology.”
Patricia spoke with a tone devoid of much enthusiasm.
However, Count Gerturk carefully guessed that rejection might not be what she was aiming for.
『 Well, given the speculations about the Emperor not making it through this year, there is no harm in creating a reason to punish Lexion.』
The Count knew very well how cunning his sister could be in order to achieve what she wanted. He also knew better that he must not rebel against her will.
“I will handle everything as you command.”
As he politely responded and tried to leave, Patricia added a few more words.
“Ah, let Gilbert get as much punishment as possible as soon as you leave. Elise will continue to be raised by you and your wife.”
“But Elise is…”
“If Elizabeth entertains any foolish thoughts, we’ll have to use that child. And Baron Humphrey will need to be properly dealt with in due course, and we’ll need to make it look like Gilbert acted on his own initiative to avoid any trouble for us.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Count Gerturk bowed his head with more fear than usual as he accepted the orders.
──────────✿◦•
Meanwhile, at Lexion Manor, the refreshments were as lavish as the dinner.
Usually, as someone who values decorum and etiquette like the Duke of Lexion, peaceful conversations would take place in a serene atmosphere. However, today, the atmosphere is different.
“The Lady is on her way here with young master Adrian.”
As Vane spoke in a polite voice, Franz got nervous.
As the carriage procession arrived late at night, it was the first meeting between him and the baby today.
Seeing the two elderly men, who were unusually nervous, Walter let out a wry smile.
“When you first met Edith, you seemed to have mistreated her so I thought you didn’t like the baby.”
“Ahem.”
Franz and Vane were well aware of the subtle thorn in Walter’s words.
When he first encountered Edith, he used magic, misunderstanding her intentions and assuming she was scheming using Leah’s name.
Now that he was about to meet his great-grandson, it was no wonder that Walter looked like he was thinking about that moment.
“For that matter, I apologize again to you and Edith.”
“You’d better. If my son takes after me, he would be very concerned about Edith’s affairs.”
It was at that moment when Walter was jokingly threatening Franz with a subtle hint that if he didn’t want to sever ties with his great-grandson, he better treat Edith well.
“Thank you for waiting.”
After hearing the news that the baby had woken up, Edith, who had been away after drinking warm tea that was said to be good for pregnant women, returned.
Franz couldn’t take his eyes off the little blanket cocoon she was holding. After helping Edith settle comfortably on the sofa, he carefully looked at the baby.
When he saw the thick black hair and the glimpse of golden eyes, something hot throbbed in his chest.
“… He looks similar to both of you and Leah. It’s amazing.”
Even though it had only been ten days since he was born, the faces of Walter, Edith, and Leah were visible on the baby’s face.
Franz suddenly thought of the time when he held Leah, his first child, in his arms. When he first laid eyes on the tiny child, feeling like she might break if he held her too tightly, Franz had vowed to raise her as the happiest woman in the Empire.
At the same time, the thought of his daughter dying somewhere outside the manor, without the fulfillment of that promise, made his world come crashing down.
“You said his name is Adrian? Adrian Lexion. It suits him well.”
Franz hid the change in his expression well, but he couldn’t stop his voice from trembling slightly.
Edith carefully lifted the baby and held him out to Franz.
“First, support his head… Huh?”
However, Franz skillfully took the baby and held him in his arms. He held Adrian so perfectly that there wasn’t a single thing to point out, so her worries seemed unnecessary.
“This is my first time holding my great-grandson Adrian, but I have already taken care of my children and grandchildren, so there’s no need to worry.”
As Franz spoke with a sense of pride, Vane added some details.
“I still remember when the Duke took Lady Lilliette’s twin babies on a picnic in a stroller when they were young.”
“Vane, you’re quite something. What’s so impressive about pushing a baby stroller?”
Even Franz, who said so, seemed subtly pleased that his babysitting skills were becoming known.
Even Adrian seemed to find Franz’s embrace more comfortable than being in his mother’s arms, making Edith wonder.
『 How on earth did the rumor of the Lexions abusing his flesh and blood spread…』
Is there an exaggerated misunderstanding that taking good care of their kin, such as feeding and looking after them, is wrongly spread as abuse? Although she knew that the abuse rumors were baseless, seeing Franz holding Adrian made it even more absurd.
While Franz was putting Adrian to sleep with skillful hands, he suddenly said as if an idea had occurred to him.
“You’ve been through a lot giving birth in a foreign land, Edith. Now that the baby is here, I think it would be a good idea to hold the wedding ceremony as soon as possible and officially add your name to the family.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Vane, as if he had been waiting, handed Edith a hard-bound folder.
The cover was decorated with white lace and pearls, so it wasn’t difficult to guess what it was about.
[List of designers famous for wedding dress designs]
[Lexion’s traditional ceremony]
“This is a booklet created with great care by the head maid and the nanny. I thought you might like to have it for reference.”
Vane didn’t mention that he and Franz did the final review of the booklet.
The important thing was that by using that booklet, Walter and Edith would be able to hold the ceremony as quickly and luxuriously as possible.
As she flipped through the booklet, page after page, the design of a pure white wedding dress caught her eye.
After her mother passed away, she was so busy making a living that extravagant weddings were not something she was interested in but seeing this touched her heart again.
“I think it would be best to have the wedding ceremony as quickly as possible, so let’s try our best to choose.”
Walter chuckled as he looked at Edith’s eyes sparkling so cutely.
──────────✿◦•
“How peacefully the young master sleeps… He’s sleeping so soundly.”
“Thank you. Well then, I’ll leave it to you.”
Edith thanked the nanny and then kissed Adrian.
Although the baby had no concept of day and night yet, it was still a bit early for Edith, as an adult.
She thought about heading to her bedroom but then changed her mind.
『 I should have a little talk with Walter before going to bed.』
Edith realized one thing as she watched the carriage being horribly destroyed by the rocks moved by Gerturk’s mages.
As long as Patricia tried to take control of the Empire, she was likely to continue attacking the members of the Duchy of Lexion, who were considered potential heirs to the throne.
Feeling that, as the most vulnerable person in the family, either herself or the newborn baby would be targeted, she wanted to have a deep conversation with Walter about this matter.
『 If we have time, it would be good to look at the wedding booklet together.』
She took her steps calmly. However, when she reached his office, the voice on the other side of the door was not the one she had expected.
“Who would have thought that the Little Duke’s condition would deteriorate so much all at once… What should we do about this matter?”
“It’s impossible to hide it anymore. With his memories about to collapse, perhaps it’s time to tell the Lady as well.”
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
