CH 39

Now it was time to get down to business.

“And one more thing, I think the information I know will be a pretty useful weapon for you. I feel like it would be a waste to give it to you after giving you permission to bring in a mistress.”

“…….”

“I was thinking of putting some of Duke Bledel’s farms under my control…… Since he’s been involved in the rebellion, it shouldn’t be too difficult to wrest control of the farms where the Xenos slaves were.”

After a moment of silence, Ian spoke up.

“You’re holding a card that I can’t refuse.”

His voice was heavy, and there was a hint of resignation in it. I raised one corner of my mouth.

“I knew it would come out like that. Then….”

“I can’t accept the idea of the Empress having an official lover, though. It’s a completely different issue from a secret meeting. There will be a lot of talk about the Empress’ qualifications. If that happens, they’ll resist the idea of making you the person in charge of the Xenos farm even more.”

“…….”

“Instead, I will hand over the management rights of the largest Brilland farm. And….”

He paused for a moment, then spoke with difficulty.

“I won’t interfere if you have him next to you unofficially.”

His eyes seemed deeper and darker as he said the last word. Slowly, I considered his words. The farm was more important to me now than affairs, anyway.

Now he has offered to turn over the Brilliand Farm. It’s certainly not a bad condition.

I calmed my anger a bit and nodded lightly.

“All right, then I think we’re done talking.”

I figured I’d gotten my point across and there was no need to continue the conversation. Ian grabbed me by the wrist at that moment as I tried to leave.

The sudden action stopped me in my tracks and I looked at him in surprise.

He stood there silently, like a doll, without saying a word. Although his posture created a somewhat tense atmosphere, he still didn’t open his mouth.

However, the grip on my wrist neither tightened or loosened.

“Why…”

He took a slow, deep breath. Then his grip loosened and his wrist dropped.

His lips twitched a little, as if he had something to say, but that was it. He walked away without offering any explanation, despite my puzzled stare.

Funny, I thought, he seemed to have a heavy step for someone who had just torn me apart with his cruel words.

***

Rumors of Rosetin’s official acceptance as the Emperor’s mistress spread quickly; apparently, the process had been slower than expected due to the confrontation with Duke Bledel.

In the meantime, Duke Bledel had requested an audience at the Empress’s palace numerous times, but I had refused to meet with him, giving him one excuse or another.

With rumors abounding about the Emperor’s mistress, it was easy to see that the way the courtiers looked at me had changed.

Stella’s mood seemed somber for a while, and as if we had made a pact, we did not speak of Rosetin.

“Even so, the black wolf remains ever elusive.”

Stella looked worriedly at Keisis, who was prancing around the palace greenhouse.

“A witch’s guardian is just an ordinary wolf cub. You know, people here are good at making meaning out of nothing.”

A Keisis was a legendary animal with powerful magical powers and a witch’s mount. It had a mysterious birth story: it took the form of a wolf, but was actually born from water, fueled by the energy of a witch.

Its fur is jet-black and shiny, and its eyes are as mysterious as the crystal clear sky. It had an appearance that was hard to imagine for an ordinary wolf.

It was the Empress’s courtiers who first spotted the animal one day, curled up near a lake inside the palace. It’s unclear how it managed to make it inside the heavily guarded palace, but its uncanny resemblance to the legendary Keisis quickly caught their attention.

A black wolf with blue eyes had been spotted on the shores of a lake near the Empress’s palace and captured the imagination of the courtiers, who immediately claimed it was the reincarnation of Keisis and an omen of great trouble for the country.

However, ancient texts claimed that the legendary Keisis was a giant, standing well over five meters tall, so it was a bit much to claim that this tiny creature was the same as him.

Even Stella, who was quite savvy in this regard, suggested that it might be because it was a newborn, fueling the courtiers’ ridiculous worries.

As a result, after a few days, there seemed to be nothing unusual other than a unique appearance. Above all, despite being called a wolf, it had a smaller and milder physique than most dogs, making it hard to believe it possessed dangerous magical powers.

Even I, who had never seen a wolf in real life, mistook it for a puppy at first, but its appearance was so similar to the famous legendary wolf that we started calling it ‘Little Keisis’ for convenience.

“Still, it’s no ordinary thing for a wild wolf to follow Her Majesty so well.”

When Stella tried to nudge Little Keisis, who was wagging his tail under the table, the wolf ducked under my leg. I found it so adorable that I stroked Keisis’s head lightly.

If there was one thing that set Keisis apart from the average wolf, it was that he was very good with people. No, I don’t mean she was good with everyone, but she seemed to especially like me.

I don’t know why, but when she first saw me, instead of being scared, she followed me around like she recognized me as her mother. When one of the courtiers tried to pull her away for fear of spoiling the empress’s dress, she let out a pitiful whimper and struggled to stay away from me. I’ve always had a soft spot for animals, and Keisis fascinates me.

From that day on, I put aside my other responsibilities and spent all day taking care of her. However, it was difficult to keep her in the Empress’s palace, as many of the courtiers were terrified whenever they saw her.

After considering various options, I decided to choose the secluded Vanessa Palace as a place to keep the wolf. I appointed a separate wolf caretaker and visited occasionally whenever I had free time.

As a result, I spent more and more time at Vanessa Palace. The courtiers repeatedly urged me to release the wolf into the wild, saying that it could not be tamed as easily as a dog.

Those words weighed heavily on my mind.

Wolves were not viewed favorably in Asha. They attacked people’s livestock.

It was an unavoidable fact of nature, but to them, it was a vicious villain that destroyed their precious property. It was said that if they found a wolf pup that was not yet fully grown, they would kill it mercilessly.

And if it was a black wolf, like the legendary Keisis, the whole town would be out to get it. The thought of it made me dizzy.

As time went on, Keisis became more and more like a pampered pet.

‘Speaking of that, Vanessa’s palace is now home to Rosetin……’

I had to see if I could find another place for her before she came in. In any case, I have to admit that Keisis’s case has given me a lot to think about.

As I stroked the soft fur of the puppy wolf, I was interrupted by the Emperor’s entourage. He had come to deliver a report concerning Rosetin.

“These are the official papers for the approval of the mistress. Please read it carefully and sign it, and the young Marquis Claflin will be back at the palace shortly.”

My dealings with him seemed to go without a hitch. I picked up my pen and stared at the approval letter. Now all I had to do was sign and Rosetin would officially become the Emperor’s woman.

It’s not that I am not aware of this, but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling to have my name inked on the authorization letter.

Now the Emperor’s forces will be even more relentless. I hope I can make it out of here alive. The sound of the nib scratching the paper was unusually loud.

As soon as the signature was finished, the attendant spoke in a clerical tone.

“Miss Bedos will be taking up residence at Kaelin Palace in three days.”

“Not to Vanessa Palace?”

“Yes. He has specifically ordered that.”

Kaelin Palace was a separate palace opposite Vanessa Palace. Of course, I thought Rosetin would go to Vanessa Palace, which she liked.

On second thought, Kaelin Palace was even further away from the Empress’s palace than Vanessa Palace. I wonder if he thinks my presence is a threat to Rosetin.

If Rosetin is far away from the Empress, Ian will go there often. That would be better, I thought, since we wouldn’t have to deal with uncomfortable encounters.

Most of all, I felt fortunate that I could raise Keisis here in peace.

“And he also said that he would fulfill the other conditions you said as soon as he is ready.”

He was talking about the Xenos slave farm. Duke Bledel would be grinding his teeth over this, but it was only the beginning.

I would have to start digging into his background to make things easier in the future.

“Very well.”

The attendant left with the authorization letter with my signature in it. This was one of the things I needed to do to keep things moving forward. I turned to Stella quietly.

“Stella, there’s something I need to find out.”

Stella’s eyes turned serious at my tone and she waited for my next words.

“I need to dig into Rachel Bledel’s background.”

“What? Who?”

Stella asked again, a puzzled look on her face as if she doubted her ears.

“As you have heard, Duchess Bledel, my stepmother.”

My words must have sounded absurd to her, not knowing about the secret in Lethenia’s birth. The family history was complicated, but Rachel and Letgenia were tied up under the name of Bledel anyway.

It would be digging her own grave to delve into the weaknesses of the Bledel family, who are supposed to protect her while she is an unpopular empress. But there was a reason I had to do it.

I remembered the Duchess Rachel I’d read about in the original story.