Chapter 93: Boom and Bust (1)
In the morning, Duke Priscilla called his daughter with a troubled expression. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Livya.”
“What’s the matter, Father?”
Just by looking at her father’s face, Livya could tell something was wrong.
“You’ve received a marriage proposal.”
“Doesn’t that happen often?”
“Well… this time, the family…”
“Who is it?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
“The Imperial family.”
“….”
She had already guessed who the proposal was from. Her father’s expression made it obvious that it was from the royal family. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Don’t tell me, it’s the Crown Prince?”
“That’s right.”
For a moment, Livya was at a loss for words. Attending the Crown Prince’s social gatherings and receiving an official marriage proposal were entirely different matters.
‘I clearly declined his proposal.’
That guy had ignored her refusal. Livya’s anger simmered.
“You’re not going to accept it, are you?” she asked, trying to control her frustration.
Duke Priscilla smiled gently. “If you don’t want it, I won’t, sweetheart. However…”
Livya nodded. She understood her father’s predicament. It was an official proposal from the imperial family, and they needed a clear justification to refuse it. Either she had a fiancé or some other valid reason.
‘But I don’t have a fiancé.’
She involuntarily bit her lip. No matter how powerful the duke was, they couldn’t simply say, ‘I refuse because I don’t like the Crown Prince.’ Especially with the current emperor, who valued appearances above all else. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. Giving such a reason would result in greater losses for them than for the imperial family.
“Why did they suddenly send an official marriage proposal?” Livya asked, sensing something amiss. It felt rushed.
“It seems Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince are quite wary of Prince Sigren and the North,” her father replied.
It made sense. The Imperial family wanted the Priscilla family on their side, and now, more urgently than ever. With Prince Sigren gaining strength in the North, he posed a significant threat. While they publicly downplayed him due to his birth, privately, even those who despised him couldn’t deny that Sigren was more capable than the Crown Prince. If those who disliked him could acknowledge this, others—whether nobles or commoners—would not only recognize it but openly support him. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. His grand entrance into the capital, flaunting the dragon he had slain, had only increased his support. This was something the Imperial family despised, as it threatened their authority.
“It’s hard to say no right now, isn’t it?” Livya asked.
“Well… yes, for the moment. But we have some time to give an answer,” her father replied.
During this time, they would need to rack their brains to find a valid reason to refuse the marriage. The option of her having a fiancé was out, as she didn’t have one before the proposal letter arrived. Now that the letter was here, finding one would be even more difficult.
Then… ‘What’s left is a scandal.’
Usually, if a major scandal involved either party, the marriage agreement would be annulled. Of course, there were already rumors that the Crown Prince was a womanizer, but they weren’t significant enough to shake the Imperial family. Besides, many noblemen behaved the same way.
The easiest solution now would be for Livya to create a scandal herself.
‘But I don’t want to tarnish the honor I’ve built just because of the Crown Prince,’ she thought.
Why should she be the one to suffer when he was the one at fault?
‘Then, the other option…’
Another scandal involving the Crown Prince. However, that wouldn’t be easy. Manipulating a scandal from the standpoint of nobles was a difficult task.
Still, there had to be a way. Livya was determined to find it because she despised being ignored.
‘Fall down and break your neck,’ Livya cursed the Crown Prince inwardly. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
***
A letter came from Abel. Heilon’s affairs were being resolved smoothly, and there had been no monster invasions. He also mentioned that he would soon be able to return to the Capital.
After reading the letter, I felt a little relieved. Clearly, things had improved in Heilon. The outskirts were secure, so merchants traveled with peace of mind. Trade had become smoother, and supplies were plentiful.
‘The real problem might be the Capital.’
Of course, the Capital was still beautiful, and the people were lively. However, it wasn’t hard to uncover the corruption lurking beneath the surface. Merchants who had traveled to Heilon after dealing with the Capital often complained about the territorial nature of the people there and the exorbitant “protection money” they were forced to pay. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
‘Well, Abel is very strict, so there’s nothing like that in Heilon.’
In fact, if any of his subordinates ever demanded a bribe, Abel would kick them out without hesitation. He might show mercy for honest mistakes, but he had none for those who chose corruption.
Despite Heilon’s harsh environment, it was a better place for people to live compared to other regions. This just highlighted how crucial a leader’s approach was in ruling a place.
As I reflected on this, I continued sorting through the paperwork. Then I found an unexpected letter.
‘What is this?’
with last time. The inside was blank. There was no hidden message or anything of the sort, but I understood its meaning. Just receiving this letter was a warning. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
‘The intimidation worked well.’
I gathered magic power in my hand and burned the letter.
“Is this because I provoked the Crown Prince last time…?”
It seemed he’d gotten upset and ordered others to act. Would they send real assassins this time instead of those incompetent mercenaries?
I stood up from my chair, pondering the possibility. With Abel away, I was in charge of the mansion. Just in case, I needed to check on the escorts and soldiers. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
‘Shall we go to the training ground?’
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