“You were good at dealing with that girl, Louisa. Henrietta and Liena. What are those two girls doing, standing there like mutes?”
“I didn’t mean to hit you back.”
“That’s stupid. Then, from now on, just accept it and live with it. I feel like my clothes are going to burst.”
There was nothing to say. Else swallowed a sigh and tried to leave her. Jules grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her towards her. Else was dragged helplessly in front of her.
“Lady Grancel. No, Henrietta, that girl is His Majesty’s fiancée, right? So you think you stole another man’s man? The King’s engagements happen all the time...”
It was a word that scratched the lungs. The expression disappeared from Else's face. Else, who had turned blue, closed her lips. The sharp iron scraped through her insides. Else pulled away from Jules' hand that was holding her arm. It was a hand that had not even a little warmth left.
“Don’t be so presumptuous.”
Else whispered quickly. Jules didn't hear her.
“No, Else. That girl is looking down on your man. She’s looking down on the father of your babies. She doesn’t think about you at all, and you, with two kids, are just hanging on with that face?”
Jules glared at her with mocking eyes. Jules always had tearful eyes toward Else. Whether at Lugdun or in the palace. Jules's eyes were always warm. If Jules had been cold to her while she was at odds with Sybil, it might have been unbearable.
“There is no need to be altruistic in the palace.”
“I’m not playing altruistically.”
"Then?"
“...It’s true that I stole that woman’s man. How do people see me, me...”
Else swallowed dry saliva. It was a terrible thing to say. Charlotte came to mind, and Millium came to mind. That was the situation, after all. No matter how you try to rationalize it, that was the situation. When Millium first brought Charlotte, Else remembered how she had looked at her. And how people had looked at her...
'Why did it turn out like this? Why...'
“Millium came to Lugdun with the government. Ma, on the last night...”
The night the castle burned down. The day she met Sibyl again. Else had faced her husband's mistress. People laughed at Charlotte with secret eyes, and Else's appearance was also funny. However, although there were people who looked at her with pity, no one looked kindly at Charlotte. Milium didn't know that, and just kept kissing her on the cheek because he liked her.
“Have you ever imagined how people would see her? No. You don’t have to imagine it. You’ve seen women like that. You know how they get abandoned.”
Jules was silent. Else sighed as she watched her shadow stretch out under the summer sun.
“That woman is me, Jules.”
Else moved her lips with a pale, excited face. She was Charlotte. She was a woman no different from Charlotte. In a situation no different from hers, now with two lumps of flesh. Jules's hand fell from Else's arm. Else looked at her friend blankly and turned around.
“Else, you’re not a whore.”
The staggering steps began to move away from Jules. But Jules' voice did not grow quieter. Jules shouted behind Else, who was staggering away.
“You are His Majesty’s lover. His Majesty is your man.”
The time when the current King was the Crown Prince was not long. Even after the national crisis of the Max-Mann War, the enemies in the borderlands were swarming, and the King, the leader of the country of knights, needed to directly participate in battle, even if only briefly.
“I didn’t mean to hit you back.”
“That’s stupid. Then, from now on, just accept it and live with it. I feel like my clothes are going to burst.”
There was nothing to say. Else swallowed a sigh and tried to leave her. Jules grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her towards her. Else was dragged helplessly in front of her.
“Lady Grancel. No, Henrietta, that girl is His Majesty’s fiancée, right? So you think you stole another man’s man? The King’s engagements happen all the time...”
It was a word that scratched the lungs. The expression disappeared from Else's face. Else, who had turned blue, closed her lips. The sharp iron scraped through her insides. Else pulled away from Jules' hand that was holding her arm. It was a hand that had not even a little warmth left.
“Don’t be so presumptuous.”
Else whispered quickly. Jules didn't hear her.
“No, Else. That girl is looking down on your man. She’s looking down on the father of your babies. She doesn’t think about you at all, and you, with two kids, are just hanging on with that face?”
Jules glared at her with mocking eyes. Jules always had tearful eyes toward Else. Whether at Lugdun or in the palace. Jules's eyes were always warm. If Jules had been cold to her while she was at odds with Sybil, it might have been unbearable.
“There is no need to be altruistic in the palace.”
“I’m not playing altruistically.”
"Then?"
“...It’s true that I stole that woman’s man. How do people see me, me...”
Else swallowed dry saliva. It was a terrible thing to say. Charlotte came to mind, and Millium came to mind. That was the situation, after all. No matter how you try to rationalize it, that was the situation. When Millium first brought Charlotte, Else remembered how she had looked at her. And how people had looked at her...
'Why did it turn out like this? Why...'
“Millium came to Lugdun with the government. Ma, on the last night...”
The night the castle burned down. The day she met Sibyl again. Else had faced her husband's mistress. People laughed at Charlotte with secret eyes, and Else's appearance was also funny. However, although there were people who looked at her with pity, no one looked kindly at Charlotte. Milium didn't know that, and just kept kissing her on the cheek because he liked her.
“Have you ever imagined how people would see her? No. You don’t have to imagine it. You’ve seen women like that. You know how they get abandoned.”
Jules was silent. Else sighed as she watched her shadow stretch out under the summer sun.
“That woman is me, Jules.”
Else moved her lips with a pale, excited face. She was Charlotte. She was a woman no different from Charlotte. In a situation no different from hers, now with two lumps of flesh. Jules's hand fell from Else's arm. Else looked at her friend blankly and turned around.
“Else, you’re not a whore.”
The staggering steps began to move away from Jules. But Jules' voice did not grow quieter. Jules shouted behind Else, who was staggering away.
“You are His Majesty’s lover. His Majesty is your man.”
***
The time when the current King was the Crown Prince was not long. Even after the national crisis of the Max-Mann War, the enemies in the borderlands were swarming, and the King, the leader of the country of knights, needed to directly participate in battle, even if only briefly.
The previous King. Pitroi, now called Henry VI, was a natural-born knight and a very strong man with a similar physique to the current King, who was the only son. No one would have thought that such a man would lose his life in war. However, in the fall of the year when the current King was six years old, he was killed by the enemy general, and his only son, Sybil, ascended to the throne.
Meanwhile, Sibyl was a Prince who had been repeatedly engaged and broken off engagements according to his parents' wishes since he was in his mother's womb. By the year he ascended to the throne, he had broken off engagements a total of eight times, and Henrietta was his eleventh fiancée, the girl he had taken in three years after ascending to the throne, according to the wishes of his biological mother, Bonaparte.
Meanwhile, Bonaparte wanted to have his son marry her brother, Gregory's daughter, and had been recommending Henrietta as a wife for his son since the time she was pregnant. However, Pitroy did not like Henrietta personally, but also her father, Gregory, nor his family, and did not want their daughter anywhere near his son.
Apart from his great love for Bonaparte, Gregory's personal character was shallow and rough. The idea that such a person would become a relative of the next generation was very unpleasant and terrible for Pitroy. Therefore, a daughter of the Grancel family couldn't become a candidate for the Crown Prince's wife during Pitroy's lifetime.
In fact, it was three years after the death of Pitroy that Sybil became engaged to Henrietta. Even that was delayed by three years due to the opposition of the Duke of Touro, who had continued Pitroy's legacy. For that reason, there were still many forces opposing Henrietta both inside and outside the court.
Count Grancel was already the King's relative, and having another Queen from such a family would be excessive favoritism to one family. In addition, the opinion that Count Grancel's attitude and character were insufficient to become the King's father-in-law was prevalent in the court. In particular, the embezzlement and cruel acts that were concealed from the central knights while he was the minister of state were corruption that had never been explained until now. In addition, the frequent exploitation and intimidation of the landowners were considered to be unsophisticated acts even in the aristocratic society, and many considered them to be of poor quality compared to their status.
Above all, those who suffered from the tyranny of his power were not limited to the common people. It was easy for him to seduce beautiful young maids and make them pregnant. It was easy for him to rape his maids and drive them to death. It happened so frequently that even those who questioned it had died down. It was last summer when he finally came to buy them.
In the summer when the King drove out Philip and reclaimed Siena, Count Grancel committed the crime of raping a wife of a lower nobleman and making her his mistress. She was pregnant at the time and already had a young son from her husband. However, when Count Grancel saw her husband come to the Count's house, he had his servants kick him and drive him out, just as he used to beat servants.
The rumor that his life was in danger because his nose and ribs were broken by a strong kick spread quickly throughout Siena. Under Philip he was a man who only harassed maids while being careful. When the king returned, his insolence spread to the nobles.
But he was literally a 'nobleman'. No matter how low his rank, he was a nobleman, not a commoner. The great nobles of Siena could not have looked kindly on him. The King was no different. The nobles of the court said that if he had not lost the crown, he would have broken off the engagement with Henrietta. No one would want to have a father-in-law like the Count of Grancel.
Moreover, the King had not shown the slightest interest in Henrietta. From last summer until now, the King had never shown any interest in her as a man. He was so indifferent to Henrietta and the noble maidens of the royal capital that it was impossible to know what he was thinking.
Even when a ball was held at the palace, he would just smoke weed with young noblemen of the same age. And Henrietta, unable to approach him, would hover around him, feeling uneasy. The King knew about her but did not call her closer.
Some said that the problem was that the King had become engaged to her too early. They said that no matter how old Henrietta became, the King did not think of her as more than a cousin. Others said that the problem was that the King left Siena too early, before his relationship with Henrietta developed.
That would be the case. Henrietta was a pretty girl even at court. She was mature enough to be a woman and had nothing to lack. It was strange that the King did not show interest in her, as she was his fiancée. However, the King was strangely indifferent to her. Even if Henrietta were to drown tomorrow morning, he would keep a calm expression. He would just tell his servant to write a letter of condolence. That was how little the King treated Henrietta.
In fact, he did not show any interest in any of the women of Siena. People said that the King was angry with Count Grancel and did not approach her. In fact, as soon as he returned, he gave half of his uncle's Count's territory to the crown and confiscated the mines that his mother had given to the Grancel family when she married into the crown. He also pointed out that he had spent his time like a vagabond under Philip and sentenced him to imprisonment for more than six months.
He had openly taken down the Count of Grancel. He was a man who had no qualms about rejecting his maternal uncle. It was strange, in common sense, for him to maintain his engagement with Henrietta. Why would a man who was more wary of his maternal relatives than his own father maintain his engagement with his cousin? The season when all the nobles of the court were watching the King had passed.
One night, when the King finally took out the traitor, he returned with a woman in her arms, unconscious, wearing a black cloak. She was a woman with clear, white skin that seemed to show her veins, and each joint was small and slender. Unlike her thin arms and legs, her belly was large and round, like a sack.
Meanwhile, Sibyl was a Prince who had been repeatedly engaged and broken off engagements according to his parents' wishes since he was in his mother's womb. By the year he ascended to the throne, he had broken off engagements a total of eight times, and Henrietta was his eleventh fiancée, the girl he had taken in three years after ascending to the throne, according to the wishes of his biological mother, Bonaparte.
Meanwhile, Bonaparte wanted to have his son marry her brother, Gregory's daughter, and had been recommending Henrietta as a wife for his son since the time she was pregnant. However, Pitroy did not like Henrietta personally, but also her father, Gregory, nor his family, and did not want their daughter anywhere near his son.
Apart from his great love for Bonaparte, Gregory's personal character was shallow and rough. The idea that such a person would become a relative of the next generation was very unpleasant and terrible for Pitroy. Therefore, a daughter of the Grancel family couldn't become a candidate for the Crown Prince's wife during Pitroy's lifetime.
In fact, it was three years after the death of Pitroy that Sybil became engaged to Henrietta. Even that was delayed by three years due to the opposition of the Duke of Touro, who had continued Pitroy's legacy. For that reason, there were still many forces opposing Henrietta both inside and outside the court.
Count Grancel was already the King's relative, and having another Queen from such a family would be excessive favoritism to one family. In addition, the opinion that Count Grancel's attitude and character were insufficient to become the King's father-in-law was prevalent in the court. In particular, the embezzlement and cruel acts that were concealed from the central knights while he was the minister of state were corruption that had never been explained until now. In addition, the frequent exploitation and intimidation of the landowners were considered to be unsophisticated acts even in the aristocratic society, and many considered them to be of poor quality compared to their status.
Above all, those who suffered from the tyranny of his power were not limited to the common people. It was easy for him to seduce beautiful young maids and make them pregnant. It was easy for him to rape his maids and drive them to death. It happened so frequently that even those who questioned it had died down. It was last summer when he finally came to buy them.
In the summer when the King drove out Philip and reclaimed Siena, Count Grancel committed the crime of raping a wife of a lower nobleman and making her his mistress. She was pregnant at the time and already had a young son from her husband. However, when Count Grancel saw her husband come to the Count's house, he had his servants kick him and drive him out, just as he used to beat servants.
The rumor that his life was in danger because his nose and ribs were broken by a strong kick spread quickly throughout Siena. Under Philip he was a man who only harassed maids while being careful. When the king returned, his insolence spread to the nobles.
But he was literally a 'nobleman'. No matter how low his rank, he was a nobleman, not a commoner. The great nobles of Siena could not have looked kindly on him. The King was no different. The nobles of the court said that if he had not lost the crown, he would have broken off the engagement with Henrietta. No one would want to have a father-in-law like the Count of Grancel.
Moreover, the King had not shown the slightest interest in Henrietta. From last summer until now, the King had never shown any interest in her as a man. He was so indifferent to Henrietta and the noble maidens of the royal capital that it was impossible to know what he was thinking.
Even when a ball was held at the palace, he would just smoke weed with young noblemen of the same age. And Henrietta, unable to approach him, would hover around him, feeling uneasy. The King knew about her but did not call her closer.
Some said that the problem was that the King had become engaged to her too early. They said that no matter how old Henrietta became, the King did not think of her as more than a cousin. Others said that the problem was that the King left Siena too early, before his relationship with Henrietta developed.
That would be the case. Henrietta was a pretty girl even at court. She was mature enough to be a woman and had nothing to lack. It was strange that the King did not show interest in her, as she was his fiancée. However, the King was strangely indifferent to her. Even if Henrietta were to drown tomorrow morning, he would keep a calm expression. He would just tell his servant to write a letter of condolence. That was how little the King treated Henrietta.
In fact, he did not show any interest in any of the women of Siena. People said that the King was angry with Count Grancel and did not approach her. In fact, as soon as he returned, he gave half of his uncle's Count's territory to the crown and confiscated the mines that his mother had given to the Grancel family when she married into the crown. He also pointed out that he had spent his time like a vagabond under Philip and sentenced him to imprisonment for more than six months.
He had openly taken down the Count of Grancel. He was a man who had no qualms about rejecting his maternal uncle. It was strange, in common sense, for him to maintain his engagement with Henrietta. Why would a man who was more wary of his maternal relatives than his own father maintain his engagement with his cousin? The season when all the nobles of the court were watching the King had passed.
One night, when the King finally took out the traitor, he returned with a woman in her arms, unconscious, wearing a black cloak. She was a woman with clear, white skin that seemed to show her veins, and each joint was small and slender. Unlike her thin arms and legs, her belly was large and round, like a sack.
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