Episode 144. Milliora's Country Life (1)
"After the coronation ceremony, he's been working while reducing his sleep. His fiancée, Princess Shanla, also wanted to accompany him this time, but she postponed it until next time."
"What kind of person is Princess Shanla?"
I said, glancing at Prince Kydel.
"You can't think of her as a woman, like Ryuel."
"Oh my!"
"But she became close with His Highness Grayon so quickly. She's the type of person who becomes close with anyone."
"No way. Who would become close with Brother Grayon so quickly? If Prince Locard hadn't saved my brother's life, we'd still be on bad terms."
"That's right!"
"After the coronation ceremony, he's been working while reducing his sleep. His fiancée, Princess Shanla, also wanted to accompany him this time, but she postponed it until next time."
"What kind of person is Princess Shanla?"
I said, glancing at Prince Kydel.
"You can't think of her as a woman, like Ryuel."
"Oh my!"
"But she became close with His Highness Grayon so quickly. She's the type of person who becomes close with anyone."
"No way. Who would become close with Brother Grayon so quickly? If Prince Locard hadn't saved my brother's life, we'd still be on bad terms."
"That's right!"
"She must be quite the person."
"The Marchioness will definitely like her."
Her Highness Milliora, the Marchioness, smiled slightly, perhaps unfamiliar with the new title. I smiled back.
"If you like her, I can like her too."
“Of course. But it would be better if we met a little later. Princess Shanla has a really loud voice.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
Her Highness the Princess smiled brightly, taking my hand.
“Lorisha, I want to go out to the garden, but I can’t because of my body. Could you pick some flowers for me? Something with a scent you like?”
“Of course! They say you should only see good and pretty things when you’re pregnant. So, if you look closely at Prince Kydel’s face, I’ll pick some flowers for you.”
“Oh, are you bragging about how handsome your husband is?”
I tilted my head.
“Because it’s an objective fact?”
“Ha... Go ahead and leave.”
“Hehe. Yes, Marchiones.”
After Lorisha left, Miliora apologized to Locard.
“I’m sorry for using a Duchess-to-be as a servant, Prince Locard, even though I'm the Marchioness.”
“Don’t be. Lorisha is happy helping the Marchioness.”
“I know. She’s such a strange child. Unbelievably...”
Miliora smiled as she watched Lorisha wander through the flower garden outside the window.
Though she’d been confined to the palace her entire life, she’d never received such pure affection as Lorisha. It was a memory as precious to her as Rond.
She stopped short of asking Locard to take care of Lorisha, figuring he would already be doing so.
“Prince Locard...”
“Ask anything. I’ll answer.”
“Her Majesty... what happened?”
“It’s a bit rough. How about telling you after the baby in your womb has grown?”
She smiled faintly.
“You know. Sir Rond’s way of speaking. Just tell me, Prince Locard. Just tell me. I’ll be fine.”
Locard told her about Orl’s fake illness, the Empress’s role, and the fact that she had tried to obtain medicine from Smilean.
“...My marriage was an excuse to go get medicine for my brother Orl? That’s all I was to Her Majesty the Empress until the very end.”
Miliora’s eyes moistened. But she no longer wept for the Empress.
“As a result of that incident, His Highness Grayon married Princess Smilean.”
Miliora smiled faintly, but her face quickly darkened.
“...Did Her Majesty do that because of the shock of brother Orl being removed from the Crown Prince position?”
Miliora had assumed the Empress’s suicide was a foregone conclusion. It was a mutual understanding between Tagars.
Locard hesitated for a moment.
Should he tell her about Drake?
Should he reveal that the brutal abuse she had suffered was the result of her mother’s infidelity?
“Yes.”
But that would be no good. Knowing that it was merely a mother’s extreme favoritism would be a little less miserable for the person involved. Locard thought so.
“How...”
“Her Majesty used the same medicine that the Marchioness had taken before.”
She said somberly.
“The miscarriage was caused by the aftereffects of the drug I took. I feel so sorry for the baby…”
Miliora shook her head heavily.
“I will never understand. I would never treat this child, my children, like that. I will love them all so much that they will grow up to be understanding and generous, like Sir Rond.”
“I will certainly agree,”
Miliora said with a bright smile.
“It would be better if my children and your children grew up together, but we are too far apart.”
Locard absentmindedly averted his gaze. Miliora couldn't help but sense the hint.
"Lorisha is formidable, isn't she? She loves everyone but tries to pretend otherwise. It's as if she's fully prepared to run away before she gets hurt."
"..."
Locard's gaze wavered slightly as he turned to the window.
Lorisha plucked a flower and studied it, seemingly discussing something with Eria.
"She's delighted that His Highness Grayon has become Crown Prince. Because she can obtain permission for a divorce."
"...Ha. Really."
Miliora replied, then stared at Locard.
"Lorisha is smart. She sees through the world much more easily than I do."
"..."
"Is Prince Locard truly okay? Doesn't it bother you to give up the wealth and power you'll gain from the alliance between your families? Doesn't it bother you at all to hear rumors that the Lady of the Kydel family is a mere illegitimate child?"
“Marchioness.”
“Not now, but later. When Prince Locard’s ardent gaze on Lorisha has finally cooled. Lorisha will fear that too.”
Locard rose from his seat. He silently gazed at Lorisha through the window and then asked,
“The reason I strive to be extremely humble is because I am extremely arrogant, Marchioness.”
Miliora quietly put down his teacup.
“I earned the title of war hero solely on my own merits and was promised the position of First Lion without relying on any other family. That means that wealth and power, which I may or may not obtain by relying on others, mean nothing to me.”
“...”
“For the same reason, I have never cared about other people’s gossip. It could never harm me. I would not allow it to.”
He turned his head and asked. His voice trembled faintly with the agitation seeping from deep within.
“But how can I make Lorisha understand this? Why haven’t I figured it out yet? I, the greatest contributor to the birth of the Crown Prince of the Tagar Empire!”
Locard, realizing he had raised his voice in front of Miliora, blushed slightly and nodded.
“I’ll go for a walk, Marchioness.”
“Yes, Prince Locard.”
“Marchioness! You should smell this bouquet!”
I half-jogged toward the reception room, holding the bouquet. But Prince Kydel, who met me at the door, passed me by.
“...”
My feet stopped, and I refused to move. Eria, who was following me, looked back and forth between the door Prince Kydel had exited through and me.
“You-you didn’t see, Lady Kydel! I told you you were running too fast?”
“Uh... right?”
I quickly composed myself and trudged into the reception room. Then, I held out the bouquet to the Marchioness and said.
“Marchioness, what do you think? Who tended this garden? The flowers are all large and lovely. And they smell wonderful, too.”
“Oh my, yes. This is it. It smells so good! Who tended it? Sir Rond himself did it. He put so much care into it, choosing only the flowers and vegetables I like.”
“Wow. You’re bragging too.”
“You bragged about your husband, too. How handsome he is.”
“That’s not what I mean...”
I decided to leave this part as it was sure to turn into a pointless conversation.
As Eria left, leaving a bouquet of flowers in a vase, I glanced at her and asked,
“Where did Prince Kydel go?”
“To get some fresh air.”
“...Yes.”
“Lorisha?”
“Yes, Marchioness.”
“When are you going to have a baby? Are you going to let my child and Sir Rond’s child grow up alone?”
“Ah, how could that be?”
“You naughty girl.”
“Huh, Marchioness?”
I looked at the Marchioness, startled by the sudden accusation, and she was glaring at me.
“There are no men in the world, so you’re thinking of taking Prince Locard and running away?”
“Huh?”
“You made Prince Locard Kydel, the Empire’s number one groom, a married man, and now you’re going to make him a divorcee? Where did you sell your conscience?”
“Yes...”
“Well, maybe that’s your limit. You’re an illegitimate child. It seems that half of your blood is preventing you from becoming a true daughter of the lion. You can’t recognize the real thing, and you can’t appreciate a true heart.”
“Your Highness...!”
“Will you just go to your room? I’m getting annoyed with you. Eria! Take Lady Kydel to her room.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Eria, oblivious to the situation, came running over with a cheerful expression. I had to follow her to my room, my face blank.
The room at the end of the hallway on this floor was decorated extravagantly.
Thin curtains swayed around the large bed, and the octagonal window, half-cut open, was decorated like a wide bed.
I plopped down and looked out the window. I could see straight down at the yard where I had just picked flowers.
I felt a chill. The Marchioness's verbal abuse was unbearable.
Back in the palace, her harsh words hadn't hurt this much.
'What did I do so wrong...?'
'I'm just trying to keep my promise, but we promised from the beginning...?'
My chest ached, and I felt increasingly short of breath. The thought of the Count's face filled me with unbearable pain.
"The Marchioness will definitely like her."
Her Highness Milliora, the Marchioness, smiled slightly, perhaps unfamiliar with the new title. I smiled back.
"If you like her, I can like her too."
“Of course. But it would be better if we met a little later. Princess Shanla has a really loud voice.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
Her Highness the Princess smiled brightly, taking my hand.
“Lorisha, I want to go out to the garden, but I can’t because of my body. Could you pick some flowers for me? Something with a scent you like?”
“Of course! They say you should only see good and pretty things when you’re pregnant. So, if you look closely at Prince Kydel’s face, I’ll pick some flowers for you.”
“Oh, are you bragging about how handsome your husband is?”
I tilted my head.
“Because it’s an objective fact?”
“Ha... Go ahead and leave.”
“Hehe. Yes, Marchiones.”
***
After Lorisha left, Miliora apologized to Locard.
“I’m sorry for using a Duchess-to-be as a servant, Prince Locard, even though I'm the Marchioness.”
“Don’t be. Lorisha is happy helping the Marchioness.”
“I know. She’s such a strange child. Unbelievably...”
Miliora smiled as she watched Lorisha wander through the flower garden outside the window.
Though she’d been confined to the palace her entire life, she’d never received such pure affection as Lorisha. It was a memory as precious to her as Rond.
She stopped short of asking Locard to take care of Lorisha, figuring he would already be doing so.
“Prince Locard...”
“Ask anything. I’ll answer.”
“Her Majesty... what happened?”
“It’s a bit rough. How about telling you after the baby in your womb has grown?”
She smiled faintly.
“You know. Sir Rond’s way of speaking. Just tell me, Prince Locard. Just tell me. I’ll be fine.”
Locard told her about Orl’s fake illness, the Empress’s role, and the fact that she had tried to obtain medicine from Smilean.
“...My marriage was an excuse to go get medicine for my brother Orl? That’s all I was to Her Majesty the Empress until the very end.”
Miliora’s eyes moistened. But she no longer wept for the Empress.
“As a result of that incident, His Highness Grayon married Princess Smilean.”
Miliora smiled faintly, but her face quickly darkened.
“...Did Her Majesty do that because of the shock of brother Orl being removed from the Crown Prince position?”
Miliora had assumed the Empress’s suicide was a foregone conclusion. It was a mutual understanding between Tagars.
Locard hesitated for a moment.
Should he tell her about Drake?
Should he reveal that the brutal abuse she had suffered was the result of her mother’s infidelity?
“Yes.”
But that would be no good. Knowing that it was merely a mother’s extreme favoritism would be a little less miserable for the person involved. Locard thought so.
“How...”
“Her Majesty used the same medicine that the Marchioness had taken before.”
She said somberly.
“The miscarriage was caused by the aftereffects of the drug I took. I feel so sorry for the baby…”
Miliora shook her head heavily.
“I will never understand. I would never treat this child, my children, like that. I will love them all so much that they will grow up to be understanding and generous, like Sir Rond.”
“I will certainly agree,”
Miliora said with a bright smile.
“It would be better if my children and your children grew up together, but we are too far apart.”
Locard absentmindedly averted his gaze. Miliora couldn't help but sense the hint.
"Lorisha is formidable, isn't she? She loves everyone but tries to pretend otherwise. It's as if she's fully prepared to run away before she gets hurt."
"..."
Locard's gaze wavered slightly as he turned to the window.
Lorisha plucked a flower and studied it, seemingly discussing something with Eria.
"She's delighted that His Highness Grayon has become Crown Prince. Because she can obtain permission for a divorce."
"...Ha. Really."
Miliora replied, then stared at Locard.
"Lorisha is smart. She sees through the world much more easily than I do."
"..."
"Is Prince Locard truly okay? Doesn't it bother you to give up the wealth and power you'll gain from the alliance between your families? Doesn't it bother you at all to hear rumors that the Lady of the Kydel family is a mere illegitimate child?"
“Marchioness.”
“Not now, but later. When Prince Locard’s ardent gaze on Lorisha has finally cooled. Lorisha will fear that too.”
Locard rose from his seat. He silently gazed at Lorisha through the window and then asked,
“The reason I strive to be extremely humble is because I am extremely arrogant, Marchioness.”
Miliora quietly put down his teacup.
“I earned the title of war hero solely on my own merits and was promised the position of First Lion without relying on any other family. That means that wealth and power, which I may or may not obtain by relying on others, mean nothing to me.”
“...”
“For the same reason, I have never cared about other people’s gossip. It could never harm me. I would not allow it to.”
He turned his head and asked. His voice trembled faintly with the agitation seeping from deep within.
“But how can I make Lorisha understand this? Why haven’t I figured it out yet? I, the greatest contributor to the birth of the Crown Prince of the Tagar Empire!”
Locard, realizing he had raised his voice in front of Miliora, blushed slightly and nodded.
“I’ll go for a walk, Marchioness.”
“Yes, Prince Locard.”
***
“Marchioness! You should smell this bouquet!”
I half-jogged toward the reception room, holding the bouquet. But Prince Kydel, who met me at the door, passed me by.
“...”
My feet stopped, and I refused to move. Eria, who was following me, looked back and forth between the door Prince Kydel had exited through and me.
“You-you didn’t see, Lady Kydel! I told you you were running too fast?”
“Uh... right?”
I quickly composed myself and trudged into the reception room. Then, I held out the bouquet to the Marchioness and said.
“Marchioness, what do you think? Who tended this garden? The flowers are all large and lovely. And they smell wonderful, too.”
“Oh my, yes. This is it. It smells so good! Who tended it? Sir Rond himself did it. He put so much care into it, choosing only the flowers and vegetables I like.”
“Wow. You’re bragging too.”
“You bragged about your husband, too. How handsome he is.”
“That’s not what I mean...”
I decided to leave this part as it was sure to turn into a pointless conversation.
As Eria left, leaving a bouquet of flowers in a vase, I glanced at her and asked,
“Where did Prince Kydel go?”
“To get some fresh air.”
“...Yes.”
“Lorisha?”
“Yes, Marchioness.”
“When are you going to have a baby? Are you going to let my child and Sir Rond’s child grow up alone?”
“Ah, how could that be?”
“You naughty girl.”
“Huh, Marchioness?”
I looked at the Marchioness, startled by the sudden accusation, and she was glaring at me.
“There are no men in the world, so you’re thinking of taking Prince Locard and running away?”
“Huh?”
“You made Prince Locard Kydel, the Empire’s number one groom, a married man, and now you’re going to make him a divorcee? Where did you sell your conscience?”
“Yes...”
“Well, maybe that’s your limit. You’re an illegitimate child. It seems that half of your blood is preventing you from becoming a true daughter of the lion. You can’t recognize the real thing, and you can’t appreciate a true heart.”
“Your Highness...!”
“Will you just go to your room? I’m getting annoyed with you. Eria! Take Lady Kydel to her room.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Eria, oblivious to the situation, came running over with a cheerful expression. I had to follow her to my room, my face blank.
The room at the end of the hallway on this floor was decorated extravagantly.
Thin curtains swayed around the large bed, and the octagonal window, half-cut open, was decorated like a wide bed.
I plopped down and looked out the window. I could see straight down at the yard where I had just picked flowers.
I felt a chill. The Marchioness's verbal abuse was unbearable.
Back in the palace, her harsh words hadn't hurt this much.
'What did I do so wrong...?'
'I'm just trying to keep my promise, but we promised from the beginning...?'
My chest ached, and I felt increasingly short of breath. The thought of the Count's face filled me with unbearable pain.
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