Evan bowed his head toward me. He felt extremely sorry for failing to properly carry out my first order.
It wasn't that Evan lacked ability. It was just that the order I gave was difficult.
'That may be true, but there is something you absolutely need to know...'
The materials Evan handed over contained quite detailed descriptions of the West, about which almost nothing was known. It was evident at a glance just how much effort Evan had put in, including distribution networks for salt and raw materials that an ordinary person would never know, as well as the names, characteristics, and family relationships of the lords holding estates in the West.
The reason he said there was little information was that there was actually almost no data on the Deisha ducal family that I was looking for. Perhaps it was only natural. The current Duke of Deisha had been in seclusion for a long time. The Deisha ducal family itself originated with the current Duke. Since almost nothing was known about the Duke, there was no way anything was known about the family. In particular, no one knew how the Duke of Deisha was currently living.
Duke Deisha is a man who missed the opportunity to rise to the highest position right before his eyes. People called him the unlucky prince.
Duke Deisha was privately the Emperor's cousin. This is because Duke Deisha's father was the current Emperor's uncle. Had he been born just a few months earlier, Duke Deisha might have become the Emperor instead of the Emperor's cousin.
Duke Deisha's father was the former Emperor's eldest son and the Crown Prince. According to rumors, Duke Deisha's father seems to have been a Crown Prince skilled in both military and civil affairs. The former Crown Prince had only one flaw: he had no heir.
On the other hand, the current Emperor's father seems to have been quite dissolute. It is known that he had many children besides the Emperor. Since the current Emperor also has many children, it could be said that the apple does not fall far from the tree.
In particular, the current Emperor was the son born from his father's unplanned pregnancy before he had even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony. There was no way a minor who had not yet passed the ceremony could have married. The Emperor could not be registered as a member of the imperial family until a considerable amount of time had passed since his birth.
Fortunately, since the person he had an affair with was an unmarried noblewoman, the Emperor was able to avoid the label of being an illegitimate child. However, he seems to have had a complex about his birth. He desperately wanted a flawless son born to the legitimate consort.
The First Prince was 16 years older than the Crown Prince. Until the Crown Prince was born, the First Prince was the provisional Crown Prince of the Empire. Most nobles, including the First Consort, believed that the First Prince would succeed to the throne. The Empress had no children, and the other Princes had less power compared to the First Prince.
Nevertheless, the Emperor did not grant the position of Crown Prince to the First Prince. It seems that even then, he had not given up on the son born to the main consort.
The current Emperor had a total of three principal wives. His first principal wife died before he ascended the throne. He had only one daughter with her. His second principal wife is the former Empress, who is the mother of the current Crown Prince. She became Empress as his wife upon his accession. However, it was only after a considerable amount of time had passed since she became Empress that she was finally able to give birth to just one Crown Prince. His third principal wife is the current Empress. She did not yet have any children.
To the Emperor, the Crown Prince was the one and only son born to the principal consort, whom he had longed for so desperately. This was the reason the Emperor was striving to pass the throne to the Crown Prince.
Compared to the current Emperor, who has many children, the Former Emperor had only two children: Crown Prince Lloyd, the father of Duke Deisha, and Prince Bishop, the father of the current Emperor.
Crown Prince Lloyd had been childless for quite some time. On the other hand, Prince Bishop had many children, including the current Emperor. It was inevitable that concerns regarding the succession would arise. Crown Prince Lloyd intended to forgo his own children and appoint a successor from among Prince Bishop's sons. One of those candidates was the current Emperor.
As if by a miracle, the Crown Princess became pregnant. The former Emperor rejoiced and held a grand national festival. However, the happiness did not last long. Before the Crown Princess could give birth, Crown Prince Lloyd passed away after falling from his horse. The child in the Crown Princess's womb became an orphan. That child is Duke Deisha.
The Former Emperor, who was frail and in poor health, seems to have been deeply shocked by the death of his eldest son. After the death of his son, the Former Emperor wasted away and passed away. Just before his death, the Former Emperor bestowed the title of Duke upon his unborn grandson, along with the surname 'Deisha' instead of the imperial surname.
The former Emperor's choice was inevitable. The current Emperor and Prince Bishop's sons, who were already being educated as successor candidates, were already grown up, and Duke Deisha had not even been born. To save him, the former Emperor did not even register Duke Deisha's name in the imperial registry.
The Former Emperor's decision was excellent. After the Former Emperor passed away, fratricide ensued for a while. The current Emperor, the ultimate victor, did not leave a single half-brother alive. As if to eliminate even the slightest possibility, he killed all his brothers, as well as his sisters.
Duke Deisha was the sole survivor of those bloody times—a member of the royal family who was not quite royalty. He was not of the royal family because he had never even been listed on the imperial registry. A person who could not even be registered in the royal lineage could never inherit the throne.
That was the decisive reason Duke Deisha survived. However, the blood flowing through his veins was clearly royal blood. That is why people called him the ill-fated Prince.
Duke Deisha had to flee to the West, which had become his territory, even before he was born. It is known that his mother, the Crown Princess, died when Duke Deisha was young. The Deisha territory in the West was quite far from the Imperial Palace. Upon receiving the news of the death, the Emperor sent only an envoy to the Deisha territory.
All nobles of the Empire holding titles were required to come to the Imperial Palace twice a year, on New Year's Day and National Foundation Day, no matter what. If they failed to attend for two consecutive years without an unavoidable reason, their titles were automatically revoked. This applied even to high-ranking nobles. It was a procedure akin to renewing a license.
Duke Deisha was born and raised on his own estate. He had never once visited the capital, yet his ducal title was not revoked. This was due to the late Emperor's will.
The former Emperor created shields in various ways to save Duke Deisha. The former Emperor and the current Emperor made a deal. In exchange for sparing Duke Deisha's life, he would empower him to inherit the throne.
In exchange for receiving military authority from the former Emperor, the current Emperor granted Duke Deisha immunity from all crimes except treason. This was the reason Duke Deisha could avoid being stripped of his title even without visiting the palace on the anniversary of the nation's founding.
I have never met Duke Deisha in the present. However, I had met him back then. He never left his estate throughout his entire life. Both his coming-of-age ceremony and his debut in society took place within his own territory.
He moved up to the capital. It was for his daughter's debut in high society.
Very few people knew his face. Nevertheless, no one suspected that he was Duke Deisha. This was because he had golden eyes identical to those of the Crown Prince.
Golden eyes were a symbol of the imperial family. With the exception of the Crown Prince, none of the Emperor's children, including the current Emperor, had golden eyes.
At that time, I was 18 years old, and it was the second year since I had married the Crown Prince. Duke Deisha's daughter shared my sentiment. It was the cutoff age for making a debut in society.
She was very beautiful. Long, straight hair swaying down to her waist, a graceful, slender figure. An innocent face that awakened a man's protective instinct, and a clear smile without a single shadow.
She was different from me in every way.
That must have been the reason. I didn't like her from the moment I first saw her. I hated that face that always wore a smile as if she were happy, and I found it repulsive and sickening to see her shed innocent tears, her large eyes rippling at the slightest remark. I felt an inexplicable threat from her.
My hunch was exactly right.
'Irene's Hilo Deisha' was the name of the woman the Crown Prince loved.'
"...Young Lady Elliot.Young Lady!"
I snapped back to reality at Evan's shout. He had approached without me noticing and was kneeling beside me, looking at me with a face full of worry.
"Does it hurt? Shall I call a doctor?"
I pressed my temples and shook my head. Just thinking of her would cause my emotions from back then to burst out unexpectedly like this. I erased her from my mind and took a slow, deep breath. My stiff body relaxed, and warmth began to spread to my fingertips, which had been cold and rigid.
Evan did not erase the worried expression.
"I think we will have to call a doctor."
"It's okay."
"But…"
"It is a migraine I have had before. It is not serious enough to call a doctor."
At some point, I started getting migraines that neither Bjornne nor Lee Ji-ah had back then. It seems that recently everything had exploded all at once.
From the things my maternal grandfather left me, to my meeting with the Emperor and the First Consort, and even the Crown Prince's changed behavior compared to back then—nothing was easy. It was a relief, at least, that I was able to safely complete my coming-of-age ceremony.
The First Consort eventually attended my coming-of-age ceremony. It was a gathering hosted personally by the Emperor. No matter how high-ranking she was, she could not miss a party hosted by the Emperor. The Emperor remained in his seat throughout the entire party. No noble dared to act presumptuously in a place where the supreme ruler was watching with a glaring eye. I do not know what was going on inside, but outwardly, my coming-of-age ceremony proceeded smoothly.
The Crown Prince's girlfriend must have also had her coming-of-age ceremony this year. Her birthday was earlier than mine. In two years, she will come to the capital to make her debut in society. In order to avoid marrying the Crown Prince, I had to have her come to the capital before the wedding or postpone the wedding until she arrived.
Neither method was easy. The Emperor wanted me and the Crown Prince to marry immediately. There was a limit to how long I could stall for two years.
Bringing her to the capital was just as difficult. She was a Duke's daughter. Moreover, Duke Deisha was a man who did not budge from his estate until he had introduced his daughter to society. Bringing them to the capital two years earlier was virtually impossible.
No matter what method was used, information was needed first. Nothing was known about Duke Deisha and his daughter until they came up to the capital.
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