Chapter 60

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: A Most Unwelcome Proposal
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#60

“We didn’t come out here for tea, did we? If you wanted to make pleasantries, you should have chosen another venue.”

With a bright smile, I gave him my most polite way of telling him to shut up and answer me. Alex, who seemed to get the hint, changed his expression and began to speak in a languid tone.

“Dopein and Antevasila… It seems to be called the 30-Day War now. I suppose the name fits, since the actual confrontation ended in less than a month. The result was Dopein’s victory.”

“And I found an interesting party hiding behind that victory. Someone who became regent due to the Emperor’s declining health. The true power in the Empire, Crown Prince Alejandro—you were the one who aided Dopein from the shadows, weren’t you?”

At my direct words, Alex let out a small laugh.

“I was trying to help them as covertly as possible. How did you know? I thought Antevasila would be the first to uncover the secret… I never imagined Parnas would be the one to figure it out.”

“I once helped some Lycans who fled the Empire because of the forced conscription order you issued. I heard rumors that their destination was Dopein, so I put two and two together.”

“You helped criminals… You have a rather interesting history, Your Majesty.”

As if it wasn’t surprising at all, Alex let out a flat laugh with a composed face. Lucy glanced at Walter, who was standing behind her, then looked back at Alex.

“It was unexpected that the Grand Duke of Dopein would join hands with you. He’s such a prideful man; I never thought he would accept help from a foreign power. Especially not from the Empire.”

“I suppose his desire for Antevasila was just that strong.”

“He made a foolish choice. What will he do if the Empire stabs him in the back after he so rashly joined hands with you? If it were me, I would never take your hand.”

Lucy said sharply, raising her eyes.

An early-blooming magnolia tree stretched its long branches over the balcony, filling the air with its deep fragrance.

“Well, now. I believe it would be in Your Majesty’s best interest to take my hand.”

Following Lucy’s gaze to the magnolia tree, Alex continued in a low tone.

“War is most frightening after a victory. One tends to lose objectivity, drunk on the thrill of winning. Where do you think the Grand Duke of Dopein will set his sights next?”

“Are you planning to incite the Grand Duke of Dopein to invade Parnas?”

When she asked him point-blank, the corners of Alex’s mouth lifted in a barely perceptible smile.

“Well, now. It would be troublesome if you were to misunderstand so rashly. The Empire will no longer be joining hands with Dopein after this war. In the first place, the Grand Duke of Dopein and I are not close enough to maintain a long-term alliance, nor is he foolish enough to blindly follow my words.”

“…”

“As for the war, it is simply my prediction. The three kingdoms have long kept each other in check, have they not? It’s as clear as day that Parnas will be Dopein’s next opponent.”

Lucy lowered her eyes to stare at Alex. The faint light from the garden cast a yellow glow on her cheek.

“You will no longer join hands with Dopein…?”

The reason Alex came to the coronation in person…

The strange gifts. And why Alex had insisted on calling her here, to this private place. Now, she felt she finally understood.

Lucy lowered her head and let out a sneer, one corner of her mouth rising. She could see the picture he was painting, how he intended to swallow the three kingdoms whole.

“So. After abandoning the Grand Duke, you now intend to join hands with me. To strike Dopein?”

“Phrased so concisely, it sounds rather aggressive, but the conclusion is similar, yes.”

So his plan was to cooperate with me to defeat Dopein and unify the three kingdoms, then swallow them all under the guise of marriage.

Does this moron really think I would accept such a foolish proposal?

“Why are you looking at me as if I were an imbecile?”

“I’m glad my thoughts were conveyed through my gaze alone. Was that the reason you offered me the ring?”

“Isn’t it better to take the easy way? I have no desire to raise a grand army and turn the continent into a sea of blood. If we work together, we can take Dopein without much bloodshed, can we not? And Your Majesty, as well.”

His voice trailing off, Alex stepped closer and gazed at Lucy.

Beneath his perpetually relaxed, drooping eyes, his well-defined lips curved into a smooth arc.

“…I imagine you would not wish to lose your country and be driven out as a fallen royal.”

A sweet, low voice that was impossible to believe was a threat brushed past her ear. The more Lucy’s expression hardened, the wider Alex’s smile grew.

“Since I’ve shown my hand, I might as well be completely honest. The Duke Witten you ousted. You must have guessed that I intended to use him to influence Parnas.”

“Your moves were far too obvious.”

“When I encountered the Grand General, whom I had only heard of in rumors on the sea, I was truly surprised. To think that you had seen through my plan to that extent.”

With a brazen face, Alex blinked slowly.

“Well, now that Your Majesty has seized power in Parnas, I suppose I must change my methods. Then it suddenly occurred to me that Your Majesty is unmarried, and I, too, am single.”

Alex uncrossed his arms and reached out to toy with a dry leaf that had fallen on the tea table.

The way the leaf crumbled and scattered in his large hand brought a strange sense of déjà vu.

“I don’t know what Your Majesty thinks, but personally, I consider this a rather peaceful solution. I take the three kingdoms without bloodshed, and Your Majesty preserves your honor and becomes the Empress of the Empire.”

“…The Empress of the Empire.”

It was a familiar offer.

He would make her the Empress. Whether it was asking for the palace’s secret passages or telling her to seduce and win over Walter Hyverge with her body, Alex had always used the same condition to try and move Lucy.

Then and now, that damned position of Empress was always the price for selling out her country.

An involuntary chuckle escaped her, and Alex, mistaking it for acceptance, continued with a softer smile.

“I know very well what kind of person you are, Your Majesty. Persecuted by the royal family since childhood, you fled the palace to protect your mother. I don’t believe someone like you would have any genuine attachment to Parnas…”

“Is that why you made such an audacious proposal so brazenly? What if I refuse and have you arrested?”

“Well… do you truly think I would come here without any countermeasures? Just as Your Majesty has your friend by your side, I too have a friend known as a sword master among my delegation.”

Alex gestured outside with his chin, a relaxed smile spreading across his face. Then, in a soft, song-like tone, he added.

“I didn’t think you were impulsive or foolish enough to kill me for the simple reason of being audacious, but was I mistaken?”

Instead of retorting, Lucy recalled the delegation she had seen earlier.

She let out a dry laugh, remembering that at the very back of the delegation, which seemed to number over twenty, there had been one person of a particularly large build.

“I see. Where you are, General Tulda is sure to be as well. My thinking was too shallow.”

Alex shrugged and crossed his arms again.

His eyes, looking down at the table, held a calmer light. Fixing his gaze on the edge of the table, Alex lowered his voice.

“To add a cold, hard fact. A female monarch with weak legitimacy is prime prey for rebels. History proves this, does it not? Besides… even if you manage your internal affairs somehow, if Dopein starts a war, it will only be a matter of time before your country falls.”

“You think I cannot stop them?”

“With Grand General Hyverge, you might be able to stop Dopein if you try your utmost… but I predict you will not be able to stop the Empire.”

Lucy and Alex stared at each other, smiles blooming on their lips.

Contrary to their smiling mouths, their eyes held the frosty chill of a snake eyeing its prey.

“Therefore, let us return to my initial proposal. To Your Majesty, I—”

“Wait.”

Lucy raised her hand.

Walter, who had been standing a few paces behind, approached her. Lucy gave him an order in a low voice, too quiet for Alex to hear.

A moment later, Walter returned with champagne and two small glasses, placing them before the two. Lucy personally poured the champagne, handed a glass to Alex, then tilted her own and took a sip.

Alex, staring at the champagne glass with a bewildered expression, parted his lips slightly, looking unsure whether he should drink it or not.

Seeing him, Lucy smiled and swirled the glass in her hand.

“Thank you for waiting. I’ve always wanted to do this. So, what were you about to say?”

“…I wish to lay the foundation for unifying the continent with Your Majesty. I hope that you will accept my proposal of marriage.”

Alex took the ring case from his pocket again and presented it to Lucy. The diamond, sparkling relentlessly as if to defy the darkness, was naturally mesmerizing.

Staring at the ring as if entranced, Lucy slowly reached out her hand.

The feel of the gem on her fingertips was not so much enchanting as it was cold and alien. Her fingers, after cautiously tracing the diamond, grasped the stem of her champagne glass again.

“A proposal of marriage.”

Lucy smiled a little more brightly.

Then, without hesitation, she lifted the glass and threw the champagne in Alex’s face.

Alex, caught off guard and drenched in champagne, shot his eyes wide in stunned disbelief. Lucy tossed the empty champagne glass over the railing and rose from her seat.

“I have no interest in a loveless marriage. If you intend to seduce me, you’d best come back with a little more charm.”