“It seems the news has yet to reach there, given that your home, Aunt, is situated in such a remote place.”
“Does that mean this lady is not your fiancée? My apologies. She is so beautiful that I must have been presumptuous.”
“You overpraise me, Madame. If you meet His Excellency’s true fiancée, you will forget someone like me in an instant. Haha, still, I’ve gained one thing to boast of.”
At Livia’s brazen reply, Edward let out a hollow, exasperated laugh.
Livia, too, as if finding the situation amusing, beamed brightly.
If Lieutenant Walter, Livia’s lover, were to hear of this, he would undoubtedly burn with jealousy toward Edward.
Thinking that far, Edward, who had suddenly become quite exhausted, turned to Lady Selina and spoke.
“My fiancée’s name is Yelodia Louis Sabie. I will arrange a meeting soon.”
“Sabie? Then is she a noble young lady related to the Ducal House of Sabie?”
To Lady Selina’s cautious question, Livia puffed her chest out proudly and answered.
“You are correct, Madame. His Excellency’s fiancée is the youngest daughter of Duke Sabie.”
“Goodness, how can that...!”
In an instant, shock rose upon Lady Selina’s face.
*How can this be!*
The impact was so staggering that it felt as though she had been struck on the back of the head, making her vision spin.
Having spent her entire life tenant-farming a lord’s land, Selina knew all too well the influence of the House of Duke Sabie, which occupied half the southern territories.
As far as she knew, no one—not even within the collateral branches of the Ducal House—could be taken lightly.
It was best not to get involved in the slightest with those high nobles, so exalted they were said to have blue blood flowing beneath their skin. That was the truth she had learned through a lifetime of experience.
“To have formed ties with such a great house is truly no small matter.”
Lady Selina chewed on her words, her lips moving slightly, then suddenly turned to look at Edward. Her face had already clouded over with anxiety.
“Edward, it is your life, but it is not good to be too greedy.”
“I know, Aunt.”
“Then why did you make such a dangerous choice?”
A scolding light rose in Lady Selina’s gray eyes.
Having lived her whole life without great ambition, she was so worried for the future of her nephew, who was no different than a son to her, that her heart sank.
He had been a nephew without even a noble title just a month ago. The hand extended toward such a man must have been utterly seductive.
But to suddenly seize wealth and power would surely incur someone’s jealousy and ultimately result in a fatal wound.
*If I had been by his side, I would have stopped him.*
She had burned with worry when he said he would follow his father and become an officer; and now, news of marriage to a noble young lady!
It felt as though the world was going dark before her eyes.
As Lady Selina could not easily shake off her worry, Edward spoke with a sigh.
“She is a match arranged by His Majesty the Emperor. As soon as he heard that my father had passed away, His Majesty gladly acted as a matchmaker.”
“Are you saying His Majesty the Emperor introduced you to the daughter of Duke Sabie?”
“He did.”
Selina felt as though the ground had given way beneath her feet. His Majesty the Emperor!
She took a sip of the now-cooled tea, then, finding her throat parched, gulped it all down.
Livia, who had watched the sight without missing a beat, glanced around briefly before heading out of the drawing room. It seemed she was going to bring more tea.
Unable to help herself, Selina opened her mouth, engulfed in fear.
“If His Majesty has decreed it so... Duke Sabie must have been furious.”
“Not... exactly.”
“Then are you saying the Duke welcomed you, who have nothing, unconditionally?”
“Duke Sabie is His Majesty’s loyal subject, Aunt.”
Edward circuitously expressed that Duke Sabie was in a position where he could not defy the Emperor’s will.
He couldn’t help but feel renewed respect for Duke Sabie’s detached composure.
Among the things Duke Sabie must have had to give up, there were surely the honor and reputation of a great noble.
The fear imbued in Selina’s gaze was something deeply ingrained in those who had worked for a lord their entire lives. And her gaze must have represented the perspective of the majority who looked upon this marriage.
“So that is how it happened.”
After maintaining a heavy silence for some time, Selina finally seemed to compose herself and opened her mouth in a much calmer manner.
“Since it is His Majesty’s decree, I have no choice but to support you in silence. Edward, you have been composed and sensible since childhood, so even if great difficulties befall you, you will be able to overcome them wisely.”
“Please help me going forward, Aunt.”
Selina smiled faintly and rose from her seat.
“I will stay at an inn for tonight and return to the country estate.”
Edward rose in surprise, following her.
“How can you say such a thing? An inn? A room has been prepared for you at my mansion; please stay there.”
“.......”
“My inauguration ceremony is the day after tomorrow. We are scheduled to hold a review with His Majesty in attendance, so please attend that as well, and attend my engagement ceremony to give me your blessing.”
“Edward. The way I can help you is to return to the countryside village and live quietly as I have until now, without getting in your way.”
At that moment, Edward fully understood the meaning behind Selina’s words.
His aunt, who had raised him like her own son, was saying that she would not remain in Frier for even a moment, for fear of hindering her nephew’s future.
However, Edward had not held out here to that end. Though the bond woven by the Emperor’s own hand was precious, it was absolutely not for the purpose of turning his back on the one who had raised him.
From the start, Edward was a man utterly devoid of ambition for power.
He had stepped forward simply because he could not bear to let his subordinates perish miserably in the middle of the sea, and in doing so, he had happened to accomplish a great feat and caught the Emperor’s eye.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor had taken a great liking to Edward—so much so that he quickly introduced his only niece to him.
“You are no different from a parent to me, Aunt. No matter what happens, you must attend my engagement ceremony.”
“Edward, this is not something you can solve by being stubborn. You know as well as I do. How do you think the nobles will see us?”
“I do not care in the slightest for public opinion or gazes. If you do not attend, I will not hold the engagement ceremony.”
“Edward! Dare you say you would go against His Majesty the Emperor’s will!”
At Lady Selina’s thunderous scolding, not only the servants waiting outside the door but even the aides flinched in surprise.
Even so, Edward spoke without changing his expression.
“I will see you to the mansion. Please stay comfortably at my mansion, attend the inauguration ceremony the day after tomorrow, and the engagement ceremony as well.”
“Edward!”
“Is there no one outside?”
At Edward’s low call, Livia and Baihereun entered through the door in turn. Both of them had gleaming eyes, evidently curious about the situation inside.
Instead of scolding his overly curious aides, Edward gave a cold order.
“One of you is to escort my aunt to my mansion. I have already given instructions to the mansion’s butler, so have a room prepared for her and let her rest comfortably. Ensure she is unable to go out until I return.”
“Yes, I will go.”
As Baihereun volunteered readily, Edward nodded. Then he turned to Lady Selina, who was half-stunned, and opened his mouth resolutely.
“Aunt, please do as I say just this once.”
“Ted, I just wanted to...”
The endearing nickname, heard after so long, left a tender and wistful echo. But Edward did not hear the rest of what she had to say.
“Please go to my mansion and rest comfortably, Aunt.”
Selina wore a dumbfounded expression. Edward hammered the point home with utmost sternness.
“I don’t know about anything else, but staying at an inn is absolutely out of the question. Do not even dream of it.”
* * *
“It is an honor to meet you, Madame. I heard you personally raised His Excellency the Vice Admiral in his youth.”
As Baihereun led with a deliberately cheerful tone, Selina gazed at him fixedly. Her deep, ashen eyes were sharp, as though piercing through everything.
At the gaze resembling his superior’s, Baihereun broke into a cold sweat inwardly. Embarrassingly, he belatedly realized he hadn’t introduced himself.
“Ah, I am Lieutenant Baihereun. I have the honor of serving His Excellency the Vice Admiral, though I am lacking.”
“I am Selina.”
Selina answered abruptly. Baihereun thought he now understood where his superior’s blunt disposition came from, and barely managed to raise a smile to his lips.
“His Excellency the Vice Admiral is not someone you need worry too much about. If he fell into the heart of enemy territory, wouldn’t he return unscathed?”
“.......”
“Haha, still, you must be worried?”
“It cannot be helped. By the way, have you met Lord Edward’s—no, the Baron’s—fiancée?”
Fortunately, he felt he could answer that question with confidence.
Baihereun grinned and said.
“She is as beautiful, wise, and bold as the rumors circulating in Frier suggest. If you meet her, Madame, you will undoubtedly take a liking to the young lady.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
Selina picked up her answer and soon turned her head to gaze out the window.
The well-maintained roads of the imperial capital and the magnificent yet beautiful buildings did not catch her eye in the slightest.
Rather, the more splendid the buildings’ exteriors were, the more they approached her as worry.
*There is no way such a precious noble lady would be pleased with an engagement to a Baron who has only just received his title.*
Selina could not be optimistic about everything like Edward or his aides.
The Emperor was clearly using Edward.
If not, there would be no reason to bestow a title upon Edward, a soldier with nothing, and have him hold an engagement ceremony with a great noble’s daughter.
The problem was that she could not even dare to fathom the Emperor’s true intentions.
*If my elder brother were alive, he would have been able to give Edward better counsel.*
Recalling her elder brother, who had closed his eyes alone at sea, Selina’s chest tightened painfully.
“We have arrived.”