Chapter 100:
The next morning during our teati, Lucretius asked in surprise, “I heard that yesterday, you asked whatever is left of your personal budget to be spent on the shelter?”
I spread orange jam on a warm scone and nodded. I knew he would ask about it.
“Yes, I did.”
Lucretius still looked confused. He probably considered those people to be a nuisance who didn’t pay any taxes.
He didn’t consider them his subjects. Even the regular people of Cransia probably hated them.
He finally couldn’t wait anymore.
He asked, “Why? As the first wife, your budget is significant. It is based on the average number of wives over the generations, which ans about fourteen... Four wives and ten concubines. Since you are my only wife, the budget currently is a quarter of what it used to be, but it is still the most amount of money for a single wife in history.”
I knew what this ant. Lucretius was treating like an empress and that was why I received such a generous budget for my wing.
He continued, “The dowager empress insisted on taking double the amount! But you... you haven’t even spent a tenth of your budget and ended up wasting the rest of it into the shelter.” He studied for a second before asking, “Why?”
I answered casually, “It’s nothing. I felt bad for those people and I had so money left over. Just think of it as a simple charity work by your idle wife.”
Lucretius shook his head. “I can tell that you aren’t telling the truth. Didn’t I ask you to be a little bit more honest with ?”
If he asked like that, I had no choice but to tell him the truth.
“It’s really nothing special, and I’m not lying.”
“...”
“I just felt guilty, so I gave them what I had to make feel better. I’m just being a coward.”
Lucretius looked unconvinced, but this really was the truth. To be honest, I myself didn’t know why I was doing this. When I didn’t explain further, he gave up.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. The budget was for you to use as you wish... I just don’t understand why you would waste your money on sothing like that. Anyway, as you have ordered, a large number of necessities have been sent to the shelter this morning.”
“I see...”
“I hear those poor people are now calling you the goddess... I guess it’s not a bad thing.”
Goddess...
Then I was probably the most selfish and cowardly goddess in the world.
***
That night, the dowager empress returned to the main castle.
We, the emperor and I, greeted her as she walked in with her princesses. Lucretius smiled annoyingly.
“Your highness, congratulations. Now I get to see my beautiful new sister.”
“... Thank you.”
The dowager empress’ smile was confident. She looked around before locking her eyes on .
“So it has been almost a month since we last saw each other. Has there been good news with you since then, first wife?”
I bowed apologetically.
“... Not yet.”
“Oh no... But don’t worry. We don’t have a male heir, but we still have plenty of legitimate princesses.”
She laughed loudly.
The dowager empress now no longer had a chance to bear a male heir, but Lucretius also still remained childless. So for now, Princess Liliana was still the number one heir to the throne after Lucretius.
At the dowager empress’ comnt, Liliana trembled as if she was whipped. Roselia hung onto her sister’s dress and looked around nervously. It was hard to watch them in this state of absolute fear. I could guess how the dowager empress relieved her anger after the birth of another daughter.
Lucretius asked brightly, “So where is my baby sister? I would like to see her.”
When the dowager empress nodded, a nanny who was standing far away approached us with a bundle.
The baby had the sa shocking red hair as her sisters and mother. Lucretius complinted her.
“I’m sure she will grow up to be a great beauty just like her mother.”
“I’m flattered.”
“So what is her na?”
“I nad her Margaret. Normally, the father would na her, but as the forr emperor has passed, I did it myself.”
“How pretty. It suits her.”
It was a normal conversation, but the tension between them was palpable. Everyone, including myself, barely breathed.
Suddenly, I noticed a familiar group of people. I didn’t expect to see them here. Darker skin and lighter hair.
I murmured to Samantha.
“Genoa’s Prince Coronel and Princess Ludia... Right?”
Why were they still here? The celebration was over, so they should have returned like the rest of the guests.
Instead, it seed like even more of Genoans ca. There was a whole group of them.
Samantha turned towards them to check.
When she did, she nodded and explained to , “After the celebration, they wanted to visit with their aunt, her highness Ksania, for a few more days. They got permission from the emperor.”
“Ksania?”
“She is the third wife of the forr emperor.”
I rembered. It was the woman who glared at on the first night of the ball. A woman from Genoa.
She was standing here. She looked like she was in her late 20’s or early 30’s. She was beautiful with her dark skin and silver hair. She was definitely too young to have been the old emperor’s wife, just like Katleyanira.
Samantha continued, “My guess would be that Genoa wants to make Princess Ludia the next empress no matter what.”
“Oh...”
Even after the embarrassing insult from Lucretius at the ball, they still couldn’t give up.
I supposed becoming the Cransian empress was worth it. It seed that the sibling now recruited their aunt’s help as well.
I said to Samantha, “Yes. It seems like her highness Ksania decided to help her niece.”
Samantha nodded. “Yes. The fact that her highness Ksania ca to the welcoming event for the dowager empress ans a great deal. In the past, she made sure to avoid the dowager empress at all cost. Her highness Ksania had a huge grudge against the dowager empress. Genoa as well.”
“A grudge?”
This was the first ti I heard about this. When I looked curious, Samantha made sure no one was listening before answering .
“You are aware of how the dowager empress interfered with the current emperor’s marriage plans for a long ti, right?”
“Yes, I rember... Are you saying Ksania was supposed to marry the current emperor?”
Samantha answered bitterly, “... It’s true.”
“...”
“Her highness Ksania just turned 30 this year, which makes her only three years older than the emperor. It was not a bad match. Genoa sent her highness to beco the next empress.”
This made sense to . It wasn’t uncommon for a younger man to marry older won in an attempt to get an heir as quickly as possible. Ksania would have been a good match for Lucretius.
Even a nobody like Lisbeth was planned to beco Lucretius’ concubine, so a princess from a powerful nation like Genoa definitely had a good chance to beco the Empress. Of course, the dowager empress wouldn’t have liked the idea.
Samantha continued, “At that ti, the dowager empress interfered to change the plan and made Princess Ksania marry the old emperor as a concubine. Princess Ksania was in her teens at the ti.”
“...”
I could understand her anger towards the dowager empress.
I nodded in agreent.
‘This could an they could be helpful to . An enemy of my enemy could be my friend.’
Just then, my eyes t with Ksania’s eyes. When I nodded lightly, her beautiful face crumpled into anger, disgust, and... jealousy.
It was so shocking that I froze.
She then turned away and looked at soone with such a yearning.
She was looking at Lucretius.
“...”
‘This man...’
Being his only legal wife was making a target for so many won.
This was not good.
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