"Sigh…" Valentin rubbed his head in distress as he listened to Lucia's unbelievable words,
"On the account that you are the daughter of Marquess Astaze, I will forget that you have sneaked inside the imperial palace without permission… But my Lady, I think it is really ti for you to go back to your family's estate."
Lucia already expected that they would not believe her at first, and so she stayed calm, "As you command, Your Highness, but even so, there's nothing wrong in increasing the guards assigned for Lady Tehila. "
"That goes without saying..." Crown Prince Valentin tightened his grip on Tehila's arms.
"Alright then… if both of you changed your minds, don't hesitate to send a ssage. A word of advice… never underestimate an obsessed person's ans of doing things." Lucia signaled the hooded rcenary to carry her back to the estate after she curtsied to Valentin and bade goodbye to Tehila.
Soon, all that was left was the stunned Tehila and the anxious Valentin.
"What do we do now, Valentin?" Tehila looked at him with worry in her moss green eyes.
It was already a hard ti for Valentin at the mont, and yet his burdens have increased again. What was more frustrating was that she was the added burden. "I am sorry… because of …"
"No, do not think about that… If any, I would be the one to apologize. I already knew that these things might happen and yet, I still beca selfish and -"
"Please do not say that Valentin… The mont I said yes to your proposal, I also said yes to the happiness, the sadness, as well as the problems that I will face together with you. What frustrates is that I do not even have the ability to protect myself to lift your burdens by just a little bit…"
While the young couple supported each other, Lucia silently stood on her balcony as her eyes darted to the view of the night sky.
"The skies in my dreams were filled with gigantic stones… unlike these skies… they were so brilliant and full of beauty…" She mumbled to herself.
"Why don't you just go away to the Empire then?" The rcenary was not yet dismissed at that ti and so he asked Lucia curiously.
"That kind of dream… there's no escape… If I think about it, after my 'death' in that dream… don't you think that the enemy will just stop at our Empire? If there was no one who could stop them in the great Seirende Empire, then how about the other lands?"
"There would be a widespread danger…" The rcenary comnted.
Lucia did not know why she was explaining things to the rcenary; however, at the mont, she would just like for soone to listen to the thoughts that she had kept secret for years.
"Look, if my conjecture was true, who could stop a family who could manipulate the forces outside the Empire and cause a war? I don't believe that their power only extends in this empire… but far to the outside…"
"And so I firmly believe that there was no use for to escape… because death would chase and my family anyways… unless I do sothing…" Lucia faced the hooded rcenary and ordered him once again…
"For my next commission, please stay discreetly beside Lady Tehila… But do not protect her entirely… just make sure that no assassination attempts would severely harm her… For I still need for the Crown Prince and the Lady to realize how far Carolina would go…
"Just intervene when it's already a matter of life and death…"
"I received your orders Milady…" The rcenary bowed and imdiately disappeared into the darkness.
It did not take her long to receive so news about the multiple attempts to harm Tehila and for them to summon Lucia secretly back to the palace.
"So… are you ready to hear my story now?" Lucia looked at them who wore anxious and lethargic expressions.
"Tell , Lady Lucia, what have you seen in the future…" Valentin waved his hands, gesturing that he was finally willing to listen.
"The vision I saw… would not even happen in this ti period, it would be decades from now… where my brother would even have his own children growing up as fine n…" Lucia started to explain what she saw in the vision.
"So you an to say, that the Vesala would work with so unknown forces and gain unstoppable power in the future… and you believe that the trigger for this would be because I chose Tehila to be the Empress?" Valentin's expression grew dark.
"As what I have seen in my vision, only that I could comnt, but do understand that what I saw was only a part of the future… and I can only make guesses because of that. I have already told you my tale, even the exact words that I said and heard… nothing more… nothing less…"
Lucia looked at the couple seriously, when it ca to the matter of her vision, she would not dare to guarantee that what she deduced out of it was the entirety of the problem.
"It is up to Your Highness and Lady Tehila to determine your interpretation of the tale that I have said… What I just wanted for myself was a chance of survival for and my family… that's all.
"Then if your theory was true… what do you think was the best course of action then?" Valentin asked.
"Soon, the report from the scouts would co, and it would determine your need to ascend to the throne or not…" Lucia boldly ntioned the rumor of Emperor Idelfonso's demise.
"You…" Valentin's eyes flickered.
"There's no use of being angry with … But it's ti for you to be prepared… The Vesala might move on that mont… You know that the closest to the warzone was their East territory… and so they might use this as a bargaining chip to force you to marry Carolina…"
"You an to say?" Valentin almost stood to his chair in surprise, for because of all the chaos that happened and his lack of preparation, he did not realize this obvious possibility.
"Yes… and because of you not having a stable influence yet due to the urgency of the matter… you will be forced to collaborate on a power. In short… you need to choose whom you will ally with so that you can resist the pressure. If possible, use this to also crush the Vesala's growing power on the onset. While they were still manageable."
"If it was to ally, isn't the Astaze good too?" Tehila interjected.
"Yes… I could guarantee that our family will help you when that ti cos, however, we need a more powerful ally… The Forgewons and Faraulds… specifically, the legendary grandmasters…" Lucia finally laid down her plans and left it all for Valentin to carry out.
"This…" Valentin was uncertain, it was not only because the grandmasters were a special existence in the entire Prasinos, but also, they were away at the mont and it would be hard for him to summon them.
"If the Grandmasters were to intervene in the war, then the Vesalas would lose the leverage against the Empire, for whoever allied with them outside would surely hesitate to collaborate again because of the presence of two grandmasters. Even if they manage to bring down one, I am confident that they could not take two at once, considering that they have already weakened because of His Majesty Emperor…"
The more Valentin and Tehila listened to Lucia, the more they were convinced how scared she was of the impending future that a sheltered lady like her was forced to study the chanics of politics, military, and war.
"This is as far as I have planned Your Highness and Lady Tehila… As for the rest, I am sure you have a better insight than mine…" Lucia felt like her throat dried because of how she explained a lot of things to the couple, but she finally felt relieved.
"If this works, all I ask of you is to please look upon my family's welfare and protect us as you ascend to the throne." Lucia bowed and concluded with a pleading tone.
She did everything that she could do in her capacity as a lady of the Astaze family. To give Valentin and Tehila the warning for the future… She knew that this might change sothing, if not everything.
The eting with Valentin and Tehila finally ended.
But on their way back to her estate… they were suddenly blocked by a few n with Temple robes.
"My Lady, Lucia Astaze…" The leader of the n stepped forward and bowed.
"His Eminence, High Priest, would like to send you a ssage. The ssage goes like this:
'Young one, I know you saw what the heavens have intended. Yet I must warn you… do not try to interfere with heaven's will for there is a price to bear… Young one, if you wish to hear more of your gift, then you must visit imdiately…'
Thus says the High Priest!"
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