When Thales braced himself and walked past the layers of guards, enduring gazes that were fiercer than usual, especially Nicholas' warning gaze, he passed through the old and heavy arched door and entered Raikaru's library, which he was very familiar with, the Prince of Constellation was fretting over what should have been a casual and relaxed meeting.
'Is Saroma aware of the political vortex she's in?'
Unknowingly, the girl was already in an inescapable chess game. She was facing Lampard, Roknee, and the vassals of Dragon Clouds City, who were experienced and ruthless chess players.
Thales did not know how much Lisban had told her, nor did he know what the archduchess' current state was. He also did not know what kind of attitude and stance he should use to face Saroma.
He had to face the former girl, who was now a lady.
The library was still the same. The arched corridor filled with rows of tall bookshelves swept past his field of vision amidst the intertwining light and shadows. The passage beside the bookshelves was brightly and clearly illuminated by the braziers and the reflective gemstones on the ceiling. There was only darkness and obscurity between the bookshelves that blocked off the light.
Thales anxiously and anxiously walked between the light and darkness. He walked past rows of bookshelves and arrived at the place where he met the two girls for the first time six years ago. It was the glass cabinet that stored the first treaty between the two countries.
"You're late."
The Archduchess of Dragon Clouds City sat quietly on a chair. A thick book lay open on her closed knees.
Thales looked around hesitantly. He was not surprised to see Ginghes, the female official, and two maidservants at the ends of the corridor. The former was like a statue. She had her hands on her chest, looking straight ahead elegantly and nobly.
The prince took a deep breath, walked up to Saroma, and lowered his voice.
"Saroma, listen, I —" The archduchess interrupted him without raising her head.
The archduchess interrupted him without raising her head. Her expression could not be seen clearly, but her voice was very calm. "This batch of books was newly collected by the merchants from Dragon-Kissed Land. I heard that many of them are ancient books and handwritten copies."
Thales raised his eyebrows. He was a little surprised by Saroma's interruption.
He only hesitated for a moment before he pulled over a wooden chair, turned the back of the chair towards Saroma, and sat down with a solemn expression. He rested his arms on the back of the chair.
At that moment, the prince felt his mouth go dry.
"Heh." Facing an old friend of more than six years, he said stiffly, "I … I heard about what happened on the day of the state affairs hearing."
The girl did not answer, but her hand did not turn the page.
"I want to say, uh …" After seeing Saroma in person, Thales felt that he had become clumsy. He had a bellyful of things to say but did not know where to start. He could only say stiffly, "Thank you … for protecting me."
The archduchess still did not raise her head, but she snorted softly through her nose. If it were not for Thales' extraordinary hearing, he would have thought that she was daydreaming.
"But …" Thales sighed. "I've also heard about it …"
"I just flipped through the table of contents for this new batch of books." However, the archduchess interrupted him again. "There are many contents that you are concerned about, such as the Battle of Eradication."
"And the dragons …"
Saroma's face was still lowered, almost parallel to the book.
Thales' expression tensed.
She was not in the right mood.
"Saroma."
"Regarding the day of the state affairs hearing …" Thales recalled the two conversations he had with Putray and gritted his teeth. "You … I …"
"Yes, marriage."
Thales was stunned. "Huh?"
Saroma slowly raised her head and flashed a faint, bitter smile.
"This is what you wanted to talk to me about during today's training." The archduchess sneered softly. "Isn't it?"
Thales could not help but notice that the girl's eyes were a little red.
He nodded subconsciously.
"Yes."
Saroma closed the book on her knees and sighed softly.
"So, what do you want to say?"
She placed the book on the table beside her and went straight to the point. "Recommend a husband to me?"
When Saroma said this, she raised her eyebrows, looking rather aggressive.
Thales' words were a little sluggish. He opened and closed his mouth, but in the end, he could only say a few words, "I …
"I want to ask …"
Saroma tilted her head slightly. Her green eyes behind the pince-nez stared at him without moving.
For the first time, Thales realized that this little girl's gaze could be so difficult to resist.
A few seconds later, the prince, who still could not form a sentence, could only exhale and pretend to be relaxed. "So, regarding your marriage … what did they say?"
"Is there anyone in mind?"
This time, Saroma stared at him firmly. She stared at him for a whole ten seconds.
It made Thales feel uneasy.
Finally, Saroma exhaled through her nose, shook her head, and averted her gaze.
"It's those people, the counts who are directly under the vassals, such as Count Hearst," she said faintly.
"Hearst?" Thales frowned. "The Count of Flatiron County? That Golden Beard? "
"Yes."
Saroma added expressionlessly, "Among the direct vassals of Dragon Clouds City, his age is the closest to mine."
The prince grabbed the back of the chair and straightened his back.
"Close in age?"
Thales widened his eyes and exhaled subconsciously. After the initial shock, he said disdainfully, "Yes, he's only twenty years older than you."
Saroma cast him a thought-provoking glance.
"Or the son of a noble. Count Nazaire has a son in his early twenties. He's the heir of the family."
"Nazaire Junior?" Thales frowned again.
"Ha, I heard that his dissolute reputation is known from the maids in the city to the sows in the suburbs …"
The archduchess narrowed her eyes in puzzlement. "How did you know?"
Thales snorted softly and shook his head. "Gossip from the kitchen. During the banquet, the maids all want to … Forget it, it's not important."
Saroma pursed her lips, seemingly dissatisfied. "If it really doesn't work, there's still Ciel —"
This time, Thales interrupted her.
"Count Lisban? The regent? "
The prince looked as if he had seen the most unbelievable thing in the world. "My God, that old man even has a grandson!"
"Thales."
Saroma seemed to have had enough of Thales' tone. She said coldly,
She said coldly, "The candidate I'm talking about is Ciel's grandson."
Thales was speechless.
Saroma stared at the ground in dissatisfaction. The embarrassed Thales rested his chin on his arm. For a moment, he had nothing to say.
Finally, the silence between the two was broken by the archduchess. "Thales."
She whispered in a tired voice, "Don't you want to see me get married?"
Thales did not speak immediately.
"Saroma." A few seconds later, Thales managed to speak. His voice was deep. "Tell me the truth.
Do you really want to get married? "
Saroma raised her head abruptly. Her expression was tense.
"Is this important?"
The prince heard the girl's words as if she was acting out of spite. "You know, I have to get married."
Thales furrowed his eyebrows slightly. He straightened his back and moved his chair closer.
"We've known each other for six years, you know …"
The prince's expression was serious. "I don't want to see you unhappy. I don't want to see you forced to do something you don't want to do.
"Because …"
Saroma stared at him in a daze.
'Because I'm the one who caused you to become like this.'
Thales shut his mouth and said to himself dejectedly.
The moment Little Rascal agreed to help him six years ago, and the moment Little Rascal was announced as the Archduchess of Dragon Clouds City appeared before his eyes.
Thales sighed and rested his chin on the back of the chair.
A few seconds later, the archduchess tilted her head and looked to the other side.
"Even if I don't want to, so what?" Saroma's voice suddenly traveled into his ears.
"What can you do?"
Can you forbid them from marrying me? "
The archduchess still tilted her head. Her expression could not be seen clearly, but her shoulders trembled slightly. "Or can you … forbid me from marrying them?"
Thales raised his gaze, feeling melancholic.
'She doesn't like this,' he told himself.
Thales sighed. "If you don't want to, then don't marry them."
Saroma suddenly turned around and stared at him coldly.
"Hmph." She snorted.
"If I don't marry them …" At that moment, the girl's gaze was very strange. "Then, who should I marry?"
Thales felt his eyelids twitch.
Before the archduchess could say anything strange, he stood up from the chair abruptly.
"Well, what I mean is …"
"You're an archduchess." Thales coughed and scratched his head, imitating a certain burly police officer in his memory. "As long as you insist on your own will, no one can force you to do anything you don't want. If you don't want a husband, then you don't have to force yourself to marry."
After saying this, Thales felt uncomfortable all over. He shrugged and smiled awkwardly.
Saroma stared at him deeply, not saying a word.
After a long while, the archduchess said softly, "You've also seen the envoy from Black Sand Region today … Ciel told me that the matter with the Alliance of Freedom isn't that simple …
"Ciel also said that Dragon Clouds City has no choice. If I want to win the vassals' support and protect the archduchess' authority —
"Then all the more you can't simply marry!"
Thales interrupted her and quickly added, "You can't hope to win support with marriage.
"Think about it. You're alone." The prince took a deep breath and endured Saroma's piercing gaze. "And there are six counts in Dragon Clouds City alone. No matter who you marry …
"Perhaps you can calm the storm for a short while and get through this crisis.
"But the price is that you will soon be dragged into a deeper level of Dragon Clouds City's internal strife." Thales sighed.
"Because your new husband is one of them, you will no longer be able to stay out of the relationship between the vassals. You will no longer be able to act as a supreme and fair arbiter. You will no longer be able to rule this land as their suzerain.
"Moreover, an archduchess who uses her marriage to compromise with the nobles will not be able to gain loyalty."
This time, Saroma stared at him for a long time.
She stared at him until Thales felt a little embarrassed.
"You know …" The young lady's voice was a little airy.
"Ciel said the same thing."
"Lisban?" Thales shuddered. "He also opposes your marriage?"
Saroma did not answer him directly. She laughed and said, "But the vassals will be very unhappy."
She said listlessly, "What should I do? What should Dragon Clouds City do?
They're already very dissatisfied with me. They say that my bearing is not stable, my charm is not good, and my dressing and speech are immature …
"If I still refuse to marry them and have no children …" The archduchess sighed slightly.
She was a little dejected and tired. "I know that in the future, whether we send troops or issue decrees, they will not cooperate obediently."
Thales exhaled.
For some reason, after knowing that Lisban also opposed the suzerain's marriage, he felt inexplicably more at ease.
But when he turned his head, he saw the archduchess' dejected and bitter expression.
Thales clenched his fists lightly.
He sat back in his chair.
"No, Saroma," the prince said seriously, "This has nothing to do with your bearing and charm. It has nothing to do with your dressing and speech.
"It has nothing to do with whether you get married or not, and whether you have children or not.
"Your vassals, they will have this kind of attitude …"
Saroma raised her head and stared at him blankly.
Thales clenched his fists tighter and tighter. He took a deep breath.
"It's because, because …"
But before he could finish, he was interrupted by the archduchess again.
"Because I am an archduchess." Saroma could not help but laugh. She tilted her head back and leaned against the back of the chair. She looked askance at the row of bookshelves in the distance. "I am a woman.
A woman who makes them look down on me. "
Thales was stunned.
"Yes, I know." Saroma's voice was very low. At first glance, it sounded emotionless. "I have always known.
"They are not used to it, and they dislike being ruled by a woman even more. Whether it is them or the enemy, they all feel that such a Dragon Clouds City is not stable. They feel that I am weak and ignorant …
"So they urge me to get married. The archduchess will marry a local noble of Dragon Clouds City, leave a seed in my belly, and bear the name of Walton. One day, I will hand over power to him. Then, Dragon Clouds City will be considered stable. "
Thales did not speak, but his grip on the back of the chair tightened.
"During the day of the council hearing, no matter what I say, everyone's eyes will only be on Ciel." Saroma's words sounded like she was talking in her sleep. "If I am right, they will cast praising gazes at Ciel. If I am wrong, they will cast reproachful gazes at him.
"It's not just this time. It's the same in the past.
It will be the same in the future. "
Saroma gently shook her shoulders and laughed in spite of herself, as if she was numb.
"None of my so-called vassals care about me." The archduchess' voice was very weak. She leaned all her weight on the back of the chair, as if she had lost all strength to support herself. "They only care about the title of archduchess and the Walton bloodline.
"And I am not important at all — except for my belly, because it can give birth to the Walton's seed."
Thales gritted his teeth slightly.
Saroma took a deep breath and stared at Thales with bloodshot eyes.
She suddenly burst into laughter.
"Maybe they are right, Thales."
Saroma bit her lower lip and expressionlessly said, "Maybe I can't be an archduchess at all.
"Maybe I was born weak and should rely on others."
The archduchess' voice became fainter and fainter.
In the thick and simple library, she leaned against the chair and said faintly, "When I was young, I relied on Alex and was an unknown little maid.
"When I grew up, I relied on you and King Nuven to become an archduchess with your strength.
"Now, I rely on Ciel to rule Dragon Clouds City on my behalf and deal with those things that I can't think of.
"In the future, I also have to rely on my husband and the bloodline in my belly to stabilize Dragon Clouds City and live the rest of my life.
"Moreover, I don't even have the Walton bloodline —"
* Bang! *
The prince slammed his palm on the back of the chair.
"Saroma!" Thales said sternly, reprimanding the stunned girl.
"Saroma, Little Rascal." The prince took a deep breath and put on the most serious expression he could think of. "Do you know why I dragged you to skip classes?
"Especially Madam Ginghes' etiquette class."
Without waiting for her to answer, Thales spoke.
"Because you are an archduchess." The teenager clenched his fists. "But they teach you weaving, sewing, embroidery, playing music, singing, dancing, and housekeeping.
"They think of you as an archduchess."
"Archduchess and archduchess are the same word." Thales gritted his teeth. "But they are worlds apart. They are absolutely not the same!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
