Before him stood his lord, King Gustav.
At that moment, Chris IV’s heart began to cloud with gloom as he faced the last person he wanted to see right after the worst situation: defeat.
“Your… Majesty, what brings you here?”
“What brings me here, you ask? I came to offer my condolences because you’ve returned from war with such dishonor. Truly a heartbreaking matter, isn’t it? To think that you, the great lord of the North and my loyal subject, had to endure such a thing.”
“…Mmm…”
Though he feigned kindness with his words, Chris IV wasn’t foolish enough to miss the high degree of sarcasm embedded within them.
However, Chris IV had no reply to this.
He had, as he said, lost.
Even if victory was tantalizingly close, defeat was still defeat, leaving no room for excuses.
Though he blamed Mansfeld, who had led things to this point, ultimately, the responsibility for the loss rested squarely on his shoulders.
Feeling that bitter sensation, Chris IV bowed his head to his lord and said, “Yes… in the end, I lost. I wanted to show the Empire how valiant my Northern warriors are, but… it appears there are beings amongst them with abilities beyond imagination.”
“Abilities beyond imagination, you say? What sort of person is that?”
“I cannot say for certain, as I did not see them clearly. However, I can tell you they easily dismantled Mansfeld’s mercenary group without suffering significant losses.”
In terms of preserving one’s dignity, it was quite simple from the perspective of the defeated.
He simply needed to elevate the opponent who had brought him down.
The enemy was undoubtedly a formidable foe, strong enough that his defeat was inevitable.
Thus, it was only natural that he had lost.
It was a principle akin to when someone who fails to qualify can still gain re-evaluation if their vanquisher eventually wins.
In that sense, at this moment, Chris IV had no choice but to elevate the person who had dealt him a decisive defeat—Valenshtein… even as King Gustav began to nod slowly in agreement.
However, this was not merely about Chris IV’s testimony.
“Valenshtein… now that I think about it, he mentioned something similar. To be cautious of Valenshtein and his subordinates. It seems his perspective on the world is indeed acute, and his insights were remarkably accurate. Mr. Santana Andreas…”
*
“Mr. Santana!”
Before him stood a beautiful woman in a stunning dress.
Estelle Bertina Fernandez
Seeing her rush toward him while calling his name, a smile naturally appeared on his lips.
“It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well?”
“Not really… Honestly, it’s been tough.”
“…Excuse me?”
Estelle answered with a hint of darkness in her expression to his casual inquiry.
Her unexpected response sparked a worry in him, wondering if something was troubling her that he didn’t know about.
Then Estelle continued,
“I’ve been so lonely. You haven’t shown your face in a long time, and you don’t understand how hard it is for a woman to be apart from her soon-to-be husband, Mr. Santana.”
“Ah… I see. I feel regret about that…”
Estelle was now openly joking about their marriage, which made him feel the weight of stares coming from behind him.
He had spoken in advance about these matters, so it shouldn’t cause any problems, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to take the marital relationship a bit more seriously.
As if feeling the pressure of his gaze, Estelle released his tightly held hand and politely greeted the woman standing behind her.
“Nice to meet you. I am Estelle Bertina Fernandez, who will become Mr. Santana’s secondary wife.”
“I am Lady Cazerose Sophia Andreas, Mr. Santana’s legal wife. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you, Miss Estelle.”
“So, you are Lady Cazerose? The princess of the Dragona Empire and Mr. Santana’s primary wife. In that case, I suppose you are like an older sister to me. I look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise. I, too, hope we can collaborate well. No matter how we got connected, both of us are united through political marriage. Let’s support Mr. Santana from our respective positions.”
“Yes, of course. Whether in matters of devices or the bed, we each must do our best wherever we fit in. Though it may appear so, I pride myself on having decent capabilities as well.”
With that, Cazerose smiled with confidence, straightening her posture and gazing at Estelle.
As a result, Estelle couldn’t help but divert her gaze, especially as Cazerose’s chest, emphasized by the dress, became even more pronounced.
At the same time, he felt as if a sudden vein had popped on Cazerose’s forehead while she maintained her calm smile.
It felt like a simple greeting, yet he could sense an icy tension in the air between the two of them. His instincts warned him that things wouldn’t unfold smoothly in the future.
‘Since it has come to this, I hoped the two women could get along well… But it seems that won’t be easy for a while.’
Their wedding between him and Estelle was planned for a few days later.
Though it was more like a modest engagement ceremony for taking a secondary wife, Estelle appeared satisfied at the prospect of becoming his spouse in this way.
The problem was that from the very start… no, precisely, even before things had formally begun, such displays indicated that his married life would not be straightforward.
Struggles for power between his legal and secondary wives.
Considering Cazerose’s position as a princess of the Dragona Empire and the strength of her legitimacy, she certainly had the upper hand. But Estelle, not being an ordinary person either, must have been preparing to stake her claim as well.
And, of course, the person who would suffer while trying to mediate between them wasn’t anyone else but him.
‘Having flowers in both hands may seem like luck to others, but from my standpoint, it doesn’t seem all that great…’
*
There were many ways to solidify one’s position as a wife, ultimately what mattered was who could capture the husband’s heart more reliably.
These means ranged from worldly things like wealth and power to personal aspects like beauty and intellect.
In this regard…
Estelle understood that Cazerose, standing before her, was a formidable opponent.
At the same time, she was aware that she had a fatal weakness.
Cazerose was a powerful “rival” backed by the immense might of the Dragona Empire.
However, the moment she saw her, Estelle felt confident that she had a fighting chance.
‘Indeed… As I’ve heard, she is quite a beauty, though she does seem to be lacking in certain areas…’
Even as another woman, Estelle couldn’t help but admire Cazerose’s looks.
She possessed a beauty that was both elegant and restrained, exuding grace.
Her presence was akin to a haughty white lily blooming majestically, and even Estelle, proud of her own beauty, found it hard to draw comparisons.
However…
While perhaps they could call it a draw in terms of faces, or Cazerose had a slight edge, Estelle possessed another powerful weapon passed down from her ancestors.
‘Face aside, in terms of body, there’s no contest. Especially since that woman… is lacking a lot as a woman, which is pretty obvious!’
With a pair of ample assets that still aptly lay on her shoulders, Estelle felt a sense of superiority, finding a glimmer of ease in a rather unfavorable position.
Of course, to feel that advantage, she needed to avoid glancing too much at the ‘woman in red’ standing behind Cazerose.
“Then, I will escort you inside, Miss Estelle.”
“Um… Yes, please do.”
As she looked at the maid in red, who was sporting her usual bright smile, Estelle replied awkwardly.
