Chapter 185: Side Story 41

Jena couldn’t believe the shameless, underhanded thing that had happened to her. She had prepared every last detail for the wedding, only to have the bride’s seat stolen from her. She had believed without a shadow of a doubt that it would be her wedding, and she had poured everything into making it perfect.

All to become the most radiant bride of all!

But Sylvia had been chosen as the Crown Princess, simply because she was more closely related to Count Jertho by blood. Though the coronation was being delayed due to differing opinions between the temple, Thersion, and Prince Jeremiah, there was no one else who could ascend the throne but Jeremiah.

In the end, Jeremiah would become Emperor, and Sylvia would become Empress.

Jena despised that fact with every fiber of her being. To close that gap, she had poured her entire self into this wedding. That was when she began to sense that something wasn’t right.

She had heard only good things from the adults, and she had even been helping Essellia with the wedding preparations. And yet, she hadn’t laid eyes on Ysildus even once. Not a single encounter.

Ysildus had been spending almost all his time with that ragged girl, Alexa. And Ysildus’s attendants… 

They were relentless in keeping Jena away from him. Even when she pleaded with Essellia to see Ysildus, she only got vague, lukewarm responses.

By the time she realized something was off, it was already too late. She had already boasted endlessly to her friends about her upcoming wedding to Ysildus. What could she say now? Jena forced down her growing anxiety.

And this… this was the result.

“Huwaaaaah, Mom! What do I do? What am I supposed to do?! I can’t even get married anymore!”

“Stop crying, Jena.”

Her mother pressed a hand to her waist and forehead. Just as Jena had said, her reputation had hit rock bottom. She had become a laughingstock. Though her insides were boiling, she had to calm her daughter down first, her daughter who was screaming as if her life were over.

“I said stop crying! This isn’t something to die over. Why wouldn’t you be able to get married? Count Jertho is still looking after you! He promised to support you, didn’t he? Enough with the crying already!”

Surely some man would still take Jena, if only because of the Count’s influence. That’s what she told herself. And her daughter.

“I don’t want to! I can’t accept this! Sylvia’s going to be Empress, and what about me, huh?! At least if I became the Grand Duchess of Thersion, that would’ve been better. The Thersion Grand Duchy still has ties to the imperial family!”

Jena kicked and screamed. She and Sylvia had grown up together since they were little. But there had always been a gulf between them. Count Jertho was one of the most powerful central nobles, and that had always placed Sylvia a cut above. Jena’s long-festering inferiority complex had finally exploded.

“Even Her Grace the Grand Duchess Essellia said so! That there’s no Prince Jeremiah without Thersion. She said Thersion might even relocate to the capital soon!”

“She said all that to you directly?”

“That’s why I was so sure I’d become her daughter-in-law!”

Jena burst into tears again.

“And she said she wanted to forge alliances with the central nobles to solidify Thersion’s position. That’s why she brought me and Sylvia into the picture. You think that’s all?”

Her confidence swelled in front of her mother, who was silently listening. Jena began recounting everything she had heard, whether she’d been told directly or just happened to overhear.

“They say there’s a reason Prince Jeremiah’s coronation is being delayed.”

“What?”

“There was an assassination attempt. It looked like the incident was being swept under the rug, but apparently not. There’s an ongoing investigation happening behind the scenes. What if he gets attacked during the coronation? That’s why they’re tracking down the remnants and trying to root them out–”

“I’d like to hear more about that.”

Count Jertho appeared behind them, standing at the entrance.

He had been planning to confront Jena anyway to ask her what the hell was going on and throw her out. After everything she’d done to disgrace him, she was still shamelessly staying in his home. He had held back for days.

Ever since that disastrous wedding, the nobles had been whispering behind his back, mocking him. For someone like Count Jertho, who valued honor above all else, this was a humiliation he couldn’t tolerate. He had come storming over, seething with rage only to catch wind of this conversation.

Jena’s mother quickly stepped aside and bowed her head.

“Hic.”

Startled, Jena began hiccupping.

“Go on, finish what you were saying. What about the remnants?”

Count Jertho had already suspected that both Thersion and Jeremiah were intentionally burying the issue. It had all been too quiet.

‘No, that’s not right. The prince almost died, and they’re treating it like nothing happened? These snakes. They let me plan their banquet while sneaking around behind my back?’

He ground his teeth. He had come dangerously close to being caught up in it. His hand trembled slightly as he clenched his cane.

“I… hic!”

“Speak clearly!”

“Hic!”

Seeing Jena pale in fear, Count Jertho shifted tactics.

“I’ll make sure you get married. I’ll ensure you live in comfort and prestige. If need be, I could even send you into the imperial court. There’s still a place for an Imperial Consort, isn’t there?”

“R-really?!”

Jena leapt to her feet. The Imperial Consort?!

“Yes. An Emperor requires many women, does he not?”

“I-I heard that… That’s why the young lord of Thersion and the prince are both so busy right now. That’s why it’s hard to meet with them.”

“You heard this directly from the Grand Duchess?”

Jena glanced at her mother before shaking her head. Truthfully, she had overheard most of it while loitering around Essellia’s palace.

That place was full of strange people. People who constantly shot her sharp looks. She had to sneak around to avoid those gazes, listening in on bits and pieces as she went.

“I actually overheard it. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess’s conversations… and a few other people’s.”

Jena began listing names, counting on her fingers. All of them were credible sources. Violeta, Jeremiah, Ysildus. And several nobles who were close to them.

Count Jertho clenched his cane.

Why sit and wait for them to come for him? Why just take this lying down?

He realized it was time to use the weapons he had prepared all along.

* * *

As a physician and medical student, Alexa diagnosed her own condition.

‘Pregnancy.’

A blessing had come to her.

Still, she needed professional confirmation. With a fluttering heart, Alexa sat across from the doctor. People whispered and gathered around. Under normal circumstances, Alexa would’ve been on the other side of that desk, tending to patients. Now, all eyes, those of patients and medical staff alike, were on her.

“What symptoms are you experiencing?”

The doctor, looking a bit thinner than before, asked. Alexa described her symptoms calmly.

“I’ve been feeling nauseous a lot lately, and I’ve lost my appetite. Even the foods I usually love don’t appeal to me anymore. I can’t stand the sight of meat. I wake up several times during the night… but I’m always hungry.”

Even as she spoke, Alexa grew more certain of her pregnancy.

The listeners around her sighed quietly. Married women, in particular, let out deeper sighs. They knew what this meant. So did the doctor, who was jotting down notes.

“…I’m sure you already know this, but…”

“Am I pregnant?”

“Congratulations, Lady Alexa.”

Alexa instinctively placed a hand over her belly. Knowing was one thing, but hearing it from someone else, from a doctor, it hit differently. The doctor began listing the standard precautions. Alexa blinked slowly, letting the words pass in one ear and out the other.

“Be especially cautious with sexual activity. Judging by the timing, I believe you’re just past five weeks. Are you listening, my Lady?”

Alexa nodded slowly.

Thersion children tended to grow rapidly. If the doctor was estimating five weeks, it was likely around three weeks in real terms. Alexa swallowed hard.

When was it? A full moon night? The night we had wine? Or maybe…

While Alexa was lost in thought, the doctor said something entirely unexpected.

“I… I wanted to sincerely apologize.”

“Pardon?”

Alexa looked up, startled.

“For the things I said to you before. My actions… I’m truly sorry.”

The doctor, pale with guilt, bowed again. After seeing the powerful figures who had come to visit Alexa lately, his heart had been in his throat. And he wasn’t the only one, everyone at the clinic had gathered at one point, pleading for Alexa’s forgiveness.

Alexa gave a slightly awkward smile.

So this… this is what power tastes like.