Chapter 01
"Is she finally the best prize in this war? The famous Idyll Lancaster."
The voice of the drunken emperor echoed slightly in the banquet hall.
Although it was disheartening to be displayed as a commodity before the nobles who had recently bowed down to her, Idil did all she could to maintain her usual calm and upright posture.
Even the slightest loosening of the tight rein of tension would make her whole body tremble, and she would feel as if her shoulders might slump.
'I mustn't break down completely!'
Reaffirming her resolve, she unconsciously used force, digging her nails into the flesh of her palm. Although she felt pain, she didn't loosen the tension in her hand. For now, even with such pain, she had to keep her mind clear.
Adele found herself in this position because her husband, the Duke of Lancaster, had been ruthlessly defeated by the Emperor while pushing for a rebellion closer to independence.
She became the wife of the traitorous Duke of Lancaster, and lasted as a duchess for only 1 year and 8 months, and even the duke's plans for independence - none of them were under her control.
'Regardless, I am the Duchess of Lancaster. I must maintain a brave facade to make the ending less tragic.'
The nobles, unaware of its internal conflicts, made unnecessary statements.
“I would say she is as expected of a Duchess. She is resolute even in this situation.”
“That’s right. The Lancaster who bit, bleated, and caused trouble is much better than her daughter.”
"Such a pitiful appearance. Very bad. Tsk, tsk."
However, Edel found this praise unappealing.
Were they occupying the front row in this council where people were being divided up like spoils of war? Did they really feel empathy?
Undoubtedly, in the end, even her calm demeanor, which bore an instinctive fear, was merely an act for their amusement.
'I never expected to receive this much attention until the very last moment… What a wonderful life.'
To suppress a wave of laughter or tears that might come with a sudden thought, Idil closed her lips tightly.
To shift her thoughts away from self-pity, she slowly scanned the corners of the banquet hall with her eyes.
She recognized many faces. Not only did a few people quickly avert their gaze upon making eye contact with her.
She knew too. There must have been some among those who met her eyes who sympathized with her situation, but no one dared to express those thoughts.
I think there's no way around it. What kind of disaster would you suffer if you sided with the cheating wife?
She wasn't upset. In the opposite circumstances, she might have remained silent as well.
The people she resented were her father, who cruelly handed her over as a gift to the elderly duke, driven by greed for power; the duke, who concealed his rebellious plans even after the marriage; the duke's entire despised family, who ignored and ridiculed her; and, most of all, herself, for not finding the courage to escape all the unfair situations.
'The responsibilities and duties of nobles, honor and dignity… what makes me cling to this naive stubbornness?'
Edel clenched her jaw so tightly that her teeth ached as if they were going to break, but no one cared about her condition.
Finally, Emperor Demarcus Duverne spoke slowly, only after everyone's attention had sufficiently passed Edel.
"To whom should I give it?"
And when he turned his head towards the soldiers who had rendered great service in the Battle of the Duchy of Lancaster, many raised their hands with more enthusiasm than when the Emperor offered the Duke's daughters as spoils of war.
“I ask for it with all boldness, my lord!”
“My lord, I have killed more than fifty enemies, without a doubt!”
“Do not believe the lies of these people, my lord! Have mercy on my loneliness, for I am a widow!”
"How about settling this through a duel!"
The calls, mixed with enthusiasm, grew louder.
Is that an honor or an insult?
“It seems everyone has put their pride aside.”
“It’s only natural that they would. Adele Lancaster was considered the perfect duchess despite her young age.”
“What was the point? In the end, I just became a slave.”
"And that makes her even better! Who would refuse such a slave girl?"
The middle-aged gentlemen laughed amongst themselves. Perhaps they all shared the same sentiment.
Watching the knights squabbling as if they were having a good time, Emperor Demarcus turned his head towards his accompanying guards, as if he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh! I almost forgot we have a major shareholder here!"
In his gaze, the knight who had served as a general in this war, and who boasted a record of one hundred victories, stood expressionless.
“László.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Although his reply came a little late, and was a mixture of boldness and seriousness, the emperor was never upset.
However, DeMarcus paid no attention to it. In fact, he liked the nonchalant tone that carried no hint of flattery.
"Don't you need a woman?"
This frank question about Idyll's "use" caused the nobles near her to gasp, frowning.
Well, that was to be expected.
The knights who requested it were all nobles, except for Laszlo Criscis.
'Isn't that man of mercenary origin? But what does that matter to me?'
To Idel, Laszlo was just like any other knight, no different. But to the other nobles, it was a different story.
Laszlo represented the new nobility loyal to the emperor, who were considered a threat to the traditional nobility.
At the age of twenty-seven, Laszlo Crises took control of the largest mercenary guild in the empire, Calliope, earning him the title of "King of Mercenaries," and he was granted the title of Count thanks to his tremendous military achievements in the War of Conquest.
There was nothing to criticize about his military achievements, so the nobles clung to one point: his origins as a mercenary.
“People without honor, selling their services for money.”
“If they hadn’t worked as mercenaries, they would undoubtedly have been criminals.”
This is how nobles viewed mercenaries.
"Why would His Majesty the Emperor give the best prize to that particular scoundrel?"
“Indeed, Edel Lancaster’s life fell apart because of a bad marriage.”
“But look, that mercenary has managed to climb the ladder of glory. He has earned the title of Count, and now he will have a Duchess as a concubine in his bedroom.”
Everyone was certain that Laszlo Criscis would reveal his malicious intentions.
But his reaction was unexpected, as he seemed uninterested.
"I don't know. I might just need a maid..."
"Haha! Hahaha!"
DeMarcus burst out laughing at Laszlo's response.
“A maid? A real maid? Do you intend to use that woman who was a duchess as a maid?”
“It has no other use.”
“Hahaha!”
DeMarcus, who seemed pleased with Laszlo's response, laughed heartily before nodding his head in approval.
"Very well, very well. I will give Edel Lancaster to Count Laszlo Crissis, who is short of maids!"
And so, the fate to which Idil would descend was decided.
Alongside the man who was known to be rude and cruel, that mercenary.
As the guards dragged her away, she thought back to the days that had led her to this situation.
***
“The Duke of Lancaster has decided to take you as his second wife. The wedding will be in about four months, so hurry up with your preparations.”
Three years ago, in early summer, when the garden was covered in flowers, a lightning bolt struck Idil's life.
“Dad! No, I don’t want that! Please, think about it again!”
On that day, for the first time in her life, Idil refused her father's order and knelt down, begging him.
To become the second wife of the Duke of Lancaster, who is two years older than her father? Naturally, she wouldn't accept that.
But her father, Count Dustin Kenyon, instead of sympathizing with her, flew into a rage and shouted at her.
“Instead of acting to support the family, do you dare to stir up this scandal? Do you know what humiliation you went through to get this opportunity?”
For him, Edel's perspective was irrelevant. What mattered was only the benefits he and his family would receive.
His daughter, whom he had raised specifically to marry into a prestigious family, only angered him by refusing this marriage.
Although Idyll spent three days without eating or drinking and crying, Dustin not only refused to cancel the marriage, but also brought several merchants hastily to the palace, citing the tight preparation period.
The Countess, who always favored her own sons, showed no sympathy for her desperate daughter.
“Ideal! Stop being so stubborn. Where else could you find a marriage proposal like this?”
“But that’s not true, Mother! The Duke of Lancaster is older than my father, how could that be…”
"Then, among the men from the four great families, who do you think would be the best? Choose."
The tone sounded sarcastic, bordering on contempt.