Chapter 1

Translator: Nox

“Finally, the greatest spoil of this war? It's that famous Edel Lancaster.”

The emperor's slightly intoxicated voice echoed through the banquet hall.

The feeling of being displayed like merchandise in front of nobles who had bowed their heads to her until just recently was utterly wretched, but Edel poured all her strength into maintaining her usual composed and upright posture.

If she loosened the tightly clenched thread of tension even a little, her whole body would tremble, and her shoulders would hunch.

I must not collapse until the very end!

Repeating her resolve to herself, she unwittingly gripped her hands so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She felt the pain but did not relax her grip. Right now, she needed to cling to that pain to maintain a clear mind.

Edel had ended up standing in this position because her husband, the Lancaster Duke, had pursued what was tantamount to rebellion by attempting independence and was utterly defeated by the emperor.

It had nothing to do with her will that she had become the Lancaster Duke's much-younger second wife, that she had only lived as the duchess for a mere one year and eight months, or that the duke had planned independence.

No matter what, I am the Lancaster Duchess. I have to pretend to be poised until the end. That way, at least my final moments won't be so pathetic.

Unaware of her inner turmoil as she endured steadfastly, the nobles made a fuss for no reason.

“Truly befitting of a duchess. So composed even in this situation.”

“Indeed. Much better than Lancaster, who bawled and wailed pathetically like his daughters.”

“What a shame. Such a pity. Tsk tsk.”

Written by ruly lemon frog

However, Edel did not welcome such praise.

Did those people in the front row, who had claimed the best seats at this event where humans were being distributed as spoils of war, truly feel sorry for her?

Not at all. In the end, even her act of suppressing her instinctive fear and pretending to be poised was merely entertainment for them.

I never imagined I'd receive this much attention until the very last moment... What a glamorous life.

At the sudden thought, Edel clamped her mouth shut tightly to prevent either laughter or tears from bursting out.

To disrupt her self-pitying thoughts, she slowly rolled only her eyes, scanning every corner of the banquet hall.

There were many familiar faces. Not a few quickly averted their gazes when their eyes met hers.

She knew it too. Among those whose eyes met hers, there must surely be some who pitied her plight. And that none of them would voice it.

“Of course! I almost forgot the top contributor was here!”

It couldn't be helped. Who would risk trouble by siding with the wife of a traitor?

His gaze landed on the total commander of this war and a knight said to be worth a hundred men, who stood expressionless.

She did not resent them. If the situation were reversed, she probably would have kept silent as well.

The ones Edel resented were her father, who had greedily handed her over like a gift to the elderly duke for power; the duke, who had thoroughly hidden his rebellion plans even after marriage; the duke's family, who had ignored and mocked her; and above all, herself, who had lacked the courage to escape despite all those injustices.

“Laslo.”

“...Yes, Your Majesty.”

His response, a beat late even to the emperor's call, precariously balanced between rudeness and solemnity.

Responsibility and duty of nobility, honor and pride... What the hell were those that I stubbornly endured like a fool?

However, Dimarcus did not mind at all. He rather liked that indifferent voice, which carried no ulterior motives.

Her jaw was already clenched so tightly that adding more strength made her molars ache as if they might shatter. Of course, no one noticed her plight.

“Don't you need a woman?”

Emperor Dimarcus Tuberin only spoke languidly after all eyes had sufficiently raked over Edel.

At the question that blatantly revealed Edel's 'purpose,' nobles who had been on good terms with her gasped and furrowed their brows.

“To whom shall I give her?”

It was understandable.

The knights who had just been clamoring to claim her were nobles by birth, after all. But Laslo Crisus was different.

When he turned his head toward the knights who had returned after great achievements in the Lancaster Duchy, far more people raised their hands enthusiastically than when the duke's daughters had been presented as spoils.

That man was a mercenary, right? Well, what does it matter anyway.

“I humbly request it, Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty! The number of enemy soldiers I've slain must exceed fifty!”

To Edel, Laslo or the other knights were all the same, but to the other nobles, it was a significant issue. Laslo was the representative of the emperor's faction of rising new nobles who threatened the old nobility.

Filthy butchers who'll do anything for money.

Should she call this an honor or an insult?

Scum who would have become criminals if not mercenaries.

“Looks like they've all thrown away their dignity.”

That was how the nobles viewed mercenaries.

“It's understandable. Edel Lancaster was a woman praised as the perfect duchess even at a young age.”

“So what? She's fallen into slavery anyway.”

“Why is His Majesty giving the best spoil to that guy of all people?”

“That's what makes it even better! Why would a slave like that refuse?”

“Indeed. Edel Lancaster messed up one marriage and plummeted straight to rock bottom.”

“And now the mercenary scum has risen high. Not content with a countship, he'll have a duchess as his bedroom slave.”

Middle-aged male nobles snickered among themselves. They were all probably thinking the same thing.

Dimarcus, who had been watching the knights' scuffle like entertainment, suddenly turned to the guard knight beside him as if something had occurred to him.

Everyone was convinced that Laslo Crisus would reveal his lecherous intentions.