Ch#90
Spoils of War
Duchess
By Lemon Frog
Episode 90
"Is this your first time at our mansion, Miss Angela?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Then let me give you a quick tour. Would you like to follow me?"
At that moment, Angela instinctively realized the 'main point' was finally coming.
She nodded with resolve and quietly rose to follow behind the Winblair Marchioness.
The interior of the marquisate wasn't much different from other high noble houses. Of course, everything was made of premium materials, and the interior design and decorations were of a superior level.
Angela half-listened to the Marchioness's explanations here and there while staying alert for any sudden probes.
"Touring a mansion isn't all that fun for a young lady, is it?"
"Not at all, ma'am! How often does one get to see such a refined mansion? Everything you're explaining is becoming a valuable asset to me."
"My, you speak so beautifully. Ho ho!"
The Marchioness's eyes subtly changed as she let out a pleased laugh for a moment.
"Still, someone who speaks more entertainingly than I would be better... Oh! Liandro!"
When Angela turned to follow the Winblair Marchioness's gaze, there stood a young man who was unfamiliar yet somehow vaguely recognizable.
"Ma'am. What brings you here in the middle of the tea party?"
He approached the Marchioness without hesitation and lightly brushed his cheek against hers in greeting.
"Greet her, Liandro. This is Miss Angela Bliss. I was showing our first-time guest around the mansion... Yes! Why don't you take over the tour from here, Liandro?"
The Winblair Marchioness clapped her hands as if it were perfect timing, but Angela wasn't naive enough to miss that this was a staged situation.
And she wasn't so small-minded as to panic or take offense upon noticing.
"It would be an honor if Sir Liandro doesn't mind."
.
Liandro's expression went momentarily blank as Angela smiled with softened eyes. She never missed that look on a man's face.
"I-If you'll have me, gladly."
With Liandro accepting the proposal eagerly, the Winblair Marchioness handed Angela over to him and turned away.
Neither Liandro nor Angela noticed the somewhat dissatisfied expression on her face as she left.
"Then, th-this way, please."
Liandro led Angela, clearly nervous. He gave brief explanations of the portraits and paintings along the way but couldn't guide the mansion as smoothly as the Marchioness.
Angela subtly sized him up from head to toe, appraising his value.
*From the formal address with the Marchioness, he's not some collateral to dismiss, but not extremely close either... Looks decent enough, and seems to have money. Definitely smitten with me.*
Her pride, bruised by Laslo, finally felt a bit soothed.
Liandro, who had been glancing at Angela furtively, suddenly turned to her upon reaching a room.
"Ahem. Actually... I wanted to show you this place, Miss Angela."
"Pardon? What room is this?"
Angela asked, but instead of answering, Liandro flung open the door with a resolute expression.
A floral scent, hard to obtain even in early winter, wafted out strongly.
"Oh my! Wh-what is all this...!"
The room was filled entirely with flowers.
Exotic blooms only seen in greenhouses this season.
Filling even a room of this size with greenhouse flowers must have cost a fortune.
"A gift for you, Miss Angela."
"What do you mean? Didn't we just happen to meet earlier?"
"I'm sorry. I asked the Winblair Marchioness because I wanted to meet you."
*Knew it,* Angela thought, nearly bursting into laughter, but covered her mouth pretending to be shy.
Liandro escorted her to the couch amid the flowers, and as she sat pretending to look around, a maid brought tea as if waiting.
This had been her seat from the start.
"I'm sorry, Sir Liandro. I still don't quite understand what's happening..."
As Angela trailed off, the anxious Liandro seized her hand.
"Time is short today, so I'll be direct. Miss, I've admired you for a long time. You can't imagine how much I've held back these feelings until now."
Liandro's eyes burned with undisguised affection and desire.
Angela gently withdrew her hand, feigning distress.
"I'm grateful for your feelings, but this is overwhelming for me."
"I expected that. And knowing it, committing this rudeness stems from a sense of crisis that time is running out."
"Crisis?"
Liandro's face twisted with anger and regret.
"I heard you sent marriage proposals to another house."
"Ah..."
"To Count Creaser, right?"
Angela tried to stay composed, but recalling the humiliation from Laslo made her cheeks flush.
Liandro, misinterpreting it, clenched his fist and drew closer to her.
"Forget that insolent brute, miss. You don't need to be sold to such a lowborn man for House Bliss!"
"...But I'm in a position to obey my grandfather."
.
As Angela replied pitifully, Liandro's regret deepened.
"Take my hand, miss. I'll lead you to a far better position."
"Pardon? Even if you say that—"
Angela stalled before speaking with difficulty.
"I don't know who you are, Sir Liandro. What should I tell my grandfather about you...?"
She meant his status.
Overconfidence flooded Liandro's face.
"What level do you desire?"
"Pardon?"
"Publicly, I'm known as a distant relative of Marquis Winblair and heir to the lordship of Til Armand in Phes Kingdom."
"Saying 'publicly' implies there's another status you don't reveal to others."
"As expected, you're perceptive."
He leaned closer and whispered.
"You deserve a position higher than any woman in this empire. Don't you think?"
"Heavens, no. I'm just an ordinary noble."
"Yet the most beautiful in the empire. People expect such beauty from the empress."
Angela recoiled in shock.
"You've just said something quite dangerous, sir. 'Empress' is not a word to use lightly. And why tell me this now...!"
"Because I'll make you empress."
"Pardon?"
This time, even bold Angela was stunned. Unless he was mad, this was talk of rebellion.
"Wh-what do you mean!"
"Miss, hear me out without alarm. I am..."
Liandro pulled something from his bosom. A large locket necklace, its sapphire face surrounded by densely embedded diamonds and emeralds.
No ordinary item at first glance.
As Angela stared in surprise, Liandro opened the locket to reveal two small portraits inside.
One was the former Emperor, the other a strikingly beautiful young woman.
"...the son of the late Emperor and his most beloved concubine, Polina Gladwin. Liandro Gladwin."
"Pardon? The son of Polina Gladwin?"
Polina Gladwin had died long ago, but no one in the empire was unaware of her.
The former Emperor's most cherished concubine, the most loved in history, and a legendary figure due to her tragic end.
They said the Emperor regretted banishing her until his dying breath...
But questions remained.
The woman-loving former Emperor had other concubines besides Polina, and he never acknowledged children from them as his own.
Liandro nodded as if knowing Angela's thoughts.
"The world hides many secrets. Like how the late Emperor tried to name me heir before passing, how current Emperor Dimarcus obstructed that will, or how Dimarcus rages at not eradicating the four great houses because they know this fact..."
Angela gasped in genuine shock.
.
