Chapter 60
As if struck by an unexpected question, her father’s leaning torso slowly straightened. Emboldened, Lottie pressed on.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? To bestow the grace of a marriage into the Royal Family upon someone suspected of plotting to assassinate the Crown Prince.”
The answer did not come immediately. Judging by the slight contortion of her father’s expression, the unnaturalness of the situation had finally caught his eye as well.
Lottie exhaled a short breath, staring at her father as he remained silent with his arms crossed.
“Father, you know better than I do that Matila’s line of succession is not exactly stable. Since Her Majesty the Queen broke precedent to ascend the throne, that unique circumstance has led to several exceptions in practice.”
It was a publicly known fact that Queen Catherine’s younger sister, Olivia, had her eye on the throne. Among the nobility, there were even those who argued that Princess Sylvia—not Prince Padrick—should be named Crown Princess to properly establish the current Queen’s legitimacy.
“Those who want to see the Crown Prince on the throne will try to solidify the current succession by any means necessary. If they want to win the support of the nobles, distributing funds would be effective; if they want to overwhelm with force, they would increase the size of the standing army. But none of that is easy. Why? Because resources are limited and the national treasury is emptying by the day.”
“…….”
“In that sense, the Crown Prince’s intention to push through a marriage proposal with House Icks feels very sinister. When viewed objectively, our family’s territory and wealth are not enough to sway the outcome of a struggle for the throne.”
Robert gaped, momentarily forgetting that the person speaking before him was his own daughter.
Setting aside the complex political affairs that a girl raised like a greenhouse flower should hardly know, it was difficult to keep his wits about him after hearing such sophisticated expressions his daughter rarely used.
“Therefore, my hypothesis is… that a third laurel crown, one that will determine the winner of the throne—not through money or military might—is hidden right here in Dempis. And perhaps…… it may be related to the madness that has been passed down through Dempis like an ancient history.”
“……! Madness…… you say? How do you know about that.”
“I intended to tell you once everything was clearly proven. As of now, I only have a suspicion. However…… if there truly are mysterious things in this world that cannot be explained by reason, and if Dempis and our family are at the center of them……”
Lottie continued in a low voice.
“Doesn’t it seem like there might be some hidden intention…… a move to naturally bind the Royal Family and our house together using this accidentally tangled incident, rather than Her Majesty simply favoring me?”
Her father stared at Lottie, forgetting even to breathe.
A moment of silence.
Lottie felt that now was the time to reveal her true intentions to her father.
It wasn’t the moment she had envisioned and planned for, of course. She had intended to declare it proudly to him when everything was ready, when she herself was certain of her standing as a worthy successor.
But she had a premonition that if she missed this moment waiting for that time, she would never be able to be honest with him for the rest of her life.
“I wish to succeed you, Father, without marrying anyone.”
Lottie summoned her courage. She pronounced each word with careful deliberation.
“To protect my life, and our family, from them.”
Her father’s gaze was fixed on Lottie.
He hadn’t looked this shocked even when he first heard from Isabel what had happened in the capital, or when he went to the capital to have an audience with the Queen.
His daughter’s declaration that she would succeed him without marrying was more shocking and absurd than any of her previous eccentricities.
Unable to speak for a while, Robert habitually moved his hand toward the table.
He reached for the teacup he usually favored when he needed to hide his inner thoughts, but he only grasped empty air. Because he had summoned his daughter before he even had time to change his clothes, the maids hadn’t had a chance to prepare tea.
Robert blinked rapidly, looking closely at his daughter.
The orange hair inherited from his paternal grandmother, who was from Trie; the light green eyes that were a perfect match for his own. Aside from those, she was the spitting image of his late wife, May.
The girl before him was clearly his daughter Charlotte, but he kept seeing the overlapping image of the deceased May.
『Bobby. You must go there. If you don’t stop him, a greater disaster will come.』
『May. What on earth are you talking about! You need to rest. You’re going to get seriously ill at this rate!』
『No! If you don’t go, this land…… my daughter……!』
It was May, who had poured out unintelligible screams with a dying face.
Madness.
He could still not forget those glowing blue eyes that could only be described that way, even after ten years. And yet.
‘Why…… why do I keep getting the same feeling from her as I did from May?’
“Father. I don’t believe that marriage is the fruit of love. Much less the goodwill of the Crown Prince, whom I only met for the first time at a palace ball. I do not want to live a life as a puppet on a string, blinded by the facade of marriage.”
Lottie spoke to the dazed Robert calmly and firmly. Her speech was seamless, as if she had practiced and practiced this very moment for over a decade.
“Let me protect them with my own hands. Everything I love, from those who only care for their own interests.”
『Bobby. Our daughter, Lottie…… please……』
As the image of May clutching his arm and pleading just before she drew her last breath came to mind, Robert’s muddled thoughts slowly cleared.
With a short sigh, Robert looked at his daughter. She held her hands together, quietly waiting for his words.
“You want to inherit the family.”
“Yes.”
The answer came without hesitation. Robert stared at Lottie without a change in expression.
“Before I give you my decision, I will ask you three questions. Listen and answer them without reservation.”
Lottie nodded, tense.
“First. Matila’s inheritance laws have several exception clauses intended for unavoidable circumstances. Only when those clauses apply is a change of successor recognized.”
“…….”
“However, you are demanding inheritance even though it is not an exceptional situation stipulated by law. Furthermore, female inheritance is a complex matter that would require overturning existing laws.”
She felt she knew what question would follow. Lottie looked at her father without wavering.
“Even if the law could be changed, it is obvious that the existing succession structure would become complicated. Do you have a plan to persuade and win the consent of the noble councilors? Especially from those who could be considered the greatest beneficiaries of the current inheritance system.”
Lottie did not answer. It wasn’t because she hadn’t thought of a method, but because she couldn’t find a way to explain it convincingly.
“Second. If you are not confident in persuading the councilors, there is also the method of using Her Majesty the Queen’s prerogative.”
“…….”
“You might think it is easier to persuade one person, the Queen, than to persuade numerous noble councilors. However, for Her Majesty to take your side despite the opposition of the councilors, you would have to offer her an equivalent price. Do you have a price of that magnitude?”
One price came easily to mind, but she decided to swallow it. If she were to offer what the Queen and her son desired most as a price, there would have been no need to bargain with the Queen in the first place.
“Last question. You must have heard in passing that the current Royal Family’s administration of state affairs is not exactly easy. The parliament, which should cooperate with the Royal Family, is divided into two factions and is constantly in conflict, and the policies put forth by the Royal Family are faltering without proper momentum.”
Since the nation’s livelihood is not functioning properly, the damage falls entirely on the common people. It was only natural for their indignant resentment to turn toward the ruler.
Son of a dog, son of a cow, son of a horse. Hurling insults by attaching all sorts of animal offspring, they would eventually reach those words.
‘Everything the Queen does is like that.’
“Whether Her Majesty does well or poorly, this is a world where one’s innate gender becomes a weakness to be attacked. Can you endure those attacks, where even the primary culprit is unclear?”
Lottie did not answer this time either. It would be more accurate to say she couldn’t. A fitting answer truly did not come to mind.
“Now I will tell you my decision.”
Her father, who had placed his clenched fists on his thighs, spoke slowly.
“Get married as soon as possible.”
“Father!”
“I will give you two options. One is to marry a third party who has no connection to the Royal Family. If your suspicion toward the Royal Family is true even in the slightest, and if we can expect even a minimum amount of morality from the men of the Royal Family, they won’t touch a married woman.”
His words flowed smoothly, as if these were not options he had just thought of on the spot.
Even in the slightest. At that expression—that he ultimately would not believe her words—Lottie clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms.
“Then, the other one is……”
Lottie asked her father in a trembling voice. Even as she asked, she prayed that the name she suspected would not come out.
“……It is to accept the Crown Prince’s proposal.”
Damn it. Lottie squeezed her eyes shut to keep from swearing.
“I do not want my daughter to walk a path of thorns. I especially don’t want you to become a sacrificial lamb in a meaningless power struggle. I would rather you be a peaceful candle, even if it’s boring, than flare up briefly like a flame only to vanish. But if the world will not leave you to live like that……”
Her father took a long breath in and exhaled slowly.
“Then…… I would rather put you inside the safest shield in this country.”
“Father. Please……”
“It must be sudden for you too, so I will give you time to think. And as for Tom Philson and his business……”
Swallowing another sigh, her father continued with a firm face.
“Your father will handle it, so do not concern yourself with it any longer.”
“Father!”
“Your job is to meet a good partner and start a family, not to do such dangerous things! Just how far do you have to disappoint this father to be satisfied?”
“Disappoint…… you say?”
Lottie asked back, her eyes wide. Her gaze was wavering unsteadily.
Robert realized his slip of the tongue, but it was already too late to take it back.
“Then…… is the only thing I can do to avoid disappointing you…… ultimately, marriage?”
