16 - Valentina's Paradise
“Edeled!”
“If you say so, aren’t my conditions not so bad? If you need strong military power, Countess Petronia, the owner of the Black Rock Knights, is better than the Duke of Nebulosa, right? You don’t have to suffer as much as you did helping my uncle for four years. You just need to help me get the Petronia title that’s been on hold. Wow, compared to my uncle, it’ll feel like flicking a finger?”
This crazy…!
The arm holding his collar trembled. Valentina barely suppressed the urge to slap this arrogant man and desperately tried to gather her thoughts.
Is this nonsense just popping out of his head on the spot?
No, it’s the opposite. It’s his true feelings that have been festering in his heart for so long, hidden, suppressed, crushed, and finally hardened like a rock.
And she had accidentally cut the string of the tightly drawn catapult.
Valentina gritted her teeth. The hallway, where the afternoon sun was pouring down, was engulfed in sizzling heat.
Edeled, still grabbed by the collar, twisted his lips and spat out,
“At least if I were your husband, ah, I’m sorry, if I were my uncle, I wouldn’t be dawdling around spouting nonsense about plucking stars from the sky or emptying the sea. It’s a good thing Alexius is still barely alive, or Florida wouldn’t be left in this world.”
“……”
“Do you know how ambitious Anna Angela is? Why else would she try to marry Margrave Johannes, whom she so despised and scorned? Because he’s an elector with the Emperor’s vote and the leader of the Southern Continent. Of course, I don’t understand why she broke up with him because he’s a homosexual. And now she favors my uncle, who is an elector….”
Her head was spinning. She wanted to strangle him to shut him up, but against her will, her hand was gradually losing strength.
“Edeled, stop it. You’re being very rude. Right now.”
“Rude! Do you have the right to say that to me?”
He forcefully shook off Valentina’s hand and moved so close that their faces almost touched. Valentina flinched back. Sparks flew from his dark eyes.
“Dominella. As you said, I ‘almost’ became your husband. So I’m just asking now. Even if it’s to save my wretched life, don’t I have the right to ask?”
“……”
Valentina admitted it. Her former fiancé, who had lost everything, had the right to ask her, and this young man, who was about to lose even his life, had the right to blame her.
The reason why rulers accept small sacrifices for the sake of the cause as ‘unavoidable’ is because they mistake ‘the cause’ for ‘justice,’ and the pain of the victims never reaches them. What kind of work war orphans and widows have to do in the back alleys to survive, how miserable the life of a boy whose parents were murdered and lost everything due to power struggles becomes.
But Valentina finally resisted the temptation to equate ‘the cause’ with ‘justice.’
I must not forget the guilt for this innocent victim. I must not let my sense of responsibility become dull. Even if it becomes a shackle hanging on my and Florida’s ankles,
Valentina resolutely told herself, facing her conscience.
That’s right. I have sinned against Edeled.
Apart from the ‘choice’ he speaks of, I owe him a debt. I don’t even know how to repay it, but it was certain that I had a responsibility to prevent his innocent death.
Unaware that Valentina was caught in a storm of thoughts, Edeled quickly continued,
“At least, I can be of greater help to Florida’s survival and revival. With the right information, I can predict the direction of the situation quite accurately. My mother believed to the end that I would become the leader who would conquer the Northern Continent, so she painstakingly taught me what a ruler should know.”
“……”
Taking Valentina’s silence as permission to continue, he quickly added an explanation.
“The reason why the small lords of neighboring Terra Lema and Terra Gallia have been constantly causing disputes at the border and gradually taking away land or collection rights for the past 10 years is because Anna Angela has condoned, no, encouraged it.”
“……”
“They will soon occupy Florida’s bridges one by one. The reason why Florida could become the center of continental trade is because most of the bridges connecting east and west and north and south are concentrated in Florida, and if we start losing these, Florida will collapse in an instant….”
Edeled’s relentless explanation continued for a long time. It was as if an invisible chessboard surrounding Florida was unfolding before her.
“The bigger problem is that if Anna Angela is elected as the Emperor, she will demand the return of the territory for which she received your oath of allegiance. She’ll say she’s retroactively punishing the sins committed by my mother, right? At that time, if Florida has a strong army, you can resist the injustice and buy time to persuade other electors. Isn’t that right?”
“……!”
Valentina widened her eyes and listened intently before snapping back to her senses. Until just a moment ago, she was only thinking about how to resolutely reject Edeled’s absurd proposal and how to save him, but before she knew it, she was completely focused on his explanation.
In Edeled’s words, there was not a trace of reverence for the Emperor or the great lords. He seemed to regard them merely as pieces on a chessboard.
“Frankly speaking, the military power of Nebulosa that you trust is really poor. Nebulosa was originally difficult to defend its own territory with its own forces. That’s why my father married my mother, the owner of the Black Rock Knights. In that situation, Her Highness is very relaxed.”
“Then, Edeled, are you saying that you have a separate plan in mind?”
His explanation stopped abruptly. A tense feeling rushed between the two of them, as if a horse running fiercely had suddenly stopped in front of a cliff. Valentina cut him off in a calm voice.
“Edeled, anyone can find fault and criticize if they have a mouth. What is the solution you are thinking of? Do you have a method in mind?”
This clever man would not be talking like this without having something in mind. He must have a plan to prevent Florida’s downfall. Valentina waited for his answer with bated breath.
But he didn’t give in easily.
“Why should I tell that to someone who is trying to kill me without any compensation?”
“I told you I have no intention of killing you. And is there a price you want?”
“You know better than anyone.”
He smiled briefly. A terrifying silence flowed. Valentina was gradually suffocating.
This crazy bastard is serious. He is trying to plunder her from Edgar. And not as an impulsive probe, but with cold calculation. It felt like a fierce storm was pounding madly in her head. Valentina shook her head firmly.
“That’s enough. I won’t listen. So you should stop here.”
She hated being dragged into this kind of push and pull more than death. Edeled paused when she didn’t budge. His voice became cautious.
“There is a possible way. And I am willing to do it for you.”
Edeled reached out his hand towards her. Now he no longer hides the scars. She could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead. She didn’t want to see it. She wanted to cover her ears. It felt like words she shouldn’t hear would come out.
“That’s enough. I don’t want to hear any more….”
“So, you instead of my uncle…!”
“Didn’t you hear what I said!”
In an instant, a bizarre silence pressed down on the hallway. Sweat dripped from his forehead, running down his cheeks to his chin. His dark eyes were boiling with a strange heat, as if swept away by madness.
He is out of control. He is obsessed with this moment. As if this moment was the last chance to meet her. His lips moved. He smiled. No, is that really a smile? With only the movement of his thin, red lips and tongue, and a faint breath, he whispered silently.
…Choose me. I will make you the Empress of the continent.1-5. You Don’t Know That
Slap!
Edeled’s head snapped to the side. Valentina glared at him and spat out coldly.
“This is the punishment for disobeying my order to stop. I will pretend I didn’t hear what you said.”
But Edeled, staring at her with reddened cheeks, showed no sign of surprise. Rather, she could see his lips twisting upwards amidst his disheveled hair.
“Why pretend you didn’t hear something you clearly heard? That is the most fundamental and effective solution, isn’t it?”
He no longer listens to Valentina’s orders. It was like looking at a poisonous weed that spewed out blue venom the more it was trampled on.
“Then, should I listen to treason against the Emperor? Or should I believe such absurd words and have a double marriage with you?”
“Since when have you been so loyal to the Imperial Family? And the Emperor is clearly elected by the votes of the seven electors. Just because Anna Angela has been doing it in Terra Lema for generations doesn’t mean she will naturally inherit the throne.”
“Be honest, Edeled. What you want is to use me to protect your life and regain Petronia, isn’t it? Did you and your uncle conspire to use me together?”
“Use? That’s too much. Please call it a deal instead. You made a deal with my uncle back then, didn’t you? What’s so different between my uncle and me at the time? Your marriage hasn’t been properly consummated yet!”
“Stop it if you’re not trying to insult and ridicule me.”
Valentina snapped in an icy voice.
“I will never forget that you ridiculed the sacred relationship of marriage in this way. You should take this opportunity to know how much I despise such bastards.”
“It’s not ridicule. I am providing a rational and realistic method, and asking you to choose me instead of my uncle!”
“Should I have someone gag you to shut you up!”
Finally, it was only when Valentina covered his mouth that the surroundings became quiet.
His panting breath was felt directly on her palm. Her palm became damp. Consumed by the sweat on his forehead, his eyes that seemed to be burning with fire, and his madness and excitement, Valentina felt like she was about to lose her mind.
“……”
What should she do with this headstrong man? Valentina felt helpless.
