Chapter 19
Agatha was slowly growing weary of the disgraceful behavior of her second husband, who was obsessed with women.
Then one day, an incident occurred that she could no longer overlook.
‘Who is that?’
A boy with snow-white silver hair and dull purple eyes stood in the center of the palace hall.
She asked in disbelief, but in reality, there was no need to.
The child, with hair and eye color similar to Fernand's, was undoubtedly his illegitimate child.
‘Your Highness, the consort, you need not concern yourself with someone of that status.’
‘The Prince will handle everything.’
‘So it means it’s something Fernand should handle.’
It was obvious what a man who did nothing but sleep with women would care about. Agatha desperately tried to silence those who defended Fernand.
‘Enough.’
She returned to her room immediately and began writing a letter to her godfather, Warmilai II.
Fernand burst in right after the letter was finished.
‘Agatha, my young consort.’
His disheveled hair and the hastily thrown-on shirt indicated he had just woken up from bed.
The strong scent of perfume from the woman he had been with wafted to her nose. Agatha, smelling the repulsive perfume, did not hide her displeasure.
‘You saw Adan, didn’t you?’
Fernand chuckled and sat on the edge of Agatha’s desk.
‘I forgot to tell him not to let you see him. But Agatha, I’m a victim too.’
Then he began to spout nonsensical excuses.
‘That adorable creature tricked me and had a child! I was so shocked!’
He pretended to cry, claiming he was also a victim. It was the most shameless outburst Agatha had ever heard.
‘You were shocked.’
‘I really was!’
Fernand, with a silly grin, took Agatha’s hand and placed it on his chest.
‘Can’t you feel my heart pounding from the shock?’
Contrary to his words, his heart was calm, and the warmth on her palm only fueled Agatha’s anger.
Even if she needed the Mainyucore Empire’s succession rights, she couldn’t live with such a man for the rest of her life.
So, Agatha added a final sentence to the letter she was sending to the Emperor.
“I must divorce, Your Majesty.”
And a few months later, Agatha returned to the Roxbard Empire. That was her second divorce.
Escaping from a past she didn’t want to think about, Agatha raised her head, suppressing her displeasure.
The wedding reception had not yet ended. At least here, she had to smile and finish the schedule.
While Agatha danced with Antony, Enoch was conversing with other nobles.
Most of them were individuals who wielded significant influence in the court.
The most prominent figure was Count Tear, who owned the largest granary region in the empire.
It was no exaggeration to say that half the food consumed in the capital, the empire’s largest city, came from Count Tear.
As his grain also supplied the imperial palace, he was a man with the Emperor’s deep trust.
The moment Agatha saw Count Tear holding Enoch’s hand and shaking it, she moved her feet.
“Enoch, have you been waiting long?”
As the protagonist of the reception, having finished her dance with the Crown Prince, appeared, the expressions of Count Tear and the central nobles changed.
Aratus, who was in the process of regaining his status as a prestigious family, was also a good potential connection, but nowhere near comparable to Nobilis.
Three months had already passed since her sixth divorce.
The Nobilis Family, which exerted immense influence in the court, was an object of keen interest and social engagement for the central nobles.
“Not at all, Madam.”
Enoch naturally offered Agatha his arm and led her into the conversation.
“I hear Count Tear has succeeded in cultivating a new crop.”
“Oh, really?”
The Count quickly interjected.
“As you can confirm, the wedding gift I presented today was precisely that newly cultivated crop, Marchioness.”
As Agatha looked at the Count, he elaborated on the advantages of the new crop, openly boasting.
“I succeeded in improving wheat that grew wild in the southern regions.”
After boasting about how the grains were much larger and sweeter than ordinary wheat, he spoke with a meaningful expression.
“In celebration of your marriage, I wish to give you the first harvest. And if this grain leads to even better news, wouldn’t that be a good thing for both of us?”
Agatha realized that Count Tear was using the new crop as an excuse to connect with Aratus, and by extension, Nobilis.
The harvest from the empire’s largest granary region would undoubtedly be substantial.
He must have heard that the Nobilis Trading Company had been purchasing vast quantities of wheat recently, supplying it to the existing Aratus territory and the new Aratus territory, which was why he was acting this way.
“I heard you have a keen interest in wheat these days. Would you invite me to your estate sometime, Marquis?”
For her husband, who needed a steady supply of wheat for the time being, Count Tear, who owned the empire’s largest granary region, was not a bad prospect.
‘Well, he’s the one who will be asked. If he likes it, he’ll nod.’
As expected, the man who understood the unspoken implications nodded slowly.
“I look forward to tasting it. I will gladly accept your gift, Count Tear.”
After he leaves, I’ll have to review the contract.
Following Count Tear, the next to approach amicably was Count Morpini, the Minister of Finance.
“You two look wonderful together.”
He seemed extremely pleased with Enoch’s acquisition of territory that would become a new trade route and Agatha’s marriage, which would give them an advantage in negotiations with the Mainyucore Empire.
Given the Ministry of Finance’s nature of gaining power with increased tax revenue, the Minister of Finance enthusiastically blessed their marriage.
“I haven’t seen a more magnificent wedding in recent times.”
With the appearance of the Morpini family, who had held the position of Minister of Finance for generations, the nobles who had been lurking, looking for an opportunity to interject, began to creep closer.
“I agree. Indeed, Miss Nobilis, or rather, you are now Marchioness Aratus. Truly, Marchioness Aratus.”
Agatha stood leaning on Enoch’s arm, listening to the blatant flattery.
“Mrs. Agatha, will you spare us some time?”
After several groups had passed, her closest confidantes approached.
Agatha first greeted Marchioness Iris Domunia, who was at the forefront of the group.
“Thank you for attending my wedding, Lady Iris.”
“You look truly beautiful today, Mrs. Agatha. Congratulations on your marriage, Marquis.”
After Marchioness Iris finished her greeting, Duchess Kate Eblain spoke.
“Congratulations on your marriage. You must have heard it many times, but today’s wedding was truly wonderful.”
“Hahaha. Won’t the decorations for the salon starting next week be completely changed?”
Another confidante, Countess Celia Camelon, chimed in on the praise for the wedding.
“I’m glad you think so, considering how hastily the wedding was prepared.”
“It didn’t feel rushed at all. I found the wedding arch particularly impressive.”
“I really liked the crystals decorated outdoors. I wish I could decorate my garden like that.”
After that, sentiments about how beautiful the venue was, how wonderful the wedding was, and how well the bride and groom suited each other were exchanged.
Amidst the flood of compliments, Agatha strategically positioned Enoch, making sure her confidantes would remember her seventh husband.
“The Marquis helped a lot. He even brought the Aratus family retainers to the mansion and personally assisted with the work.”
Hearing the anecdote about the cooperative Enoch, another confidante, Marchioness Vanessa Beatrice,’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh my. Marquis Aratus is such a thoughtful person.”
“It reminds me of when I was preparing for my own wedding. My mother and I were so busy.”
“Are you going far away for your honeymoon?”
“Yes. While I’m there, I plan to check on the progress of the estate’s construction. It’s about to become a center of trade, so I feel I need to pay some attention to it.”
The expressions of the confidantes, as well as the surrounding nobles, changed. Although negotiations had not yet begun, the fact that it was mentioned indirectly signaled that those who wished to enter this arena should start preparing their terms.
“Ah, ah, yes. Oh, and when you are developing the islands, are you perhaps not accepting investments?”
“The city expansion and port development will require a lot of gold. I’m sure there will be many nobles willing to lend a hand, Madam.”
“Well, I intend to focus on internal affairs for now. I believe my husband will handle external matters.”
For a moment, all eyes turned to Enoch. Enoch, who had been gazing down at Agatha standing beside him, pulled her closer and spoke.
“It’s not a decision to be made without seeing the site. I will consider it after returning from my honeymoon.”
“Ah, yes, of course. Have a good trip.”
“We hope you have a fun time.”
After entertaining a few more proactive guests for several more hours, the reception finally concluded.
