34 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
Grand Duke's Bride is a Warrior of Hell 34
The journey to Baden was smooth.
Alicia, who had insisted Reikart ride in the carriage, left him to his own devices.
Only the sound of sipping tea echoed inside the carriage.
It was tea that Daisy had filled, checking the carriage each time they stopped for inspection.
Reikart settled in comfortably as soon as he got into the carriage.
He didn't seem like someone who had refused the carriage all night.
However, as Alicia didn't even glance at him after a while, he abandoned his composure and began to observe Alicia Lane.
Alicia drank tea with milk.
She mostly kept her gaze out the window.
Sometimes, she would unfold a notebook with dates written on it and calculate something seriously.
Then, she would drink tea again.
When the carriage stopped for a brief rest, she would ask Daisy for warm milk to prepare for the next leg of the journey.
Alicia didn't react at all to Reikart's gaze.
Even when their eyes met, she passed over him as if looking at empty space.
Although it was a special situation, they couldn't keep riding in the carriage together until night.
"Your Highness. What is the reason the Imperial Palace opposes Lady Mode giving birth in the Imperial Palace?"
The question was abrupt.
"......"
Reikart almost reflexively asked if he had said he was opposed.
He realized that he hadn't expressed any opinion yet.
But Alicia knew.
It was a waste of time to ask how she knew.
The person in front of him was someone who had promised to give him a prophecy once a season.
Thump.
At that moment, as if by chance, the carriage lurched violently.
Amidst the swaying carriage, Reikart tried to grab Alicia.
Alicia managed to steady herself without much movement.
Swallowing a strange sense of disappointment, Reikart opened the carriage window.
There didn't seem to be anything seriously wrong with the carriage.
Roderick, who was nearby for escort, approached immediately.
"Your Highness."
"Move the close escort back a step."
"Yes..."
Roderick was puzzled but didn't ask why.
The carriage window closed.
The sound of the guards' horses distancing themselves from the carriage echoed.
"Because it is not right."
Reikart's words were unkind.
"It is His Majesty's first child."
The Emperor and Grand Duke Tessen Reikart were political partners.
He was the Emperor's sword and shield.
At the same time, he was the head of the group with the most threatening power to the Emperor.
If the Emperor and the Grand Duke of Tessen were the current Emperor's faction, Marquis Manners was the faction of the late Emperor.
Alicia was suspicious of that part.
To Alicia and many others, the Emperor and the Grand Duke of Tessen were blood brothers and the most powerful adversaries.
However, from up close, the relationship between the Emperor and the Grand Duke was one where Reikart gave absolute loyalty to the Emperor.
Just like that, Marquis Manners, the Prime Minister who opposed the Emperor's faction and the new forces, could also be in a relationship that was only outwardly adversarial.
Currently, the Emperor, the Imperial family, the Emperor's faction, and the late Emperor's retainers are in a delicate balance.
This relationship is subtly starting to twist right now.
Although the Grand Duke of Tessen is the Emperor's first child, he strongly opposes the child being born in the Imperial Palace when it was conceived outside the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor, who had been without an heir for a long time, was gradually being pressured.
It was a different move from the other members of the Imperial family who actively followed the Emperor's will.
Despite being told that he could become the most dangerous person, the Emperor actively trusted the Grand Duke, but he neglected those who attacked the Grand Duke as a result of this incident.
Because of the Grand Duke's special position, Reikart did not suffer any hardships.
However, he became entangled in more tiring matters than before, making things troublesome.
"So."
Reikart said lazily with a blunt face.
Alicia frowned slightly.
"Are you worried that the child Lady Mode is carrying might not be the Emperor's biological child?"
That couldn't be.
"My brother isn't that lacking. But we can't rule out the possibility, however small. According to the Imperial Family's etiquette, the current Emperor's first child is given the right to inherit the throne."
Reikart's words contained several implications.
"Doesn't the Imperial family confirm kinship through the 'Royal Dot'?"
Alicia said as if she knew everything.
At the end, her voice was rough, as if she was a little angry.
Reikart's expression changed in an instant at the word 'Royal Dot'.
He believed in prophecies and all that, but he didn't think Alicia would know that much.
Alicia learned about the Royal Dot because of this incident.
The Emperor's first child, conceived outside the Imperial Palace.
Due to the various rumors and unexpected situations surrounding the child's paternity, the Emperor announced that he had confirmed the child's Imperial status through the Royal Dot.
"Alicia."
"Yes."
"I also have a Royal Dot. His Majesty and all the direct siblings of the current Emperor have a Royal Dot. The deceased former Emperor and the former Emperor's direct siblings all have Royal Dots. Do you understand what I mean by this much?"
Through this incident, the world learned about the Imperial family's ruthlessness as the Royal Dot became known.
When the Emperor had offspring, the Imperial family would use a harmless reagent only to the Imperial family to make the Royal Dot appear.
If the Royal Dot did not appear, the child would be treated as if it had not been born, and the Imperial Concubine who gave birth to the child would also be eliminated.
Until now, there had never been an Imperial Concubine who had been expelled from the Imperial family for infidelity, so it was easy to guess.
The Royal Dot is literally a dot.
It is not known exactly where or how the dot is shaped, but it was a dot that appeared through a special drug.
The Royal Dot was revealed only to the current Emperor, his direct siblings, and his biological children.
The children of the Emperor's direct siblings could also have the Royal Dot.
However, stories about collateral Imperial family members and the Royal Dot were not known.
"You're saying that you can also make your child reveal the Royal Dot?"
"That's right."
"Do the descendants of collateral Imperial family members also confirm paternity with the Royal Dot?"
"No."
"If your child does not confirm the Royal Dot and has a child in the next generation, will it not be revealed through the reagent?"
"Yes."
The Royal Dot was an amazing existence, but it was not without its loopholes.
A child born from an Imperial Concubine who had an affair with the late Emperor's direct siblings or the Emperor's siblings could not be distinguished.
"Do you suspect your siblings?"
"If there is even a slight possibility, shouldn't I consider it?"
Reikart's face was even chilly as he spoke.
Not only the Emperor, but the Imperial family thoroughly managed the movements of the Imperial family.
Lady Mode's due date is in April.
However, the actual birth is scheduled to take place at the end of February.
Reikart had been in Tessen around the time the child was conceived.
It is difficult to know Lady Mode's movements exactly, but she mostly stayed in the Imperial capital.
The movements of the Imperial family will be examined by the Emperor and the Imperial family.
"Your Highness. It is His Majesty's first child."
Alicia repeated what she had said.
It meant that it would not be good to displease the Emperor.
"That child..."
Alicia interjected as Reikart was about to speak.
"The law of succession to the throne clearly states that the throne is passed on to the Emperor's first child. But has there ever been a female Emperor since the Empire began? The Emperors who follow the law of succession to the throne faithfully follow the hidden words. It is passed on to the first 'male child' born to the Emperor's 'Empress'. If the Empress ultimately fails to give birth to a son, it is passed on to the first child born to an Imperial Concubine."
Reikart's expression became strange as he listened to Alicia's outpouring of words.
Alicia, who had closed her mouth, smiled bitterly.
The end of Marquis Manners came to mind, making her feel both amused and bitter.
"Alicia."
At Reikart's call, Alicia rose from her seat in the faintly swaying carriage.
Alicia's face approached Reikart's cheek, who was flustered.
Alicia's lips smiled next to his stiff ear.
"It's almost a new season, Your Highness. It's time to give a new prophecy. The prophecy I will tell you in the new season is this. His Majesty will see his first princess."
Reikart's face stiffened strangely at Alicia's words.
Thump.
At that moment, the carriage lurched once again.
"Oh!"
Alicia's body, which had been standing and bending over, fell onto Reikart's lap.
The relaxed purple eyes widened in surprise.
Reikart, who had reflexively caught her swaying body, also paused.
Their eyes met in an instant.
That extremely short moment passed slowly.
As if their vision had stopped, they stared at each other for a moment without moving.
Alicia barely regained her senses and jumped up.
For some reason, Reikart, who had been holding Alicia until just now, was in the seat opposite where Alicia had originally been sitting.
An awkward silence flowed.
It was the sound of hooves that broke the silence.
Roderick, who had been moving at a distance, approached and spoke next to the window.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, step back."
Reikart, who had cleared his throat slightly, said towards the other side of the window.
Roderick was puzzled that the Grand Duke's voice was not speaking from the direction he knew, but he followed the order first.
He tried to understand that it was difficult to estimate the exact location by the direction of the voice since he had not opened the window and looked inside.
Alicia's face seemed a little hot.
"I'm sorry."
But she didn't show it and spat out words of apology as if she was indifferent.
"It's alright."
Reikart said, keeping his eyes on the window that could not be opened.
Alicia wanted to give work to her restless gaze and uncomfortable hands. She sorely missed the teacup that was over there.
Because they had unintentionally switched seats, the teacup was next to Reikart.
It was difficult to say something trivial like switching seats.
"......"
They were just spending time awkwardly.
"Alicia."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Reikart, who had been fixing his gaze on the carriage window, looked at Alicia's face.
"I completely trust what the Lady said. But isn't there a great risk in talking about birth?"
Alicia changed her expression at the man's words.
The embarrassment she had been struggling with was neatly forgotten.
"It is His Majesty's first child."
Alicia said the same words for the third time.
"Even if a princess is born as you said, it is difficult to ignore the law of succession to the throne due to the regulations."
"Since it's a child born outside the Imperial Palace, say that if it's the eldest son, we'll discuss it again later, and if it's the eldest daughter, she won't have the right to inherit the throne. Instead, sincerely congratulate His Majesty on his first child."
Alicia cringed at the stuffy sound.
"If my brother doesn't have any more heirs after that, that child will have no choice but to become the heir."
Reikart calmly stated the elements of anxiety.
The Imperial family, the Emperor's first child, and the Imperial family's heir had a great impact on him, both personally and as a member of the Imperial family.
It was a minor family matter, but it was a major problem for the Imperial family and the entire country.
"That can't... be...!"
Alicia, who had been speaking abruptly, closed her mouth.
She stopped speaking quickly, but it was after words that could be easily inferred had poured out.
"......"
Reikart's gaze was fixed on Alicia.
The golden eyes that had been briefly closed and opened were fixed on her embarrassed face.
His eyes, which had been blank for a moment in surprise, gradually began to show a different light.
Regret washed over Alicia's face.
Reikart could not take his eyes off her face, which was suppressing her expression.
