Adeline’s salon was located in the Crown Prince’s palace, not far from the annexe.

Euphemina and I were immediately guided to her salon and served tea. As it was close to tea time, the refreshments didn’t take long to prepare.

Moreover, Adeline insisted on having Euphemina sit next to her.

“Seeing Euphi makes me think I should have had a daughter after all.”

Adeline had not taken her eyes off Euphemina since earlier.

When the child sipped her tea or nibbled on a cookie, it was visible how Adeline pursed her lips and didn’t know what to do, as if watching an adorable small animal.

Honestly, what parent wouldn’t be pleased to hear their daughter is so pretty that it makes others want a daughter?

However, I couldn’t simply bask in this topic. Because…

“I just can’t seem to enjoy having a son. Raphael has been busy learning statecraft or whatever since he was young, making it difficult to spend time with me.”

…it was a subject that would naturally lead to mentioning Crown Prince Raphael. This would inevitably bring up the topic of the marriage proposal sent to me.

“Speaking of which, I’m really curious. Why did you reject Raphael’s proposal, Lieselotte? Weren’t you two getting along quite well until recently?”

Just like that.

How predictable.

“…Are you truly asking because you don’t know?”

“I really don’t understand. Raphael doesn’t take after the Crown Prince who lives for his own conceit… No, he takes after me and is a very proper child. Humble, knows how to be courteous, smart, and handsome. I’m so proud of him. Of course, he has some unique aspects.”

“…”

“He’s my son, but I thought I raised him to be someone you could be proud of as a spouse, Lieselotte, someone you could show off anywhere.”

At this point, I really…

Even though she was my friend, I couldn’t help but think she was from another dimension.

“So why was he rejected?”

Heavens, what kind of mother tries to marry off her carefully raised son to her own friend!

Setting aside the age difference, trying to make a friend her daughter-in-law?

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, please understand. I am now thirty-two years old, and His Highness the Crown Prince is only nineteen. Above all, I am a widow who recently lost her husband. How could I dare to be suitable for His Highness the Crown Prince?”

However, such common sense words had no effect on her.

“I don’t see what age has to do with noble marriages, Lieselotte. Didn’t you marry Duke Daiern for your first marriage, who was eight years older? Besides, your beauty still makes you look like you’re in your early twenties. Just let your hair down and wear a cute dress. Who would see you as a widow? Also, both His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince know how remarkable you are. The fact that they didn’t oppose when the proposal was sent shows they thought you were a suitable match.”

…It flowed so smoothly, as if someone had memorized the lines for days.

In the end, I had to bring up political matters.

“I know that Your Highness the Crown Princess cares for me deeply and holds me in high regard. But if I were to accept His Highness the Crown Prince’s proposal, what would happen to Daiern? I already know that His Majesty the Emperor doesn’t look favorably upon Daiern, which is growing increasingly larger.”

But after hearing me out, Adeline looked disappointed.

“Oh, Lieselotte. You’re being so unkind. How could I not know you? Of course I had taken measures.”

Measures?

To my questioning look, Adeline said:

“Let me first correct a small misunderstanding. It’s not that His Majesty looks unfavorably upon Daiern, but that he’s only now starting to take notice of Daiern.”

Adeline’s story went like this:

Originally, Daiern was not a family worth noting by the imperial family.

Although it was a ducal house, it didn’t hold any official positions, so its ceremonial rank was low, making its political standing quite poor.

It was only about 10 years ago that Daiern started to rise as a remarkable family worthy of attention even from the imperial family.

It was right after I entered as the duke’s second wife.

‘To be precise, it was when I took charge of managing the duchy’s external affairs.’

For reference, the dowry I brought didn’t play any significant role. All that money was squandered on that wretched husband’s amusements.

It was only after marriage that I learned what a pathetic person my husband, Carlos Nikolai Daiern, truly was.

He was a good-for-nothing who was intoxicated only by the authority and wealth that came with the title of duke, neglecting his duties.

Even with three children, he was addicted to alcohol and gambling, frequently abusing the children… Well, I’ve mentioned this enough, so let’s move on for now.

To be honest, at that time, Daiern was like a castle built on sand.

The vast duchy was on the verge of becoming a slum.

Countless residents of the domain were starving to death every month, and crime was rampant in the cities.

The sanitary conditions were also terrible, leading to endless epidemics in summer and winter.

And that’s not all. The ducal family’s fortune was almost depleted due to my husband’s extravagance and gambling debts.

At this rate, it seemed we would have to start selling off parts of the domain within 3-4 years.

It got to the point where I felt sorry for the previous duke.

‘If he had lived just 9 more years, he would have had the chance to pass the title to Sergei, a capable successor.’

Anyway, seeing Daiern in such a desperate state at the time seemed to ignite some fighting spirit in me.

Perhaps it was because it wasn’t long after I had been pushed out from above the baroness of Landgritz, and I was still in my prime.

It took me less than ten days to take over the actual management rights of the duchy from Carlos.

For him, who lived only for momentary pleasures, someone volunteering to take over his duties was most welcome.

And so, I began to change the duchy step by step.

Fortunately, I had some personal funds I had saved while living as the young lady of Landgritz, and some information that could dramatically change the territory’s situation immediately.

I used that to create a private merchant group under my name to assist in running the domain.

The territory stabilized at an astonishing rate.

It was a dramatic example of how much change can occur when the local ruler is a person in their right mind.

‘Of course, we can’t ignore the fact that the duchy was a land with great potential.’

After exactly about 5 years had passed, Daiern’s status in the Kalant Empire had completely changed.

Now, no proper commerce in the empire could function without going through Daiern.

‘Actually, it was possible because it coincided with the timing when Nergal kicked Teacher Rogier out of the Enbar Merchant Group. Ironically, we were lucky.’

As a result, the nobles tried their best to curry favor with Daiern.

It got to the point where even His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress personally invited Duke Carlos Nikolai Daiern to a tea time.

“To be precise, Lieselotte, they were very interested in you.”

“…In me, you say?”

“Hoho, of course. I’m not sure of the exact circumstances, but I think they had already noticed that it wasn’t the duke who had developed Daiern to such an extent.”

“Ah.”

I could see how it happened. It must have been because of that tea time invitation from His Majesty the Emperor.

For reference, Carlos didn’t accompany me at that time.

It seemed to be a defense mechanism of sorts for that mass of inferiority complexes.

If he had been with me, the true mastermind behind Daiern’s rise would have been revealed.

‘No wonder. Even after that, whenever I tried to talk with the royal family at imperial-hosted banquets or such, he would desperately try to send me elsewhere.’

But from what Adeline was saying, it seemed Carlos had failed to hide that empty head of his from His Majesty.

“Now you seem to understand the situation a bit better. Yes, His Majesty has been coveting you, not Daiern, for a long time. Once, he even asked in passing if there was any way for you to divorce Duke Daiern, hohoho. Both the Crown Prince and I were so surprised…”

Adeline added that I shouldn’t misunderstand. She said that the reason she had been steadily contacting me by sending letters wasn’t to encourage divorce.

She too had heard through social circles how much I cherished and loved Daiern’s three children.

Until then, Adeline hadn’t taken the Emperor’s words seriously.

But the situation changed when Carlos Nikolai died.

The Emperor, seeing this as his chance, made more active plans to bring me into the imperial family.

The result was Crown Prince Raphael’s marriage proposal.

“The good thing is, when I subtly probed Raphael’s feelings, he didn’t seem to dislike you. Rather, he even blushed.”

Well, that’s… because he was a child who said he even respected me.