“It would be better if you two sat a little further apart.”
Teishar, who had received Lorencia’s whispered message, smiled at Leanid and said he would do so.
His sudden obedience was suspicious, but Leanid relaxed his furrowed brow upon seeing Teishar sit a little distance away from Lorencia.
“Lorencia.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“When Emperor Ruans comes, do you intend to meet him? Truly?”
“Yes, I have to meet him.”
There was something she wanted to say when she met Ruans. Something that must be said in person.
“We cannot prevent the emperor from coming with the royal edict.”
“The concubine acceptance edict is fake anyway.”
Lorencia lazily lifted the corners of her lips.
“I can prove the edict is fake in many ways. So he cannot easily take me to the Isuter Empire.”
“How can you prove it?”
“There are things Emperor Ruans doesn’t know. First, he doesn’t know I can read and write. And second…”
Lorencia pointed to the jewel box she had placed on the table.
“The seal of the Pol Heredian family is in my hands.”
Everyone except Teishar widened their eyes and focused on Lorencia.
“Right now? Did you say you have the Pol Heredian family seal?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The family members were all equally surprised. Lorencia opened the lid of the jewel box to show them the family seal. The seal was engraved with an eagle, symbolizing the Pol Heredians, with sharp talons raised, and the family name.
“It’s hard to believe even seeing it. How did you get the seal?”
In response to Baello’s question, Lorencia looked at Teishar and said,
“My fiancé brought it from the Pol Heredian estate for me. I want to take this opportunity to thank Ter again. Thank you so much for bringing the Pol Heredian family seal.”
“If it’s what Roa wants, I can bring even greater things.”
At Teishar’s words, Baello began to laugh heartily.
“Secretly taking a family seal is wrong, but for us, it’s… My son-in-law, you’ve done a great thing.”
“No, Father-in-law.”
“How did you think to bring the seal? Impressive.”
Even Leanid admired Teishar sincerely.
“Seeing this, we should be careful not to have our family seal stolen in turn.”
“Leanid.”
“Yes, Father.”
“The family head must guard the family seal like his life. Since official family documents can be forged with the seal, losing or having the seal stolen is solely the fault of the family head.”
“Yes.”
“People say the one who stole is at fault. Of course, that’s true. But with a family seal, the one who failed to protect it is at fault. Leanid, you must remember this well in the future.”
“I will keep that in mind, Father.”
Leanid acknowledged Baello’s words.
“I spoke rashly, surprised by what Duke Spencer brought. I apologize, Duke Spencer.”
“No need, Young Duke Leanid.”
Thanks to Lorencia’s foresight, he was able to easily bring it, but since her foresight was being kept secret from everyone, he had to become the thief who stole the Pol Heredian family seal.
As long as he could protect his beloved, he could willingly become an honorable thief. He understood Leanid’s sharp words. Fortunately, Baello and the other family members praised him for stealing the seal well.
“Thanks to this, we won’t have to send Lorencia to the Isuter Empire.”
Mary clapped her hands in delight. Welson and Abrelina felt the same. The fact that Lorencia had the family seal was strong evidence that Ruans’ edict was false.
“With the seal in hand, Lorencia now holds the upper hand.”
“That’s right. Even if I tell a lie, it will become the truth, and even if Emperor Ruans speaks the truth, it will become a lie.”
No one believed the words of 29-year-old Lorencia. Even the man she loved treated her as a lying witch and handed her over to a witch trial.
Lorencia fidgeted with the Pol Heredian family seal. When Ruans visited the Isuter Empire, he would likely show the forged concubine acceptance edict. He probably didn’t yet know what foolish consequences that would bring.
“Lorencia.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“No matter what Emperor Ruans does, we are prepared to protect you.”
“As a child of the goddess Ella, I am also prepared to protect my family and loved ones.”
“Is that so? Then let us protect each other.”
Lorencia smiled brightly.
[This is the timeline separator]“Charlotte.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Queen.”
“I heard from the doctor. The child in your womb is growing well.”
Benedict of the Poloid Empire spoke while looking at Charlotte’s belly.
“The baby will grow up healthy and strong, taking after me.”
Adrian, who was beside Charlotte, gazed lovingly at her still flat belly that had not yet shown.
“The reason I called Prince Adrian was because of a letter from Emperor Ruans.”
“Can you show me what kind of letter it is?”
Benedict nodded to Susanna, who was standing next to Charlotte. Susanna bowed and carefully approached the queen, received the letter, and handed it to Adrian.
“I called Duke Baello of the di Glosten family regarding the issue written in the letter.”
Adrian unfolded the letter. From the first line, the contents were shocking.
“Your Majesty. Am I reading this correctly?”
“What does it say to make you react like that, Adrian?”
Adrian showed the letter to Charlotte.
“He’s really gone mad.”
“Charlotte. You should use nice words. Our little one is listening.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry, baby.”
Adrian took the letter from Charlotte and read it again. It was truly absurd to see.
“To take Lady Lorencia as a concubine…”
It was felt from Ruans’ letter that he would do anything to somehow bring Lorencia to the Isuter Empire.
“Don’t you feel an intense obsession from the letter, Prince Ruans?”
“Your Majesty is correct. It feels extremely obsessive.”
“The di Glosten family has no intention of letting this matter pass. Of course, they have no intention of sending Lady Lorencia to be Emperor Ruans’ concubine either.”
The people of the Duchy of di Glosten, having found Lorencia after 20 years, would never send her to the Isuter Empire as long as they held her close.
“Perhaps Ruans will use this as an excuse to deliberately start a war.”
“Although Lady Lorencia is indeed the daughter of the Duke of di Glosten, her current status is that of a bastard baroness of the Pol Heredian family. Starting a war because they won’t return a mere bastard baroness is an excessive thought.”
“He may attach other reasons besides the excuse of the bastard baroness to start a war.”
“It will be fine. As long as we have the child of the goddess Ella by our side, we will only achieve victory.”
Benedict’s faith in the child of the goddess Ella was immense.
For 20 years, the Poloid Empire had suffered enough due to magical beasts. But after Lorencia appeared, the magical beasts vanished as if it were a lie.
The High Priestess of the Temple of Ella claimed to be the child of the goddess Ella, but Benedict did not think so. To receive the fruit of the water of life behind the High Priestess, one had to make large donations. They only gave the fruit of the water of life to devout believers who donated or contributed a lot.
It felt like they were doing business using the name of the goddess rather than serving the temple of the goddess. The Poloid Empire begged the Temple of Ella to help purify the magical beasts, but they did not help. They turned a blind eye.
The Poloid Empire had magical beasts that occasionally appeared in the mountains. The beasts would come down to the villages, prey on livestock, or injure people.
Until Musilla appeared, the Poloid Empire suffered from the frequently appearing magical beasts. Fortunately, the Spencer family, who had been with the Poloid Empire since its founding, protected the people from the beasts, making it endurable.
And when Musilla appeared, the magical beasts were purified in an instant. She helped stabilize the Poloid Empire alongside the Spencer family. So they bestowed her with an honorary noble title. They asked her to stay with the Poloid Empire for a long time.
But the Temple of Ella pointed to Musilla as a witch.
In fact, it didn’t matter if she was a real witch, a child of the goddess Ella, or a demon. Musilla made good medicine for epidemics, saved people from natural disasters, and purified magical beasts.
People knew these facts well, so they were not easily swayed by the words of the Temple of Ella.
That alone made Musilla a precious existence in the Poloid Empire. Such a precious existence disappeared 20 years ago. And 20 years later, Lorencia, the daughter of Musilla and Cain, appeared.
“Emperor Ruans’ concubine? It’s not that the di Glosten family won’t send her, it’s that I won’t send her. Above all else, I heard Lady Lorencia is in a romantic relationship with Duke Spencer… I have not the slightest intention of forcibly separating a couple in love.”
Only firmness could be felt on Benedict’s face.
[This is the timeline separator]Until he left for the Poloid Empire, Ruans could not properly sleep due to the excitement and trembling in his heart.
“Why do I keep having these dreams?”
Lorencia’s face, which kept appearing in his dreams, was strangely different. She had grown taller, and her figure boasted a womanly, curvy beauty as she approached him.
With the fragrant scent of cherry blossoms, she smiled at him, then disappeared arm in arm with Teishar.
“How unpleasant.”
Ruans grumbled and got up. Turning his head, an unknown woman was sleeping beside him.
“Really unpleasant.”
With a displeased face, Ruans impatiently rang the bell. The chief attendant entered the room.
“Your Majesty. Are you awake?”
“Didn’t I say I dislike having women sleep next to me?”
“I apologize.”
“Aren’t you going to get rid of that right away?”
“I will remove her.”
The chief attendant wrapped the woman’s body in a blanket. Only then did the woman wake from sleep and groggily look around.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
