She could have bet her left wrist on it not being true. For reference, Blanche was left-handed.
But since it wasn’t necessary to risk her valuable wrist when no one had asked, Blanche just awkwardly laughed.
“Ahaha…”
“Oh, by the way, did you know that as the Grand Duke’s playmate, you are treated as nearly royal?”
She knew. Melchizedek had told her when he proposed the contract of friendship.
But fearing that Empress Liana’s already sparkling eyes would shine even brighter if she admitted this, Blanche deceitfully acted unaware.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So, you will be moving to a different palace.”
This unexpected good news came amidst her uneasy thoughts.
She had been wanting to ask someone to help her move to a different palace, so this was timely.
Her suspected assassination attempt was linked to Princess Wysian of Chibecha, who shared Emerald Palace with her. Hence, sharing the palace with a potential assassin was uncomfortable.
“Then there will probably be more staff. Are you okay with that? I’ve heard children your age are often shy.”
Was three-year-old supposed to be shy? She didn’t remember, neither her own childhood nor her daughter’s at that age.
In any case, she never had the luxury of being shy, neither in her past life nor now. She had to work with people she had defeated or who had nearly destroyed her family.
So, she focused on another aspect of Liana’s words: ‘the staff will increase.’
This was tempting as she wanted to dismiss the current staff. If more servants were added, she could inconspicuously rotate them, effectively excluding the spies.
“Yes, it’s okay. Thank you for your concern.”
Good, she got the practical benefit. Now, was it time to probe the Empress’s true intentions? If she was arranging for a new palace and additional staff, she must want something in return.
The bite came quickly.
“Thank you? Melki’s friend is practically family.”
Oh, from almost royalty to ‘practically family’ in 30 seconds. A rather ominous statement.
Family. Why would the Empress of the Empire and a princess from a small, captured country be like family?
The answer came easily.
A candidate for the Grand Duke’s wife.
If she was being considered as a candidate for the Grand Duke’s wife, then becoming ‘practically family’ made sense.
“Family, that’s too generous.”
Under normal circumstances, her worry would be laughable. A minor country’s princess worrying about being the Grand Duke’s wife? Especially an adopted child, not of pure lineage, sent as a hostage?
Normally, people around would dissuade such an idea, so it would be a non-issue. ─ If not for the age difference between the Grand Duke and the Emperor.
From what she observed, the Emperor and his wife were around 20 years old, and the Grand Duke was 5. Both were children of the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor’s couple had no children yet.
This meant the current primary heir to the throne was the Grand Duke, and if a child was born to the Emperor’s couple, that child would be the Grand Duke’s biggest rival.
If the Emperor’s couple was already worried about this, what if they wanted a preventative measure?
Then, marrying a woman without significant power becomes an effective solution. It takes away the most powerful card, a marriage alliance.
Blanche could have bet her left wrist on it not being true, as she was left-handed.
However, there was no need to risk her precious wrist on an unasked bet, so Blanche just awkwardly laughed.
“Ahaha…”
“Ah, right. Did you know, as the Grand Duke’s playmate, you get treated almost like royalty?”
She did know. Melchizedek had told her when he proposed the contract of friendship.
But Blanche, fearing Empress Liana’s already glittering eyes might shine even brighter upon her admission, feigned ignorance.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So, you’ll be moving to a different palace.”
This was unexpected good news amidst her uneasy thoughts.
She had been wanting to ask someone to help her move palaces, so this was timely.
“But, since you’ll likely have more staff, are you okay with that? I’ve heard children your age can be quite shy.”
Was three-year-old supposed to be shy? Blanche didn’t remember, both from her own childhood and her daughter’s at that age.
In any case, she had never had the luxury to be shy, neither in her past life nor now. She had to work with people she had defeated or who had nearly destroyed her family.
So, she focused on another part of Liana’s words: ‘the staff will increase.’
This was appealing as she wanted to dismiss the current staff. If more servants were added, she could inconspicuously rotate them, effectively excluding the spies.
“Yes, that’s fine. Thank you for caring.”
Good, she had secured the practical benefit. Now, was it time to probe the Empress’s true intentions? If she was arranging for a new palace and additional staff, she must want something in return.
The response came quickly.
“Don’t mention it. If you’re Melki’s friend, you’re practically family.”
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
