Being a descendant of the Emperor didn’t mean much if one lacked personal merits. Toscur, who had nothing to his name except his royal bloodline, was no match for Karl.
By virtue of lineage alone, Grand Duke Albrecht was the rightful heir to the throne. Franz, being born to a concubine, had no original claim to the royal family, but was graciously acknowledged as a prince by the late Emperor.
A prince not born to the Empress cannot inherit the Albrecht surname. Franz, though granted the title of Grand Duke upon reaching adulthood, had to take a different surname, hence why he was known as Grand Duke Toscur, not Albrecht.
Moreover, his scandalous private life meant that if he ascended to the throne, it was likely that unknown children from across the nation would claim to be the Emperor’s offspring.
If things continued smoothly, the throne would naturally belong to Karl. At least that’s what Clovis and the others thought.
Only those nobles who weren’t in favor with Karl or those entangled in industries bequeathed by the previous Emperor to Toscur would wish for Franz’s ascension.
But now, in such an unstable political climate, Karl suddenly became a father. And the mother was from the Louijet family of the empire, wealthy and influential.
Although intertwining with the powerful Louijet family wasn’t bad – in fact, it could be a strong backing – the problem was that the Countess had been previously embroiled in rumors with Franz.
If this news were to be published and become public knowledge, the aftermath would be impossible to predict.
“Your Highness.”
Wondering if Karl was pondering similar thoughts, Clovis observed him staring out the carriage window as they headed to the ducal residence.
“What do you plan to do?”
It was a cautious question. Clovis knew Karl was not the kind to shirk his responsibilities, especially in a matter as grave as this.
“What do you mean ‘do’?”
“Are you asking about the cases I’m currently handling, my thoughts on the vacant throne, or how I intend to address this situation of being an unmarried father?”
“The last one, Your Highness, of course!” Clovis’s expression was more determined than ever.
“You’re not one for rhetorical questions, Clovis.”
“You mean the question has an obvious answer?”
His expression suggested disbelief, his brow furrowed and eyebrows drooped. Clovis sighed.
“With the throne vacant and such a scandal erupting at this critical moment, I can’t even begin to calculate how detrimental this could be. I’m genuinely concerned.”
“There’s a saying,” Karl began.
“What saying, Your Highness?”
“Crisis is an opportunity.”
Simple, yet profound. In that moment, Clovis grasped a sliver of Karl’s mindset.
A potentially damaging scandal could turn into favorable public opinion. If the situation couldn’t be changed, the key was in how well it could be repackaged and presented.
From an irresponsible man who fathered a child before marriage to a prince with a seemingly cold exterior but a heart ablaze with passion. A noble man who courageously takes responsibility for his choices. The child, not a product of a fleeting impulse, but of profound love.
It was a moment demanding a compelling narrative.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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