Chapter 50 Rebecca'S Past
"Well, I'm a noblewoman who doesn't feel attracted to marriage, even if it's unusual."
"Is that so?"
"I had a fiancé when I was younger, you know?"
"Eh!?"
'Miss Rebecca was engaged before? What happened to that person!?'
"I think it's better to tell you myself before someone else does, considering Ms. Sara's age..."
"If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to..."
"It's a bit of a long story, so let's talk about it slowly on Rovi's back."
After Rebecca got Sara back on Rovi's saddle and mounted herself, she began to slowly retrace their path at a normal pace.
"I got engaged when I was 16. He was the eldest son of the Viscount family, who had been acquainted with my grandfather's generation, and was one year older than me."
"Did you like that person, Miss Rebecca?"
"It was an ordinary political marriage. I didn't particularly like or dislike him, but I thought I'd do my best for my partner if we were to be together."
"...So, Miss Rebecca, you were going to have a political marriage, huh?"
"I was younger back then, and that's what noblewomen were supposed to do, after all."
Rebecca let out a wry laugh.
"My fiancé was still a student at the Academy, so we were planning to get married after he graduated. One day, I heard he was going to present his research, and I went to the Academy to support him. That's where I met the second prince of the neighboring country, who was studying abroad."
'Uh, I'm getting a bad feeling about this...'
"By 'neighboring country,' you mean Roisen, right?"
"Yes. The second prince of Roisen, Adolf."
The neighboring kingdom of Roisen is a military nation. Roisen, which used to be a vassal state of the former Odel Kingdom, gained independence with its powerful military might and expanded its territory in no time, becoming a Dukedom. Later, a princess from the Odel royal family married into Roisen, and the 2 countries became one, giving birth to the Roisen Kingdom.
It's been 200 years since Roisen became a kingdom, but its warlike atmosphere remains unchanged, and many of its royalty openly flaunt their personalities, saying "If I want something, I'll take it by force."
"I was approached by Prince Adolf, who grabbed my arm and said, 'Become my mistress.' Of course, I rejected him on the spot, but after that, the prince put all sorts of pressure on me."
"That's terrible."
"Even so, my family tried to protect me, and the king and queen also protested to Roisen on my behalf. But Prince Adolf wouldn't give up. By the end of that year's season, an official messenger from the Roisen Kingdom came to propose that I become the second prince's concubine."
'Ugh, what a clingy prince!'
"The prince said, 'I don't mind if you're not my mistress, as long as you're my concubine.' But the king took it as an insult and said, 'My country will not sell its noble daughters like livestock,' and sent the prince and his messenger back to Roisen."
"So, it developed into an issue between nations, didn't it?"
It seems that Rebecca's beauty has sparked a fire between the 2 countries. However, Rebecca is clearly the victim, and the royal family only tried to protect their noble daughter.
"I didn't mean for it to happen, but it's undeniable that tension rose between the 2 countries, affecting trade as well. As a noble daughter with a fiancé, I thought I was just doing the normal thing. But little by little, the way people looked at me changed. Because of me, a mere second daughter of the Viscount house with a small territory, the country suffered disadvantages."
"That's not Miss Rebecca's fault, is it!"
Rebecca continued to talk in a low, murmuring tone.
"First, my fiancé couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't that he directly said anything unpleasant, but the invitations gradually decreased, and eventually, it started to affect our family business. I think Prince Adolf's pressure was also involved. Even his mother, who was kind to me until then, began to treat me coldly."
It seems that the trade volume gradually decreased, and the trade partners were changed, and so on. It's not overt, but it's a nasty way to slowly but surely inflict damage.
"It's been 2 years since our engagement was called off. And, as if waiting for that moment, a marriage proposal from Prince Adolf arrived through the royal family. This time, I had no excuse to refuse since I didn't have a fiancé."
"Eh, so...?"
"His Majesty summoned my parents and me, saying 'You can refuse if you don't want to,' but it was clear that he was exhausted, and my parents' faces looked bad too. So, I couldn't say anything but 'I'll marry him.'."
"That's terrible!"
It's unfortunate, but the national power of their neighboring country, Roisen, and our country, Avalon, are vastly different. Roisen has strong military power, fertile land that was once part of the Odel Kingdom, and the rights to sea trade. Although the size of the territories isn't that different, Avalon, with its many unexplored regions, can't compete with them.
"And I ended up receiving direct education from the Queen herself. Even if I'm just a concubine, as a queen, I need more than just the upbringing of a Viscount's daughter. Well, it was enjoyable since it involved a lot of content about relationships with neighboring countries."
"I was worried, but why didn't Father and Uncle support you, even though they're childhood friends with Miss Rebecca?"
Rebecca chuckled and said,
"At that time, Arthur was having a hard time due to Marquis's opposition regarding Adelia. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered with me, but both Arthur and Adelia were genuinely worried about me. Even Rob said he'd leave the house with me."
"Eh! Is that an elopement invitation!?"
"Not that, but 'Let's become adventurers together'."
'Uncle...you're so unreliable?'
"It's unrealistic, isn't it? My sword skills are mediocre, and my magic can only manage to shoot small fireballs."
While saying such things, Rebecca was smiling beautifully.
'Ah, Miss Rebecca was happy too.'
Sarasa had never married, but she wasn't a spinster either. She had some experience with men and had considered marriage before. As a mature woman with such experiences, she could understand Rebecca's feelings.
"Indeed, it's a reckless invitation, isn't it? That's so like Uncle, always acting like a spoiled brat..."
"Really, it's true."
The 2 of them burst out laughing. Robert must be having a huge fit of coughing right about now.
"But, you see, the day before I was about to leave for Roisen, I suddenly received news of Prince Adolf's death."
"What?! ."
'Did Uncle finally show his true colors?!'
"The reason was a family feud. The first and second princes were born to concubines, but the concubines' families were trying to gain power as relatives of the next king. The third prince, on the other hand, was the king's legitimate son, but he was being pushed around by the concubines and their families. As time went on, King Roisen grew tired of the concubines' families' increasing power and decided to eliminate their influence, including his own sons. In the end, the third prince killed his 2 brothers in the throne room, and right there, he revealed the crimes of the concubines' faction. The concubines were imprisoned and received poison from the king, and their entire family was executed that very day."
"Wow..."
'This is a bloody story, like something out of a drama.'
"And then, the following week, the crown prince himself came to Avalon, apologized for Prince Adolf's rudeness, and signed a trade agreement beneficial to the royal family. He even gave me a lot of gifts."
"This is a sudden turn of events, isn't it?"
"Apparently, one of the reasons for the execution was the prince's cruel treatment of a noblewoman from another country."
"I see, that's something that can't be apologized for, even just for show."
"Thanks to that, I was able to gain my freedom. But my former fiancé already had someone else, and I didn't even want to go back to him anyway. It's not like I could help the situation, but I was told, 'You're the one who ruined our family.'."
'That's just unreasonable, isn't it?'
"There were people in high society who called me 'the woman who destroys men' or 'the beauty who brings down nations.' Well, I thought the latter was kind of cool, but..."
"It's all because of Miss Rebecca's beauty, isn't it?"
"By that time, I had completely lost interest in getting married."
"I see."
"Then, His Majesty said in front of everyone, 'Lady Rebecca has friends among the fairies, and until she wants to get married, she can live as she likes.' He even granted me a small territory adjacent to the capital."
"Is that... good news?"
"It depends on how you think about it. As a noble lady, I can no longer live a normal life, but I do have a small territory to rule. Since women can't inherit titles in this country, my territory will go to the Orson family after I die."
"Can't Miss Rebecca's child inherit it?"
"Are you suggesting that I have a child out of wedlock?"
"Oh, no, it's not that..."
In this world, children born to unmarried women are considered illegitimate and have no rightful claims. That's why, if a noble's mistress has a child, it's common to register the child as if born to the legitimate wife. If the legitimate wife refuses to acknowledge the child, it's registered as an adopted child, even if it's a biological child.
"By the way, I also received a secret letter from His Majesty, saying that if I marry someone, even a commoner, they'll be granted a Viscount title."
"What?!"
"In other words, since I can't inherit a title, if I marry someone I like, they'll be given a title instead. It's like an apology to me."
"That's right. Is it to avoid courtship for the purpose of the title?"
"Exactly! Ms. Sara, you pass."
As I looked at Rebecca laughing brightly, I could sense that she was finally free. She had shouldered the duties of a noble lady, given up her own happiness for the country, and endured the humiliation, but in the end, she had gained true freedom as a strong woman.
"So, all that's left is to find love for youself!"
"But it doesn't have to be romantic love, does it? I'm happy to deepen my friendship with Ms. Sara right now."
"I also love Miss Rebecca!"
"Hehehe. Then we're all on the same page."
The rustling sound of Rovi's footsteps and the laughter of the 2 girls echoed through the dense green forest.
'But, Miss Rebecca, it seems like love is still waiting for you here?'
Sara was recalling her uncle's awkward smile, which couldn't read the atmosphere.
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