The Villainess Lives Twice

Chapter 108

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Proofreader: somnium

Amalie Harper was the last one to arrive.

Lawrence didn’t come up to meet her, but he stood up from his seat when Amalie entered.
For his arrogant personality, it was polite enough.

“Welcome, Dame Harper.”

“Seeing so many people brought in, I guess there’s something important, Sir Lawrence.”

“There was a reaction from the Empress.”

Instead of Lawrence, Gayan replied.
He was one of the Emperor’s guards.

Amalie slowly looked around the crowd.
All of the nobles who supported Lawrence were there to give an opinion.
Only Count Eisen, who was completely disgraced by last year’s incident, was left out.

As Amalie sat down, the attendant politely laid down a light snack and wine in front of her.

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Amalie did not enjoy drinking, so she glanced at the glass and did not touch it.

Unlike the meetings held at the Roygar Grand Duchy, there was no elegance, no subtle language, or luxurious music here.
This is because few of the people here preferred such a thing.

So did Amalie.

Amalie was from the Western Army.
Her first activity was the Monster Wave 24 years ago.
At that time, she was a 22-year-old young junior knight.

That year’s Monster Wave was far more severe than other times.
More than twice the usual number of monsters flocked in at a faster rate than other years.

Within less than two months, all of the western strongholds collapsed.

The situation was so serious that the Emperor Gregor quickly deployed the central army without thinking about holding or any other consequence.

However, because it was swept away so quickly, a large number of troops in front were isolated among the monsters.

Amalie was one of them.

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She knew for the first time what kind of person she was in front of death.

Amalie killed her incompetent captain and took control of her unit.
She saved and joined other troops from hell, increasing their forces, safely retreated, and reduced the number of monsters.

When she met and joined the defensive line of the central army, Amalie became the most important commander of the western army.

Emperor Gregor offered her the title of Chief of Staff of the military department and an honorary County.

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Amalie chose to remain in the West, keeping connections with her forces and became the Emperor’s favorite instead of being under imperial pressure.
Because she felt it was safer and more profitable for her.

The Emperor treated Amalie without any shortage.
The title she received was nothing more than her winning title.
However, for 24 years, Amalie sat alongside the Counts, and she was always able to stand alone with the Emperor.
She enjoyed wealth and honor.

But Amalie always felt that she was different from the ones who were noble from their birth.
They were people who soaked up luxury and pleasure to their bones, but she was not.

She longed for the capital’s social world when she had never experienced it.

However, she only knew that after she had lived in it, she would never be able to mingle into that life.

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Not just her, but many of those in her situation.

It was a different character from those who were born and bred perfectly aristocratic like Lawrence.
But there were no other options.

Among Lawrence’s supporters, there weren’t many traditional nobles.
In that respect, it was completely different from the Roygar faction.

In fact, there weren’t many people who could close their eyes at Lawrence’s birth due to the nature of the noble family who valued the line of descent from the legal wife.

Lawrence has been close to the young aristocrats, but his playmates do not provide any political support.

Gayan said.

“For the belated Dame Harper, let me recapitulate.
Her Majesty said that Her Majesty wants the Riagan Duchy.
Of course, that ‘want’ does not mean that she wants a simple reconciliation.”

“Does she really mean that she wants to get the Duchy back?”

Someone asked back, and there was a moment of silence in the middle of the crowd.
This was a very sensitive problem.

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The Emperor has never officially disclosed his relationship with the present Duke of Riagan.
The death of the former ducal couple is officially only an accident.

It’s a secret that everyone knows.
But it is also a secret that they have to pretend they didn’t know.

One person carefully pointed out only the facts.

“The Empress cannot regain the title of Duchess of Riagan, because she has already given up the title of succession.”

“But she is the legitimate daughter.
It will be after Her Majesty’s death that the lineage that begins with the current Duke of Riagan is recognized as the legitimate successor.”

“You said Grand Duchess Evron mentioned marriage, right?”

Lawrence nodded at the question.

“That’s why I was rather thinking about getting married into the Riagan Duchy.”

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He tapped on the table.
People focused on him.

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“I know that His Majesty made the Empress feel sorry for the work of the predecessor Riagan Ducal couple.
But isn’t it the majority’s opinion that Her Majesty does not want the Duchy of Riagan’s honor to be scattered into the wind?”

“That’s true.”

“Wouldn’t it be best to find a relative that Her Majesty loves, who wants to inherit the title of Duke, and connect the title? Anyway, the current Duke of Riagan can’t maintain the title with his own power.”

It is in everyone’s best interest to do so.

The Duchy of Riagan became a family that produced the Empress for two generations, and Lawrence can bear the recognition of the Empress and the name and power of the Duke of Riagan.

The Empress will be able to bestow the Duchy of Riagan to anyone who wants it.

Of course, for the current Duke of Riagan, it would have been something undesirable.
He would like to succeed the title with his child and make a new Duke of Riagan.

“It’s hard to think that that’s the direct meaning from Her Majesty.
Didn’t Grand Duchess Evron just say that she would ask Her Majesty about the bride?”

Said Gayan.

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Amalie recalled her meeting with Grand Duchess Evron.

[“Think again.
Unless you want to be the dog killed after the hunt*.”]

After receiving Artizea’s letter a few weeks ago, she traveled alone.

She met Artizea in a small town north of the capital, three days away.
This is the time when the returning party from Evron Grand Duchy had not yet reached the capital.

Amalie retorted, embarrassedly, within minutes of the conversation.

[“Did you say a dog killed after the hunt?”]

[“Brother Lawrence is a person who doesn’t know how to thank others.
He takes it for granted when others give him something.
Because he has lived that way all his life.”]

Artizea said in a gentle voice.

[“There is no need to say in principle that loyalty isn’t meant to be appreciated.
I know why you chose Brother Lawrence.”]

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There are two reasons why the Emperor’s favourites, including Amalie, supported Lawrence.

First, the Emperor’s will is with Lawrence.

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There was an ambiguous side in the Emperor’s attitude.
He never directly mentioned the successor to the chief court officer.

It was because he couldn’t bear more of the political burden.
Even if the Emperor had no deficit, it was already a heavy burden to support Lawrence, his illegitimate son.

However, because of the Emperor’s character, it was obvious that he would try to pass the Crown on to a close bloodline.

The wiser the Emperor’s supporter was, the better he was aware of it.

Second, the members of the Grand Duke Roygar’s faction and the Emperor’s favorites are like water and oil.

Emperor Gregor chose talented people from the local nobles and commoners while keeping the great nobility in check.
They only needed his favor and trust to become powerful.

When Grand Duke Roygar ascends to the throne, he will be supported by the great nobles who have only ever seen them as eyesores.

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Even with the Emperor’s support, it will be almost impossible to be recognized for achievements among the powerful nobles, including Marquis Gayan.

Unlike the great nobles, they did not have the strength to endure under the pressure of the imperial power for decades.

[“But you have to think the other way around.
Whether it’s Grand Duke Roygar or Brother Lawrence, they’ll try to elevate the imperial power after they’re crowned.
It is public confidence.
My brother will not tolerate anyone who tries to get in his way by using their past credits.”]

[“You are speaking very confidently.”]

Artizea smiled and did not respond to it.

And she said, not just Amalie, but referring to all people in her position, as a group.

[“The biggest problem with ‘you’ is that the moment Brother rises to the throne, grabs the crown, and gains authenticity, the power to stand against him completely disappears.”]

[“That doesn’t mean I have other options, doesn’t it?”]

Amalie knew that when considering after the ascension, there was a possibility of being appointed to Grand Duke Roygar.

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Eventually, when fighting against the great nobles who will become contributors, including Marquis Luden, they will need a person who will come to the forefront and become the Emperor’s lieutenant.

Just as Emperor Gregor has done.

Nevertheless, Amalie did not choose Grand Duke Roygar.
It was because until then, she had no guarantee that she would survive.

[“All the power and authority that ‘we’ have come from His Majesty.
Knowing that, I decided to become a servant of His Majesty, not a warlord in the West.
Forming power at that time means that I have already given up.”]

[“You don’t mean to speak of loyalty…”]

[“It means that you cannot have real power without someone to look behind you.
There is a reason why the lords in the past did not try to hand over their land to the Emperor no matter how poor their territories are.”]

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Artizea smiled.

[“Do you regret the choices you made when you were younger?”]

[“I do not regret it.
I’m a soldier, Grand Duchess Evron.
I listened to the orders of others and gained tactical victory in an environment provided by others.”]

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[“This is the possibility of a tactical victory that Brother Lawrence’s thinks of Dame Harper.”]

[“That’s right.
Because Grand Duke Roygar is a trader and a politician.
I can’t trust anyone other than Sir Lawrence.”]

[“It’s a tactician’s limit.”]

At that, Amalie looked at Artizea with a serious face.

[“Why do you say that? Grand Duchess.
Sir Lawrence is the real brother of Your Grace.”]

[“The Emperor’s seat is not light enough to support him unconditionally because we are siblings.”]

[“It is difficult to say that Sir Lawrence will be a great king, but he is not foolish.
It is more common for a monarch to revel in pleasure than otherwise.
He is arrogant and cruel, but it is only a personal flaw.
Governance is a separate matter from that.”]

[“My brother feels inferiority and resentment.”]

Artizea also had a time when she thought like Amalie.
She believed that even more because he had similar features to Emperor Gregor.

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[“He thought he’d been robbed of the crown prince’s seat that he should have won.
So he doesn’t appreciate anything he gets.
Because my brother feel that the world should be his.”]

If he was born as a real prince, Artizea thought he might not have been so twisted.

[“The more wise people say, the less he will listen, the more meritorious they will be, the more respectful he will be, and the more he will stay away from those who have a legitimate position.
Eventually, after consciously gathering up the vassals, he will enjoy wielding everyone with whims and feeling that he is superior not only as a position but also as an individual.”]

[“So, then, is Your Grace’s intention to support Grand Duke Roygar? Does His Grace Grand Duke Evron wish the same?”]

Amalie thought of this meeting as if Artizea was trying to give her a chance to change the line.

But Artizea looked at Amalie and said softly.

[“There are people who repay as much as they have been devoted by loyalty, give proper honor for the achievements, are not jealous of their subjects, and never betray their faithfulness, even if there is no need to do so.”]

Amalie was thrilled.

—

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Note:

(*) Killing the dog after the hunt: An expression used to indicate the situation of using something when necessary and throwing it away unsympathetically