RAMHM Chapter 101

Novian Trovika's Circumstances (1)

For a moment, Novian doubted his own ears.

"Marry Adrienne Pirreta, the legitimate daughter of the eastern magnate, Duke Pirreta—a family of ancient lineage."

Ah.

So it wasn't that he intended to take her himself.

The fact that he spoke this decisively meant all calculations had already been completed.

Though Novian had never once seen the woman's face, he raised no particular objection.

He'd had no intention of building his own faction through marriage anyway.

If he gained power, someone would grow wary of him—and if that someone became the Crown Prince or the Emperor, his life would grow tiresome.

His goal wasn't the throne itself, but the power behind it.

He'd reached the stage where he focused on how to continue his current life, nothing more.

"However, there's a condition."

"What condition do you mean?"

"The marriage with Uncle is a sham. When I say I'll take her, I mean exactly that—I intend to have Adrienne Pirreta for myself. So even after you marry, the princess remains mine."

"...You've already decided to take a western daughter as your wife. What are you saying?"

"Doris is greedy and stupid—easy to control, which is why I'm bringing her in. I can't abandon the east because of that woman."

"...And so? You can simply make the princess your empress later."

"His Imperial Majesty is in fine health. Too much time would pass before I become emperor and take an empress. The Pirreta princess may be frail, but she's a suitable bride—and the east won't wait for me indefinitely without assurances."

Novian rarely lost his temper, but this time he couldn't grasp the meaning and spent a long moment with his eyebrows twitching.

"Uncle marries her and keeps her. Then you divorce on the pretext of her poor health. When I become emperor, I'll graciously take her as empress then. The east won't refuse when I offer to accept a once-divorced, sickly princess as empress, will they?"

"The west won't tolerate it."

"Then I'll keep her as a mistress."

The Crown Prince spoke without a flicker of expression.

In truth, Crown Prince Bardenaldo's position was somewhat precarious. After Empress Letina's death, the solid factions supporting him had been significantly shaken.

"A mistress must be married. Uncle had no real interest in marriage anyway. Think of it as sharing a wife with your lord—that should make it easier. The east would prefer the Grand Duchess position over some mediocre household."

So he meant to pacify the east by offering the Grand Duchess position instead of the Crown Princess seat that had slipped away, while keeping her as his mistress behind the scenes. What greed.

But there was no better way to prove loyalty to the suspicious Crown Prince than sharing a wife. Novian simply closed his mouth.

However, one thing remained dubious...

"Is there a particular reason you're going to such lengths?"

Bardenaldo never moved without purpose, so Novian asked cautiously. Looking more carefully, he noticed that Rhodness stood outside the window Bardenaldo kept gazing toward.

"Ah, Rhodness. My beloved younger brother, you see."

A smile rose on the Crown Prince's clear, gentle face.

"..."

"He's set his heart on that princess."

Ah. So that's it.

Novian understood everything from that single sentence—that Rhodness had set his heart on Princess Pirreta.

"That child doesn't know his place, unlike Uncle. Isn't it heartbreaking that he'd covet a woman who became a Crown Princess candidate?"

Because he, too, recognized the inexplicable inferiority complex buried deep in Crown Prince Bardenaldo's heart.

"That child doesn't understand that he should spend his time on things within his reach. He needs to learn that coveting what belongs to others always brings punishment—only then can he truly be called my brother."

"..."

A silence swept over them.

Watching the Crown Prince before him, Novian wondered whether his own brother—the current Emperor—had thought the same way. A violent surge of rebellion rose within him, but only briefly. Soon Novian clenched his jaw and nodded.

Simultaneously, his inexplicable fury directed itself not at the Emperor or Crown Prince, but at Rhodness outside.

For Novian, the more grating existence wasn't the Crown Prince he had to serve regardless, but Rhodness.

Unlike himself, the Second Prince was both high in succession order and the Crown Prince's full brother.

Without realizing it, he lifted his chin.

Unlike himself—the outcast of the detached palace—Rhodness had a rank sufficient to become emperor, yet possessed a fatal weakness.

Red eyes. An ominous bastard.

It was a ghost story passed down from ancient times. Red eyes would bring ruin to the nation.

And yet, despite having such a weakness...

Second Prince Rhodness always let Crown Prince Bardenaldo win. Even Bardenaldo, initially triumphant, must have realized at some point why his younger brother—called a prodigy by their teachers—always lost to him, when "clever" was the best anyone could say about Bardenaldo himself.

Novian snorted.

That kind of leisure is something only those who have can afford.

A younger brother who yielded everything, hoping his older brother would become emperor. And unlike Novian's own situation, that behavior held genuine sincerity.

It twisted Novian's heart mercilessly.

A brat living in a fairy tale.

Having each finished their twisted thoughts, they turned their heads at the sound of someone knocking on the office door.

Soon a well-groomed young man entered, bowing so obsequiously it looked servile.

"Ah, you're here."

Bardenaldo pulled several crumpled letters from his breast and handed them to Novian.

"This will be the butler of Trovika Grand Ducal Estate from now on, Uncle."

The moment Bardenaldo finished speaking, the man who introduced himself as Gaspar bowed so low his head nearly touched the floor.

Novian stared at Bardenaldo, rigid as stone.

"A gift."

Bardenaldo smiled warmly.

Novian had to strain the muscles in his face to maintain his expression. How could he be so exactly like his father?

Just as the Emperor had done during his Crown Prince days, Bardenaldo had filled all positions around Novian with his own people.

The thought of the servants swarming throughout this enormous, splendid ducal estate made him suffocate.

Bardenaldo gestured for him to pass the letters to Gaspar. Novian obeyed silently.

"Copy the handwriting in those letters."

"Yes."

"And write a letter with this content."

Bardenaldo handed over a note he'd scrawled on the spot.

「Adrienne. Come to our little forest at the debutante. I have something to tell you.」

"Um... whose handwriting am I copying...?"

"Your new master's, of course."

At Bardenaldo's statement—made without any consultation—Novian's face crumpled sharply.

Gaspar hurried out of the office, saying he'd return with the letter.

"Whose handwriting is it?"

"Rhodness's. Now it's Uncle's handwriting."

"Why must I fabricate such a letter?"

"Because the princess has feelings for Rhodness too."

"..."

"That naive fool Rhodness. Still conducting a romance without even showing his face."

Bardenaldo's body shook with laughter.

"You mean it's not just the Second Prince's one-sided affection—they're already lovers?"

"Close enough. But it doesn't matter. The princess doesn't know Rhodness's face. They always met with him wearing a Royal Academy mask, and he apparently never even spoke aloud."

Could such a situation exist?

Novian had only planned to exchange marriage proposals and enter a loveless marriage. His head spun at the sudden realization that he'd have to imitate Rhodness.

Never having been close to a woman, never having wanted to be—now he'd have to perform romance, something completely foreign to his fate. He looked at the Crown Prince with resentment.

"Did you see what I wrote earlier? Let's have Uncle reveal his face to the princess at the debutante."

Novian narrowed his eyes and studied Crown Prince Bardenaldo.

Though he smiled with utmost gentleness, a faint tremor played at the corners of the Crown Prince's mouth—not yet fully mature.

The more she heard, the more outrageous it became.

Perhaps it was fortunate Rhodness wasn't here. If Novian's words were true, the truth wasn't something Rhodness could endure.

"And after that... it's exactly as you know it."

Yes, the rest of the story—I'd know it better than Novian.

Adrienne, who'd withdrawn from the Academy due to her health, had been convalescing at the Pirreta estate.

The east was beautiful and wealthy, but she lacked the stamina to enjoy such things.

After her brief Academy life, Adrienne filled her tedious days exchanging letters with the few friends she'd made there.

She especially delighted when letters arrived from 'An.' An was truly such a kind boy that exchanging letters with him always warmed some corner of her heart.

And whenever Bianca noticed something different about Adrienne and interrogated her about whether she liked this 'An,' Adrienne would grow embarrassed and only repeat that he was a very precious friend.

But sharp-witted Bianca couldn't fail to notice the fresh pink current between boy and girl.

When Bianca declared what they were doing was 'romance' and demanded to know who he was, Adrienne could only say he was imperial family.

She didn't even know whether he was actually Ronteaux royalty or a foreign prince permitted to stay at the palace.

He belonged to the Royal Academy, living with a mask because of assassination risks.

Naturally she'd never seen his face—they conversed through written notes or exchanged letters, nothing more.

Compared to their time together, what they'd actually done together was extremely limited.

Adrienne's body was weak, and 'An' had a demanding Royal Academy schedule.

「Adrienne. Come to our little forest at the debutante. I have something to tell you.」

The letter she received before the debutante.

"Goodness! That 'An' person is surely planning to confess to you then! Before some other man claims our Adrienne at the debutante!"

Reading beside her, Bianca grew excited as if it were her own affair and dressed Adrienne especially beautifully.

Their first debutante would be the annual New Year's masquerade ball held at the palace on the first day.

Immediately purchasing the most beautiful mask available in Pirreta, Bianca presented it to Adrienne with a satisfied expression.

'Will An really confess to me? As lovers... or even propose engagement?'

She truly liked An, but thinking she might become engaged made her enormously embarrassed.

After managing to write and send a reply, Adrienne spent her days anticipating tomorrow and the day after for the first time.

While the New Year's masquerade approached, she gazed out at the falling snow through the window, unconsciously thinking she wanted to see An quickly.

'I think... I really like An a lot.'

Never having heard his voice once, never having seen his face once—could this even be called romance?

Adrienne took out the letter and looked at it, then took it out and looked again.

On the very day they came of age, he had something to tell her. Nothing could be more thrilling.

'Now that we're adults, I can finally see An's face and hear his voice.'

And as planned, Adrienne discovered An's mask at Atilchard Hall when she entered holding her brother Gregory's hand. Even the single rose tucked in the handkerchief position he'd mentioned.

Just as he'd boasted and told her to anticipate, An had grown tall enough during their separation to stand a head above the others, and even his gait seemed more mature than usual.

Adrienne waved her hand cheerfully toward him.

After glancing around briefly, An—when she kept waving—stiffened for a moment, then left Atilchard Hall as if beckoning her to follow.