Episode 52: Things Will Be Different Now

Suddenly, the woman’s mocking laughter came to mind. She had taunted his wife with her nauseating face, spouting ridiculous words.

She had come flaunting her pregnancy, mocking them as she carried his child in her belly. Lara had always appeared pale in front of her.

Frozen, she could never think of how to respond. After some time, it seemed her only goal was to endure whatever insults came her way, bearing them with a neutral expression, trying to withstand all the tragedies…

All of it—every single catastrophe—had been caused by his own hands. He had pushed his wife into a pit. One wrong step, and she was on the edge of a cliff, unable to escape the world he had pushed her into.

‘Why that woman?’

When he was told that their newborn son was in trouble, his wife cried for days, refusing to eat and gasping for breath between sobs.

And then, he had slept with the woman who had caused the harm to the child, taking an aphrodisiac. Lara would never forget that humiliation… that anger.

Alec crumpled the corner of the document he was holding. Rage reverberated in his mind. The urge to cut Valerie’s throat was greater than his desire to kill her. Lara’s tears caused an unbearable pain in his chest.

“It was definitely a threatening tone,” the secretary who had investigated Gillian’s transgressions reported stiffly. He was the one who had overheard the conversation between Gillian and Lara at the Marquis Heslow’s banquet.

Before Alec had arrived, the secretary had heard everything Gillian had said to Lara, recalling every disgusting threat and the purpose behind it. Alec planned to keep a close watch on everything that happened to Lara from now on, observing all her interactions.

“The Marquis Oppreese seems to be planning something using his daughter.”

Alec nodded. He tried to forget what had happened in his previous life while looking up at his sharp-witted secretary. The young man, Brett Millon, had graduated at the top of his class from the empire’s top university, Langcollisher University.

Born into a modest family, he had entered the university solely through his intellect, with the support of Count Rosabeth, who helped him graduate. He had been nominated by his own hands and was a Republican, holding a deep hatred for the class system and slavery.

“What about Belzenoer?” Alec asked.

“There’s been no significant movement yet. You should keep an eye on the Marquis Oppreese’s daughter for now.”

Brett spoke softly. Alec took another drag from his cigarette as he thought about Valerie. It was clear what the woman intended to do with Lara.

If she thought she was better than Lara and could boast about it, it could only be due to her noble bloodline and family. She would attempt to intimidate Lara using the chains and shackles of status.

Lara had always shrunk back when it came to things she couldn’t escape. That was understandable since her late parents had been slaves, and she was a slave by birth, something that couldn’t be helped.

In the past, Alec had foolishly tried to hide her past. He had taken the slave papers from the Marquis Oppreese when he accepted Valerie and had immediately freed her. Since the Marquis had agreed to make his daughter the second empress, the negotiations for this had taken a long time.

He had then tried to use Lara’s position as a commoner to sway the Republicans and those who deeply hated the class system. He wanted them to become her supporters, people who had no family or backing, unlike the nobles.

At the time, the common people’s resentment towards the nobility was strong, and if they used this opportunity, he thought that Lorast could become a popular crown prince backed by the people. But…

‘What should I do, now that His Highness the Prince has turned out this way?’

The Marquis Offrez murmured upon hearing that Lorast had developed a developmental disorder. He spoke with a disgustingly pitying look, as though he cared for the child.

Even though the child wasn’t his own, he had pressured the concubines, including Gladys, to take action. He knew he couldn’t take Gladys as his concubine, but he spoke as if he could.

Knowing that Lorast had been a difficult birth, the Marquis bribed the court physician to spread a false rumor that she would never conceive again. Alec’s only goal was for Valerie to produce an heir.

So, Alec embraced Valerie. If Lara could no longer become pregnant, someone had to provide an heir.

But Valerie wasn’t the only one capable of producing heirs. As soon as Valerie gave birth, Alec took Gladys into his arms.

The Marquis Oppreese reacted immediately. He and his daughter Valerie, not Lara, were the ones to be attacked. Alec, in turn, protected Lara.

Gladys gave birth to a son, strengthening her influence within the palace. In response, Valerie conceived again. When the balance of power shifted to the Marquis Oppreese, Alec fathered a child with Gladys, resulting in Anashenka. If only he had known that Lara would become pregnant again… or if he had realized that Oppreese had bribed the court physician…

‘How foolish I was.’

“What shall we do?”

Brett asked, his brown eyes gleaming with determination.

‘Things will be different.’

“The only thing the Marquis Oppreese’s daughter has over the Crown Princess is one thing.”

“……”

“Bloodline.”

Brett’s dry lips parted slightly, but he remained silent. Alec smiled faintly.

“We both despise it, don’t we?”

Brett’s expression shifted at the word “despise.” His face seemed to question why a member of the royal family would detest noble bloodlines. Alec chuckled bitterly.

“But in Dranberk, I will show that even their precious bloodline is worthless.”

Not just in Dranberk—he intended to prove throughout the entire empire that lineage and status meant nothing.

If they dared to suppress his wife using her status, he would ensure that status was shattered, creating a world where it held no value. He would break it into pieces, forcing them to crawl like worms.

‘Things will be different, Lara.’

So… trust me one more time.

---

Valerie sat before her vanity. The maid brushing her hair had a rosy-cheeked expression of delight. Rena, Valerie’s personal maid, took great pleasure in applying rose oil to Valerie’s wavy black hair and combing it gently.

‘I enjoy tidying your dresses, but I love working on your hair the most.’

Her devotion seemed excessive for a maid. Most maids preferred handling their mistress’s gowns and tiaras.

Since such treasures were far beyond their means, touching them was an honor. Yet Rena claimed that washing Valerie’s feet and brushing her hair brought her the greatest joy, more than handling necklaces adorned with sapphires or pearl-studded tiaras.

‘Serving someone as beautiful and noble as you is the greatest honor of my life.’

Rena often repeated that it was her privilege to serve Valerie.

Graceful and dignified, Valerie was not only easier to serve than the overly authoritative Marquis Oppreese or the brash Gillian, but she was also less temperamental than the Marchioness or Edwid, despite being somewhat sensitive. This made her popular among the maids.

Above all, Valerie was known among noble ladies for her refined taste and beauty.

How could a lady raised in the frontier region of Heidelbern possess more sophistication and elegance than the aristocratic women of Travis? This was simply due to Valerie’s inherent excellence.

Though Rena was a common-born maid, she believed people’s worth was determined by their natural station in life.

People should occupy the roles suited to their place and understand their limits. Yet a mere common-born woman had pushed aside the noble daughter of the Lord of Heidelbern to take the position of Crown Princess…

Rena ground her teeth in frustration. From what she had heard, the woman wasn’t even properly appointed. They said that the late Emperor’s youngest son, the legitimate Crown Prince born to the Empress, had met his current wife while convalescing in the countryside and married her.

However, even if they were married, it did not mean she had been formally conferred the title of Crown Princess by the Emperor. A prince choosing a wife on his own was an unprecedented act in the royal family.

And now that woman was pregnant? To dare carry the blood of the royal family and call herself the Crown Princess?

‘It’s absurd!’

Unknowingly, Rena’s face twisted in disdain. That woman couldn’t possibly compare to Valerie. Guests at the ball hosted by the Marquis of Heslo claimed that the woman possessed hair as beautiful as Valerie’s and enchanting blue eyes.

They said she was just as lovely as Valerie and well-mannered. But Rena shook her head. A commoner couldn’t exude such elegance.

It must have been fabricated to curry favor with the prince.

“Ah!”

“Oh, my! I’m sorry, Miss! I didn’t mean to—”

“Rena.”

“I’m sorry, truly sorry, Miss.”

Rena quickly pulled her hands away from Valerie and bowed her head. Valerie, with a serene face free of anger, gazed at her with a benevolent expression.

“Is something wrong? You don’t look well.”

‘As expected of Lady Valerie. Even when her hair is tugged, she doesn’t show a hint of anger.’

Rena thought to herself as she lifted her head. Clad in a muslin nightgown, Valerie looked at her with the grace and dignity of a Crown Princess—or rather, a future Empress.

‘How could the prince choose a mere commoner over someone like this?’

Rena sighed inwardly but didn’t let it show.

“No, Miss. Nothing’s wrong. How could anything trouble me when I get to serve someone as beautiful as you for the rest of my life?”

Valerie smiled, her beauty so radiant that Rena couldn’t help but admire her.

“I’m glad to hear that. But if you ever find it difficult living by my side, don’t hesitate to tell me. You’re like a sister to me, and I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Really, Miss? You think of me as a sister?”

“Of course. Haven’t you been with me for more than ten years? You’ve been my maid since I was very young.”

“That’s true, Miss. I’ve spent a very long time with you.”

Rena’s cheeks flushed. A “sister,” she thought. Valerie probably didn’t truly see her as such, but for someone like her—a mere maid—to be called a sister was something Rena deeply appreciated.

Truly, Valerie possessed boundless generosity. This was the kind of woman who deserved to be the prince’s wife. A wise and compassionate lady like her would make the perfect Empress, someone who could bring prestige to the empire.

What did someone of her lowly status know about such matters? Yet, she believed the position of Empress was the highest, most noble role in the empire. And Valerie was the most flawless candidate for it.

Anyone who met Valerie would surely think the same. From what Rena had heard, Valerie and the fifth prince had been engaged in talks of marriage since they were young.

Had the prince’s mother, Empress Eloise, not passed away that year, the marriage would have proceeded smoothly, and Valerie would have become a proper Crown Princess.

Or, had the prince not married that wretched woman…

‘She’s not even formally appointed—how dare she call herself the Crown Princess? Who does she think she is to claim the prince as her husband? She’s nothing more than a thief who stole what belonged to someone else….’