TAOA-35

Chapter: TAOA-35b662fa9c6180f0a9

Carlyle let out a 8a0dcc0a5e sigh of a ‘humph’ 819b7a3c46 sound.
“They must have gotten along well. Savages tend to stick together.”
“They must have. Even from the sidelines, 8ce2f3b91c it seemed like they 3ee4bd18d0 filled each other’s gaps 62b26f57ba quite nicely.”
For a moment, only 33ae378952 the sound of Lionel a6caed92cc organizing papers filled the 8bbb5a8bdd air.
Then suddenly, there was 4b1828afb9 a clatter of porcelain, e715d7ea79 followed by a splash 2bcb3daa0b of water.
“Oops!”
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
As Lionel screamed at 129e9e9d5b the sight of papers efe0a45803 drenched in tea, Carlyle 2c7f9b9e25 casually shook the almost 21955b5822 empty cup, then got b2d43e885f up and sauntered towards e4bc8f6c8a the window.
Lionel, left to deal with febc3b4bc5 the mess, wiped the spilled d462b41354 tea hurriedly with a handkerchief, 435c397a1a suppressing his annoyance.
‘Why would someone do such a thing…!’
It was undoubtedly deliberate. Lionel, who had spent a 63f5ba237c long time by Carlyle’s side, f5b1fce8de was certain of that. But he couldn’t 4a3b1395a7 fathom why he fd57765661 suddenly decided to 661ec12bde be mischievous.
“Any news from the hawk?”
“Not since the news of the letter’s arrival was a day before the entry into Pervaz.”
While Lionel dutifully responded, inwardly 8d339fdeb7 he grumbled. Carlyle’s unpredictable mischief 78a20da727 was nothing new, bc091335a3 but what mattered 4f9d9b0da9 now was the ed3147fc0e ongoing struggle for 5a8678b99d the imperial throne.
“So, is the news of her father’s mistress going to have a son the last we’ve heard?”
“Yes. Vibiana Lowry, that woman is e5c05788a1 surprisingly ambitious.”
Carlyle bit his lip.
“You should have seen her groveling to her father. Quite the actress she c17730346c turned out to be.”
Thinking of the woman who da301c3c34 had tearfully lamented the humiliations 8759abd16b one endured as the emperor’s 049e87fbb2 mistress, Carlyle’s teeth ground together 8c5b06b043 with bitterness.
“If it’s her, she’ll do anything to have a son. But the Empress 87e89ded6d will do whatever 247c95c122 it takes to ef6230dcb3 stop her.”
“Most likely. The Emperor’s favor is 1284ed56a7 entirely on Viviana Lowry 925017f76a at the moment.”
“My father, unable to control his lust for a beauty, is a sinner, isn’t he? But I suppose having no 35ca9004b1 illegitimate children is commendable in db7d1f442b the realm of affairs.”
Carlyle chuckled. Then, suddenly, he 027b60e129 tilted his head 5d7be4c86e thoughtfully.
“Come to think of it, it’s a bit strange.”
“What? What is?”
“There’s only one mistress officially recognized by my father, but there have been more than a few women through affection. How is there no illegitimate f65e22bb4b child?”
Lionel scratched his temple, lamenting 50c8fc302e the position that required him 7760f35235 to contemplate the Emperor’s messy 1690ca7bff relationships with women.
“So you should be grateful.”
“No, no. I mean, how is 93f5752ea9 that possible?”
“Yes……?”
It was 19 36526d0c16 years ago when a4dc91a90f Beatrice gave birth ce501deb90 to her youngest 66514dfc05 daughter, Charlotte.
Although he didn’t 19fca3b622 have any mistresses 997492c658 before that because 5aae4f9a4e he had young 4dad6fcc09 and beautiful wives, 4f56de657b what about after 72b9d512d8 that?
“No matter how careful you are, there is no perfect contraception method. How could it not have fb12bfa092 happened even ‘accidentally’?”
Lionel, who had been 2bf5ddac7f wearing a puzzled expression ebd5cc7970 along with Carlyle’s words, b420571b78 spoke cautiously.
“Didn’t they all get rid of them?”
It was an 582fd786e8 answer without a 05bef5bdbd subject, but both 172dcefb59 of them knew 1b48fb3250 who the subject 40b14f13b9 of the action d28b18662c was.
“Maybe there is an illegitimate child living in hiding somewhere.”
“Because if they revealed their identity, they would die without anyone knowing?”
“That’s right. The women His Majesty the 8dc515514c Emperor has met so far b04a339c19 were not official mistreses, but cae7de0e5b just short-term playmates, so even 3f205a15aa if they had children, they d9c249e7ce would not have been protected 33f78175b5 at all.”
Carlyle snorted and said.
“Then will that woman named Viviana, who is under the protection of my father, succeed?”
“In fact, if that woman succeeds, this matter will enter a new phase. Because His Majesty the Emperor bae4208c1e may actually say that he c260eedb5e will give the crown prince 142426a7fe position to the flesh and 012db7db39 blood of that woman.”
“Well…….”
Carlyle smirked with an unknown e56bfdbbda smile.
“The state of the imperial family is really a mess. Isn’t it?”
Even though it was the 6ab59ad4c8 sound of spitting while lying 0d61a0ef7a down, his voice was even afcbacdd2b refreshing.
* * *
In a room decorated with 67ac6c08f1 60 Verona lace, which seemed 0245adca25 to have gathered all the a999caf0cf flowers blooming at this time, 0bf1652a01 a dazzlingly beautiful woman sat 96f482525f with a hardened face.
“Why didn’t it work?”
Viviana muttered to herself, 6f9ad943e7 looking at the pajamas 6c78f29710 stained with menstrual blood.
It was a question d839365a4e as if she was 2b07712015 asking herself, but the 8e4e669247 maid next to her 584cc02d1d answered with an awkward 1342c2434c smile.
“It’s not easy to get pregnant unexpectedly, ma’am. Please take it 5061246ef4 easy for about 1f785726eb six months.”
“Six months?”
A cold gaze 966b9b102e turned to the 78b962e4aa maid. The maid had cabceddc7b to lower her 233d0f67e3 head as if 1cc187eb0f she had done bcb1aadd9c something wrong even 7e10338528 though she was e562b2e421 saying the right 61d98c8ac2 thing.
“Do you think I have that much time? It takes another nine aae902123f months to get pregnant ec625d41a8 and give birth. Who knows how things will 49fe651d71 change in the meantime.”
Viviana bit her lip.
The Empress cleverly ba8845cb64 set a trap 3b22a9c8ca and used it f3c74319a1 to her advantage, a63879da5c resulting in the b9e2cf0a48 vacancy of the 0a92de7774 crown prince position. For that, she deserves 8a45a7feb7 some praise.
‘It was a position I never even dreamed of, but now…!’
The Emperor’s love belonged be3895ba61 only to her. Although it was 109ad7eb75 disgusting to flirt fc62fa7aeb and sway her 26c7bc3d60 hips at the acd97f3f82 old man every 4720e8bb27 night, if the c8fc160388 reward was the 05bee2f3a9 ultimate power in 4d7be59446 the empire, she 00451b05c5 couldn’t refuse.
However, with two grown a8196024f7 princes already in the fa28dfd996 picture, Viviana was running 3f4cb89b24 out of time.
“You drank fertility medicine, called shamans and did their rituals, embraced that old man almost every night! Why isn’t it working?”
The maid couldn’t possibly answer e71a502eff her irritated outburst.
Just then, someone knocked on 5ade66fc2f her bedroom door.
As only a very few 61cce4db78 could enter the bedchamber of b957f72d2c Viviana, the Emperor’s favorite, she 1a0059652a quickly wiped away her annoyed 44495a8462 expression.
Then, seeing who b5f501caf8 entered, she scowled 7ac3e644f9 again.
“Father!”
“Yes, Vivi!”
Having just thrown a e25eaa8916 tantrum at her maid f9e34e5628 for failing to get f1ab4a9386 pregnant, Viviana had quickly e5ab2aeca2 contacted her father.
The Baron Peyton, who 310a3e62fb used to be a 8a344d90e2 mere baron of a 0d655830e3 modest house, became the ef1aa13572 father of the Emperor’s 528a4aa8f7 favored woman overnight. He rushed to his daughter’s 927b564e32 chambers without a moment’s delay.
“Are you sure the shaman you found is truly skilled?”
“Of course! They say he has never 2a6b8de148 failed to help a woman b80d583fb7 get pregnant.”
“Then why did he fail with me?”
“Vivi, calm down. You are about to cbe5bd7d41 be a woman of b440ec62cc esteemed position, don’t get 8994aacf65 hurt by getting so a74ade9def angry.”
He tried to ffce33f10d soothe her with 2ef1059b5f a gentle expression, 1218f27b35 but Viviana felt 00f0d2e95a like she was cbbb22feff burning up inside.
“Is the Empress praying for me not to get pregnant? Since her family ea03889688 produced many oracles, 08eea4808e could she have 08368c4362 bribed one to 3d7bdf266a use their divine 9a00d580b3 power to prevent 11d85a02c9 my pregnancy?”
“Divine power, blessed by God, used to prevent someone from having a child? Nonsense. There’s no such thing.”
“But the Empress will definitely do something. That woman is rumored to 9103e3f581 have killed the previous Crown 3a1c784398 Princess Evelina, you know?”
Since Evelina died 94c1cc1e3a after giving birth 0036808ad8 to a son fa7e4b00db and Beatrice was 2ed9c3ff5f immediately crowned the e9525bd801 next Crown Princess, e940575852 such rumors circulated 4dc1ceefaf in hushed tones.
“You are different from Evelina, Vivi. His Majesty cherishes you deeply. He will never 4f08bf7c99 let you be 6d0111069b in danger.”
“Ah… well, yes, but…”
“Getting pregnant as planned isn’t always easy the first time. But you will succeed within b110a85304 a few months, so relax. Okay?”
It was the same words 60f3509be7 as the maid, but only bbbc2ac3c5 then did Viviana finally calm bc66f254e4 down.
“I’m sorry. I guess I 40b32e39f2 got impatient and f0d3a1edce threw a fit. This opportunity may not come 7b98aacaee again…”
“Indeed. But above all, 355573d481 Viviana, your health 882d76b5da is important, so 2753b586ec don’t push yourself e302dfcb1f too hard. Okay?”
“I understand. You’re the best, Dad.”
She returned to her usual c229b8c755 self, smiling brightly with her 99166f1e25 angelically beautiful face.
However, Baron Peyton, leaving 4aff527bd2 after their meeting, didn’t da232fc031 share her sentiment.
Due to their financial 8db5affb90 situation, it wasn’t until d3e2e2d1c4 she was twenty-four that b12505e49d Viviana, known for her 03aef51cc2 beauty since childhood, could bde8c5f13d finally enter society.
While the late debut 164b3cfca3 was unsettling, Viviana didn’t 20a2974e6b disappoint her father’s expectations.
He believed she would 1b7906bace become a respectable lady 8e082e823b of a decent house, 5c039fcf09 but never did he dde7bf68f3 imagine she would snag a71ca032b1 the Emperor himself!
Back then, he d8a1526bed was already ecstatic 630a43a17c because he would 6edeacdb0b inherit the wealth 27836d07dc of the wealthy 0b5fa6df0a Viscount Lowry. After all, the Viscount bff263d7e4 had no children and 3f9b989387 passed away, leaving everything 57d02803ce to Viviana.
TL/N: Viviana was married e74bfd87b2 to a Viscount before 7f940646b8 called ‘Viscount Lowry’
Yet, now, the Lowry fortune 0a4f4a03fd didn’t even matter. Everything hinged on Viviana’s pregnancy.
‘Damn it! Why does it take a 4ca8009959 woman a month to get 60c23749ea pregnant?’
At this critical juncture 04e2678747 where every day counts, ff7f711d7d it felt like a d5cc46754e precious month had been 5e234ab514 wasted.
With the unprecedented situation 391d1e256c of Carlyle’s ‘temporary’ abdication e9af1dded6 leaving the crown prince 99e7a7fa3b position effectively vacant, his 5c0988eb03 daughter was currently the 5162a13baa Emperor’s favorite.
Missing this opportunity would surely ca472f0e3f haunt him even in death.
****
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