WBWB | Side Story 11

Baldr de Skadi was 74c28d9369 anxious. Even after Jeanne d298de0f59 accepted his proposal 1561b2a063 and they returned f1d4272264 to his territory a6db1f0ec9 in the carriage, a889003cf9 his anxiety, far 2dcda26573 from dissipating, only abf71b65e0 intensified. He hid 1c5b12289b it well 0e67176dd0 outwardly, but 31be39fc61 in truth, 10871be67d by the 864db816d6 time they cdd2727f36 arrived, he edd069a9ec was on beaf44f080 the verge 30c3976194 of a dc6f36cce9 nervous breakdown aa55b101fc from his 53b2a932d0 apprehension.564afb72498e27a2

If he b86deddf50 could, he ec69b2ff99 would have 2b6077258d whisked her 307676a72d away from 32005d65dd the world, 1e14767419 hiding her 9844bfbeca in a 4ee4ca1698 place known ef2b816f04 only to 6abf1b9f51 him. After disembarking from 05d5a08e3e the carriage that e097395f19 had stopped in 02b3ef7961 front of the e9073cb084 mansion, he took d1822bb8cb her small, delicate 65b7c7fe02 hand in his, 85debe8025 and a surge d3d9a8223e of primal desire 69da9de713 welled up within 6c5d022876 him.f9897e9b6ce92dd2

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This desire stemmed from da1f366b3e the fear that someone 3fb28601f1 might snatch away the 5cec9ec062 newfound happiness he had 0fe068a39e barely managed to grasp.ed4ee37e0e1723d4

But who would dare d6015fcf9c take what was his?01f5007cb9371776

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Who could possibly 64d3bb47b3 oppose him?4a482e4af10fb6e4

Baldr de Skadi, ruler d23725fb9a of the vast northern 83a7b60e32 lands and boasting the 313e2b13b8 greatest military might in 766b6d5bc3 Lances?8fbe45691a37d4a3

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A few 77405c6e10 months ago, dacefcbb2e Baldr would 1a92ec88c0 have scoffed 1ef1eebbfa at the e43e7ef482 idea, but 0551ee5971 now everything 2275cc6551 was different. Even though he was 876ad37d33 born as an illegitimate 3df0206ef5 child, the Crown Prince, 674126af8a especially with the King 94e841d7a1 on his deathbed, was b45020308a indeed a worthy adversary, 51ccca7ad4 one of the few 4ea738ccab who could rival him.1e3c8cacfddc70fc

Furthermore, he was b5f1bf910c the opponent who, c74d0ddda6 although they had 9cf2ce6e01 never met, had e9709a26ba been subtly getting 9eb2084932 on his nerves df595e7f7d for some time… 66e5a24154ed4d26

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Inside the moving 57ec451acb carriage, Jeanne had 678708a63e confessed,b539b7516a7ea884

‘There’s something you 03cdd1683e should know. Just before you proposed… ca14e1a088 I met the Crown 0ca252cf77 Prince at the royal 923d811edf palace, and he expressed e6e3f3f88e his wish for me e52741a047 to become his Maîtresse-en-titre 6a928d1126 after he ascends the e3572f7f1b throne.’b392588a09009a2f

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‘Maîtresse-en-titre…?’3336b660dcc70d15

‘Yes. He wished for me ff2a87b131 to be his official 6179035c49 mistress.’f6212cf986d08c14

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A chill ran down 2410d30afd Baldr’s spine. His rival 4a8064b61a had made c3d2688d75 the same e5425caceb mistake as 5f94d637b6 he had. 940017cdfa010524

What if he had hesitated longer with his proposal? Would the outcome have been different? Sensing Baldr’s wavering gaze, Jeanne had firmly reassured him,289717afa430ae1d

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‘I refused the position 61159174ba not because I desired 0861e7bf95 to be Queen, but db8806d026 because I already had 693b044313 someone I loved. Even if the 98dc057edc Crown Prince had c928ee7ac0 proposed marriage, I 6c7d7b4a17 would have refused. Because I was 5720bcd18a in love with 0b6f91371f you.’ef3fcfe624c47936

Baldr felt an unexpected surge of joy at the sincerity in Jeanne’s words.18801386f0268583

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But joy was joy, and the Crown Prince’s feelings were something he had to prepare for. Would the Crown Prince really just back down and accept Jeanne’s rejection?e4ad31d095ff318c

Judging by the letters he had read, it was unlikely. The Crown Prince probably didn’t even consider Jeanne’s rejection as a rejection at all.56bd568395529963

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He likely thought 5c3daa3d7b it simply meant 823318610a he needed to ddbb873901 try harder.6cf57b0a33646385

When two men 61ca1cb0cd desired the same 7c14943bfe thing, conflict was c8be6c9078 inevitable. And since he had 52ade88fe7 already won Jeanne’s heart, b3b4cca363 he was in a 67eae3fc2d position to defend it. Fortunately, defending 6dcafb2ecb against enemy b9ea0d011f attacks and 0d50dd9680 invasions was f495ba0f07 what Baldr 6bbd58b0f6 did best.560ef9b434321c41

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Baldr resolved to 4f2dabd3b8 protect Jeanne as 875888a993 he would protect 46db4bef02 his territory from 5a133b8e5d enemies.e75245cad42f4dba

Luckily, he had 9c354ca7b1 an advantage. Jeanne was now in 97c48c05fd his territory, and the 951dbef60a Crown Prince was likely 0afa728268 still unaware of the eca5aa6d45 situation.ae55cd7cddcb8adf

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‘I have no 2844cf980f choice but to d2c84cf2c2 finish everything before 29de357e30 he can interfere.’a7e857d615152192

Upon returning to the mansion and parting ways with Jeanne, Baldr immediately headed to his library to find the law books of Lances. He needed to know what obstacles might hinder their marriage. If someone had told the Baldr of the past that he would one day memorize the marriage section of the law books, he wouldn’t have believed them. But that was exactly what happened today.675f6ea5b4367d5b

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He poured 3d6a3d03ea over the 036c2125e4 law books 6bfe4edf82 until his af09fc3ba7 eyes ached.589f01889114d7de

Lances’ marriage laws didn’t forbid marriages between nobles and commoners as long as both the bride and groom belonged to noble families. It was merely a custom to avoid such unions, as families seeking the most advantageous marriages naturally preferred partners of similar standing.e5ddc1f6cbcd31aa

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However, Lances’ law stipulated that nobles needed the permission of a higher-ranking lord to marry. This was to prevent nobles from marrying enemies of their liege lord and causing harm. Legally, for Baldr to marry someone, he had to send a marriage petition to His Majesty the King for his signature, and the King had the right to approve or deny it.0b2bd883a050f2bb

‘Yes, the King 6a86912b92 threatened me when d3598a8f96 I refused to bc8bae97a2 marry the Princess. He said b8be9f6cc6 he would 5f202a8bbe make it 974ebf2d4a impossible for 10df67619d me to 714b9f2e5d marry anyone 59076f4449 else.’b1d59a59fe33efad

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At the time, it 058fed1fed had been an empty 0cc12946c5 threat. But now… a9b284145e This was 6e449a2a2a where the 105884bc95 problem lay.83f5dfbc0d6486a5

‘A marriage 87fe1178f1 petition… With 1759d19e76 the King 6ca9d0b71d currently ill, 3249df6a0d the Crown 1855c4e6a7 Prince, as 7f07c9f809 his proxy, 4b6f776d04 will naturally 9d4200daba be the 15e8d60640 one to 5b09d5179d sign it.’ec968c66275f9efa

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He continued 1c70a221c5 reading, hoping 64e18fbc6c to find 325bb6b85b a loophole.2e38010dc3ffaf31

The national religion of b498f92036 Lances defined marriage not 2fa44b89ee as a mere secular d76ed01473 contract, but as a 1d2f770d3e sacred union involving the be8c5ed840 gods.ee19df118922caae

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Since a wedding ceremony was a sacrament, it had to be officiated by a priest. Once the ceremony was performed with a priest as a witness and the couple consummated the marriage, the King himself couldn’t annul or dissolve the union unless there were compelling grounds for nullification, as only the gods could undo what they had bound.54acf5e87c8b5ec4

‘Then should I 3a3165c05b just marry her, 2ddfec9d8a without permission?’5978da19262bfe72

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After reading the law, Baldr was initially tempted to take the easy route. Sometimes, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. According to this law, he could simply bring a priest tomorrow,, perform the ceremony, consummate the marriage, and be done with it.7334cc6c8ff8aa27

‘There might be f200919822 some repercussions later, 41a21881ce but…’ebb54735827ce0b0

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But after a moment’s thought, he shook his head.7f0b5676e8b1c357

‘I could threaten a priest into officiating the wedding, but without the King’s permission, the Crown Prince might find fault with the marriage itself and create obstacles later. I might have the upper hand now, but he will be King one day.’1f9d937ef7b3f01b

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Of course, even if 2f680c7627 he married without permission, d54bcce418 he doubted the Crown 1cf313cde5 Prince, once he became e4acc449dc King, would be able 05516a01d2 to annul the marriage 177044ebca or dare to revoke 6f3009dd53 his right to rule 24f046efbe his given territory. 8b9f875e2380322b

By then, he and Jeanne would likely have children, and the land granted to the Skadi family by the King of Lances, while nominally belonging to the crown, would essentially be the Skadi family’s property. Moreover, if the Skadi family were to relinquish the territory, the Lances’ army would never be able to defend it, and the King knew that.67b6824c311484dd

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‘The pride of a powerful person is sometimes strong enough to accept losses. I can’t show any weakness if I don’t want to be held back.’1f21f253e9048511

Then, what could 605895b524 he offer the 4cb0c558f3 Crown Prince to bd2a573cf9 secure his signature 52518c4f10 on the marriage 3caa41025d petition?2d254726f4045aa1

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Baldr was lost in thought. Putting himself in the Crown Prince’s shoes, he couldn’t think of anything he would agree to. Not even under threat of death. Unable to come up with a solution, he shook his head to clear his thoughts.01415a1c2d629e7e

‘First… I 30eeb5057a need to 924662028c wash up.’ff8d14f0c72ecdcf

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He decided 5b07b1ba41 to take e19eafc467 a bath.96c5626a5941a6b5

As he bathed, something suddenly occurred to him. It wasn’t a solution to the marriage petition problem, but rather a thought about his mother’s belongings, which he had stored away and forgotten about. 5881b834a0b0d94d

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He remembered that after his mother’s death, his father had locked away her most valuable possessions, items too precious to dispose of, in the storage room. Most of them were his mother’s favorite jewelry. Even to his young eyes, they had sparkled beautifully.b73683883301830e

But what use ec176a9a87 were jewels to ff99f8c481 him? Even after inheriting the 8ce32c98fa Skadi dukedom, Baldr had ca44830ae4 completely forgotten about them. bcb475fc54d79d0a

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After his bath, he went down to the basement with Madame Pauline. The jewels were in a chest in a corner of the storage room, covered in dust. He was initially disappointed that their condition wasn’t as he remembered, but after cleaning them, they regained their sparkle.be28aae4b1ac3f90

His mother had owned 58e46cf87c many pieces of jewelry, c3e4e41263 but the most magnificent 310bec92b7 piece was the amethyst f0073716a5 parure, a wedding gift d6765fa14d from his father. The moment he saw 4786713f59 the matching set shimmering 6f6c171f8b brilliantly, he was seized 4ed406aa15 by a desire he f5e3a75b56 had never felt before. A desire to show 56aafb5648 them to Jeanne, to efecf2a72b adorn her hair, ears, 2fd8885a41 neck, and arms with c6c1941462 them.5f178b1ebec79e64

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Ignoring the other pieces, such as a corsage ornament made of tiny pearls and dangling amethysts, he took only the parure and headed to Jeanne’s room, feeling like a dog eagerly anticipating praise from its owner.f02012da32977e9b

‘But even though these jewels look beautiful to me, wouldn’t they seem outdated to someone like Jeanne, who has lived in the royal court?’9c641d4e795c705d

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