"And what would Your Majesty do for me if I accept to pose as Lady Olivia's child?"
"Empress , you shouldn't be too greedy."
"You seem to be misunderstanding who's at a disadvantage , Your Majesty " ,
Violet said while trying to sound confident.
There was no way she would become in-laws with the corrupted Count Murphy.
Aside from that , Count Murphy was a fervent supporter of the Emperor.
She did not want to associate with people who were devout followers of Emperor Marcelo.
" I could always decree marriages to your other brothers as well, Empress."
"Is that all Your Majesty can think of?
To bestow marriages?
Consider carefully , Your Majesty.
My brothers are not the ones who would be at a disadvantage in the proposed marriages. With no favour from their husbands,
those noble ladies would be able to have true influence in the high society.
And my brothers would not succumb to their sweet nothings."
Violet knew that the House of Vanidestine would be in utter chaos if those ladies selected by the Emperor would enter their household.
There would never be peace even for a day.
Those snobbish and spendthrift noble ladies would suck the finances of the Ducal House dry and drag down it's prestigious and prominent reputation.
And who knew what those crooked minds would scheme?
"I shall hold off the marriage decree then , Empress.
If you choose to be known as the child's birth mother."
' As if I have a better choice.'
"Permanently.
You shall hold off the Royal marriage decree permanently.
Back to my previous question , Your Majesty, what would you do for me?
I have to pretend to be pregnant and avoid people for the next 6 months.
That is extremely unfair to me.
My freedom is restricted and I've obviously been promised no restriction to my freedom."
" What do you want , Empress?"
" It's quite simple , Your Majesty.
Sole legal and moral rights over the unborn child , Your Majesty.
Whether the child is a Prince or a Princess.
I shall be known to the public as well as in private that I am the child's mother.
All his education and upbringing shall be up to me and me only .
Your Majesty and Lady Olivia cannot interfere nor claim your rights over the child.
Additionally , I want the right to ownership over the orchards in the South.
Also , stop interfering in the lives of my family members.
Your Majesty has no right to do so."
Violet knew that she could not ask more than this from the Emperor.
She couldn't afford to offend him.
The reason she asked for ownership of the orchard was because she had accidentally heard about Lady Olivia's wish to possess those lands awhile ago.
Now was a great chance to take it from her.
Though it wasn't much, Violet felt good to take something from Lady Olivia.
Violet could barely imagine herself taking care of the child of her husband and his mistress.
But she had to ensure that the child would not become her enemy.
She did not know if she could truly love the child that was to come ,
but she would be a better parent than them . Right?
"It shall be so , Empress.
It does not matter much to me if the child is brought up by the Empress or my beloved.
I shall transfer the ownership of the land to you immediately.
And I shall declare news that you are pregnant with the royal child immediately."
Violet wanted to curse and puke when the Emperor said the word 'beloved.'
" Let's sign over it , Your Majesty.
A verbal agreement is far too disadvantageous for me.
Your Majesty should be cautious.
Lady Olivia is already three months pregnant.
I have heard that miscarriages are quite common in early pregnancies."
"Is that a threat , Empress?"
'Why do people love to twist others' words? Why can't people take words at face-value?' , Violet wondered.
" I did not imply as such , Your Majesty.
I simply meant that since Lady Olivia is already three months pregnant ,
then I would have to act as a three month pregnant lady as well.
But pregnancies are usually detected at 6-8 weeks for symptoms begin to occur at that period.
So it might be for the best if Your Majesty declare that I am 2 months pregnant.
At the time of the child's birth,
we shall simply announce that the child was born prematurely.
And it's true , Your Majesty that miscarriages are quite common in early pregnancies.
It wasn't a threat.
Just a simple reminder to be careful."
"The Empress seems quite well versed in medicine."
"Yes , Your Majesty."
There was no need to act meek in front of the Emperor.
And it was true that the Empress had knowledge about medicine for her mother used to be an unofficial apprentice of the Head Royal Physician when she was a teen-ager.
That very evening , an announcement was made throughout the Empire that the Empress was currently pregnant with a two month old foetus.
The people of the Empire rejoiced and celebrated with joy over the conception of a Royal child.
Violet's father , Duke Vanidestine
and her three brothers , Luis, Matthew and Stefan were shocked silly at the announcement.
'What preposterous news is this!'
However , Duchness Charlotte felt giddy knowing that her daughter would bear a royal heir.
Though her daughter was quite young
and the Duchess would have preferred
to have her daughter pregnant when she was a bit older , at the very least , being pregnant meant that she had gained the Emperor's favour.
The four men in the house looked at each other and decided to figure out what was happening the very next day.