Rose looked at Daphne and couldn't help but notice the slightly subdued atmosphere that hung in the air. Her royal blue eyes looked at her with an intense and proud look.
"I heard you kissed Asterion." Her words made Rose stiffen, she hadn't expected Asterion to mention that kiss to Daphne!
Damn blabbermouth, you couldn't keep a secret?
"It was just an accident." Rose commented with a dry, slightly embarrassed laugh. She didn't have Asterion's lack of shame, so the feeling of embarrassment was especially strong at the moment.
"Oddly enough, you tripped and fell over my future husband's lips with your words... I must say you're very clumsy, Lady Potter." Daphne spoke calmly, but anyone could hear the sarcasm and irony in her tone.
"Cough, cough." Rose feigned a fake cough and looked everywhere but at Daphne. At that moment, all she wanted was for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Daphne's judgmental look was too deadly for her guilty conscience.
"I don't mind, though."
Daphne's words made Rose look at Daphne with a look of shock. She tapped her own ear, wondering if she had heard her words right!
"You don't mind if I kissed your fiancé?" Rose gave her a strange look and had to ask again to prove that she had heard what she had heard.
Rose had heard some rumors that nobles had strange hobbies; she hadn't expected the elegant and noble Daphne Greengrass to have such an... unusual... hobby.
If Daphne could read minds and hear Rose's thoughts, she was absolutely certain that she would explode into the purest rage she had ever felt.
Although confused by the look Rose gave her, Daphne ignored it and took out a piece of paper and a pen and placed it in front of Rose.
The intention was obvious - to read it and sign it.
Rose looked at the paper and pen with a strange look on her face. After a moment's hesitation, she took the paper and began to read.
The title of the document made her hand tremble.
Double Wedding Terms.
Rose looked at Daphne in complete disbelief, her expression showing nothing but pure disbelief.
"What does that mean?" Rose asked in a strange tone, feeling as if her mind couldn't keep up with the strange rhythm of this conversation.
"Isn't it obvious? Those are the terms of the marriage between me, Asterion and you." Bringing the cup of tea to her lips, Daphne replied calmly as she sat elegantly across from Rose.
With her head still full of questions, Rose continued to look at the terms of the document and was amazed at how many clauses there were in the contract.
"Clause 41 says that if you have no children, my children cannot inherit Greengrass House." Rose said, looking confused at the beautiful young woman in front of her.
"What don't you understand?" Daphne raised an eyebrow, listening to Rose's doubt.
"Everything in that clause." Rose answered truthfully; in her eyes, everything in that clause was strange.
"You seem to have missed Dumbledore's Politics lessons." Daphne rolled her eyes, but explained calmly. "This is a tripartite marriage contract, which means that the three parties are equal in status, which means that you are married to me and Asterion, which makes your descendants eligible to inherit House Greengrass under the Salic Law, which governs our country's inheritance laws. With this clause, your children will not be able to inherit the Greengrass throne."
Without waiting for Rose's further question, Daphne replied in a calm and completely cool tone. "Before you ask, there's a chance I'm sterile, long-term endogamy problems. You could say that I have cousins in almost every noble house, which makes genetic defects quite common in our society."
Daphne's indifferent words made Rose look at the fourteen-year-old with a different eye. It wasn't pity, but sincere admiration; if it were her, she wouldn't be so calm about such a possibility. Still, Daphne was as strong as ever.
"Does Asterion know?" Rose asked in a calm tone.
"Do you think I could propose this without his approval?" Daphne replied, looking at Rose. When she imagined that this girl was his wife, she couldn't help but feel helpless, but she still thought it would be an interesting addition, considering how she and Asterion were.
She continued to speak. "He gave me full power to choose the terms of the contract."
Rose nodded and continued to look at the clauses. Of the hundreds of clauses, half were about inheritance and power sharing, including the seats of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower. She saw that Asterion was quite generous, as each of his children by both wives would have a seat without any inequality.
This made Rose realize that if she married Asterion and had children, House Black, Greengrass and House Potter would have virtually all the political power in England in their hands.
Remembering Dumbledore's plan, Rose thought for a moment and didn't mind, she could continue the renovation of the Clock Tower and allow the Born Witches and Half-Bloods to enter without a problem, especially with the power of the Three Houses.
In all honesty, the whole contract was no different than an extensive interest-based marriage, something Rose didn't mind. Political power was never something she wanted in the first place.
Smiling wickedly, she looked at Daphne and asked with an amused smile on her lips. "Where do I sign, dear wife~"
She never thought that her plan would come to fruition so quickly, or at least she thought that getting Daphne to accept her would be complicated, but everything worked out easily.
Rose would have a handsome husband and a beautiful wife while practically the entire power of an entire country fell into her lap free and easy.
Dumbledore would be proud, right? She'd practically done what he hadn't managed in over half a century and best of all without any bloodshed or civil war.
Hearing Rose's amused tone calling her wife, Daphne felt like her life was going to be a whirlwind of madness because of the crazy, fun-loving girl.
"Remember Rose, you are my wife and Asterion's wife, and we protect each other no matter what the other does, even if this world burns to the ground, we protect each other." Daphne placed the cup on the pyre and spoke with a serious tone. There wasn't a trace of amusement in her voice.
Rose raised her eyebrows at this, but relaxed them the next moment. She could understand Daphne's words, this world wasn't black and white, it was a dark gray and full of cruelty to those in power.
In short, whether it was Asterion or Daphne, they would probably do things that went against all morals and respect.
"As long as there is no indiscriminate massacre of the people, I will stand by you and Asterion." Rose spoke with a serious tone. She could be malleable on certain issues, but she couldn't allow innocent people to die. It was her final line and she wouldn't cross it, no matter who it was.
Daphne looked surprised at Rose, honestly, she thought she would be much stricter about it, but surprisingly, she seemed freer than expected.
"Very well, now we can negotiate clauses that you want to remove, tamper with or create." Daphne spoke as she took out a similar document from the small bag she was carrying, her blue eyes looking at Rose with a strong gaze.
Rose didn't show any weakness and they both started arguing, if they wanted this whole marriage thing to work, they had to do things properly.
------------------
Author's thoughts: When you're reading this chapter, I'll be on my way to the hospital, wish me luck, I hate being pierced by needles. The next chapter will be the official start of the second trial, thank you for your patience with me while I was ill, you're the best!Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 179 - Decision and two wives (2), Chapter 180 - The Old King of Camelot (1), Chapter 181 - The Old King of Camelot (2), Chapter 182 - The Old King of Camelot (3), Chapter 183 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1), Chapter 184 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (2), Chapter 185 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (3), Chapter 186 - Second Trial of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (4), Chapter 187 - Second Test of the International Tournament of Witchcraft and Wizardry (5), Chapter 188 - Asterion & Daphne (R-18), Chapter 189 - Asterion & Daphne, Chapter 190 - How to Train Your Dragon (1), Chapter 191 - How to Train Your Dragon (2), Chapter 192 - How to Train Your Dragon (3), Chapter 193 - How to Train Your Dragon (4).