Chapter 8: The Agreement
When José Melfield mentioned "mother," he was naturally not referring to the deceased Helen, but rather to Charlotte's stepmother, the current Duchess of Greenfield, Rosie Melfield.
Rosie Melfield's maiden name was Murat yes, the Murat from the Kingdom of Coxin. Rosie Murat is the sister of Mary Murat (Holovin), the current Empress of the Oran Empire.
The marriages of these two sisters have connected the Oran imperial family with a kingdom and a duchy, serving as yet another classic example of noble alliances, and seemingly a rather successful one at that.
At this moment, Rosie Melfield was having tea in the garden with Edith Paste, the Duchess of Bonan. When Charlotte entered the garden, Rosie Melfield did not notice her arrival.
"Mom!"
Charlotte He took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Rosie's neck from behind.
Rosie's appearance could be described as beautiful, with a slender neck resembling a swan's and delicate skin like egg whites. Her features bore a six or seven out of ten resemblance to Empress Mary Holovin, though she lacked Mary is cold demeanor.
In comparison, the beauty of Madame Paste on the side paled significantly.
"Charlotte? Why are you back so soon?"
Rosie was startled by Charlotte's sudden embrace, her fingers trembling and nearly spilling the Black tea on her dress. She set down the teacup, patted Charlotte's cheek in mock reproach, and then asked with a smile.
"Because I missed you so much, Mom! I handed my luggage to the knights and came back with Renee on the giant eagle."
"If you missed me, why did you stay in Platinum City and refuse to come home?"
With the truth exposed by Rosie, Charlotte didn't feel embarrassed. She nuzzled against Rosie's neck: "How could I? Didn't I come back to see you during last year's Holy Grace Festival?"
"Coming back once a year is a lot? Alright, alright, stop acting spoiled. Madame Paste is right here; aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
Rosie pushed Charlotte's head away with her slender index finger.
Charlotte also put away her playful demeanor and curtsied to Edith Paste: "Greetings, Madame Paster."
Edith Paste smiled and nodded at Charlotte. On her lap lay a small cat with blue eyes and black-and-white fur, quite eye-catching.
"Sister, sister..."
Charlotte suddenly felt someone tugging at her skirt. She turned around and saw a boy of about eight or nine years old.
A boy who could appear here was naturally no "outsider." He was Rosie's son, Charlotte and André's half-brother, Sean Melfield.
"Sean, you've grown so tall! You're growing up so fast."
Charlotte smiled and reached out to pinch Sean's cheeks. It must be said that Sean had inherited his parents' good looks, appearing both cute and handsome even at a young age, showing signs of becoming a heartbreaker in the future.
However, while Charlotte was pinching Sean's cheeks, her gaze fell on the brooch on his left chest.
It was a brooch shaped like a knot, woven with gold thread but resembling hemp rope in texture, showcasing the goldsmith's exceptional skill. But what truly caught Charlotte's attention was the gemstone encircled by the "knot."
The gemstone was a perfect teardrop shape, appearing deep blue in the sunlight, flawless, and upon closer inspection, it seemed as if ripples of water were shimmering within the deep blue...
Charlotte's pupils slightly contracted, but her smile remained unchanged, and her hands continued their motion.
"Ugh, sister, stop pinching my cheeks! I'm already grown up."
"Grown up? You're still just a little kid."
Watching Charlotte and Sean play, Edith Paste couldn't help but smile and say, "These two have such a good relationship."
"Yes, they've been close since they were little."
Rosie casually responded, not expecting it to evoke a sigh from Edith Paste: "Charlotte is such a lively child, unlike my daughter, who's a quiet one and never plays with her brother."
The "quiet one" was clearly referring to Anne Paste.
Your quiet daughter is almost rolling in the sheets with my brother maybe she already has. If she weren't so quiet, wouldn't she have given you a grandchild by now? Charlotte thought to herself.
"I envy your Anne. She already has a good fiancé like Henry, unlike my daughter, who ruined a perfectly arranged marriage." Rosie patted Charlotte's arm as she spoke.
"Oh? Really?"
"Of course. Her father had chosen Arthur Lickman for her."
"Lickman? That's quite a good match."
Madame Paste wasn't very familiar with the name "Arthur," but she knew the surname "Lickman" was enough, as it was the surname of the Marquis of Blackstone Fortress.
The Marquis of Blackstone Fortress was the only marquis in the Oran Empire's power structure of "two kings, two dukes, and one marquis." Compared to the first four royal dukes, the marquis's title seemed somewhat pitiful. However, no noble in the Oran Empire would underestimate this figure, as the Marquis of Blackstone Fortress was a powerful "frontier marquis" with significant military strength.
To the north of the Oran Empire lies a vast inland sea the Lune Sea. Further north is a nation of comparable size to the Oran Empire, called the Edessa Empire. The territories of the Oran Empire and the Edessa Empire form two C-shapes, enveloping the Lune Sea in the center, while also creating two east-west corridors where the two nations border each other.
Throughout the past millennium, conflicts and wars have frequently erupted between the Oran Empire and the Edessa Empire. Whenever war broke out, the two corridors naturally became the main battlefields. Much like the strategic Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in Charlotte's previous life's memories.
Even during peacetime, both empires had to station heavy troops to guard these two corridors.
The capital of the Oran Empire, Platinum City, is located near the western corridor, so the defense of the western corridor was entrusted to the imperial family's elite troops the Royal Griffin Knights.
On the other hand, the responsibility for guarding the eastern corridor fell to the Marquis of Blackstone Fortress.
The current Marquis of Blackstone Fortress is Brown Lickman, a renowned general of the empire.
Over twenty years ago, the Oran Empire once again clashed with the Edessa Empire. The Edessan army invaded the Oran Empire through the western corridor, winning consecutive battles and advancing to the gates of Platinum City, seemingly on the verge of annihilating the Oran Empire in a single war. Even Leopold Holovin, who was then the crown prince, was forced to take to the battlefield to defend Platinum City. There were rumors among the nobility that Emperor Leopold was severely wounded in battle, which is why he now shows signs of an early demise.
When the empire was on the brink of collapse, it was Brown Lickman who decisively led his troops from the eastern front, defeating the enemy forces before the Edessans could capture Platinum City, and then pressing deep into Edessan territory, threatening their most important grain-producing region.
With Platinum City holding firm and their grain-producing region in jeopardy, the Edessan Empire was forced to withdraw.
In that war, the Edessan Empire had mobilized almost its entire national strength, yet ended up defeated without a decisive loss. After the war, the Edessan Empire fell into decline, and the imperial family split into two factions due to internal strife. Today, there are two emperors in Edessa, each controlling about half of the territory, referred to as East Edessa and West Edessa.
Although there have been various conflicts between Edessa and the Oran Empire in the over twenty years since, the Edessan Empire that once stood as an equal to the Oran Empire and vied for supremacy no longer exists.
Not only did they defend Platinum City, but they also managed to topple the Oran Empire's millennia-old rival. The nobles of the Oran Empire were overjoyed. The greatest hero of that war, Brown Lickman, became the empire's most celebrated general.
Brown Lickman was invincible on the battlefield, but he seemed somewhat lacking in the bedroom, only fathering a son in his later years. That son is Arthur Lickman.
As the Lickman family has long been stationed at the border, Arthur Lickman is not well-known in noble social circles. Charlotte has never met Arthur Lickman, only hearing that he is a young man of about eighteen or nineteen.
However, in front of Rosie and Edith Paste, Charlotte certainly wouldn't say that. Instead, she blushed with the shyness of a pure maiden: "But I heard in Platinum City that Arthur Lickman has... some issues..."
Hearing this, Madame Paste gave Charlotte a knowing smile and advised, "Men are all greedy cats; it's not a big issue. You'll understand when you're older. Besides, the son of Marquis Lickman, even with some minor flaws, is still a rare catch for a husband."
Edith Paste thought Charlotte was referring to Arthur Lickman's womanizing tendencies.
Although Charlotte is a duke's daughter, she is still just a daughter. The Duke of Greenfield has two other sons besides her. Rosie and José Melfield are both in their prime and could very well have more children. On the other hand, Brown Lickman has only one son, Arthur Lickman. Given the Marquis of Blackstone Fortress's reproductive capabilities, it's unlikely he will have more sons in the future, making Arthur Lickman the sole heir to the marquisate.
To a noble like Madame Paste, this marriage would clearly be a win for Charlotte.
Is a husband's womanizing a problem? No. No matter how many mistresses Arthur Lickman keeps, the Marchioness will still be Charlotte.
This is the most common view of marriage among the nobility of this world.
"Yes, what man doesn't have a wandering eye?" Rosie also chimed in.
However, Charlotte shyly said, "But... I heard that Arthur Lickman only likes men."
Madame Paste and Rosie both fell silent, unsure of how to respond.
"Well, that... that might be a bit of a problem..." Madame Paste finally said after a long pause.
Charlotte had no idea whether Arthur Lickman preferred men or women, but that didn't stop her from slandering him without evidence.
The Marquis of Blackstone Fortress rarely left the border, and the noblewomen of the empire's interior had no way of verifying the truth with Arthur Lickman, so Charlotte felt no burden in making up such a story.
The two noblewomen finally stopped discussing Charlotte's marriage and instead turned to gossip about other noble families.
Having heard many noble rumors in Platinum City, Charlotte used her informational advantage to chat amicably with the two ladies.
At noon, the two families had lunch together. The Melfields, as hosts, treated the Pastes and their daughter to an extravagant feast.
When André and Anne reappeared, Anne's face was once again adorned with a happy, joyful smile. Clearly, André had somehow managed to soothe Miss Paste once more.
In the afternoon, José Melfield finally found time to summon Charlotte back to his study.
"What's this about you becoming a viscountess?" José Melfield asked, sitting on the leather sofa by his desk.
"I don't know either. Uncle Basilik insisted on giving me his title..." Charlotte said, swaying slightly with her hands behind her back.
"Don't play coy with me!" José Melfield's hawk-like eyes fixed on Charlotte, his tone carrying an interrogative edge. "Do you think I don't know what kind of man Basilik is?"
"Fine," Charlotte pouted. "I bought the title of Viscountess of Lanwan from Uncle Basilik."
"Why would you buy a viscountess title?"
"I want to build my own territory."
"Are you planning to personally govern the Viscounty of Lanwan?"
"Of course."
"You're not allowed to go!"
"Why not?" Charlotte retorted.
José Melfield was so angry he almost laughed. "Do you know how impoverished the Viscounty of Lanwan is? Do you think you can live as comfortably there as you do in Platinum City? And to the north of Lanwan are tribal bandits, to the south are mercenaries from the city-states. Those savages will do anything for money. Do you think your few knights can really protect you? I'll send someone to Blackstone Fortress to arrange a marriage for you. You'll stay there and wait to get married!"
"Get married?" Charlotte shot back. "Will getting married make my life comfortable? After getting married, won't I just have to watch my daughter commit suicide?"
"What did you say!" José Melfield roared, standing up and raising his right hand as if to slap Charlotte across the face.
But Charlotte met his gaze head-on, tilting her chin up with a look full of mockery in her eyes: "What? Did I say something wrong? Don't you remember what you did, Father?"
José Melfield's hand remained raised for a long time before he finally lowered it helplessly and sat back down on the sofa: "I've told you many times, Helen's death had nothing to do with me."
José Melfield's tone had softened considerably, but Charlotte still didn't spare him, her words cutting like a knife: "Oh? Say it a few more times, and maybe I'll believe you."
José Melfield remained silent for a long time before speaking again: "But you can't stay unmarried forever."
Charlotte knew this might be José Melfield's bottom line. She also put away the mocking smile on her face and, after a moment of thought, said, "I don't want to get married before I'm twenty."
"Nineteen at the latest," José Melfield said. "You're sixteen now. I'll let you play around for two more years."
"Fine," Charlotte puffed out her cheeks and nodded slightly, looking reluctant but powerless to resist.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 30 advanced chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/GirlsLove1