Chapter 184 No Need to Meet Again in the Future
But Karina wasn't stupid enough to talk back to Lady Selyma at a time like this. She could only try to calm her down quietly, "My lady, please don't be angry. You've been so wronged, we can't let Prince Friedel not know about this. After all, you're his mother. Surely the prince won't just let Duke Virlet humiliate you like this, right?"
When Lady Selyma heard this, she became even more furious and shouted, "Yes, I must tell Friedel and let him see clearly how rude that woman from the Virlet family is!"
Karina went along with Lady Selyma's words and tried to calm her down for a while, finally managing to ease her anger somewhat.
The carriage had been traveling for half the day. As evening approached, Karina suddenly heard urgent hoofbeats outside—more than one horse.Soon, the hoofbeats grew closer, and their carriage came to a stop. Lady Selyma, who had been lost in fantasies about picking a new wife for Friedel, spoke with some displeasure, "Why have we stopped?"
The carriage door was pulled open, revealing Friedel's cold face.
Friedel frowned, looking at Lady Selyma who appeared somewhat surprised and pleased inside the carriage, "Mother, you went to Virlet Manor?"
This road was the only route from the Virlet family to the capital. He didn't believe that Lady Selyma, who rarely traveled far from home, would take such a trip for anyone else.
Sure enough, Lady Selyma's face darkened. She looked at Friedel with dissatisfaction, "So what if I did? I went to advise her to recognize her place and not shamelessly marry you. But that woman was completely ungrateful. She should think about it - she's already been married once, how can she dream of becoming a prince's wife?"
Friedel pressed his lips together as he looked at Lady Selyma, "Mother, I've told you this is my own business. I'm the one who likes Anne and wants to marry her, and I personally went to Virlet Manor to propose to Anne."
Lady Selyma viciously slapped the carriage seat, "And I said I don't agree! Do you know how humiliated I was when I went to see her just now? She actually dared to call me a mistress, and even threatened me, saying she'd have me die there!"
"If you hadn't provoked Anne, she would never have said such things."
Friedel knew his mother's character well. He knew that once she met Anne, she would definitely use the most vicious assumptions to judge her. That's why the moment he heard Lady Selyma had left the capital for the Virlet family's territory, he rushed after her, afraid that Anne really couldn't stand those words and would choose to part ways with him.
Now hearing Lady Selyma's words again, Friedel couldn't help his anger. He stared at Karina beside her, "You tell me, what exactly did mother say!"
Dissatisfied with Friedel's attitude, Lady Selyma glared at Karina, "If he tells you to speak, then speak. I didn't say anything wrong, what are you afraid of?"
Karina had no choice but to repeat as much as she could of what Lady Selyma had said earlier to Friedel.
Hearing his mother's slander of the military camp and her contempt for his soldiers, Friedel was so angry he almost laughed. He stared into Lady Selyma's eyes, his voice as cold as eternal snow, "Mother, because you are my mother, I've been forcing myself to tolerate your behavior, but that doesn't mean I'll let you randomly criticize the military camp, the army, or even those soldiers who dare to go to the battlefield."
"Anne's father and brother both died on the battlefield as heroes of the Soth Empire. Her family was wiped out by assassins from an enemy country—a tragedy for the Empire. Even so, Anne was willing to go to the battlefield herself. She worked alongside the knights to help me achieve victory. This victory isn't mine alone, and she shouldn't be insulted by you like this. Do you really think marrying Anne is something shameful for me? No, mother, I don't think it's shameful at all."
Friedel sighed, "But when I heard how you insulted others like this, I did feel ashamed, because my mother doesn't know how to respect and understand others, using noble arrogance to easily erase others' efforts. Mother, do you want me to continue being ashamed?"
Lady Selyma's eyes widened in disbelief. She had never heard anyone speak to her like this.
Today at the Virlet family, Anne and Kyle hurting her was one thing, but now even her own son was joining others in criticizing her. Lady Selyma couldn't control her tears, "How have I made you ashamed? I'm just telling the truth!"
"You won't be happy marrying a woman like that. As your mother, would I harm you? I'm doing this for your own good. As long as you listen to me and don't marry that bitch from the Virlet family, I'll hold a ball and pick a gentle, sensible lady to be your wife, and your future will definitely go smoothly."
Friedel shook his head, "No, mother, I will only marry Anne."
Lady Selyma's face darkened, "I said, I don't agree, I don't like that woman!"
Friedel didn't want to keep arguing about the same issue. He looked at Lady Selyma's face, twisted with anger, and remembered how when he was young, he had really hoped his mother could love him.
Did Lady Selyma love him? Maybe she did, but there were more important things in her heart - like reputation, like status and position, like men. So Friedel would be pushed far back in line, barely able to feel the maternal love he had imagined.
Back then, Friedel could follow his mother's arrangements to make her happy, but not anymore. From the day Lady Selyma pushed him into the water, he stopped wanting to hear her say things like "for your own good."
"Mother, I'm telling you this one last time."
Friedel looked into Lady Selyma's eyes and said seriously, word by word, "No matter what, I will marry Anne as my wife. If you insist on not liking she, I won't force you. After all, Atarat Manor is very suitable for retirement, and it's some distance from my territory."
Lady Selyma frowned, suddenly feeling a sense of panic, "What do you mean by that, Friedel? What are you trying to do?"
"I'm not trying to do anything. It's just that, mother, if you don't like Anne and don't want to see her, you can stay at Atarat Manor. You don't have to come to my territory. If you don't like it, don't force yourself. That includes me - if you think I'm making you sad, then we don't have to see each other anymore either."
"Friedel! You dare!"