Chapter 219 You'd Better Give It Up
No, she had to talk Anne out of it.
She sent someone to invite Anne to meet her at Atarat Manor. What she didn't expect was that Anne showed up and simply moved in like she owned the place, with no regard for whether the actual owner was happy about it.
Anne had been hearing about this Selyma situation for several days now. Not enough to drive her crazy, but she'd seen plenty of Selyma's drama and had no interest in going around in circles with her anymore.
"Lady Selyma, you're the one who spread the news in the first place. If you're asking me to back out now, who exactly would be the one losing face?"
Selyma paused. She hadn't really thought about that. Friedel's marriage was what mattered to her — it was about whether she could control his future wife and use that to keep Friedel in line.
If Friedel married a woman like Anne, never mind what people outside would say about him marrying a divorcée — Selyma couldn't even picture Anne doing anything she said.
Selyma tried to imagine Anne obediently massaging her shoulders and rubbing her legs, and a shudder ran through her. She liked gentle, obedient daughters-in-law, but a "gentle and obedient" daughter-in-law with Anne's face? That was just deeply wrong.
Left with no choice, Selyma scrambled to find reasons to talk Anne out of it. "It's not like I'm the king — I can take back what I said whenever I want. A little embarrassment is nothing. I'm just worried about you!"
"Oh?" Anne lazily raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Friedel, well, he's actually had someone he loves for a long time. I heard he even swore he would only ever love that one person and would never marry anyone else. I don't know what he said to make you agree to marry him, but Anne, you're a duchess. You're of high standing. There are so many good men in this world for you to choose from. Why would you want to marry a man whose heart already belongs to someone else?"
Anne nodded. "Lady Selyma, that's a very good point."
Selyma felt encouraged seeing Anne agree, and pressed on. "And Friedel — if he doesn't love you, he's a complete block of ice. You can't warm him up no matter what. If you married him and had to face that cold man every single day, wouldn't you find that unbearable?"
"Not really." Anne curved her lips slightly. "I can stay on Virlet family lands and keep busy with my own affairs. I don't have to see Friedel face to face every day."
Selyma grew anxious. "Then why do you have to marry Friedel specifically? By that logic, it doesn't matter who you marry!"
"Exactly. It doesn't matter who I marry."
Anne smiled at Selyma. "So marrying Friedel is just as good as anyone else, isn't it?"
Selyma blinked. "I suppose... wait, no! Friedel's heart belongs to someone else. You won't find happiness with him."
"But even if I don't marry Friedel and some other noble lady takes my place, would she get his love either?"
Selyma shook her head. She had always known the answer to this. "No. No one will ever get Friedel's love except the person he cares about. But that person is already married. It's impossible between them."
"Exactly. So Friedel is never going to marry the person he loves. And I don't need my husband to love me. So why can't Friedel and I get married?"
Anne continued slowly, "Have you ever stopped to think about why His Majesty would require me to find a suitable husband within three months? And why, when it comes to Friedel marrying me, His Majesty agreed and Queen Mother Smith was perfectly happy about it too? Is it really just because my mother and Queen Mother Smith are close friends?"
Selyma stared at Anne with wide, clear, and utterly clueless eyes. She had been so sheltered by her family that she had never thought about things this complicated. Besides, whether Rolf agreed or not — was that really some great matter of state that needed the king's approval?
Seeing Selyma's blank expression, Anne let out a sigh. "That's exactly why, Lady Selyma, you're looking at this far too simply when it comes to judging whether I'm fit to be Friedel's wife."
"You need to understand — I am a duchess. My status, wealth, and power are at a level most people can't even imagine. On top of that, I'm a woman who took over the dukedom at a young age. His Majesty has also promised that my future husband can inherit my ducal title. Because of that, there are a great many people out there with their eyes on me."
Selyma nodded, half following along. "Lots of people want to marry you — isn't that a good thing?"
"Maybe for you. But not necessarily for His Majesty."
Anne spread her hands helplessly. "A duchess has a significant impact on the kingdom. I'm young, and in most people's eyes — including His Majesty's — I'm seen as someone who could easily be manipulated by the wrong man into making decisions that could harm the Soth Empire. Or my husband could have his own ambitions — once he takes the ducal title from me, he might try to split the Soth Empire apart. Do you really think His Majesty would just sit back and let that happen?"
"And then there's the Ivy Knights — that's an enormous military force in my hands. They're the top knight order in the Soth Empire. Technically the Ivy Knights belong to the Kivara family, but on the surface they still answer to His Majesty's command. With both of those cards in my hand, when people outside say I can't find a husband — that's honestly a bit ridiculous."
Selyma struggled to take in everything Anne was saying. She dropped the fan in her hand and frowned, staring hard at Anne's face. "So what you're saying is — Rolf giving you three months to find a suitable husband was just a front. What he actually wanted was to arrange a suitable husband for you himself."
Anne nodded with an approving look. "You actually got that right for once. So what kind of person would be a suitable husband?"
"First, his status has to be worthy of a duchess. Second, he can't take the ducal title from my hands — given the Virlet family's unique position, it can't just end with me. Most importantly, this person must be completely and unconditionally loyal to His Majesty, without a shadow of doubt. So tell me — who do you think His Majesty trusts most?"