“Ha, but…….”
Ragnar asked if it mattered. But the words didn’t come out of his throat, and Eva, seeing that, poured herself another drink and soothed Christa in a soothing voice.
“You may have fooled the Duke for now, but if you don’t have a child soon, he’ll be suspicious of you.”
She hadn’t fooled him, it was an agreed upon contract.
“…….”
But she couldn’t say anything. She felt as if she had a rock in her chest.
“I’m sure they’ll shove you back in that cold northern estate and have a b*by somewhere else.”
She remembered a story she’d heard at the hunting festival once, and it wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought of such a situation. He’s a man with a bad reputation. The rumor had been his greatness in the first place.
It was said that he wouldn’t turn down anyone with a skirt on. Now that she thinks about it, that was true. To think that the feeble flirtation of a lowly woman like me had worked in the first place.
Her chest throbs. It hurt like a giant thorn had been driven into it.
“Why would he want to keep a woman who can’t even give birth to a duke’s heir?”
Their words made sense. It wasn’t impossible. Even Christa had wondered why he would enter into a marriage contract with a woman who couldn’t bear children in the first place.
Ragnar had said then that he didn’t need children. But how could the Duke of Argonaut not need an heir? He is the High Lord of the North. It defies common sense.
He has only contracted a marriage to her to avoid marrying the princess. The only reason he would marry a lowlife like her is because she was barren, so that if they were to divorce one day, his life would not be stained by the absence of a child.
Her fingertips turn cold. There was no hiding the anxiety in her eyes.
“I, I’m…….”
But that had nothing to do with being Crown Prince Elio’s mistress, that much was certain.
Christa raised her bowed head. It was times like these that she wanted to look imposing.
She recalled the posture and breathing Margrethe had taught her. She took a deep breath and looked straight into Elio’s eyes. There was no avoiding that damp green glow.
“I have an arranged marriage. I’m going to assume this proposal is unheard.”
And with that, Christa rose from her seat. She didn’t want to be in this unpleasant place anymore.
She rose gracefully to her chair, then bent her knees.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for leaving first.”
It was the perfect posture. What would her opponent do?
Then Elio’s hand caught her wrist. The dampness of his palm was unpleasant.
“I’m only here today to make you an offer, and it’s valid at any time, so I’ll be waiting.”
Christa couldn’t shake off the chill in her hand, but Elio slowly released his grip.
“Well, I’ll see you around.”
“…….”
Her wrist tingled as if she had a mouse in it. Christa staggered to her feet and turned to face the outside. She could hear her aunt and uncle calling to her from behind, but she ignored them.
Sweat poured down her forehead like rain. Once outside, she squatted in a clearing and vomited. Gastric juices oozed from her mouth. She sat there for a while, dazed.
“I should go back…….”
On the way back, she took the same public carriage as on the way in. She was in such a daze that she didn’t know what was going on.
“You’re back already?”
Tatiana greeted her. The sight of her face instantly lifted her out of her mood.
“Oh, the trip was quicker than I thought.”
She looks at her with concern.
“Are you alright? Your complexion is pale.”
“It’s been a hot day, I must have gotten motion sickness.”
“Well, you should have taken our carriage, come on in. I’ll bring you some cold tea so you can rest.”
She didn’t want anyone to know that she had met Elio at the Palmaril manor. She decided to put today’s events behind her.
Soon after, Hilda and Annette served her cold tea. It was sweet with honey and easy to drink. She drank it and her dizziness returned. She remembered why she had gone to the Palmaril mansion.
“The ring, I never got it.”
She sighed. She’ll have to give up on her mother’s ring.
She had no memory of her birth mother, who had died shortly after giving birth to her. She didn’t even have anything to call a memory. So it didn’t really matter.
Christa leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes.
At dinner that evening, Ragnar returned with a serious look on his face.
“We must hurry back to the territory.”
“What happened all of a sudden?”
“They say the results of the alpine chieftains’ meeting are grim, as are the dynamics of the frost giants.”
The Highlanders are an ethnic minority living in the Wishus Mountains. Their proximity to the Frost Giants’ strongholds has led to frequent clashes.
The Frost Giants, with their icy complexions, are a race of people who live in herds in the northernmost reaches of the continent. They are not recognized as demons because they have their own culture.
They are essentially indigenous to the land of the North. The first settlers pushed them to the far north, so there is still territorial friction.
“Are we in trouble?”
Christa asks worriedly, and Ragnar smiles and strokes her hair.
“I’ve been gone a long time, and they’re not going crazy. I’m going to be busy for a while.”
Ragnar grumbles.
“I’m getting married, and they don’t want to give me any time off.”
Christa felt a little embarrassed at the mention of marriage. She stirred her plate wordlessly.
“So, I guess we’ll have to move up the date for the trip up north.”
“Yeah.”
Ragnar noticed Christa’s expression brighten for a moment.
“Is it that good?”
“Oh, no. Not necessarily that, not that…….”
Sometimes she gave him this cute look. The corner of his mouth curled up.
“By the way, I hear you’ve been corresponding with the Countess of Hyde lately.”
“Yes…….”
Christa felt a little embarrassed to mention that she was being tutored in etiquette.
“It’s good to have connections. We’ll be traveling north first, but the Hydes will be coming north soon. Then we can extend an invitation to them to the castle.”
By early summer, the social season would be over.
“Now, I suppose we’d better get ready before we head north.”
“Yes…….”
“Ha, but…….”
Ragnar asked if it mattered. But the words didn’t come out of his throat, and Eva, seeing that, poured herself another drink and soothed Christa in a soothing voice.
“You may have fooled the Duke for now, but if you don’t have a child soon, he’ll be suspicious of you.”
She hadn’t fooled him, it was an agreed upon contract.
“…….”
But she couldn’t say anything. She felt as if she had a rock in her chest.
“I’m sure they’ll shove you back in that cold northern estate and have a b*by somewhere else.”
She remembered a story she’d heard at the hunting festival once, and it wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought of such a situation. He’s a man with a bad reputation. The rumor had been his greatness in the first place.
It was said that he wouldn’t turn down anyone with a skirt on. Now that she thinks about it, that was true. To think that the feeble flirtation of a lowly woman like me had worked in the first place.
Her chest throbs. It hurt like a giant thorn had been driven into it.
“Why would he want to keep a woman who can’t even give birth to a duke’s heir?”
Their words made sense. It wasn’t impossible. Even Christa had wondered why he would enter into a marriage contract with a woman who couldn’t bear children in the first place.
Ragnar had said then that he didn’t need children. But how could the Duke of Argonaut not need an heir? He is the High Lord of the North. It defies common sense.
He has only contracted a marriage to her to avoid marrying the princess. The only reason he would marry a lowlife like her is because she was barren, so that if they were to divorce one day, his life would not be stained by the absence of a child.
Her fingertips turn cold. There was no hiding the anxiety in her eyes.
“I, I’m…….”
But that had nothing to do with being Crown Prince Elio’s mistress, that much was certain.
Christa raised her bowed head. It was times like these that she wanted to look imposing.
She recalled the posture and breathing Margrethe had taught her. She took a deep breath and looked straight into Elio’s eyes. There was no avoiding that damp green glow.
“I have an arranged marriage. I’m going to assume this proposal is unheard.”
And with that, Christa rose from her seat. She didn’t want to be in this unpleasant place anymore.
She rose gracefully to her chair, then bent her knees.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for leaving first.”
It was the perfect posture. What would her opponent do?
Then Elio’s hand caught her wrist. The dampness of his palm was unpleasant.
“I’m only here today to make you an offer, and it’s valid at any time, so I’ll be waiting.”
Christa couldn’t shake off the chill in her hand, but Elio slowly released his grip.
“Well, I’ll see you around.”
“…….”
Her wrist tingled as if she had a mouse in it. Christa staggered to her feet and turned to face the outside. She could hear her aunt and uncle calling to her from behind, but she ignored them.
Sweat poured down her forehead like rain. Once outside, she squatted in a clearing and vomited. Gastric juices oozed from her mouth. She sat there for a while, dazed.
“I should go back…….”
On the way back, she took the same public carriage as on the way in. She was in such a daze that she didn’t know what was going on.
“You’re back already?”
Tatiana greeted her. The sight of her face instantly lifted her out of her mood.
“Oh, the trip was quicker than I thought.”
She looks at her with concern.
“Are you alright? Your complexion is pale.”
“It’s been a hot day, I must have gotten motion sickness.”
“Well, you should have taken our carriage, come on in. I’ll bring you some cold tea so you can rest.”
She didn’t want anyone to know that she had met Elio at the Palmaril manor. She decided to put today’s events behind her.
Soon after, Hilda and Annette served her cold tea. It was sweet with honey and easy to drink. She drank it and her dizziness returned. She remembered why she had gone to the Palmaril mansion.
“The ring, I never got it.”
She sighed. She’ll have to give up on her mother’s ring.
She had no memory of her birth mother, who had died shortly after giving birth to her. She didn’t even have anything to call a memory. So it didn’t really matter.
Christa leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes.
At dinner that evening, Ragnar returned with a serious look on his face.
“We must hurry back to the territory.”
“What happened all of a sudden?”
“They say the results of the alpine chieftains’ meeting are grim, as are the dynamics of the frost giants.”
The Highlanders are an ethnic minority living in the Wishus Mountains. Their proximity to the Frost Giants’ strongholds has led to frequent clashes.
The Frost Giants, with their icy complexions, are a race of people who live in herds in the northernmost reaches of the continent. They are not recognized as demons because they have their own culture.
They are essentially indigenous to the land of the North. The first settlers pushed them to the far north, so there is still territorial friction.
“Are we in trouble?”
Christa asks worriedly, and Ragnar smiles and strokes her hair.
“I’ve been gone a long time, and they’re not going crazy. I’m going to be busy for a while.”
Ragnar grumbles.
“I’m getting married, and they don’t want to give me any time off.”
Christa felt a little embarrassed at the mention of marriage. She stirred her plate wordlessly.
“So, I guess we’ll have to move up the date for the trip up north.”
“Yeah.”
Ragnar noticed Christa’s expression brighten for a moment.
“Is it that good?”
“Oh, no. Not necessarily that, not that…….”
Sometimes she gave him this cute look. The corner of his mouth curled up.
“By the way, I hear you’ve been corresponding with the Countess of Hyde lately.”
“Yes…….”
Christa felt a little embarrassed to mention that she was being tutored in etiquette.
“It’s good to have connections. We’ll be traveling north first, but the Hydes will be coming north soon. Then we can extend an invitation to them to the castle.”
By early summer, the social season would be over.
“Now, I suppose we’d better get ready before we head north.”
“Yes…….”
