HSMH 04

Chapter 04

Count Winston spoke in a weary voice.

“There was someone once. David, the youngest son of Duke Covan. Until you told him he looked like a baby pig in his pink shirt.”

“…Someone you secretly wanted as a son-in-law…?”

“Sir Tarlow. I even considered taking him in as a live-in son-in-law. Until you told him his breath smelled like feet.”

“That smell was real! Ah! Was there perhaps some hidden, ultimate marriage candidate you had your eye on…?”

“Didn’t you say you refused to marry Crown Prince Rufus?”

“……”

The Countess interrupted the meaningless bickering between father and daughter.

“So Her Majesty the Empress made a suggestion.”

The Countess read aloud the final part of the Empress’s letter.

“If there is no suitable match already arranged, Her Majesty is willing to personally choose your marriage partner.”

Helena swallowed dryly.

“Why does this sound suspicious…?”

Count Winston pressed his fingers against his temples.

“Helena. The Crown Prince’s marriage is a state marriage. Since His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress want the Crown Prince to marry the Duke of Byard’s daughter, then it is already decided.”

“I have no objections to the Crown Prince’s marriage!”

“I know. But Her Majesty personally witnessed you together with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince insists he wants to marry you, and the Byard family has been gravely humiliated. There is no way to withdraw cleanly now. If you insist only on your own feelings and reject marrying the Crown Prince without proper justification, it would be no different from staining the dignity of the imperial family.”

Count Winston shook his head.

“The dignity of the imperial family—nothing is more important than that. It is fortunate beyond measure that His Majesty is away from the capital for the hunting festival. If the Emperor learns of this situation…”

At the mention of the Emperor, Helena had no choice but to shut her mouth.

The Emperor of the Empire, Terkal Arpend, was generally impossible to predict, but one thing was certain:

He was utterly merciless toward anyone who stood in his way.

If the Emperor learned of this situation, the punishment would be no joke.

He possessed the power to make it so.

After repeatedly swallowing nervously, Helena finally spoke.

“Then… what should I do?”

The Countess placed a hand over Helena’s.

“Fortunately, Her Majesty seems willing to hear your side of things. Meet with the Empress first, explain the situation carefully, and ask for her help.”

“I suppose that’s the only option…”

Just as Helena was about to leap up and rush out immediately, the Countess tightly grabbed her hand.

“And don’t talk about boogers in front of Her Majesty. No matter how fond she is of you, she is still the Crown Prince’s mother!”

Count Winston grabbed Helena’s other hand and pleaded:

“And please don’t say things like ‘we didn’t sleep together’ or mention ‘A-cups’ either. Her Majesty may have enjoyed your chatter before, but if the topic is her own son, naturally she’ll find it horrifying.”

Helena shook off both their hands and shouted:

“Ah, who do you take me for—a fool?!”

* * *

Helena spoke in a calm tone.

“So… there was absolutely nothing for Your Majesty to worry about.”

In the Empress’s garden.

Helena and Empress Clarissa sat facing each other across a marble table.

It was a place where Clarissa often held tea time, surrounded by old trees draped with leaves like curtains and overlooking gardens blooming beautifully in every season.

Among all noble young ladies, the Empress especially cherished Helena and often invited her for tea.

The Empress listened to news of high society through Helena, had her recite poetry, or sing.

When doing so, there was always a trace of affection in the Empress’s eyes. People sometimes whispered that perhaps the Empress—who had three sons and no daughters—regarded Helena like the daughter she never had.

In truth, Helena also viewed the Empress as someone special.

Having lost her mother so young that she could barely remember her, Helena sometimes felt a mother’s presence in the Empress.

That was why disappointing Empress Clarissa frightened her almost as much as incurring the Emperor’s wrath.

She did not want to hurt her.

Fortunately, the Empress’s gaze remained as calm as ever, and not a trace of disturbance showed as she drank her tea.

After taking a sip, the Empress spoke.

“Very well. If you say so, then I shall believe it.”

Helena was just beginning to relax.

Then—

“But Helena, there are things in this world that cannot be helped.”

The Empress set down her teacup with a soft clink.

“Rufus insists on breaking off his engagement with Lady Byard because of his feelings for you. Poor Adella has stopped eating and has fallen ill, and Duke Byard is furious. I have been holding things back, but it is only a matter of time before the Emperor hears of this.”

Helena squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

Then she looked at the Empress and asked desperately:

“Your Majesty, please lend me your wisdom. What should I do?”

The Empress signaled subtly to her maids.

The attendants bowed and withdrew.

Only after everyone left did the Empress speak again.

“Helena, you once said you wanted to become happy, even if you had to do it alone.”

“…I did.”

“There is one way to resolve this situation while obtaining what you desire as well.”

The Empress continued with a gentle smile.

“Time heals everything. Young men resemble starving beasts—the prey before their eyes is all that matters. If you leave the capital for a while, the Crown Prince’s feelings will cool quickly.”

She added:

“Naturally, Duke Byard’s anger—and the Emperor’s as well.”

Helena frowned.

“Your Majesty intends to send me to a convent and let me rot there for several years?”

The Empress chuckled softly.

“I couldn’t let someone as entertaining as you rot away in a convent for years.”

The smile faded from her face.

Looking at Helena with her beautiful blue eyes, she said:

“There is a young and handsome count in the south. Recently I heard rumors connecting him to a dangerous faction that threatens the Empire’s stability.”

Helena perked up immediately.

“That dangerous faction is one I have pursued for a very long time. But they are an extremely secretive group, impossible to track. At last, after much effort, I discovered only one thing—that there seems to be some connection between them and that count.”

Helena stared wide-eyed.

She had come seeking advice about her own predicament.

Not to hear secret stories about the Empress’s hidden war against enemies of the Empire.

But the Empress was not someone who spoke without purpose.

Helena realized the Empress intended to offer her an opportunity.

Helena spoke carefully.

“Then what Your Majesty wants… is information about that count.”

The Empress answered gently:

“He is wary like a small bird and savage like a beast. He trusts no one and keeps no one close.”

At last Helena understood.

“If he trusts no one, then to uncover his secrets… someone would first need to gain his trust.”

In other words—

The Empress wanted Helena to marry the southern count and uncover his secrets.

Helena fell silent.

Do I really have to go that far?

Even if the Emperor was reckless and ruthless, he would not execute a young noblewoman simply because she had been seen with the Crown Prince.

At worst, she might be confined to a convent.

But the Empress’s proposal smelled distinctly of danger.

The Empress was effectively asking her to marry a dangerous man and act as a spy.

No matter how much Helena adored the Empress, she could not gamble something as important as marriage on espionage.

I need to refuse.

Having decided, Helena opened her mouth.

“Though I dearly wish to help Your Majesty, I lack the qualifications…”

Then the Empress smiled and said:

“I will grant you a title and land.”

“…!”

“When the truth is revealed and the faction threatening the Empire is destroyed, all imperial citizens will know of your achievements. You will be called a woman braver than any knight—a woman who accomplished what no noble ever could.”

Helena’s heart began pounding.

The Empress leaned closer, speaking softly.

“Helena… this is a chance for you to live as yourself.”

This chapter ends on a strong turning point: Helena is being offered freedom, status, and independence—but only in exchange for entering a dangerous political marriage and becoming an informant.