It was an open secret that she was determined to solidify her natal family’s status for the sake of her young son’s prospects. Under the unwavering support of Queen Charlize, the wealth of Duke Atlas family—who had come to monopolize various businesses throughout the empire—was almost beyond description.
Naturally, if it came to young, dashing, and ambitious Alexei—the nephew of the Empress and the head of the Atlas family—hardly anyone, especially a mere Viscountess like herself, could dare to question his suitability. He was the most eligible groom of high society, young, handsome, and brimming with ambition.
“Yes. A Duke is certainly not bad in many respects.”
At the same time, however, the one person capable of critiquing Alexei as ‘not quite suitable’ was none other than her own mother, Viscountess Cartien.
Her family was not even on par with the Ducal family. Their wealth and lineage paled in comparison, and even her husband—Viscount Cartien—had been dead for a long time.
Nevertheless, she possessed a trump card that more than made up for everything. It was the formidable network and power stretching beyond the empire itself—a network of five daughters, whose beauty was praised throughout the entire continent, along with powerful sons-in-law.
For nobles who revered society as if it were life itself, there was no greater asset.
Seventeen years ago, the first step toward that radiant ambition had been taken by marrying off her eldest daughter, Annesia, to Count Oberdeen, then serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. An age gap of only ten years—twenty versus thirty—meant nothing. Although there was a blemish in that the future count had previously had a wife, her creed was that if there was a first wife, then a current wife must also be provided.
After launching the first salvo, it was the turn of Regina, the second daughter.
Unlike her relatively well-behaved elder sister, the forthright and strong-willed Regina was the ideal match for a wealthy and delicate magnate. Although she was of delicate disposition and maintained numerous affairs, there was also the undeniable advantage that while her husband roamed outside, all the business operations and finances he was responsible for fell entirely into Regina’s hands.
From the third daughter, Katarina, things became even smoother thanks to the reputation her two older sisters had built. From that point, any prospects below a count automatically fell by the wayside. With a steady flow of financial backing now available, the Viscountess’s original strategy of ‘just get married first’ shifted to one of ‘fostering meetings that were more natural and fitting.’
How exactly young Katarina—a son of the Ante family, which had control of the Ministry of Justice—had become enamored with her at the opera became the stuff of whispered legend among parents with daughters—a textbook example of fate at work.
The fourth daughter, Viviana, needed no special intervention from her Viscountess mother. Although astronomical sums were poured into her debut, the returns far exceeded the costs.
For days on end, the sound of folding marriage proposals and the tapping of an abacus echoed throughout the halls of Viscountess Cartien’s estate. After a painstaking and meticulous screening process, Count Levoni—the heir of a renowned political family—was finally selected, although there still circulated a somewhat dismal rumor that he, not trusting his luck, would not grant his wife leave each morning.
Thus, within the highest echelons of the capital’s nobility, the Cartien family had firmly secured its position at the very heart, the very peak. It had taken a full twenty years—from the time the ill-fated widow with five daughters, bereft of both wealth and husband, first emerged onto the scene—to become the overlord of high society, and now all that remained was to claim the pinnacle.
The youngest princess of the Cartien family, Tatiana.
While Viscountess Cartien had devoted considerable attention to all her daughters, the care she lavished on her youngest surpassed the combined efforts for all four others. This was understandable, as Tatiana, the youngest and a late child, was a posthumous daughter who had never seen her father’s face.
Born after her father’s death, first known of at his funeral, this youngest daughter had truly emerged from rock bottom. Having protected this child against all advice to terminate the pregnancy, the Viscountess’s love and obsession for Tatiana was beyond description. Though her older sisters might have had cause for jealousy, the age gap was too great for such feelings.
Our poor youngest.
Except for Regina, the second daughter, everyone was desperate to do more for their youngest sister. With even her brother-in-laws, old enough to be her father, joining in, young Tatiana wanted for nothing.
Excluding her infant years which she couldn’t remember, she had grown up in an environment even more privileged than the imperial princess. Cherished and revered by the entire household, she blossomed into the Empire of Freya’s greatest beauty. Naturally, the Viscountess wouldn’t settle for any ordinary suitor. Even before Tatiana’s debut, she would unhesitatingly burn the flood of love letters and invitations without so much as a blink.
“Mother, you must tell us exactly what kind of person you want for our youngest sister’s husband. Whether it’s money, power, family background, which is most important…”
“All of them.”
“……”
“For our Tatiana, naturally, they must have everything.”
The only one who finally satisfied this lofty standard was the head of the Atlas Ducal family.
Mother, he’s rather.
Though all four daughters turned pale and protested it was impossible, nothing was impossible for Viscountess Cartien. In just two months, she had negotiated with Queen Charlize and secured a promise of a hundred-carat diamond ring for Tatiana’s twenty-first birthday.
‘Though I’ll likely never wear it.’
Lying on her bed, Tatiana stretched out her left hand. It wasn’t the mere ring she regretted, but rather her heart sank thinking about the aftermath she’d have to deal with.
People would gossip.
No, would they approve?
Resting her chin on one arm, she let out a soft sigh. While being talked about was inevitable as her mother’s daughter, this time the families were deeply intertwined. Moreover, with the Queen herself stepping in as the Ducal family’s matchmaker, it would be naive to think this would end as just an ordinary scandal.
“Oh, my Lady! Please come quickly! The Madame…”
“Yes, I know.”
Here it comes again.
Hearing Anne’s trembling voice beyond the door, Tatiana rose without hesitation. Her mother must have just arrived, and this was only the beginning.
She certainly won’t let this slide.
It was easy to imagine her mother’s excited face, given that the one who was supposed to receive the engagement ring had vanished without a trace.
“Tatiana!”
“……”
However, her mother defied her expectations. Viscountess Cartien neither jumped up and down nor shouted in anger. She merely covered her mouth as if overcome with emotion upon seeing Tatiana standing at the stairway banister.
“My child. How frightened you must have been.”
“…Mother.”
Tatiana’s violet eyes wavered as she wondered where to begin her explanation. Her mother was filled with such profound grief that it made her own concerns seem trivial.
“Come here, Tatiana.”
“……”
Why is she acting like this?
Tatiana looked at her three sisters surrounding their mother, but even they couldn’t fathom their mother’s thoughts. When her eldest sister Annesia shook her head with a troubled expression, Tatiana had no choice but to force a smile and descend the stairs.
“You’re a bit late, Mother.”
Given past precedent, she had expected her mother to rush over immediately and drag her back to Duke Atlas’s estate. She thought she might be scolded for leaving without a word or at least have to listen to excuses about how the situation had been handled in her absence.
“You must have heard from my sisters that I had no reason to stay there any longer.”
“Yes, that could be the case.”
“……”
There’s no way she would actually accept that.
Tatiana stared down at her mother’s hand holding hers. Though she had been raised in luxury, she wasn’t naive enough to take things at face value. The money and effort her mother had invested in this marriage arrangement was enough to buy several mansions in the central district, from what Tatiana knew.
“How worried I was, you should have told Mother.”
“I’m sorry. The situation was… complicated.”
“Please explain to me exactly what happened.”
Following her mother’s lead, Tatiana sat down beside her. If they could resolve this through conversation without raising voices, that would be best. Besides, even for an arranged marriage, witnessing such a scene with her own eyes had been quite shocking.
Swallowing a resigned sigh, Tatiana slowly began speaking to her mother, who was waiting for her response.
“I happened to pass by the second-floor study and saw them. The two of them… were… in there.”
“The study, you say?”
“…Is there something wrong with it being the study?”
“No. That can’t be.”
When Viscountess Cartien muttered as if swallowing a curse, Tatiana’s eyes widened. Her mother quickly masked it with a calm smile, suggesting it was nothing.
“And? What did the Duke say?”
“What could he say? He made ridiculous excuses and insisted we go downstairs together because the guests were waiting.”
“Is that so.”
“……”
The Viscountess seemed to show a momentary flash of relief, though it was so brief that none of her four daughters noticed. Since this was a private family discussion, the fourth daughter, Viviana, personally prepared the tea. Tatiana’s fingers trembled with residual anger as she wrapped them around the teacup offered to her.
“I suppose we should consider ourselves fortunate that everything wasn’t upended on the spot. After enduring such an unbearable humiliation, I simply couldn’t stay there any longer.”
“Tiara.”
“…How dare you.”
This is not merely an issue of status, but of basic courtesy between people. To keep a woman who had clung on for two months and promised to propose, only to be unable to resist and drag another woman into the situation—this is simply unacceptable. As the teacup in Tatiana’s hand trembled ever so slightly, Viscountess Cartien patted her youngest daughter’s shoulder.
“Yes. It is indeed perfectly natural to be utterly shocked. I, too, was taken aback.”
“I’m sorry, Mother. I don’t know what became of the aftermath, but…”
“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with, dear. You have your mother, after all.”
“……”
“Now, hurry upstairs and get some rest. What’s the point of staying up all night?”
What now?
When the Viscountess signaled with her eyes to her twin daughters, Viviana and Katarina stepped in from both sides to help support Tatiana. Even as Tatiana tilted her head slightly in puzzlement that Mother was taking her side so strongly, she no longer wished to expend more emotion on the matter and decided to let it be. Even though something like this had occurred, being enveloped in the arms of her family somehow brought a measure of comfort.
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