Chapter 147: Historical Betrothal and Family Marriage Alliance

Chapter 147 -118: Historical Betrothal and Family Marriage Alliance

After Mary left Blue Moon Territory, she retreated to Yusofa, which was now completely occupied by the Rose Army.

After a series of operations that included steamrolling defenses and massacring the populace, Yusofa had become a garrison for the Rose Army. Aside from the Rose Army, all that remained were a few surviving nobles, merchants, pastry shops, and a great number of orphans.

Mary had spared these people for one reason: a large army had massive needs, and she required local supplies. As for the pastry shops, they were one of the Guards’ few pleasures.

These pitiful artisans were more valuable alive than dead.

But being alive did not mean they were fortunate.

All of Yusofa was shrouded in a high-pressure gloom, as if war could break out at any moment.

The nobles were forced to obey Mary and provide financial support. The merchants fared no better; whenever the Rose Army needed food, water, or daily necessities, they had to provide them without compensation.

The girls at the pastry shops received none of their due income and were forced to work around the clock.

People died every day.

Moreover, the Rose Army continued to pour into Yusofa from Rose Territory.

The Yusofa People lived in constant fear.

The nobles constantly dreamed of escaping, but the Rose Army had sealed every route out of the city.

The sounds of laughter and merriment were gone from the streets. The children’s faces had lost their innocence, leaving only terror.

Mary didn’t kill the children. Instead, she took their hearts, established concentration camps, and planned to train them into new Heartless Assassins and Spies.

This was Mary’s standard practice. She never killed children when she sacked a city. She was utterly indifferent to the fact that they might grow up to hate her.

She had always believed that children were the future; to control the children was to control the future.

And with the Ripper, she held their very hearts, making betrayal impossible.

In time, their powerlessness would transform their hatred into obedience—an obedience even more absolute than that of others.

Slaves should be cultivated from childhood.

Amid this oppressive atmosphere, Yusofa finally received its first and only piece of good news.

Catherine, the new Lord of Blue Moon Territory, had dispatched an envoy to Yusofa to negotiate. She hoped to ransom the city with gold.

It was common knowledge that the Jackson Family was one of the wealthiest clans in the Empire. When Catherine’s father reigned, Blue Moon Territory was known as the Pearl of the South, signifying it as the most economically powerful territory in the southern regions.

Blue Moon Territory possessed the Empire’s richest deposits of Blue Moon Ore. Endless veins, the ultimate symbol of wealth, lay hidden within its mountains.

Though the Witch plague in Blue Moon Territory had claimed countless lives, it had not touched its wealth.

On the contrary, that wealth was now consolidated in Catherine’s hands.

Her wealth was now immeasurable.

If Lorne Jackson had not partitioned the fortune with her, she might have become the wealthiest woman in the Empire. Even now, her name still ranked among the top 50 wealthiest individuals.

If Catherine was truly willing to pay for Yusofa’s ransom, its nobles and citizens would be eternally grateful and pledge their fealty to her.

So, when Mary saw the negotiation proposal, a mocking smile played on her lips.

“Lady Mary, it seems Catherine intends to make a move.”

said Nancy Scalia, the head Maid.

“Heh. To think she wants to use my own money to buy back my own land. How utterly absurd.”

Mary already considered Blue Moon Territory hers for the taking; she had no intention whatsoever of relinquishing Yusofa.

“Indeed. It seems she fails to grasp the situation. We’ll make her understand.”

“It’s a pity we couldn’t enter Blue Moon Territory with Lady Mary. The rumors say Catherine Rochelle Hernandez Mehelban Jackson is a disfigured woman. Perhaps her mind is as damaged as her face.”

“Hahaha, exactly! Can she not see what our Lady Mary truly desires?”

“If I were her, I’d swear fealty to Lady Mary immediately to save my own skin. I’d offer up all my wealth and my very heart.”

Mary’s subordinates and generals echoed with laughter, like a pack of bandits plotting to steal another’s fortune.

Mary rested her cheek in one hand and set the proposal down on the table.

“In fact, Catherine isn’t disfigured at all. She’s more beautiful than your favorite strippers.”

Her words only made the generals more excited.

“She’s really that beautiful? Then let me marry her. I’ll become her husband, and Lady Mary can have all the wealth of Blue Moon Territory. All I want is her body.”

said Sting Litt, the lecherous Minister of War.

He held the title of Viscount and was considered a respectable nobleman. His achievements were not inherited but earned almost entirely through his prowess in battle.

His only flaw, however, was his extreme lechery. Had he not embarked upon the Knight’s Path, he would have likely died in a woman’s bed long ago.

Mary never mistreated her subordinates. She smiled and said,

“If you dare challenge Lian Moria, the Lord of Green Shade Territory; his grandfather, Duke Lane Moria, the Empire Prime Minister; and the Moria Creed Family that stands behind him, then you have my full support.”

“What? Lian Moria from Green Shade Territory? How could he possibly have Duke Moria’s approval? Duke Moria publicly denounced Jack Moria, declaring him unfit to be his son. Jack Moria cut all ties with the Moria Clan after that. His Illegitimate Child has even less of a chance of gaining the Duke’s recognition.”