Chapter 194 - 138: Witch Empire

Chapter 194: Chapter 138: Witch Empire

The third round of negotiations between Rose Territory and Blue Moon Territory regarding Yusofa got underway.

Although Lian was still representing Blue Moon Territory, he proposed that Green Shade Territory purchase Yusofa, a suggestion that was approved by the four foreign affairs officials from Rose Territory.

The two sides agreed on a very low price for the sale of Yusofa.

The entire process went smoothly. There were no heated arguments or aggressive haggling; it all felt like a formality.

The only exception was Yusofa’s great granary, which Mary refused to hand over to Lian.

It was crucial for army supplies, and since it wasn’t located in Yusofa’s heartland but on the border with Holloway, Mary directly assigned it to Holloway, a territory entirely under her control.

Lian had anticipated this, but he knew he couldn’t be too greedy. Buying half of Yusofa’s territory for 1 million gold coins was already a massive bargain. ’And it’s all thanks to me using my charms to seduce Mary.’

After all, Mary’s foreign affairs delegation had previously made an outrageous demand, asking Blue Moon Territory for 10 billion gold coins!

The difference between 10 billion and 1 million was staggering.

Even for the lord of an impoverished territory like Lian, he could scrape together 1 million gold coins if he had to.

It was a can’t-lose proposition.

Granted, part of the reason was that half the land was from an estate Lian had inherited, and the most valuable asset—the granary—had been given to Holloway.

When the nobles of Yusofa learned that the territory had changed hands, they also heard about Lian’s character from their mistresses. Their interest was piqued, and they began wanting to make contact with him.

Unfortunately, the very next day, Lian announced that he was giving Yusofa to his mistress, Nancy Stuart.

Overnight, Nancy Stuart’s name became famous throughout the circles of high-society mistresses.

News of her beauty spread from Blue Moon Territory all the way to the Imperial Capital of the Holy Kingdom.

Even King Augustus Frank himself had heard the name Nancy Stuart.

Nancy Stuart was even given the title of the "First Beauty of the South." The story of how Lian Moria had lavished a fortune on her, buying all of Yusofa as a gift, spread like wildfire throughout noble circles.

Meanwhile, back in Blue Moon Territory, Lian Moria’s fiancée, Catherine, was being mocked by the Great Nobles of the Empire as "the most long-suffering fiancée."

The nobles of Blue Moon Territory were also discussing the matter in private. The ministers, up in arms, once again demanded that Catherine convene an emergency meeting to discuss the issue of Yusofa.

"Lady Catherine, Lord Lian has clearly betrayed us! He has claimed Yusofa for himself and given it to his mistress. His actions bring shame upon you and all of Blue Moon Territory," the Minister of Internal Affairs exclaimed agitatedly.

"Exactly! Lord Lian negotiated the price down to 1 million, but then he bypassed Blue Moon Territory and had Green Shade Territory make the purchase. His methods are utterly shameless! He then turned right around and gave Yusofa to Mary’s head Maid. This means Yusofa is effectively still in Mary’s hands, while we’ve lost our chance to reclaim it!"

"Lady Catherine, I told you before: a man’s heart is not so easily controlled, especially a man from the Moria Clan. You can never trust his Loyalty! You should have listened to my advice and sent the most beautiful maiden in Blue Moon Territory to Lord Lian’s side to keep his heart."

"This time, not only have we lost Yusofa, but we’ve become the laughingstock of all the other territories! Do you have any idea what they’re writing about us in the *Empire Times*? Those shitty commentators are calling us the spineless remnants of Blue Moon’s nobility."

The ministers bickered back and forth, giving Catherine a headache.

Catherine sat at the head of the table. Handling political affairs had taken a great toll on her recently, and the rampant rumors only added to her exhaustion.

Mina brought Catherine a cup of coffee. She had been staying up all night handling her duties, and her complexion was suffering for it.

If not for the coffee, she might have already dozed off.

Catherine knew she still had much to learn. She hoped to make up for her shortcomings with diligence and to stabilize Blue Moon Territory as quickly as possible. ’Compared to all that,’ she thought, ’Lian having a mistress is a trivial matter.’

’From the very beginning, I never expected Lian to be completely faithful anyway.’

’Besides, he’s doing all of this for my sake.’

’Lian had to gain Mary’s trust to buy Yusofa so cheaply, and putting it in his mistress’s name was necessary to create the illusion of a rift between us.’

’Even if I don’t know his exact plan, we’re kindred spirits. I can always make the right decision.’

Catherine took a sip of coffee, and her exhaustion eased slightly.

"What would you have me do?"

Catherine looked at her assembled ministers.

The ministers’ heated arguments and debates ceased, and they fell silent at once.

Their silence was a testament to their powerlessness. In reality, they were indeed a group of spineless nobles left over from Blue Moon Territory’s former glory. Those shitty commentators had been right on the mark.

They were unwilling to demand Catherine take the drastic step of severing ties with Lian and breaking the engagement to preserve Blue Moon Territory’s honor, yet they also refused to just swallow their pride and be utterly humiliated.

Catherine had become their only hope, as well as an outlet for their frustrations.

They hoped Catherine could devise a solution to the problem at hand.

Catherine knew this group was full of incompetent officials who were merely occupying their posts. ’Unfortunately,’ she thought, ’I haven’t found anyone talented enough to replace them yet, so for now, I have no choice but to tolerate them.’