Chapter 113. Prince Vadim’s Scheme

Few Minutes Ago, Guest Chambers, Hollowland Viscounty, Lord’s Castle

“Let us stop playing these unnecessary games, shall we?” Prince Vadim asked softly.

His signature, boisterous smile returned to his handsome face, but his hazel eyes were as cold and calculating as a cornered predator's. Trapped against the cold stone wall with nowhere left to run, Nina could do nothing but swallow hard.

She nodded, slowly sitting back down on the edge of the bed. “Everything ends here, huh...” she sighed, burying her face in her hands.

“Why do you think that?” Prince Vadim smiled, sitting back down in his plush velvet chair. “I actually have a proposal for you regarding this matter, Lady Nina... I am quite sure it is better than following your father’s every word and remaining a simple, half-filled wine glass.”

“What?” She lifted her head, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Vadim tilted his head, his gaze piercing. “I am asking if you will let this pathetic scheme play out and become an empty glass, or if you are willing to become a glass overflowing with wine?”

Nina scoffed, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips. “What exactly is it that you are offering me, Your Highness? To become your mistress? That you will sweep me away from this house and protect me? Is that it?” She looked directly into his eyes, a sudden, fierce determination flashing in her gaze. “Even if this scheme is disgusting, even if following my father is incredibly reckless... it was still a choice I made on my own.”

“I can give you a title,” Prince Vadim stated, his smile never wavering. Before Nina could retort, he raised his hand to silence her, standing up to sit directly next to her on the bed. “I originally wanted to bestow this title upon my other lovers, but I couldn’t. Do you know why?”

He reached out, casually twirling a strand of her loose hair around his finger. Nina just scoffed, leaning away. “Why?”

“Because that would put a massive target on their backs. You see, I might have countless fleeting affairs, but there are only two real, romantic relationships that I actually care about.” Continuing to idly play with her hair, he leaned in and whispered, “So, even though His Majesty rewarded my war efforts with the ability to bestow three Baron titles upon anyone of my choosing, I cannot give them to the women I love.”

She turned with a fierce glare, boldly placing her hand under his chin. “So you want me to become a meat shield for your enemies? And why do you think I would ever accept such a deal...?” She lifted his face to meet her eye level. “Even if I refuse, once I scream and my father opens that door, you will take action against our family, but it will end with a simple exchange of Shella for the insult. I might never get married, but that is the worst that will happen to me.”

“Is that so?” Prince Vadim asked, his smile not fading in the slightest. “What about your mother? Isn’t she the real reason you are willing to do all this... and suffer under that idiot of a Viscount?”

“You-!” She shoved him away, her composure finally breaking.

Before she could bolt, Prince Vadim caught her wrist in a firm grip and continued. “Your mother’s chronic disease is the only reason you haven’t run away from home. It is the only reason you have been blindly following whatever Viscount Hollowland demands. It is not that hard for the Imperial Palace to get information on a rural Viscounty, Lady Nina.”

“Fine, it is true! So what?!” Nina spat defensively.

Prince Vadim sighed, gently releasing her wrist. “I thought you were smart. I cannot believe I have to explain this to you word for word...”

He turned around, pacing slightly as he began to explain. “If you accept my suggestion, once that door inevitably opens, I will declare that this entire situation was my mistake. I will announce that to take proper responsibility, I will take you in as my mistress and officially bestow a Baroness title upon you.”

“Yes... you already said that-” Suddenly, the political play clicked in Nina’s mind, her eyes widening in realization. “Wait. If I become a titled Baroness with no independent territory of my own outside of the Hollowland Viscounty... by Imperial law, my father will have no choice but to add me to his Vassal Council. Since I am his daughter, the law will automatically count me as his highest ranking vassal...”

“You are finally getting it,” Prince Vadim finished, his grin turning sharp and dangerous. “I am not asking you to become my mistress so I can lock you in a gilded cage to protect you, or to just put a target on your back. Rather, I am handing you the political power to carry out... Well, is it revenge? Frustration? Ambition? Whatever it is, I am giving you the power to fight him on your own.”

This time, Nina’s eyes first sparked with sudden joy, then narrowed with deep suspicion. “Why are you really doing this? Just to divert your enemies toward me so you can protect your true lovers? ...I don’t think that is the whole truth, Your Highness.”

Prince Vadim burst into genuine laughter, clutching his stomach. “I knew you weren’t stupid like your father from our little talk on the balcony. Anyone else would have blindly jumped at the opportunity after that much explanation.” He finally stopped laughing, a calculating smile settling on his lips.

“Hollowland Viscounty supplies most of the iron in the North. Because of that economic shield, my political enemies will not dare attack you even if I bestow the title upon you. The illusion of you being my 'Favored Lover' will keep their eyes safely away from my actual ones.” He then held up a second finger. “Furthermore, I would like you to eventually succeed him, by force or however else you manage it.. after acquiring your baroness title. I expect it to happen within two years' time.”

He raised a third and final finger. “Lastly, there is a specific document hidden somewhere in your castle that I would like in return. A high-ranking vassal who also happens to be the Viscount's daughter should have no trouble procuring it.”

“So, what do you say, Lady Nina? Would you like to forge this alliance with me?” Prince Vadim smiled warmly.

Silence hung in the room for a few tense seconds, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock on the wall. Just as Prince Vadim opened his mouth to say something more, Nina suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

Before the piercing sound even faded, she lunged forward, pressing her lips forcefully against his.

She swiftly slipped out of her sheer undergarments as they continued to kiss deeply. “My father can be rather thorough with his inspections...” she whispered breathlessly against his lips. “So-”

Before she could finish, Prince Vadim kissed her back, trailing his lips down her neck. “I understand completely.”

….

….

When the heavy oak door finally swung wide open, the very first thing everyone’s eyes landed on was the silhouette of Nina. She was sitting on the edge of the large mattress, her elaborate hair undone and her bare body exposed, hastily pulling the thick bedsheets up to cover up in a display of sheer, perfectly acted panic.

"F-Father?!" she called out, her voice trembling with what sounded like genuine shock.

A loud, collective gasp echoed in perfect unison from the nobles packed into the hallway.

"How could this be?! My precious daughter!" Viscount Hollowland rushed into the room, putting on a masterful, booming display of heartbreak. "I understand you were born with commoner blood, but His Majesty gave you the immense honor of a noble title! How could you do this to my precious, innocent daughter?!"

"Answer me, Lord Miller!" Hollowland bellowed.

Instead of the red-headed Lord, Prince Vadim chuckled smoothly, leaning back lazily against the plush pillows. "You are right, Viscount Hollowland... it is rather surprising how easily I was tempted."

"Y-Your Highness...!"

The victorious rage instantly melted into sheer horror, draining all the color from Viscount Hollowland’s face. His shock was mirrored perfectly by the loud, scandalized shrieks of the Northern elite crowded outside the room.

Meanwhile Northern Church Envoy’s Guest Chambers, Hollowland Viscounty, Lord’s Castle

"Phew... thanks to that massive commotion, those Central Church bastards finally left us alone," Samuel sighed, wiping a bead of nervous sweat from his forehead as he stepped into the dim room.

Kavya quickly shut and locked the heavy wooden door behind him, nodding in agreement. "Yes, but now we still have to find a way to meet the Ironwood couple in secret..."

"They are most likely caught up in that very same commotion. The scandal is happening right on their designated floor, after all... If only making contact were easier," Samuel murmured tiredly.

Just as a violent gust of snowy wind fiercely rattled the frosted windowpanes, an unexpected, perfectly calm voice echoed from the shadows of their room.

"I do not think it can get any easier than this."

Samuel and Kavya both snapped their heads toward the sound, their breath catching in their throats. Sitting casually at a small wooden table in the corner of the room, quietly playing a game opposite one another, were two unmistakable figures.

"L-Lord Miller and Lady Francesca?!" they gasped in unison, recognizing the couple instantly.

"It could have been easier if they had just visited our castle openly, rather than resorting to some blackmail," Francesca remarked, smoothly replying to the previous conversational thread with Miller as if the stunned priests hadn't just walked in.

She turned her piercing golden eyes toward the frozen envoys, a sharp, dangerous smile playing on her lips as she tapped her cane lightly against the floorboards. "Don't you agree, Envoys of the Northern Central Church?"