Chapter 83. Meeting Lady Frederica Part 2

“Reservations?” Lady Frederica replied with a slight chuckle, thinking internally, This girl... she knows very well that I am the de facto leader of the Council and the very source of the main hostility, yet she still tries to play this game.

“How could I possibly harbor such hostile thoughts? I might have my fair share of political disagreements with His Lordship on certain topics, but that is simply a natural part of being a Council member, isn't it?” Lady Frederica replied smoothly, taking a slow sip of her teacup before adding, “If anyone holds deep reservations, it would be Lord Edward. After all, he was previously disciplined for showing disrespect toward Your Ladyship, and he routinely challenges His Lordship during sessions.”

So you refuse to drop the act and be direct, even now… Francesca picked up her own teacup, took a measured sip, and suddenly pivoted. “True... Ah, Lady Nadia?”

Lady Nadia raised an eyebrow in surprise at being abruptly brought into the crossfire. “Yes, Your Ladyship?” she replied with an amused, polite smile.

Francesca maintained her calm composure. “Let us suppose you were dealing with a parent's unreasonable behavior toward one of your students. Would you force yourself to remain polite just to maintain an amicable relationship, or would you be upfront about your concerns?”

This girl is remarkably sharp... Lady Nadia thought, a knowing smirk touching the corners of her lips.

She answered smoothly, “Ah... that is rather a difficult question. I would certainly try to maintain polite decorum at first. However, if the behavior was something genuinely detrimental to the child's well-being, I would stand my ground to uphold my duty as an educator and protect the child’s future.”

“There you have it...” Francesca set her teacup back down onto the saucer with a soft click, keeping her pristine, sweet smile locked on Lady Frederica. “Sometimes, being upfront is simply the correct path to take, Lady Frederica.”

Without giving the older woman a chance to interrupt, Francesca pressed forward.

“I can certainly understand your bitter disappointment over His Imperial Majesty granting the Viscountcy’s title to Miller when someone of your standing could have easily become the rightful ruler of the Ironwood Viscounty... But acting as an obstacle to the survival of its people goes entirely against your duty and honor as head of House Graveline, does it not?”

Francesca laid it out in plain, unvarnished words, her golden eyes locking onto Frederica with unyielding authority.

“Haa... Do you really think that is it?” Lady Frederica retorted with a sharp scoff, placing her teacup down with a loud clink. “It is true that Lord Miller was a commoner who only recently received a noble title from His Majesty. But if lineage were the only factor in my disapproval, his marriage to you, a Duke's daughter, should have sufficed to change my mind, wouldn't it?”

Lady Frederica leaned forward, pointing a determined finger toward Francesca. “It is his mindset! He desperately seeks to be this principled, honorable man by stubbornly sticking to his loyalty to the Third Prince, even if the people of this land have to suffer for it! It is hypocritical. He simultaneously wants to be known as a good leader, while being too afraid to betray others to actually lead his people!”

A heavy silence descended upon the room for several long seconds, broken only by the soft sound of Lady Nadia taking a quiet sip of her tea.

Francesca finally broke the quiet. “Then what about you? Obstructing and sabotaging his every decision is exactly the same, is it not? You also don’t truly care about leading the people; you only care about claiming the position for yourself.”

“Think what you will, Your Ladyship,” Lady Frederica countered coldly. “But between an outsider who is afraid to lead by making sacrifices, and a lady of a family that has been part of this territory's governance for generations... even if she is selfish for her own ends, anyone would select the latter.”

Even now, I don’t feel like her reasoning is completely genuine... It is as if she is finding whatever she can to nitpick just to justify her hostility, Francesca thought.

Suddenly, a profound realization hit her as her eyes darted between the grand painting of the Goddesses on the wall and Lady Nadia sitting elegantly on the sofa.

“Your child...” Francesca muttered.

“What?” Lady Frederica frowned, not hearing her properly.

Francesca took a deep, steadying breath, turning her gaze directly to Lady Nadia. “You two adopted a daughter, didn't you?”

She is really smart, huh... Lady Nadia smiled softly, her eyes glinting with a mix of sorrow and pride. “It has been years, but yes. We do have a daughter.”

Lady Frederica shot a fierce, protective glare at Francesca, but Francesca simply smiled and clapped her hands together lightly.

“So that is it, isn't it?” Francesca tapped her cane against the floor, understanding washing over her. “Unlike the Northern Central Church, the Central Church does not recognize same-sex marriages. They believe that such a union is the sole prerogative of a divine being like the Goddess Hakio, and that mere mortals, being born off her creations… should not hold themselves to the same divine standard.”

Francesca leaned forward. “So your ultimate goal was to become the Viscountess, take the Ironwood surname, and use your sovereign authority to bestow your former noble title of Graveline upon your daughter, isn't it?”

Total silence swallowed the room as the snowy winds outside raged against the glass windows.

KA-BOOM!

A violent crack of thunder resounded, lightning flashing brilliantly across the audience hall as Lady Frederica slowly opened her mouth. “Is... is that all you can think of?”

But before Lady Frederica could mount another defense, Lady Nadia placed a gentle hand over hers, shaking her head. “It is no use, Frederica. Let us just be honest with her.”

With a deep, defeated breath, Lady Frederica sighed, the fight momentarily draining from her eyes. “Yes... you are right. Since my marriage to Nadia is not recognized by the Central Church, adopting as a joint couple is not allowed in the Imperial registry. Because of that, our daughter legally does not hold the Graveline surname. But if I had secured the Ironwood Viscountcy, I could have bypassed the registry and my former title upon her myself... effectively making her our legal child in the Central Church's eyes as well.”

“But you can do that even without becoming the Viscountess, can't you?” Francesca asked, genuinely curious. “Couldn't you just purchase a different, lesser noble title and justify it that way?”

Lady Nadia shook her head sadly. “A surname change for a vassal house like ours requires the direct, official approval of the Lord we serve, as well as His Imperial Majesty.”

“And His Majesty will never approve it because he despises the fact that Miller is in the Third Prince’s faction...” Francesca muttered in silence, the entire political puzzle finally clicking into place.

She looked up, a new light in her eyes. “Wait... so if I can find a way to solve this exact issue for you, would you rally the other vassals to cooperate with us going forward?”

“I have tried for decades to tackle this impossible problem. What could you possibly do?” Lady Frederica scoffed at the very notion.

A smug, utterly confident smirk slowly appeared on Francesca’s face.

“I have just the solution for it... What if there were a Holy Civil War between the Northern Central Church and the Central Church?”