Chapter 29: The Witch

It may be callous, even immoral, to exploit a woman who has suffered enough humiliation; her marriage did not even last long before her husband died of the plague, which left her reputation in society in tatters to the extent that some call her the ’Black Widow’, and no one even respected her grief.

However, as Lady of Korvekhar, rather than concerning herself with the psychological and emotional problems of a foreign princess, It is her duty to ensure the safety and dignity of the women under her care — those who have sworn allegiance to her family and entrusted their fate, and the fate of their children, to Korvekhar.

Her aim was not the princess herself, but rather to stir up chaos and commotion and to use social pressure as a weapon, whilst the military officials would carry out their duties on their own terms, in accordance with their own vision.

In contrast to the first princess’s tainted reputation, throughout the United Empire, Ivar’s reputation is spotless.

A handsome young man with no scandals to his name, he not only surpassed all his brothers and won the battle for the throne in a landslide victory at a young age, but he also embraced all his brothers and cast none of them aside. Beloved by his subjects for his generosity and kindness, respected by his army for his strength and intelligence, he is skilled at chess, music and dancing. He loves reading, swordsmanship and horse riding... Quite simply, throughout the empire this stinky has been portrayed as the ideal knight in shining armour

So, if this marriage were to go ahead?... It is clear that no matter how hard the imperial family tried, they would be unable to escape the condemnation, blame and accusations that they had abused their authority to force such a brilliant young man—and, moreover, the heir to his family—to marry the ’Black Widow’ of the imperial family.

But her thoughts did not stop there.

It is clear that the imperial family cannot outright reject the Grand Duke’s marriage proposal because they lack the power to do so, nor can they allow themselves to be seen in public as being bullied by their subjects

And this is precisely what she intended to exploit

And if the Imperial Family were to impose impossible conditions, that would be splendid, as the terms would be leaked and their image further tarnished; and if they did not, that would be fine too, for the First Princess’s reputation alone is sufficient—especially if it is exaggerated and mixed with certain rumours, it will still cause a headache for the Imperial Family

If they want chaos, so be it; but first she will make sure to set their house on fire and put pressure on them there. Then, whatever plan her father, the Grand Duke, accepts to respond to the conspiracy—whether he carries out what Alexander proposed, refuses the imperial decree, challenges the ruling, or responds with a counter-conspiracy—

The negative sentiment that will spread like wildfire, and the discontent—particularly from the noble houses that had hoped to marry one of their daughters to that foul Ivar, who had been stolen away by the Black Widow—will plunge the Imperial House into a state of turmoil

It is like a fly buzzing around your ear whilst you are studying; although it causes no harm, it is certainly enough to annoy you and distract you, preventing you from concentrating

And what Alexander said yesterday was true, and it really struck a chord with her, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Since time immemorial, it has been Korvekhar who has set the stage for the game, and the most powerful weapon she has ever used has always been public opinion.

Although she would not deny that bloodshed and the exploitation of the people’s emotions—such as solidarity, guilt and loyalty—are excellent tools, in this day and age, romance, heroism, love and relationships between men and women have almost the same effect.

Furthermore, whilst the former will spare the ruling Korvekhar family from public hatred, it is essentially designed to manipulate the people of Korvekhar in particular;

the latter, however, will elicit a reaction of almost equal intensity amongst all peoples... Do not underestimate the girls who see the knight of their dreams stolen from right before their eyes by a woman they despise; this woman did not win because she was chosen, but because she exploited her influence and forced their poor knight of dreams to suffer.

Believe me, even girls have chivalrous dreams of rescuing a prince in distress and winning his appreciation and admiration.

Well... she also had a few selfish motives when she hatched this plan, especially after Ivar mocked her yesterday, saying that women do nothing but grumble and gossip, so she decided to teach him a lesson despite the risks, and to demonstrate just how dangerous women can be and the impact they have, and how simply shattering their dreams – or their daughters’ dreams – could turn this empire upside down.

That’s also why she made him the centre of her plan... so she looked at him gently... he looked as if someone had squeezed a whole lemon tree into his mouth... How lovely...

On the other hand, Ivar looked at this witch with utter contempt, but he could not help but sigh inwardly in resignation and glance at Rolan with disgruntled... Had it not been for that scoundrel’s prank, he would not have been so distracted as to forget father’s orders;

and precisely because of this, he must now swallow any objections he might have, for if he dared to object after his crime of disregarding the Grand Duke’s orders, it was clear he would receive a magnificent and humiliating reprimand that would strip him of all his dignity

He’d rather swallow a thousand flies and put up with that witch for a thousand days than receive a single reprimand from his father.