Chapter 71

Perhaps it was because I didn’t answer and hesitated.

“Alan Medoff. Engage to my daughter.”

Emperor Edmund III looked at me intently and repeated the same words.

Even as I momentarily froze, I instinctively gathered information.

It was an engagement, not a marriage.

It was a command to do, not a request if you will.

Most of all, the irksome point was that he didn’t specify which princess but simply said “my daughter.”

Surely, it couldn’t mean to randomly pick one of the three princesses, so there must be an intention behind this.

As I was trying to decipher the emperor’s motives,

a question struck my heart.

‘Is this a reward?’

Of course, the emperor’s promise wasn’t limited to just the daughter.

First, there was talk of business rights. Specifically, the rights to operate in the Great Forest territory secured through the treaty.

There’s a high possibility that the natural stone and silver mines treated as strategic assets in this world (important due to trade with Chinguk) won’t be granted, but I could obtain everything else.

Just acquiring timber alone could turn me into a major tycoon with thousands of employees.

‘The title was also promised.’

It was relatively common for entrepreneurs to receive knighthood or such honorary titles.

But since the title was mentioned by the emperor, he wouldn’t just offer a non-hereditary title. He would likely grant a title suitable for the fiancé of a princess.

So far, this was indeed a reward.

However, the engagement to the princess was anything but a reward. Especially when I considered the purpose of the engagement.

I needed more information.

“Your Majesty, I apologize, but—”

“Alan Medoff.”

“Yes.”

“I have already personally suggested the engagement to you. And it’s a decision I do not intend to withdraw, no matter what you say.”

“…”

This meant he would consider my refusal as an insult to the Imperial Court.

This also had a subtle Eastern undertone.

It could have been a scheme devised by Empress Lianhua, but in principle, it wasn’t wrong. After all, if the emperor personally asks a knight to marry his daughter, it’s highly impolite to refuse.

If I declined here, who knows what might happen?

Although they wouldn’t outright kill me, they would surely create a situation where I would gradually be destroyed. They wouldn’t let go of an untrusted and uncontrollable subject so easily.

However, accepting it offhand was out of the question.

‘With my fortune foretold, how can I agree?’

The empire has three princesses. Effectively, there are two.

Engaging with either would complicate my life greatly.

Given the lengths this “father” went, offering his cherished daughter, his intention was clear.

It was probably about placing me in a visible spot for continuous surveillance, using my talents sparingly when needed.

I needed to delay giving a definitive answer and buy time, but I lacked a clear strategy for now.

As I hesitated, the emperor was slowly creating a situation that made it harder to refuse.

“I have already thoroughly investigated your background. …Frankly speaking, I inquired about you when you were committing acts under my second daughter and after I learned about your production of morphine.”

“Your Majesty.”

“I found it peculiar when I looked into your family.”

“…”

“Your family sold all its feudal rights to the imperial court two hundred years ago and only barely managed to preserve its lineage… Certainly, I’m not belittling your family, but frankly, it is quite impoverished to marry into royalty.”

“That is true. I am far from worthy of the imperial family.”

“Therefore, I plan to ensure you are qualified.”

“…”

“On the day of the armistice treaty, I will publicize your achievements and use that as a basis to grant you a title. And with a slight interval, we’ll announce the engagement. No one will question your qualifications. This will conclude within a month.”

The emperor stared at me intently.

He intended to get a definitive answer from me in this very meeting. His obstinate expression made it apparent how challenging it would be to evade this.

‘I’ve never been this awkward.’

I hadn’t anticipated the Empress’s tactics to be this clever.

Even now, I could still feel her shadow lurking behind the emperor.

Though I’ve been surprised by Siena at times, the Empress surpassed her. Honestly, she seemed superior even compared to me.

That aside, the problem was that for some unknown reason, she seemed to be targeting me.

When trying to guess her motives, a certain suspicion crossed my mind.

To confirm, I quickly spoke.

“Your Majesty, your offer is too honorable and leaves me at a loss. However, there is one thing I must clarify.”

“Speak.”

“I didn’t hear which of the two princesses you envisage me as a suitor for. Of course, I know both are incomparably superior to me, possessing both talent and virtue.”

“Are you worried I might assign you a bastard princess?”

“No, it is not that.”

“I only have three children. And I don’t know why I even have to explain this… in my lifetime, I have never acted dishonorably. It’s impossible to marry off a non-existent bastard.”

His evasive remarks raised my suspicions,

but I couldn’t back down now.

How could I agree to become the emperor’s son-in-law without knowing which princess I would marry? There was no reason for secrecy.

“Your Majesty, please enlighten me.”

“…I already said.”

For the first time, the emperor appeared uneasy, clearing his throat.

Though the script was already written by the empress, his hesitation suggested that even for the emperor, uttering these words aloud was uncomfortable.

It seemed to be more than just the discomfort of sending his daughter to someone unworthy.

“Isn’t that clear?”

“My children number only three… haven’t I already said that?”

Surely not… it can’t be.

Though I muttered in my head while looking at the emperor,

it still felt strange.

“Anais Carlisle, currently in penance at the monastery, is the one I propose for your union.”

The emperor’s words completely defied my expectations.

Anais Carlisle.

The original female protagonist, the fallen third princess of the empire, confined to the monastery.

I don’t know when her confinement transformed into penance, though I understand, it didn’t ease the shock.

“It will not be an undesirable match for you.”

“…”

“Anais has never been exiled. Additionally, she was bestowed the title of governor as the granddaughter of Chinguk’s emperor, a title which she continues to hold. This could be helpful for you, an entrepreneur…”

The emperor was trying hard to highlight Anais’s qualifications.

But none of this registered in my ears.

To propose marrying Anais, a woman who fell due to my actions, was an absurd command to the highest degree.

**

I knew this was partly my doing.

Replacing opium wine with psilocybin,

beating Anais to satisfy Siena’s sadistic pleasures,

turning Anais into an irreversible antagonist when she was enraged by it and exiling her— all of it was my responsibility.

If I had quietly complied with Siena’s orders to sell opium, none of this would have happened.

“Return to Medelin. Do you have anything to say?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Before I knew it, the audience ended.

Though I hadn’t accepted the engagement, it hardly mattered.

“Also, tidy things around your vicinity.”

The emperor showed no signs of changing his mind.

He likely didn’t expect me to blurt out something like “I happily accept an engagement with the Third Princess.”

Even though I made a face, I received no reproach.

‘The emperor can’t possibly overlook how unusual this is.’

Politically, it was quite a sound decision.

Third Princess Anais had already fallen from grace.

Although they would rehabilitate her and proceed with the engagement,

the fact that she spread “Health Syrup” across the system remained unchanged.

It was barely over three months ago— tens of thousands witnessed the public execution of Mrs. Chandler.

For all we know, the Health Syrup stash could still be trading somewhere within the state, especially in the Academy.

Ultimately, Anais was a woman with royal blood but politically dead.

‘From the Empress’s perspective, using her daughter this way is a better option than letting her die in the monastery.’

But it wouldn’t help my life at all.

Even if it did help me in some way, it’s a marriage I should avoid. Anais surely wants me dead. Though I can tolerate a loveless marriage, I can’t risk being assassinated.

Fortunately, there’s still a way out.

The engagement hasn’t been officially announced yet.

It would require procedures to bring out the third princess, who’s branded as a sinner and currently confined in the monastery. Inviting her out just to engage her with me would make the emperor look foolish.

If I act within this timeframe, I could create a situation where forcing the engagement would be impossible. There’s still time to reverse it.

However, before I could devise a concrete plan, doubt arose.

‘Just avoiding the engagement won’t change anything.’

No matter what, the emperor will still keep an eye on me. He may even resort to worse tactics if the engagement isn’t enough to bind me.

I was aware that my actions have repeatedly caused upheavals.

Now, the empress, who appears to surpass me in level, has joined the emperor.

The worst-case scenario could resemble my past life.

Back then, I went to lengths against my father, even sending him to jail, and faced a mud-slinging battle with my mother who used political connections to obstruct me.

Though I eventually triumphed in everything, there was nothing left for me in the end.

Let alone the state, but especially the emperor is the embodiment of state power.

‘Going head-on is impossible.’

Still, I wasn’t about to give up and accept.

After all, I didn’t need to confront the emperor directly.

Besides the Third Princess, there are two more princesses in the Britannia Empire.

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