Rose Empire

Chapter 9: Husband and Wife 

As night fell, the riverside castle was illuminated by flickering lights. The rushing waters of the Nepo River and the restless hearts of its inhabitants kept the ancient castle from ever truly settling into silence. 

"Are you really allowing Charlotte to go to that so-called Ripple Bay Viscountcy?" asked Rosie, dressed in a dark nightgown, as she placed a cup of black tea on the desk where José Mellefeld was busy with official duties. 

"Yes," José Mellefeld replied without looking up. 

"But Ripple Bay Viscountcy is on the border, isn't it? And it's close to the Kanpei Mountains. Isn't that dangerous?" Rosie pressed. 

"I'll send a team of knights to accompany her. If they encounter any danger they can't handle, they'll bring her back by force," José Mellefeld said. 

Rosie's hands tightened on her skirt. "Didn't you say you wanted to arrange Charlotte's marriage to Arthur as soon as possible?" 

"I promised Charlotte she could wait two more years before marrying," José Mellefeld added. 

"What?" Rosie's face paled, though she forced a stiff smile. "But what about the Lekman family? We already agreed to have the engagement next spring. Won't breaking the agreement upset the Marquis of Blackstone Fortress?" 

"It was only a verbal agreement. How is that breaking anything?" José Mellefeld's tone remained calm. "Besides, old Marquis Brown mentioned that Arthur Lekman isn't in a hurry to marry. Delaying for two more years shouldn't be an issue for them." 

Arthur Lekman was still a young man under twenty, so it was natural for him not to be in a rush to marry. However, due to the rumors Charlotte had previously spread, Rosie couldn't help but wonder—did Arthur Lekman really only prefer men? 

Still, this thought didn't occupy Rosie's mind for long. After all, whether Arthur Lekman preferred men or women was irrelevant to her. 

"Even if the marriage is delayed for two years, shouldn't Charlotte stay at the riverside castle for proper guidance?" Rosie blurted out. 

As soon as the words left her mouth, Rosie regretted them. They were too impulsive and revealed too much. 

Sure enough, José Mellefeld finally set aside his work, picked up the steaming teacup, and turned to face Rosie. After taking a sip of tea, he asked, "What do you mean by that?" 

"What could I mean? As her mother, isn't it my duty to guide her?" Rosie replied, forcing herself to stay composed. "Besides, Charlotte has been away for so long. I'd like to spend more time with her before she marries." 

"Is that so? Are you really that close to Charlotte?" 

"Of course." 

"Then what about what happened during this year's Holy Grace Festival? Why is that Gampoya slave still alive?" 

At these words, Rosie's heart skipped a beat. 

The Holy Grace Festival, said to be the day when the Lord Ig bestowed grace upon the world, was also the New Year for most regions. 

Last year, instead of staying in Platinum City, Charlotte chose to return to the Green Plains Duchy to celebrate the Holy Grace Festival with her family. She traveled by carriage—proper noble ladies of the Orlan Empire always traveled by carriage. Giant eagles were far too inelegant. 

When the caravan stopped at an inn within the Green Plains Duchy, Charlotte unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance—Gampoya. 

Gampoya had once been the coachman of Charlotte's birth mother, Helen Mellefeld. For a long time before Helen's death, a rumor had spread like wildfire across the Green Plains Duchy—that Duchess Helen was promiscuous and had committed adultery with her coachman. Gampoya was the coachman in question. 

When Charlotte saw Gampoya again, the man was drinking cheap liquor and boasting to a group of foul-smelling drunks about how soft the former duchess's body was, how smooth her skin was, and how wantonly she had moaned beneath him. 

The knights accompanying Charlotte had already gripped their sword hilts, ready to cut the shameless coachman to pieces at her command. 

But Charlotte didn't give the order. Instead, she smiled, curtsied gracefully to Gampoya, and then left. 

At the time, Rosie had been watching from the second floor of a shop across the street. She didn't know how others interpreted Charlotte's curtsy, but to her, it sent a chill down her spine. 

After Helen Mellefeld's death, Charlotte had made a vicious vow of revenge at her mother's grave. This was no secret, as a six-year-old young lady would naturally be accompanied by multiple servants when she went out, and Charlotte hadn't hidden her oath from them. With so many mouths, the story spread. 

However, Charlotte had only been six at the time, and over the years, she hadn't killed anyone for revenge. So, when those in the know brought it up, it was usually as an amusing anecdote—after all, everyone knew the duchess had committed suicide. Who could you seek revenge against for that? The young lady had clearly done something foolish and laughable, but she was just a child. It was understandable. 

When Rosie first heard the story, it was from a servant who treated it as a joke. Having just married into the Mellefeld family, Rosie initially took it as a humorous tale. But the longer she lived in the riverside castle, the more wary she became of Charlotte. 

Her stepdaughter was all smiles to everyone. She generously extended help to the poor, repeatedly expressed sincere gratitude to those who aided her, and even tearfully forgave those who wronged her. She seemed like a kind, gentle, and occasionally whimsical noble lady. 

Yet, every time Rosie tried to exert control over Charlotte, she was met with setbacks. Her stepdaughter was far more slippery than she had imagined. 

Whenever Rosie attempted something, someone would always intervene or outright advise her to treat her stepdaughter better. Rosie soon realized that, on one hand, Charlotte had skillfully used her status as a motherless child to craft an image of vulnerability—no matter how Helen had died, the child was an innocent victim. On the other hand, her usual acts of kindness and generosity had earned her a stellar reputation. As a result, this "harmless" young lady had garnered a surprising amount of sympathy and support among the Mellefeld nobility! If Rosie didn't want to be labeled a cruel stepmother, she couldn't take overly harsh measures against Charlotte. 

Rosie knew that Charlotte often referred to André as "my foolish brother." Indeed, Rosie also felt that compared to Charlotte's vast, albeit hidden, network of connections, André fell short. 

Rosie had also tried to control Charlotte through covert means, but these attempts mostly failed. She was even certain that Charlotte had long known her stepmother was plotting against her. 

Yet, even knowing the truth, Charlotte continued to act affectionately toward Rosie in front of others—José, André, and Sean included. 

Every time Charlotte wrapped her arms around Rosie's neck and sweetly called her "Mother," Rosie felt a chill, as if a venomous snake were coiling around her. 

"Your daughter is a lurking viper! You'd better lock her up soon, or she'll bite everyone to death!" Rosie wanted to shout this at José Mellefeld, but she knew doing so now would only anger him further. 

"Why is Gampoya still alive?" José Mellefeld repeated his question. 

After Helen's death, José Mellefeld had sent men to hunt down the fleeing Gampoya. The knights had pursued him for over a year before finally finding and killing him—or at least, that was what José Mellefeld had been told at the time. 

So, when José Mellefeld learned that Gampoya had reappeared, he was furious. He immediately ordered the capture and execution of Gampoya and the members of the knight squad responsible for hunting him down. 

How had a mere coachman like Gampoya survived the knights' pursuit? And how had he slipped back into the Green Plains Duchy unnoticed? There was clearly more to the story, but José Mellefeld hadn't investigated further at the time. 

Rosie hadn't expected that, after more than half a year, José Mellefeld would still be fixated on the matter. 

"I... I..." Rosie stammered, unsure how to respond. 

"Why is Gampoya still alive!" This time, José Mellefeld nearly shouted. 

"I don't know, I really don't know..." Rosie's face turned pale as she shook her head repeatedly. 

"You don't know? I hope that's true." José Mellefeld's tone calmed, but his expression remained dark. "I don't care what you're thinking or what you're planning, but I'm warning you to know your limits. Charlotte is just a girl. The title of Green Plains Duke and the Mellefeld family legacy will never fall to her. She poses no threat to you as the duchess. I hope you can get along with her. Something like the Gampoya incident can only happen once. If it happens again, I won't be so lenient." 

Rosie bit her pale lips and lowered her head. After a long pause, she finally managed to croak out a single word: "Understood."

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