This isn't just honesty; it's like wielding one's true feelings like a bludgeon. But it was also a fitting remark for an eight-year-old child.
Navia used every weapon at her disposal without reservation.
More vividly, more honestly, more and more... That's because it was a way to efficiently shorten the time.
Erkin looked at Lark in confusion.
"Why are you looking at me? Look at my daughter."
To Erkin, Lark seemed like a thug hired by a private company, just sitting there like a sack of barley.
His attitude was clear.
This negotiation table wasn't led by Lark, but by the smallest girl here, Navia.
So, if anyone wanted to say something, they should address it to Navia.
"As you've seen in the video, the ring on my mother's finger and my father's ring are a matching pair."
Erkin knew well what the ring on Lark's left ring finger was.
"Of course, I recognized it. It's a heirloom passed down only to the eldest daughter. A treasure of our family."
That's when Lark interjected.
"I have no intention of marrying anyone else in the future. I could swear on a wizard's contract."
Erkin momentarily closed his mouth.
A marriage with a dead person, how deep must one's feelings be for the other to consider such a thing?
'But this is not merely a romantic union.'
"What do you want to do?"
Navia noticed from Erkin's tone that he had no objections to the union of the two families.
"I want to be completely free from the influence of Agnes and the royal family."
That wasn't all.
"I plan to make us the most powerful family, so they wouldn't dare covet Eseled."
"To do that, you'll have to deal with the Empress, the Lucia family, and Agnes all at once?"
Navia laughed coldly somewhere.
"Fortunately, there are many who dislike them, so I won't be facing them alone."
"But as long as the Empress has Prince Ares as her trump card, some compromise will be necessary."
Of course, that was true. That's why Navia had another plan in mind.
"I do not support Prince Ares."
Lark asked.
"Then, do you intend to promote Creed?"
"If Creed desires it."
Navia was prepared to crown Creed as the emperor if he wished.
"But I don't think Creed would want that."
If Creed truly desired the throne, he should have shown some appropriate actions during the time Navia had lived her life eight times over. But Creed did not.
Navia secretly had someone else in mind for the next emperor.
"I plan to promote Princess Monica, the illegitimate daughter of Emperor Ulrich, as the next empress."
"Not a bad idea."
In fact, there were times in the future Lark had experienced when Princess Monica had seized the throne.
It was always when Lark and his close associates had intervened.
Erkin asked in confusion.
"Creed, who are you talking about?"
Navia explained.
"It's His Highness the Second Prince. Contrary to rumors, he's alive. He's currently under the care of the Eseled ducal family."
Then Lark added.
"He wasn't in his right mind when he entrusted himself, looks like he was experimented on."
Erkin, and even Ricardo, looked perplexed at Eseled's daughter who nonchalantly revealed this shocking truth.
"...It's good that you trust us, but is it really okay to divulge such things?"
At that, Lark let out a scornful laugh.
From the moment he entered the reception room, Lark had implanted his magic into their shadows. Should there be even a hint of betrayal, they would die instantly.
And in fact, he didn't care if he was betrayed.
'Now I can leave the mansion.'
The escape route for the worst predator, which had been tightly held, was open.
What should be worried about is probably not the well-being of Eseled, but the world?
"Well, if push comes to shove, just wipe them all out..."
Navia cut off her father's words, which sounded almost like those of a final villain.
"I'm not a romanticist who reveals the truth because I trust my opponent. I'm saying this because it strengthens our alliance and makes our work more efficient."
Ironically, Lark's statement about destroying his world seemed more loving compared to her cold and rational response.
Yet, why did it seem so fitting?
'Really a figure befitting the head of a family.'
Erkin was surprised at his own thought, yet he found himself agreeing with it.
Ah, indeed, Navia had the dignity of a leader. It was exciting to think about how effective she would be when she reached the age to exercise her full authority.
But this was just what Erkin thought.
"…Why am I included in this?"
Ricardo had no desire to be involved in the grand secrets of high society, like the throne struggle, which seemed ridiculously unrealistic from the standpoint of an ordinary citizen.
Navia widened her eyes in a 'why would you ask that?' expression.
"Well, because you, Mr. Ricardo, are capable. Plus, you're going to be the owner of a workshop that will be a key part of one of Eseled’s major projects."
"…Me?"
"Yes."
Navia simply responded cheerfully.
Ricardo couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had been tricked.
Hmm, it’s almost like a job scam…
"So, do you all agree to this alliance?"
At Navia's question, Lark and Erkin immediately nodded their heads.
Ricardo never spoke it out loud, but he respected Erkin.
And initially felt wary of Navia, but now he felt curious.
He also had a strange intuition that he could make a lot of money here.
"Yes."
Thus, an alliance unknown to the world was formed.
Navia began to discuss her scheme in earnest.
"I plan to spread the news of the marriage between the two families so widely that no one in the capital will be unaware."
Naturally, this would also reveal the fact that Navia is indeed the legitimate daughter of Duke Eseled.
Erkin asked.
"Do you plan to release the video?"
"With the baby's appearance in the video, it's hard to prove that I am the true lady."
No matter how much Navia resembled Camilla's childhood, had a dowry from Lark, and even if there was a video recorder, making this a foregone conclusion was a different matter.
The Agnes ducal family would find fault in any way and were clearly ready to spend more than half of their wealth to deny Navia's origins.
If it came down to wealth and power, Eseled would be at a disadvantage. Therefore, they had to devise a game that couldn't be overturned by wealth and power.
That was something Navia was good at.
Erkin already thought of Navia as his niece and wished that his sister and Lark would officially acknowledge their relationship.
'For that to happen, the Vladina family can't just stay in the shadows.'
Except for the family head, the Vladina family was so perfectly reclusive that most of its members didn't even have a debutante ball. Secrecy was essential to manipulate all information from behind the scenes.
But Erkin's thoughts were different from those of the previous family heads.
'The Vladina family is sick.'
Thus, his sister was exploited and left home at the young age of seventeen, only to die unknown to anyone.
Erkin was now sick of the underworld.
"Speak your mind. I will follow your words."
Navia calmly started speaking.
"People love stories."
Stories. Or gossip.
"Especially if it's about the interactions between major noble families, it will be consumed more than court novels."
The major nobility is a privileged class among the privileged.
They are few in number and hold tremendous power.
Sometimes, the great noble families received even more attention than the royal family itself.
"One day, the Marquis of Vladina secretly makes a move to find his sister."
It was a movement carried out with enough discretion to be conscious of others' gazes.
However, those with keen intelligence could sharply discern such movements.
"Under the order of her father, the beautiful Lady Vladina, who was forced into marriage with an aged man, decided to make a once-in-a-lifetime escape."
"That's..."
"Yes, it's true."
Navia continued with a slight smile.
"The sister, having run away, left behind only a childhood portrait."
"That's actually the case."
"It's when a story exaggerates the truth that it truly shines. Now, the Duke has commissioned a painter to create an adult version of his sister based on that childhood portrait. He needs a montage to find her, right?"
Erkin understood the intention with an admiring expression.
"That would justify spreading the portrait of a child who looks exactly like you, wouldn't it?"
"Right. If I then go around looking similar to the portrait, everyone will find it strange, won't they?"
The crux of this matter was the spread of rumors.
It was highly suspicious for either the Eseled Ducal House or the Vladina Marquess House to publicly declare Navia as their blood relative.
However, if people began to suspect first, the situation would change.
Feeling like detectives who had uncovered an astonishing truth, they would be excitedly say, "I think I know where Lady Vladina might be."
Then there will be rumors like this spreading:
"The head of the Eseled House is looking for a woman."
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