Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 8
Though they shared similar scars, the brothers dealt with them differently.
While Richard chose to avoid the potential repeated tragedy by not meeting anyone, Leonhart followed the expected path, marrying his betrothed as the crown prince and taking her as the empress. As the emperor, he had the duty to ensure an heir and couldn’t leave the empress’s position vacant.
“I promised the Empress that after having two children, regardless of their gender, I would let her live as she wishes. While I can’t grant her a divorce, I assured her that I wouldn’t demand any wifely duties from her.”
“Now that the second child is born, how do you plan to live with her going forward?”
“I intend to let her meet whoever she wants freely. She got engaged at a young age and bore two children who she didn’t love, so she’s done her part. She probably wants to meet someone of her choice now, and my presence would only make her uncomfortable.”
Richard felt a tinge of bitterness at his brother’s casual demeanor. Leonhart had once told him that he wouldn’t have any mistresses or illegitimate children out of respect for his children and the Empress.
As far as Richard knew, his brother had never been with any woman other than the Empress. This was Leonhart’s way of preventing further unhappiness, given that he couldn’t be as free from marriage as Richard could due to the weight of the crown.
To change the subject, Richard brought up another topic.
“I suppose Leo has grown quite a bit. He mentioned in his letters that he started swordsmanship lessons.”
“Yes, which is why you should give him a younger cousin to spar with soon.”
Leonhart replied, sounding like he was scolding.
“Having siblings or cousins close in age would be good for them. Leo was hoping for a brother, but he was quite disappointed when a princess was born.”
He took out a golden pendant necklace that he always carried with him. Opening the round cover connected by a chain revealed a portrait of the young crown prince.
“I understand why you don’t want to marry, but having a child is another matter. Being a father is quite a remarkable experience. You’ll understand once you have your own children.”
“……”
“As soon as I return, I’ll look for a suitable bride from a good family for you.”
The Emperor made his decision without leaving room for further argument. Richard, instead of responding, took another silent gulp of his drink as if it were a penalty.
***
“Oh my, Louise! You’re back now?”
Sometime later, Louise, dragging her tired body back home, was greeted by Cherinia, who approached her with a bright smile. Unlike her usual indifferent attitude, her exaggerated welcome made Louise instinctively wary.
“You’re late today. It must have been tough.”
“…Where’s Mildred?”
“Hmm? Oh, the little one fell asleep early. By the way, Cherinia made dinner!”
“What’s with you all of a sudden?”
“Wh-what’s with Cherinia…?”
Cherinia’s excited demeanor, like a child waiting for praise, quickly turned into a dejected look, resembling a puppy caught in the rain.
“You’re acting so differently than usual. Do you need something?”
“Ugh, Cherinia just wants everyone to get along! But you talk like that, it’s really too much… hic!”
“Louise, you shouldn’t be so harsh. Cherinia prepared dinner even though she’s pregnant.”
Helio emerged from the room, playing the part of the responsible older brother, and intervened. His right arm, perfectly fine that morning, was now in a splint and heavily bandaged.
“What happened to your arm?”
“Oh, this? I just sprained it a bit. Well, let’s eat.”
Helio quickly covered his arm with his coat and led the way to the dining room. His evasive behavior seemed suspicious to Louise.
“Louise, do you want more soup?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Here, have some water if you’re thirsty.”
“…”
Their unusual behavior continued throughout dinner. It was particularly odd that Helio, who never helped with housework, was now pouring water for her.
Unable to take it any longer, Louise put her spoon down with a loud clatter. Helio, sitting across from her, flinched slightly.
“What’s going on with you two? If you have something to say, just say it.”
“Haha! You always act so indifferent to family. Well, the thing is, Louise, I feel really unfairly treated.”
After a while of self-justifying rambling, Helio finally confessed the truth.
“The thing is, I took an advance on my wages for the next six months to pay for the wedding expenses and borrowed some money from my colleagues… and I lost it all.”
“What? Why would you need so much money? And you lost it? How?”
“I just wanted to play one game at Liam’s House… I was feeling lucky, thought I could win big… I kept winning, so I thought it was a sure thing and bet everything. But then, as if someone jinxed it, I started losing everything!”
“Oh, Helio… You promised not to gamble at the house anymore!”
“I don’t want to hear it. Do you think I did it on purpose? I was trying to do well! Damn it, I’m sure someone rigged the game… I hurt my arm trying to get my money back. I’ve done everything I could.”
“Good grief…”
Feeling utterly despondent, Louise couldn’t hold back her sigh. Since gambling at the house was illegal, reporting it to the guards wasn’t an option. Getting angry at Helio wouldn’t change anything, so she didn’t want to face him any longer.
“I see. Then surely you’re postponing the wedding?”
“What? Hey, you can’t just leave like this!”
Helio, looking flustered, grabbed Louise as she stood up to leave.
