Chapter 401: Im the Official Wife, and Thats Final.
Chapter 401: Iâm the Official Wife, and Thatâs Final.
At this moment, Liaâs expression turned completely serious.
Not only Lia, but even Charlâs face was filled with shock as she tensed up.
If this matter was related to a revelation from the Goddess of Fate, then it was no joking matter.
At least, thatâs what Lia and Charl thought.
From their perspective, the meaning of âIf we donât get married soon, something bad might happenâ was naturally different.
(Could it be that some terrible disaster is about to happen, and the only way to avoid it is for Lucy to get married?)
Lia couldnât help but worry about this.
The incident in Cosmos was now public knowledge.
Everyone knew that the fortress city of Cosmos had been destroyed and was completely gone.
The Stalim Duchyâs First Knight Order was also missing, and even Capeline, the Valkyrie of the Empire, had disappeared along with the Severed Blade Knights. Therefore, for the people of the Kingdom and the Empire, disaster had already struck once.
According to the information gathered by the royal family, the beastmen seemed to have released news that the leader of the Old Demon Factionâs [Mirage], who caused this incident, hadnât been dealt with, and the human mastermind who collaborated with him was also still active.
Since that was the case, it was highly likely that these terrorists hadnât left the Kingdom and were still lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity.
In other words, disaster might be unexpectedly close.
Perhaps, in the shadows of the Kingdom, a new conspiracy was brewing, ready to strike.
Lucyâs blessing might have captured the precursor to the disaster and given her a revelation.
ââŠIs the situation very serious?â
Lia asked Lucy in a deep voice.
Lucy naturally didnât know what Lia was thinking. Seeing her serious expression, she thought her sister was concerned about her marriage.
(Although she always teases me, Sister Lia really does care about me.)
Lucy was touched and replied seriously,
âOf course, itâs serious. Itâs not a joking matter at all.â
Lucyâs expression was unprecedentedly serious.
Although she didnât mind Shien taking one or two concubines, they had to be just that â concubines. She was a princess, renowned in the human world and with a certain status in the Divine Realm. If she couldnât even be the official wife, not only would she become a laughingstock, but the Kingdom would also be ridiculed by other countries.
Therefore, Lucy was certain that if Shienâs official wife was someone else, the Kingdom wouldnât allow her to marry him, no matter what.
Even though Lucy had considerable influence in the Kingdom and didnât need to obey anyoneâs orders, it didnât mean that she didnât care about the reputation of the royal family and the Kingdom.
Therefore, she had to be the official wife.
If she couldnât, then marrying Shien was basically out of the question.
Unless Lucy abandoned her family and the Kingdom, stubbornly eloping with Shien, the Kingdom would try to stop it, even at the risk of offending her.
Lucy could decide her own marriage.
However, Lucy didnât want to cause a rift with the Kingdom because of this.
If she was the official wife, then the Kingdom would have to accept it, no matter how reluctant. But if Lucy settled for being a concubine, then the entire nation might riot. âĂŁĆÈȘĐÆđŹ
It was because Lucy was thinking about this that she was worried and distracted.
Therefore, this matter was very serious, not a joking matter at all.
Hearing Lucyâs words and seeing her serious expression, Liaâs heart tightened.
(It seems to be a terrible disaster, making Lucy so worried.)
Lia felt that she might understand why her sister was acting so strangely.
(She definitely doesnât want to see the Kingdom suffer such a terrible disaster, but the only way to resolve it is to get married, so sheâs worried, right?)
Her sister was so responsible, fulfilling her duties as a princess of the Kingdom. If she knew that only marriage could avert a terrible disaster, she would definitely choose to get married.
Even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness, she wouldnât hesitate.
This was the true reason behind âI want to get married.â
It must be!
Feeling that she had grasped the truth, Lia couldnât help but feel touched.
(Although she usually seems indifferent to us and the citizens, Lucy does care about us.)
Thinking of this, Lia made up her mind.
âDonât worry, Lucy.â Lia looked at her sister with determination and said seriously, âI, as your older sister, will help you.â
Lucy was slightly taken aback.
âHelp me? How?â Lucy smiled wryly. âOnly I can do this. No one can help me.â
Right?
If it came to the point where she needed to use the power of the royal family and the Kingdom to compete for favor, then even if she won in the end, it wouldnât be convincing, right?
Moreover, Shien definitely wouldnât want to see her resorting to any means to suppress the other women around him just for the position of official wife.
Besides, she wouldnât stoop to such methods.
Therefore, no one could help her with this matter. She could only rely on her own strength to fight for it.
As Lucy was thinking this, Lia suddenly grabbed her hand.
âDonât say that, Lucy.â Lia gripped Lucyâs hand tightly and said resolutely, âItâs not beyond saving yet. We can plan this carefully. Maybe we can achieve a perfect ending?â
At this moment, Lia racked her brains, trying to come up with ideas.
(Even if she has to get married, it doesnât necessarily mean Lucy has to sacrifice her happiness.)
(As long as Lucy finds a husband she truly likes before the disaster strikes, wouldnât the problem be solved?)
(Although Lucy has high standards, being the most outstanding genius in the world, and no man seems worthy of her, if we lower the bar a bit, there should still be some who can meet the requirements, right?)
(Then, as long as we work hard to make that person someone Lucy likes, wouldnât that solve the problem?)
(Yes! Thatâs what weâll do!)
Liaâs eyes grew brighter, completely oblivious to Lucyâs following words.
âIndeed, itâs not a lost cause yet. I wonât lose!â
Lucy cheered herself on.
Charl, watching Lucy cheering herself on and Lia racking her brains for a solution, couldnât help but murmur,
âWhy⊠why do I feel like somethingâs not right?â
Charl was confused.
At this moment, Lia stood up.
âIâll go discuss this with Father right now!â Lia said to Lucy in a determined voice. âDonât worry, Lucy, trust your sister, Iâll make you happy!â
Leaving these words behind, Lia turned and left.
âP-Princess Lia!?â
Seeing this, Charl hurriedly followed.
âSister LiaâŠâ
Lucy watched Lia leave with a touched expression, her heart filled with even greater determination.
âYes, I will definitely be happy.â
Even for her sister, who was so considerate of her, she couldnât lose to anyone.
Official wife, Iâm taking that title.
âŠ
Meanwhile, Lia, unaware of her huge misunderstanding, hurriedly sought an audience with her father, Ancil, and told him everything about Lucy.
âWhat!?â
Ancil stood up in surprise.
âA great disaster that can only be averted by Princess Lucyâs marriage?â
Aldia, who was by Ancilâs side, also frowned.
Both of them wanted to ask Lia what kind of joke this was.
But Lia looked anxious.
âItâs all true, Father.â Lia said quickly, âI heard it with my own ears. This seems to be why Lucy has been acting so strangely recently. If you donât believe me, you can ask Charl.â
âHuh?â Charl was stunned, completely surprised that she was brought into this.
Ancil looked at Charl with a frown and asked, âIs this true?â
Aldia also looked at Charl.
Being stared at by the king and a legendary knight, Charl held her breath.
Therefore, even though she felt like something was wrong, Charl still answered truthfully,
âI did hear Princess Lucy say that if she doesnât get married, something bad might happen.â
Charl repeated what she had heard verbatim.
Ancil and Aldia exchanged glances, their expressions turning serious.
ââŠWhat does Lucy think about this?â
Ancil asked Lia in a deep voice.
âSheâs worried.â Lia said frankly, âBut she seems willing to sacrifice her own happiness and the rest of her life for the sake of the Kingdom and for us.â
Ancil understood what she meant.
âFor the sake of the Kingdom, Lucy has already decided to accept marriage, Father.â Lia quickly said, âWe canât just watch Lucy sacrifice herself!â
Liaâs tone was filled with sadness.
Ancilâs mood also soured.
He truly valued and cherished Lucy.
Lucy had never disappointed Ancil, nor anyone else. Her outstanding performance exceeded everyoneâs expectations, which was why she was loved and admired by everyone in the country.
Otherwise, how could Lucy be called the Kingdomâs treasure?
Because of this, Ancil didnât want to see his precious daughter sacrifice her happiness for the Kingdom and for them.
But as the king, Ancil couldnât ignore a potential disaster that could threaten the Kingdom.
âWhat do you think, Aldia?â
Ancil could only ask for Aldiaâs opinion.
ââŠI donât know. This isnât something Iâm good at handling.â Aldia was silent for a moment, then said with an impassive face, âBut I think, once the nobles of the Kingdom learn about this, they will definitely advise Your Majesty to persuade the Princess to agree.â
This matter concerned the survival of the Kingdom, so the nobles naturally wouldnât oppose it.
They would even actively promote it, hoping for Lucy to marry one of their own offspring.
This way, they could not only avert the disaster but also fulfill their desire for a marriage alliance with the unparalleled Kingdomâs treasure. It was a win-win situation.
Who would oppose such a good thing?
Lia naturally also thought of this.
âJust them? Do they really think theyâre worthy of Lucy?â
Lia said with disdain.
âThen what do you think we should do?â
Ancil turned his gaze to his daughter again.
âI think, Father,â Lia said immediately, âeven if Lucy has to get married, we must help her choose someone outstanding enough, someone who can also win Lucyâs heart.â
Saying so, Lia told Ancil her plan.
Listening to Liaâs plan, Ancil frowned, seemingly not quite agreeing.
But in the end, persuaded by Lia, Ancil sighed and nodded.
âIf Lucy has no objections, then letâs do it this way.â
Ancilâs words made Lia smile.
Thus, a commotion that would sweep across the entire world quietly began.