Me, a Princess? My Lord! - Chapter 77

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 77

Heidi frowned and asked.

“Why? A marriage partner like Princess Anastasia wouldn’t be common.”

“That’s true.”

Lawrence readily agreed.

“Though I bear the name of Pretium, I am the second son. When Father passes away, even that name won’t be mine.”

Heidi’s eyes widened in bewilderment.

“That’s not what I meant by…”

“It’s fine. It’s the truth. And thanks to that, I was able to enjoy life to the fullest. It wasn’t all bad.”

Lawrence smiled slightly.

“If I had married Princess Anastasia, it would have been good for both of us. I would have spent my remaining years more comfortably than any other man in Panther, and she would have gotten Pretium in her grasp to manipulate.”

“…”

“If you hadn’t appeared, Princess Anastasia would have become king, so…”

Heidi tilted her head and asked.

“Do you regret it?”

“I should regret it, but I don’t. Rather than that…”

Lawrence paused briefly as if choosing his words. He looked straight into Heidi’s violet eyes and spoke.

“I wanted to take a different path.”

“A different path?”

Heidi burst into laughter.

“Are you thinking of becoming my fiancé instead of Anastasia’s? Is that why you wanted to meet alone today?”

“If you would allow it, I wouldn’t refuse.”

Lawrence grinned, showing his white, even teeth.

“However, that’s not why I came today.”

Lawrence pulled out a thick envelope from his coat and placed it on the table. He slid it toward Heidi.

Heidi stared down at the brown envelope and asked.

“What is this?”

Lawrence pointed to the envelope with his hand.

“Please check for yourself.”

“…”

Heidi briefly met Lawrence’s eyes. She had a feeling this was something unusual.

‘What could possibly be inside…’

Heidi carefully peered inside the envelope. There was a thick bundle of papers inside.

‘Documents?’

Heidi carefully pulled out the contents and placed them on the table. Her eyes grew wider and wider as she turned each page.

Thud.

Heidi slammed her hand on the documents and leaned forward toward the table, asking.

“What is this?”

Lawrence shrugged.

“It’s exactly what you see. Documents containing the nobles’ weaknesses.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking right now.”

Heidi lowered her voice considerably and fired off questions.

“How do you have this? Did you investigate it yourself? Or did you get it from somewhere? Did the Viscount have it? What’s your intention in giving this to me…”

“Please ask one at a time. I’ll answer everything.”

Lawrence slightly raised the corner of his mouth.

“The source of this document is indeed my brother Clovis. I happened to discover it while it was hidden.”

“Then…”

As if knowing what Heidi was worried about, Lawrence immediately added.

“What you have is a copy, so don’t worry. I put the original back in its proper place.”

Heidi asked carefully.

“If this is a document the Viscount created, then Anastasia must know this content too, right?”

“Yes, certainly.”

Lawrence nodded.

“Princess Anastasia has been using the nobles’ weaknesses as bait to move them as she pleases. Sometimes she used them to win people over, sometimes to punish them. You already know about Viscount Carlin’s story.”

Heidi let out a short sigh and pushed the documents toward Lawrence.

“I had suspected it. That Clovis the Viscount was Anastasia’s informant.”

“What I’ve shown you now is only a small part. Anastasia probably has three or four times more information than this document.”

Three or four times more?

Heidi’s eyes widened in surprise. Her heart pounded.

‘At times like this, I need to think and judge calmly.’

Heidi took a deep breath and carefully parted her lips.

“Perhaps we could simply view this as Anastasia having excellent intelligence gathering. That itself wouldn’t be a problem, would it?”

“That’s correct.”

Lawrence nodded.

“I think this document is a kind of starting point. How Princess Anastasia collected this document, how she’s been using it, whether that process was legal and legitimate… That’s something we’ll need to investigate gradually.”

Lawrence pushed the documents back toward Heidi.

“This document will be of great help to you, Princess.”

“…”

“The nobles will have great resentment just knowing someone is prying into their private lives. We can use this to our advantage.”

Heidi’s eyes narrowed.

“We?”

Lawrence nodded with a meaningful expression.

“Yes, we.”

Lawrence looked straight into Heidi’s eyes and spoke.

“There must be more things like this. Among them, there might be things that could be Princess Anastasia’s weaknesses. I’ll find them all and deliver them to you, Princess.”

Was he sincere?

If he was sincere, how sincere was he?

How far could she trust this person?

The two maintained eye contact for a long time. Heidi stared at Lawrence’s blue eyes for quite a while. His gaze didn’t waver at all.

‘Everything is exactly as Deshion predicted.’

Thinking about it, it was all within the expected range. That Lawrence would clash with Anastasia, that he would keep his brother Clovis in check.

‘Though I didn’t expect him to bring such a big gift.’

Heidi took a breath and parted her lips.

“…It’s certainly a tempting proposal. I like the gift too.”

“I’m glad it pleases you.”

“But there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You must want something from me… What is it?”

Heidi tilted her head.

“You already said it’s not about wanting an engagement with me.”

“I didn’t say I don’t want it.”

“What?”

Seeing Heidi’s bewildered expression, Lawrence chuckled softly. He playfully raised his eyebrows.

“However, wouldn’t this kind of proposal be rather underhanded? No style, no romance… It’s not my taste.”

“Hmm.”

“What I want is…”

The playfulness gradually faded from Lawrence’s expression.

“I want to protect the name of Pretium.”

“That means…”

After thinking for a moment, Heidi rolled her eyes.

“You want to push out the current Viscount and inherit the family yourself.”

“…”

“Anastasia and the Viscount are practically bound by fate… If I inherit the throne, it will be advantageous for you as well.”

Lawrence nodded.

“If I become Duke Pretium, Your Highness will gain the Praetorium Estate in addition to the Haizen Estate. I believe it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Heidi agreed as well. However, since it was such an important decision, she felt she should discuss it with Deshion first.

“I need time to consider it.”

“I didn’t come here today expecting an immediate answer.”

“It won’t take long.”

Lawrence smiled warmly at Heidi.

“I’ll gladly wait.”

Having accomplished his purpose, Lawrence slowly rose to his feet. He leisurely looked around Heidi’s garden.

‘So this is what the Western Palace feels like.’

Having grown accustomed only to the scenery of the East Palace where Anastasia resided, it felt quite different to him.

‘Hmm?’

Just then, a middle-aged woman brushed past him. Lawrence’s gaze unconsciously followed the woman’s face.

She wasn’t dressed as a maid, but her attire was too modest to be considered a lady-in-waiting. If she had been a noble of sufficient rank to frequent the Princess’s Palace, Lawrence would have recognized her immediately.

‘But why does she seem so familiar? I’m certain I’ve seen that face before…’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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