Side Story 3.2 - HAPPILY EVER AFTER(2) (2/2)

‘Taran Gong is such a lucky devil, eh.’

In most cases, if the father was outstanding, the children’s capability was usually below their father’s. However, Taran Gong’s son seemed to have inherited his father’s capability but none of his father’s personality defects, so he was more perfect.

‘And he’s only a year older than the Crown Prince.’

Compared to Count Taran, the Crown Prince was very young and immature.

“Do you want Selena to be seated as the Duchess?” (Kwiz)

“I cannot say I do not want that. Seeing Taran Gong’s unchanging affection for the Duchess has made my heart lean towards them. Wouldn’t Sir. Taran love his wife like that as well, seeing as he grew up watching his parents in that manner? It is every mother’s wish for her daughter to be loved by her husband and live happily.”(Beth)

“…”

“Were you merely jesting when you asked Taran Gong about becoming in-laws?”

“When the Duchess was pregnant, I was honestly willing to pair Selena up with them if the Duchess had a boy.”

“Why didn’t you consider pairing our son with them if they had a girl?”

“My Queen. Can you imagine how much dowry one would have to give to bring in Taran Gong’s daughter? This king can’t handle that.”

Beth gave her husband a sidelong scowl as he changed realistically concerning their son’s issue.

“I made a slight mention of it to the Duchess in passing but I ended up withdrawing. She told me the Duke was disinclined to a union between cousins.”

“Cousins?”

Kwiz considered the meaning of that word for a while. Strictly speaking, since the Duchess was his half-sister, their children were cousins. However, Kwiz had never thought of putting it in that category. It wasn’t because Kwiz was stupid or daft, but because in the royal family, the concept of having relatives between descendants was rare, unless they were blood siblings.

In Xenon, there was a law forbidding the marriage of blood relations within the second cousin. However, for the royal family, that law was practically nullified. Whether it was for political reasons or for carnal reasons, a king had more than ten concubines and many more children than that. Kwiz having only a few concubines and no children from those concubines was quite a rare case.

The women who entered the back palace for political reasons were daughters of noble families. If they were all slapped with the title of ‘relatives’, their descendants would not be able to find a marriage partner in the future when they grow up.

Especially in the case of the late King, whose licentiousness was to an excessive degree, quite a number of noble families were relatives.

There would be a limited scope of political marriage partners for their level. Thus, intermarriage between royal descendants such as cousins was something that happened openly.

Moreover, Count Taran was not even the Duchess’ biological son. Of course, since he was entered into the family register, their mother-son relationship was acknowledged as no different from biological according to the law, but in a place where intermarriage occurred between blood-related cousins, what was so uncomfortable about a marriage between people who were only acknowledged as cousins by law? Kwiz figured this was just another way to spin the rejection.

“I don’t believe Your Majesty isn’t thinking about it at all. Consider an engagement between Selena and Sir. Taran.”

Kwiz fell into deep thought.

Becoming in-laws with the Duke of Taran. It wasn’t a bad idea. If that happened, the royal family would be in-laws with the two Duke Houses that held the highest power in the nations. When it came to building a strong relationship, there was no means more stable than blood.

Translator’s Corner:

[1] This is saying that means: Children tend to obey their parents when they are young but do as they wish when they grow up.

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