60 Burning Resolve (1/2)
”DO YOU know what you're saying, Tilly?” Duke Prescott, her father, asked her. He seemed shocked by her declaration a while ago. ”You're going to overthrow the Moonchesters once you find the truth? We don't even know if the Great Fire Tree really exists.”
”It exists,” Tilly said confidently. ”I don't know why but my gut feeling is telling me that the Great Fire Tree really exists. And my instinct is telling me that I have to find it.”
”Are you planning to use the ”truth” that you'd find and use it against the royal family?”
”Father, to be honest, I thought I should mend the Fire Mages' relationship with the Moonchesters,” she admitted. ”I have the heart of the Supreme Fire Mage but Kiho vowed his loyalty to the throne. I know that he will choose me over the emperor. But it would mean he'd betray His Majesty for me. And I don't want Kiho to end up as a traitor.”
”That's true. Captain Kiho is the one who's going to be in a tight position,” the duke agreed. ”I feel bad but even though I had my memories when the emperor told me about the prophecy, I would have still agreed to marry you off to the captain. A direct request from His Majesty would be hard to reject. And the prophecy was made public so had we turned down the request, our family would have suffered heavily. We could have been accused of treason as well.”
That was true.
The prophecy came from the High Priest himself. His Eminence said that Kiho's child would be a special existence to the empire. Had House Prescott refused to marry her off to the captain, they would have been scrutinized.
Being accused of treason was possible, too. After all, turning down an offer that would apparently bring prosperity to the empire would have been disservice to the royal family. Plus, high ranking nobles like them had ”noblesse oblige.”
Noblesse oblige meant that privileged people like them had the responsibility to act with generosity and nobility towards the less privilege. So when House Prescott was chosen to fulfill the prophecy for the good of the empire, they weren't really in the position to refuse. If they did, they would have been a disgrace to the nobility while the commoners would have hated them.
[It's really hard to be the enemy of the royal family.]
”I don't regret marrying Kiho, Father,” she said. ”And I will protect him.”
”What's your plan, Tilly?”
”I'll forget about my foolish thought of fixing our relationship with the royal family,” she said. ”Aside from the fact that the princess killed my mother, I also realized that the emperor would definitely not forgive me for burning Her Royal Highness to crisp. I unwittingly declared a war against them but I could no longer take it back. And after hearing the truth about Mother's death, I know for a fact that I couldn't bow my head to them anymore. I have to fight or else, I'll lose everything.”
[Again.]
”I understand your feelings, daughter,” her father said carefully. ”But it wouldn't be easy. You know that, don't you?”
She knew that.
To be honest, when she returned to this time, she never thought she would be fighting against the royal family. All she wanted was to have a good and decent life with Kiho and Winter. But it was time to shed her naivety.
Plus, it wasn't like she had nothing to fight against the royal family. Aside from her special heart, she still had the knowledge from her first life.
”Father, His Majesty's lineage would end in his generation,” she said confidently. ”He would never have an heir.”
The duke looked surprised by her revelation. ”Are you sure, Tilly? How did you know that?”
”I can't tell you yet, Father,” she said apologetically. ”And please don't tell it to other people yet. Let's save it until it comes in handy.”
Her father looked at her long and hard as if he was studying her. ”Alright. I will trust you.”
”Thank you, Father.”
To be honest, she was hoping that her hunch was correct.
Princess Nia had been taking infertility medicine since she was a kid so by this time, the princess might already lost her ability to get pregnant.
Of course, the emperor had the option to choose another empress. Or a concubine, at least. If it was exposed to the public that Her Royal Highness couldn't bear a child for the emperor, the nobles would settle for a ”half-breed” heir instead of no one.
[But in my past life, His Majesty refused to get married to another lady.]
The emperor was too crazy for Princess Nia to pick a new wife.
And that was exactly why Emperor Aku accepted Winter as his heir. The higher nobles also easily accepted her son because of the prophecy.
[That reminds me…]
”Father, about the prophecy…” she started. ”Did it say anything else other than my son being a special existence to the empire?”
Her father shook his head. ”That was the only thing that the High Priest announced. Why did you ask?”
”I feel like the prophecy was incomplete,” she said. ”It didn't specify how my son would be a special existence to the empire.”
”Do you think there's something more to it?”
”Yes, Father,” she said. ”But according to Captain Denver, we can't trust the High Priest. So I'm thinking that the prophecy he announced had something more to it. I think we need to find a way to get the High Priest tell us the whole prophecy.”
”I'll secretly meet up with Morgan Denver and tell him about your plan to know the full prophecy,” her father said. ”When will you tell Captain Kiho the truth about your identity?”
”Father, do you agree with my decision?”
”When I spent time training Captain Kiho, I saw how much he loves you,” the duke said. ”I trust your husband.”
She smiled at that. ”Thank you, Father.”