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"RASHTA IS PREGNANT," those words had sent electric shock through her body. astrid scowled and slammed her book into her desk, wiping out a few knick-knacks. but she calmed herself and sat back down.
"your imperial highness, what does this mean for our plans?" grand duke rylan asked worriedly
"it means nothing," astrid said, "i have a few cards up my sleeve, the baby will not be a problem," astrid shrugged, "but it does mean that that woman will have secured her place in the palace," but then her thoughts had trailed to one of her most supportive nobles, duchess tuania and viscount landre.
"the viscount will be executed no doubt," astrid mused, the grand duke tensed, "since rashta is pregnant with an imperial heir, it could be counted as treason if anything had happened to it,"
"we must save the viscount and help the duchess! they are both so loyal to your imperial highness─"
"do you think i'm unaware about that?" astrid snapped, "it's fine. i'll deal with it,"
── astrid sent one of her knights to look into viscount landre's status. the knight returned earlier than expected, right before noontime.
"viscount landre's interrogation is over, and the emperor has made a decision, your imperial highness."
"what is it?"
"he will be sentenced to death."
just as she had guessed. "thank you for letting me know." astrid left her office and headed straight to the prison where viscount landre was being held. the guards looked surprised to see her, but they did not obstruct her from entering. sovieshu must not have ordered them otherwise.
there were six rooms on the first floor of the prison where nobles were held, five of which were empty. astrid went to the only cell that was occupied. although there were bars, the cell itself was furnished like an ordinary civilian room.
viscount landre was seated with his head in his hands, and he weakly lifted his head up as he heard her approaching footsteps. his eyes widened in surprise, and when he tried to stand up, he teetered and stumbled onto the bars. as astrid's eyes adjusted to the dark, she noticed that his face was bruised and blood trickled from his split lips.
"i'm sorry, your imperial highness. i should bow, but my legs won't cooperate."
"it's fine. you don't have to bow."
she remembered when he once looked as happy as a child when he was chosen by the duchess at the new year's ball. now he was in a dark jail cell, a bruised and broken man. but why is he smiling? astrid's question was soon answered.
"is everyone talking about what that woman did to the duchess now?" the viscount mumbled through his broken lips. "i shouted. everyone knows i screamed loud. ─ it was stupid, now that i think of it. i should have confirmed the information i found, instead of visiting that woman first. i was too quick to end it..."
so that was why he yelled at rashta as he was being held down by ergi. viscount landre leaned weakly against the wall, a self-mocking smile on his face. After a moment's consideration, astrid told him the truth. "no one is talking about it. the matter is buried."
the viscount pulled back in surprise, his eyes wide. "buried? what that woman did is buried?"
"it was forgotten when it was discovered that she is pregnant."
"then...haaa. pregnant? pregnant. it can't be."
viscount landre clenched his fingers in his hair as if to tear it out. he still had a smile on his face. he wasn't there when everyone heard about rashta's pregnancy, and sovieshu didn't seem to have mentioned it to him either. "viscount. you will be executed without trial."
viscount landre clenched his teeth as if he hadn't known that either. He put his hands around his head, and made a pained sound and started muttering incoherently. astrid leaned down to his level, but he was in too much agony to notice her.
"viscount. look at me." he turned to astrid at her voice, but his eyes were unseeing. she drew his attention by tapping the bars with her fingers. "viscount. look at me." his eyes finally focused on her. "i wouldn't tell you this if you were going to die.do you understand what i mean?"
"is there a way to save me?"
"there is."
"how...?"
astrid smirked, she had already calculated what was going to happen next, "listen to me, viscount. duchess tuania visited her majesty last night. her majesty will later visit you, and she will say the exact same things and you must reply to her just as you did now. i know you have probably kept evidence somewhere, and you must tell her where you have kept it ── she can and will use that to save you. since you aren't entirely innocent, you will be exiled,"
the viscount looked at her in surprise and delight
"there is a manor, right on the borders of the western kingdom, the eastern empire, and the bluhovans. ── go there and live comfortably with the duchess, who will follow you to exile. servants and butlers will be there ─ that is one of my many secret estates. no one will be able to find you. the person who will take you there is one of my trusted aides. there you will lead a comfortable life. since it's one of my estates, food resources are plenty ─ and the scenery surrounding the manor is wonderful. i will secretly bestow you the house for your and the duchess,"
he bowed his head and his eyes were welling with tears, "your imperial highness's grace... i will be sure to tell the duchess and someday, we will repay your grace,"
astrid smiled, "i am not helping you because i like you," astrid laughed, "but because i know you will be of help to me one day in the future,"
the viscount smiled, "your imperial highness is too smart,"
astrid raised an eyebrow, "oh?"
"your imperial highness knows too much. you could even guess each move of everyone involved. my respects to you," he said.
astrid smirked, she didn't say another word to the viscount but instead turned her heel and left the dungeon. the viscount was right, she was smart, a little too smart. she was able to guess each and every one of their moves, and she knew each and every one of them too well. her father had always told her, a wise girl knows her limits and a smart girl knows she has no limits ── it was people like her you should be afraid of, people who were a little too smart are always a little too dangerous.
𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆
hiii would anyone be interested in a men of the harem fic? ( navier as faceclaim hehe )
