Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 76. The Noblewomen and The King III

One of the noble ladies raised her hand slightly, asking his permission to speak.
"Your Majesty, may ask why did you choose her as your first wife? I know your marriage is based on Euphorion's political interests but doesn't the king's first wife usually come from his own kingdom?"

"Before, marriage was the last thing on my mind. I was too busy with various things, especially since the late King Xenos left too many messes. Since I couldn't delay this wedding, this was a perfect time for a workaholic like me," he explained.

"Also..." He smirked.
"When did I say I would remarry?" he said straight to the point.

His statement shocked everyone.
"You won't?" another noblewoman said. It just came out of her mouth before she asked his permission.

"I don't have any plans for that at the moment," he decided to give them an uncertain statement.

"But... Don't you still need a queen?" another said.

"I can postpone it until I really need it and my wife can give me a successor. I think there's nothing to worry about."

Upon his statement, Lady Belle finally opened her voice.
“Your Majesty, do you plan to appoint Princess Rose as your queen one day?” she asked doubtfully.

"I haven't decided that yet. It all depends on what she can do for Euphorion."

It shocked all women since that meant Rose could be the queen due to her services to Euphorion.

"But, Your Majesty. Isn't that too risky? She turned from Prince Ilex to Prince Artheur then to you. Shouldn't you be careful with her?" Another reminded him.

It managed to make him chuckle even though he was holding himself back.
"Princess Rose has never had a relationship with Prince Ilex and her engagement with Prince Artheur is only an agreement between King Eudon and King Esteve. That isn't her wish."

"She could be faking it," one of them muttered in a low voice since she was too afraid to say it. But Angel heard it and gave her an answer beyond everyone's expectations.

"Yes. It could happen. That's why I bound her with this marriage and made her do a lot of things for Euphorion." Since they doubted Rose's feelings and sincerity, he decided to give them political reasons. After all, he knew no matter how much he explained about Rose, Ilex and Artheur's relationship, neither of them would believe it. Instead, they would think Angel had been blinded by his feelings.
"Lie or not, neither of us knows for sure. She could be lying, but she could be honest. For sure, I can tell whether her actions will be useful for Euphorion or not. So as long as this marriage is profitable for Euphorion, isn't that enough for everyone?”

That statement made everyone press their lips. He was right. As a king what he should think about was his kingdom's interests before his feelings. So it could be said that their feelings were a bonus, while the main reason was politics. As long as the noblewomen couldn't break it, his reasons for marrying Rose were valid.

"Your Majesty, forgive me for asking something rude. May I know... Why did you decide to spare her life? I mean... She has already committed many crimes to Euphorion," said one noblewoman carefully since this was a sensitive question. She decided to use Pearl Gate City incident to bring down Rose's reputation.

"With her abilities, killing her is a waste. Wouldn't it be better if we had her help us? Now I will ask you. If you were another kingdom, would you dare to attack Euphorion?" This was his first idea when he didn't know the real problem. So he could answer this question easily.

Again, they fell silent. With Angel's fighting skills and leadership as king plus Rose's medical and poison abilities, Euphorion would become the strongest kingdom on the entire continent. No one would dare attack or challenge Euphorion. So as Angel said, this was the best decision.

Upon their silence, Angel swept his gaze over the women's faces. Neither of them whispered to the other. All of them thought hard to make the next question, but none of them had it.
"Since none of you have any questions, I'll end the meeting here."

But then, Lady Belle raised her hand.
"Pardon my rudeness, Your Majesty. May I speak privately with you?"

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