Chapter 73.1

Chapter 73.1

Emma had been with Irvan for quite some time that staying by his side had become second nature.

“What’s next on the agenda?”

Irvan listened to the meeting and their remarks. He was uninterested throughout. He glanced at Emma sitting next to him and asked for her opinion.

“Miss Herman, I want to hear what you think,” he said.

At first, Emma felt awkward to publicly express her personal opinions. It was because she deemed that it was inappropriate for a stranger to intervene in important matters within their territory. Moreover, she wasn’t going to stay here.

“Did all of you hear that? Listen to what Miss Herman says.”

Seeing Irvan’s preferential treatment towards her, where her opinion was valued in the decision felt conflicting to Emma and all parties present. With one word from Emma, the result was overturned, resulting in both joy and sorrow from different parties.

‘Is this really okay…?’ Emma thought as they later returned to the annex. After much thinking, she asked if she still had to go to the audience chamber. Irvan shrugged.

“You said your father ran an apothecary, right?” he said.

Emma nodded. “Yes,” she replied.

“What kind of work did he usually do there?”

“Different kinds of work. Buying medicine, checking sales, managing the customers and employees.”

“What about you?”

“I was next to him. Most of the medical knowledge I have I learnt from watching my father.”

“Alright. You can think of the Castle as the apothecary. You can just think of it as a slightly larger business. The work deals with various issues and incidents every day, as well as deciding what to do in the future. It looks complicated, but if you scale it down, it’s not really a big deal.”

Emma couldn’t agree with him. This place was full of complicated issues, politically-sensitive matters, and conflicts of interest within families.

“For me, it’s easy to nip the problem in the bud. Would you like to simply cut out the rotten buds?” Irvan continued when Emma remained silent.

“Huh?”

When Emma merely blinked in surprise, Irvan chuckled.

“I know. But it’s because of that – no one survives. You need cunning to deal with territorial affairs and to smoothly deal with matters that satisfy the general status quo. No matter how you look at it, I don’t seem to have any talent in that area.”

It was a fact that Emma had also come to realize herself. However, Irvan was a perfectionist. He was quite aware of the public’s opinion on him and their dismal evaluation of him becoming the next count.

“Anyway, these matters should be handled by someone who has the wit, not someone who is led by their desires… I’m asking you to help balance things out by my side for the time being. If you don’t understand the technicalities, you can ask Laute or Baron Berne. If that’s not enough, you can form a group of advisors or call for a hearing.”

Emma remained silent, looking hesitant and worried. Irvan’s large hand caressed the top of her head, and then gently caressed her cheeks.

“I’m depending on you,” Irvan affectionately whispered into her ear as he tilted her head. “Please help me out…”

Their warm lips met and his soft hands from her hair wrapped around the curve of her back to support her. The next moment, she was already in his embrace.

“Thank you, Emma.”

Like a moth to a flame, Emma was hopelessly drawn to Irvan.

‘…It’s only for the time being.’ She didn’t decide how long she’d do it, but at that moment, her heart clenched sweetly at the fact that Irvan needed her.

“Hah.”

As Irvan’s hot tongue dug deeply and greedily into Emma’s mouth, she returned the kiss passionately. Her heart thundered in her ears. Irvan turned all her anxious and confused emotions into pleasure, and she willingly gave herself to him completely.

* * *

Time passed by quickly. Irvan’s campaign for the Territorial Battle was just around the corner. Permission had already been granted from the Centre, and as soon as the supervisor from the palace arrived, the Territorial Battle would begin.

Baron Muns boasted that he had gathered mercenaries with his enormous capital, but it was unclear whether he would be able to win against elite soldiers who had been dealing with werewolves for hundreds of years. Still, many people say that reckless gambling was normal in royal politics.

When Laute told her the news and asked Emma who she was going to bet on, Emma said nothing and merely clasped her hands tightly.

“This is a great opportunity to increase your wealth. The allotment isn’t high, but it’s more than double no matter which side you bet on,” Laute said.

“…We’re going to win, right?” Emma replied, a slightly anxious look on her face..

“Of course.”

Laute said it with confidence, but Emma was still uneasy.

Even if it wasn’t on a national level, wasn’t this still a war? A ruthless war where life and death would intersect. As time went by, her heart ached. She was jealous of Laute, who was calm in the face of war.

There were only two days left before the war.