"Glory to the people! Emperor Nicholaus Goosebourne announced the upcoming changes to the hunting event. From here onwards, all men must have a female partner while hunting. The partners will be chosen by the Emperor himself. Kiss the ground," the man ordered.
Almost immediately, everyone listening except for Martin Lux who had just arrived, lowered their heads to the ground.
"The Emperor of the most prosperous Empire, the descendant of the slayer of the sea beast Utimbre, the head, and sun of the Goosebourne family, is inviting the young lady of the Lux Family, Rosalind Lux to become the partner of the eldest Prince, Prince Lawrence Goosebourne. Accept the order!"
Rosalind slowly got up and accepted the scroll.
"The order has been received and acknowledged! Two days from now before the sun rises in the East, the hunt will start!"
Then the man bowed towards Martin Lux before departing along with the knights that came with him.
Rosalind clutched the scroll as she gnashed her teeth. She looked at Victoria's stunned face and then towards Martin who looked like he had just recalled something critical.
Everyone else was staring at her as if she was someone they hadn't met before.
'What a family,' she thought inwardly.
"Young Miss, the Madam wants to invite you to her chambers for some tea," Grace whispered.
Rosalind looked at Victoria who was standing not far away from her. Victoria refused to personally talk to her, instead, she instructed her maid to do it.
She said nothing as she followed Grace towards Victoria's quarters.
"You cannot accept that order," Victoria said just as Grace left them alone.
"Greetings madam," Rosalind smiled, ignoring Victoria's words as she sat opposite the woman.
"Let me repeat my words: you cannot accept that order."
"And you think I have the capability to refuse an order from the Emperor?" Rosalind asked.
"It will break Dorothy's heart," Victoria stated.
Rosalind snorted. "I heard her marriage had been finalized." There were rumors that Anthony's father already proposed. Sadly, Rosalind and Milith weren't able to confirm this rumor as they were stuck inside her house for days.
"I will agree to your proposition, but that is only because of Dorothy! I do not want to see her devastated."
"There has been a rumor that she tried to jump off the second floor of the mansion when she heard about the engagement. Is that true?"
Just as she expected, Victoria didn't say anything.
"But instead of spending some time with your daughter, you are here trying to mind my business." Rosalind didn't hide the sarcasm in her voice. "Are you certain that you are doing this for your daughter or"
"Shut your trap!" Victoria's fists were tight as she glared at her. "My daughter is not that weak."
"Then I am glad."
"I am going to convince your father to send you to the North, but I cannot do anything about the Emperor."
For whatever messed up reason, the man decided to make her the partner of Prince Lawrence, making matters more complicated.
Prince Lawrence Goosebourne was Dorothy's husband in the past life. The man had a deep sense of righteousness. He was good with the sword, but he wasn't the brightest Prince. However, because his mother was the current Empress, he easily secured the position of the crown prince and used it to fight against his brothers.
In the end, he was the victor, but that was because his wife was Dorothy the Blessed one. Or at least, that's what he thought.
The healing capability of the Blessing of the light helped Lawrence secure his position.
"Do you know who is going to be the Duke's partner?" Rosalind asked.
"It was the young princess."
"Ah Princess Isabel," Rosalind's lips lifted into a sinister smirk. When Dorothy became the Empress in her past life, she immediately asked her husband to make Rosalind the head of her Ladies in Waiting. This gave Rosalind the opportunity to become close to Dorothy and the opportunity to receive everyone's respect.
Everyone except the haughty Princess Isabel.
"The Princess must have done something to convince the Emperor. Perhaps she wanted to become the Duke's bride, but that woman is shallow and careless. Moreover, the Emperor treasured her like a real daughter. I am certain that the Emperor would never let her marry into the North."
"I know," Rosalind smiled. Honestly, she was surprised to see how perceptive Victoria was. The woman was actually right. Princess Isabel always wanted to become the Duke's bride and this wasn't because of some misunderstanding.
The Princess claimed that she once saw the Duke's real face and that was when she fell in love with him. Sadly, their marriage never happened because the Emperor didn't want to send her to the North. On the outside, it looked like the Emperor greatly loved the Princess, but Rosalind knew the truth behind the matter.
The Emperor was wary of the Princess's father, the Duke of Duance. He did not want the Duke to gain the support of the North. Because of this, the Emperor always used the excuse that he could not part with the only Princess in the Empire to stop this marriage from happening.
"You do not have to worry about the Princess. Besides I will never allow you to stay in this mansion. You must marry the Duke of the Northern Kingdom!" Victoria added.
"Of course," Rosalind smiled. "Well then is there anything else that you want to tell me?"
"I hate you," Victoria said. "With all my heart."
"Is that something new? You hava hated me since the day I was born."
"All I want is for you to leave this place," Victoria said.
"I am glad to find an ally with the same goals in mind, and "
"I am not an ally," Victoria hissed. "If given a chance, I would stab you in the back and watch you bleed while I enjoy my tea!"
"Now that is quite harsh," Rosalind couldn't help but smile. In the days that she had not seen the woman, Victoria seemed to have become older. "I could not imagine the Marchioness uttering such words without an iota of kindness in her voice."
Victoria glared at her, her eyes full of fury and fire. Rosalind could seem to hear the woman grit her teeth in anger.
"Since the madam had nothing more to say, I shall take my leave. I still have a lot of preparations to make for the hunting event. After all, I cannot just dress like a beggar in front of the eldest prince of this Empire, can I?"