"Father!!" Duchess Anita exclaimed, shocked by her father’s suggestion. Usually, the main wife only needed to adopt a child from a mistress if she could not bear children. In Anastasia’s case, since her mother was dead, adoption was an option, but Anita already had her own daughter. Why would she want to adopt Anastasia?
"Listen to Father. Her marriage to the crown prince is already set in stone. The best thing now is to have her on our side," Anthony said, joining the conversation.
"What do you mean, ’have her on our side’?" Duchess Anita scoffed. "This marriage should have belonged to my daughter from the beginning. Since when has it ever been acceptable for a mistress’s daughter to marry better than the main wife’s?" She felt that her father and brother should be supporting her daughter instead of suggesting she adopt Anastasia.
"Look at what you’re saying. Have you forgotten that Lady Maureen was never a mistress to begin with? She stepped aside and made way for you. If she had died or divorced your husband, Anastasia would have automatically become your daughter. Now that she is dead, you can still adopt her," General Robert said.
"I will not. She stole the marriage that rightfully belonged to my daughter. I will not let her marry into the royal family so easily," Duchess Anita declared, unafraid to reveal her true thoughts in front of her family.
"Anita, you should listen to Father on this matter. You have already failed to poison her once. If anything happens to her again, you won’t be able to escape punishment. Besides, what benefit would you gain if her marriage to the prince were canceled? Don’t tell me you still think Elizabeth can replace her," Anthony said.
Duchess Anita bit her lower lip. Of course, she had hoped to have Elizabeth take Anastasia’s place, but given how things were unfolding, she knew that possibility was slipping away. Still, she would never allow Anastasia to have the prince.
Seeing his daughter’s stubborn expression, General Robert sighed. "I have looked into the matter of Anastasia becoming the crown prince’s bride. This has nothing to do with your Duke’s residence. I heard that the king consulted a seer to check the noble ladies’ fortunes. It seems Anastasia’s fortune aligns well with the crown prince’s. You are also aware that he already made her perform the purification rite," General Robert explained.
Of course, he could not obtain the exact details, as the king had never disclosed his reasons for collecting the names of noblewomen. Even Robert’s spies only knew that the names were limited to women born in a particular year. Given the situation, they speculated that the king had used a fortune teller to choose a bride for the crown prince.
This practice used to be common before king Nathan’s reign. It was clear from all indication that king George was restoring some of their old practices. Why else who he make Anastasia go through the purification rite.
"Father, what are you trying to say?" Duchess Anita asked.
"I’m saying that your Duke family is not special enough for the king to choose a bride from among you. There is something about that girl that the king values. So, we should take advantage of the situation. Adopt her as your daughter," Robert said. General Robert has lived so long, so he understand a lot about the old gods and practice. Anastasia must be the choosen bride of the prince by old gods.
"I... I..." Duchess Anita hesitated. She was truly unwilling, but she did not want to anger her father. Without his support, Duke Thompson might really divorce her.
"I know you don’t like that girl. I’m not asking you to like her. Just pretend to favor her for a few days. As long as we can win her trust, we can use her to achieve our goals in the future. It won’t be too late to deal with her once she has served her purpose," General Robert explained.
Duchess Anita looked at her father and brother, unable to fathom their full intentions. "Father, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but Elizabeth won’t be able to accept it if I adopt Anastasia," she said. She was concerned about her daughter’s feelings. After all, if she adopted Anastasia, the girl would no longer be seen as the daughter of a mistress in the eyes of society.
"What are you worried about? This is all for show. Elizabeth will always be your only daughter," Robert reassured her.
"Remember what Father taught us as children," Anthony added.
Duchess Anita sighed. "He said that interests and benefits are ultimate," she recalled. Her father always believed in seeking advantage in every situation. Thinking about it now, his suggestion made sense. If she prevented Anastasia from marrying the crown prince, the chances of Elizabeth taking her place were slim. It did not sit well with her to scheme for so long only to have someone else reap the benefits.
"I will listen to Father," she finally agreed. After all, once she adopted Anastasia, she would become the crown prince’s mother-in-law. Even the women who mocked her now would have to show her respect.
"I knew you would come around," General Robert said with satisfaction.
The father and daughter spoke for a while before Anita left with Elizabeth.
"Mother, did I do something wrong?" Elizabeth asked as they rode back in the carriage.
"What do you mean?" Duchess Anita asked. She still felt a bit guilty and was unsure how to tell her daughter about her agreement with her father.
"Grandmother’s attitude toward me today didn’t seem right," Elizabeth said. She was used to being praised by her grandmother, but today, things felt different.
Her grandmother did not inquire about her academic progress or praise her skills. Instead, she kept asking questions about Anastasia.
"What do you mean?" Duchess Anita asked, wondering if her mother had already said something to Elizabeth.
"I just think it’s strange. Usually, Grandmother only cares about me and praises my skills. But today, she kept asking about Anastasia," Elizabeth answered. She could not understand why her grandmother would suddenly care about Anastasia who has no relation with her.
Duchess Anita took a deep breath, realizing that her parents were actively trying to win Anastasia over.
"Isn’t that expected? Anastasia will soon marry the crown prince and join the royal family. Naturally, everyone is interested in knowing more about her," Duchess Anita said, brushing off her daughter’s concerns with the first excuse that came to mind.
Elizabeth, however, did not take it lightly. Hatred filled her heart. She still believed that the marriage to the crown prince should have been hers.
Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Duchess Anita sighed and decided against telling her about the plan to adopt Anastasia under her name. She would discuss it with the Duke first. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel-fire.net