Chapter 4: A Deal with Destiny

Chapter 4: A Deal with DestinyLathel was a little surprised when he heard that; he hadn’t expected Catherine to give him such a grand gift. He frowned, his expression thoughtful, but in truth, he was silently asking the System. "System, if I marry another woman, will she also be added to my Harem list?" ???? [Ding! The System can add other women to the Harem list if their beauty score is 80 points or higher. Note: The beauty score is rated by the System. However, the exp/s gain provided by such women will be lower than that from those with important roles in this world (main heroine/supporting heroine/villainess).] Seeing the System’s message, Lathel was reassured, his gaze growing sharper. Even if the exp/s gain was low, in his current situation, any extra experience points were worth taking. As long as the System’s requirements were met, that was enough. Besides... the bigger the harem, the happier he’d be—something any man would dream of. Noticing Lathel’s contemplation, Catherine smiled and said, "Don’t worry, of course I won’t let you be at a disadvantage." "Have you heard any news about the Kingdom of Varunael?" Upon hearing this, Lathel stroked his chin and said, "Varunael... That seems to be a small, rather barren kingdom to the west." "That’s right." Catherine nodded gently. "Varunael used to be an independent kingdom, but just a month ago, it was destroyed." "What?!" Lathel exclaimed in surprise. "Destroyed? Was it a war?" Catherine shook her head. "Not exactly. There’s a huge secret behind it, but you don’t need to worry about that." "After the destruction of the Kingdom of Varunael, only a few members of the royal family managed to escape, including Princess Aniraya." When Lathel heard that name, it felt familiar. Suddenly, he recalled something and asked, "Mother, is this Princess Aniraya, the one called the Lotus of the Desert?" He searched the memories of the "old Lathel"—sure enough, he had heard that name before. The lotus of the desert, that was the nickname everyone gave to Aniraya. That nickname alone spoke volumes about her beauty. In fact, many people had created a beauty ranking covering the ten most beautiful women within 2,000 miles of the Kingdom of Terith. Aniraya was ranked fifth; of course, the most beautiful was Lathel’s mother—Catherine. "That’s right." Catherine smiled, took another sip of tea, calmly set her cup down, and said, "So you’ve heard of her reputation as well." "Her kingdom is about 500 miles from ours, so she’s now traveling here seeking asylum." "I was still wondering how to refuse them. But if you want, I’ll let them take refuge here in our kingdom, and you can easily take her as a concubine." Upon hearing that, Lathel’s eyes flashed with a hint of greed—though it appeared only for a split second before disappearing. He certainly wanted to agree, but he still needed to maintain his perfect façade. "Mother..." Lathel spoke softly, "Although marrying such a beautiful woman would be an honor for me, I’m afraid it might bring disaster to our kingdom." "Hm?!" Catherine’s eyes narrowed, a hint of intrigue and appreciation flashing within them. "Explain." Lathel took a deep breath and calmly said, "Mother, you mentioned that the fall of Varunael was due to some enormous secret. If we offer them asylum—and if I even marry their princess—I fear we might be dragged into their mire as well." "Please, Mother, reconsider." "Hahaha..." Catherine suddenly laughed aloud, nodding with satisfaction. "Lathel, you truly have grown up. You know how to worry for our kingdom. Your words put me at ease." "However, there’s no need for you to worry. I’ve investigated thoroughly—it seems the destruction of Varunael was caused by a conflict between their king and some terrifying being." "That being destroyed Varunael, but allowed a handful of the royal family to escape. That proves he had no intention of erasing the royal bloodline completely." "So, you can rest assured and take their princess as a concubine. Besides, if disaster ever strikes, I’ll bear the weight for you. I’ll make sure you’re safe your whole life, so there’s nothing for you to worry about." Hearing this, Lathel quickly bowed his head. "Thank you, Mother. I’m so useless, so—" "Ah!" Catherine immediately cut him off. "Don’t say that. No matter what you are, you’re still my son." As she spoke, Catherine stood up, gently stroked his head, then softly caressed his face. "Besides, you’re now shouldering the enormous responsibility of continuing the royal bloodline." "Don’t worry—just enjoy yourself. I’ll find you more wives. Hahaha..." Lathel couldn’t help but laugh, "Hahaha... Mother, you make it sound like you’re about to go out and snatch wives for me." "Well, it’s not that different, hahahaha..." Catherine laughed heartily. At that, Lathel thought of something and immediately asked, "Mother, would it be possible to move up the wedding date?" "Hm?!" Catherine gave him a teasing look. "What’s this? Can’t wait to get married?" Lathel scratched his head, feigning embarrassment. In reality, he felt nothing of the sort. On the contrary, he wanted to marry Selvia as soon as possible to activate the System. Besides, he feared that if Selvia remained "free," Lucien might manage to sway her. His worries were not unfounded—after all, Lucien was the main character, and protagonist’s halo was the most illogical force he knew. Just like before: Lucien could refuse to kneel and question the Queen but still not be thrown out. If it were anyone else, they’d have lost their head and their whole family would have been imprisoned by now. But Lathel wasn’t too bothered. As long as he could activate the System, everything would become much simpler. "Good!" Catherine smiled, tapping Lathel’s nose with her finger. "If you’re that eager, then two days from now, we’ll hold your wedding with Selvia." "Ah! Is that... alright?" Lathel pretended to be surprised, then asked with concern. "Huh! I am the Queen of this kingdom. If I say it’s alright, then it is." Catherine’s brows furrowed, her demeanor absolutely dominant and regal. Lathel nodded, "Mother, thank you." "That’s enough, you don’t need to thank me," Catherine replied with a smile. She patted him gently on the shoulder, chatted with him for a while, then left. After all, she was the Queen and had many affairs to attend to. Lathel watched her departing figure—or more precisely, he was actually looking at her information panel. ... Name: Catherine Solvain Beauty Score: 94 Age: ??? Class: ??? Level: ??? Role: ??? Description: ??? ... Lathel frowned as he saw the description panel, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. "System, why are all Catherine’s details marked with question marks?" ???? [Ding! Because her role has not yet begun, or the main character related to her has not yet appeared.] Lathel considered that perhaps Catherine’s role would begin when the real prince returned in two years. Which meant... he still had two years to conquer Catherine. Although, outwardly, they were mother and son, in reality, there was no blood relation between them. A glint of greed flickered in Lathel’s eyes, mingled with killing intent. "If you truly stand with the real prince, then even if I can’t conquer you, I will never let you survive," Lathel muttered. ... At that moment, in House Vortan, Count Edric was so angry that his face turned bright red. In the grand hall, he shouted, "Lucien, get out here!" Those who heard Edric’s furious voice immediately retreated to their rooms. They all knew Lucien had caused trouble again; while they were eager to see Edric punish him, they were also afraid. Afraid that, if they lingered nearby, Edric’s rage would spill over onto them. They knew very well what kind of man Edric was, so all they could do was mock Lucien for being a fool, then return to their own rooms. Lucien had just returned as well; hearing Edric’s shout, he frowned and said, "Are you calling me?" "That’s how you speak to your father?" Edric glared at Lucien, his eyes red with fury, one hand gripping a long wooden stick, pointing at him. "You little bastard! I regret ever bringing you to that banquet." "Father?" Lucien sneered. "Do you really have the right to call yourself my father?" "You..." Edric was about to say something, but Lucien immediately raised the pendant he wore around his neck, sneered, and said, "Edric, don’t forget... I’m holding onto this."