Four Split Personalities

Duke Emily was startled upon hearing those words, then turned her head with a complex expression to glance at Double Leaf, "You know about this... too?"

"Ah? I don’t know about it."

Double Leaf vigorously shook her head and spread her hands, "Don’t get me wrong, although I’ve met with the second prince a few times and my short-term goals aren’t much different from your Highness’s, I have no idea about any plans he and Nini might have had. My earlier inferences... well, they were only because I am rather smart."

The Duchess’s expression immediately softened; after all, she trusted Double Leaf so much. If Double Leaf had been scheming behind her back with someone else, it would have truly saddened her.

"And there’s also..."

To add more persuasive power, Double Leaf quickly followed up with, "On Judgement Day, Prince Shu forcefully reversed the decision outcome, demonstrating prowess and intellect not inferior to... or rather, far surpassing that of Crown Prince Marshal. After the escape of Bafy Marshall, he even orchestrated this divine-speed coalition punitive expedition. In less than a week, he pushed the Lord’s Allied Forces to this position, driving the Marshall Family into a corner. Clearly, our second prince is not the carefree and irresponsible man he appeared to be over the past twenty-odd years. In fact, his ambitions are great, and not limited to the throne. Otherwise, if he simply wanted to stabilize the situation, there should have been better ways to respond."

Duke Emily nodded slightly and said softly, "So, after he proposed the idea of marriage with me... that’s how you arrived at your earlier conclusion, is that it?"

Double Leaf nodded emphatically and then revealed a large, sweet smile, "Mm-hmm~"

"Alright, alright, I believe you’re on my side."

Emily couldn’t help but chuckle and blinked gently, "As long as I’m still willing to help kill off the entire Marshall family, right?"

"I want revenge, you seek justice~"

Double Leaf cunningly smiled and shrugged her small shoulders, "It’s fundamentally different from those smelly men who are keen on scheming and conniving."

"Well said."

With clapping hands, Motan looked back at Duke Emily, "Double Leaf’s deductions are correct, I have nothing to add. Now it’s up to you, what do you say?"

The air grew heavy again.

After quite some time, the young Crystal Wolf Duke finally spoke slowly, "You haven’t told me the reason why you rashly laid your cards on the table with me."

"Because you could figure it out yourself. Even if you’re momentarily blinded by false love, as a lord, you wouldn’t immerse yourself in it forever." Motan smiled breezily and leaned back comfortably against the chair, "Moreover, in my view, even if you never figured it out, Prince Shu would find an opportunity to clarify things with you. As for those messages he asked me to convey... If I had delivered them to you verbatim, it would have disappointed His Highness, wouldn’t it?"

"Okay, I don’t know why you guys like to make simple things so complex, but that’s fine."

Emily sighed out and looked at Motan calmly, "I want to say, there are many ways to cooperate..."

"That’s true, but the most solid and effective way so far is just this one."

Motan cut in with equal calmness. He finished the last bit of red wine, stood up, and bowed slightly to Emily, "So thus far, I hope you can give an answer by tomorrow evening. If it’s a no, then let us discuss other ways of cooperation."

Emily didn’t get up, but squinted at Motan as he prepared to leave, "Before tomorrow night... His Highness seems very confident in himself."

"Perhaps."

Motan smiled playfully and as he turned to leave, said without looking back, "I think it’s just that he’s confident in you."

...

Five minutes later

Housekeeper Deku looked uneasily at his silent mistress and struggled mentally for some time before hesitating to speak, "Miss..."

"Uncle Deku, you go and rest first."

Emily shook her head and showed a somewhat pale smile to the old housekeeper, "I want to be alone."

Quickly adding, Double Leaf spoke with haste, "I am ’alone.’"

"But... well, alright."

Deku hesitated, looking at the two ladies in front of him and ultimately nodded, turning to leave with repeated glances back.

Once the room was left with only Emily and Double Leaf, the Crystal Wolf Duchess then slumped back onto her chair, a look of confusion spreading across her beautiful face as she murmured, "What even is... all of this?"

Double Leaf touched Emily’s smooth hair with a bitter smile, "What do you mean?"

"Marriage alliances and such! Marrying Prince Shu and such! The Empire about to descend into chaos and such! Picking sides and such! The struggle for the throne and such! The position of the queen and such!"

Emily ranted in near-collapse for a while before embracing her head with a loss of energy, "This is so annoying!!"

Double Leaf blinked, her expression oddly amused as she smiled, "You seem to see through it pretty clearly, you’ve probably considered all the essentials. That’s impressive."

"It’s precisely because I see through it that it’s such a headache!"

Emily moaned weakly, then grabbed Double Leaf’s shoulders and shook them lightly, "What should I do?"