บท 19: CH : 18 Rose, and Politics

A betrayal is on the horizon—one that will claim many lives, including some of the MC's closest girls. He will lose his noble status, his sense of self, and so much more. I've already written that part, but before diving into it, I'm thinking of adding a few more chapters focusing on characters like Anna, Maria, Lucia, his mother and others—building their relationships and deepening those connections.

The problem is… I'm stuck. This will be the 20th chapter, and I want it to feel meaningful before everything falls apart. I'm looking for suggestions on what should happen in these chapters to make the betrayal hit even harder. How should these bonds grow? What pivotal moments would make the loss unforgettable? If you've read fanfics or novels with similar themes, feel free to share examples that could inspire this book. Your ideas could help shape the next part of the story!

*****

Rose clenched her fists in disbelief.

"Do I need to remind you that those guards are mere commoners?"

Mateo sank into deep contemplation. The nobility's dominance over commoners stemmed solely from their prized magical bloodlines. When a noble had a child with a commoner, there was an 80% likelihood the offspring would be born devoid of mana or any elemental affinity. The odds of producing a child blessed with both were a mere 5%, a rarity so slim it bordered on Impossible.

In summary, if Rose bore a child fathered by one of the guards, the truth would inevitably surface by the time the child turned five, when their magical aptitude would be tested. It would be undeniable then—the child's lineage wouldn't align with nobility but with a commoner.

Another critical point to consider was the absolute prohibition against nobles bearing children with commoners. The monarchy could not permit the very essence of what made them superior—magical bloodlines—to be diluted or passed to commoners. Such an act was deemed a grave betrayal, punishable by immediate execution.

There were precedents for this law's severity, including the execution of a crown prince, serving as a grim reminder of its unyielding enforcement. However, the consequences were far more brutal for noblewomen. In this patriarchal society, women who violated this edict faced not only death but unimaginable public humiliation. They were paraded before the masses, subjected to the cruelest tortures imaginable—rape, flaying, and the infamous shame walk among them. The church, ever zealous, ensured that these punishments were carried out to their fullest extent, transforming disgrace into a public spectacle.

Mateo held his chin for a few seconds before looking up and looking at her.

"It's irrelevant," Mateo said with a confident smirk. "Whether the child possesses magic or not won't be revealed until he turns five. By then, I will have already secured the title of Duke of Rodmandia." His grin widened, a hint of cold calculation in his eyes. "Preparations will be made. After all, it's always easy to dispose of a problem before it becomes one."

Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. Mateo was practically sacrificing her. That thing about him having the position of duke in 5 years was pure lies and even if it were so, if her son didn't have magic, her fate would be far worse than executed no matter who she was at that moment.

With tears in her pink eyes she ran out of the room. She didn't know where she was going, but she just wanted to be as far away from Mateo as possible.

Rose wandered through the large, labyrinthine corridors of Neversnow Castle. Mateo wanted to use her in the most vile way possible to secure his position as Duke of Rodmandia. But she wasn't going to allow it. She couldn't complain to anyone, but she could ruin Mateo's plans while securing herself.

While cheating on that son of a bitch.

The plan was simple: get pregnant by a nobleman.

The next step was to make a list of possible candidates and eliminate them until the perfect subject was found.

The first to be eliminated for obvious reasons was Mateo. After him the next to be eliminated would be those who are very small and Gerald who she knows from Mateo's mouth that he is impotent.

That leaves a very short list.

The Duke of Rhomandia: Magnus Magnar.

Earl of Winterfall: Roger magnates.

Second son of the Duke: Marcus Magnar.

The husband of the Duke's first daughter.

And lastly there were Maxwell and John Magnar, both only 11 years old. She put them on the list too because she was desperate, but she wasn't even sure if the boys were even capable of ejaculating yet.

At times like these Rose cursed Duke Magnus's eccentricity in keeping his castle.

Normally, nobility of any rank kept servants, guards, knights, squires, counselors, troubadours and even priests in their castle. In conclusion, a castle was a mini city in itself. But the Duke of Rodmandia was eccentric in the way he managed his castle.

Apart from himself, his ladies, children, and a few special guests like his brothers and daughter, he kept no one else inside the gigantic castle. Many nobles insisted on countless occasions to send their children as squires to his castle, but he always firmly refused. This made whatever happened inside this castle practically a mystery to the other nobles.

The only times this rule was broken was during a commitment or a very special party.

Getting back to the topic, Rose thought about it very hard.

The Duke himself, having 16 wives and a territory to govern, found it highly unlikely that he would desire her.

Roger Magnar, Lord of Winterfall, who was the Duke's younger brother. He was also ruled out for the simple reason that: she was afraid of him.

He was a very stoic man and seemed to have no feelings at all. During the banquet and his entire stay here, Rose had not heard him speak even once. Besides his sharp eyes that seemed to follow their every move.

Rose had even heard that he was a very cruel person and enjoyed torturing the commoners of his lands.

Marcus on the other hand was a big no-no. His presence sent shivers down her spine and being Mateo's immediate rival for the duke's position, he could use her in even worse ways than Mateo.

Then there was the husband of the Duke's first daughter who was still in the castle, but he was ruled out out of sheer disgust. She preferred to sleep with a commoner than with that fat lecher.

Rose grabbed her hair desperately, only Jhon and Maxwell were left but both were very small and she doubted they even knew what sex was.

Do I really have to sleep with that disgusting fat guy?

Wait...

Rose raised her head and remembered.

How could I be so stupid?

This morning in the Maxwell dining room...

Rose thought about it carefully and the more she did, the more feasible the idea seemed.

Maxwell Mangar.

She had never had any idea about this child, but if she looked at him from another perspective she couldn't help but feel that the boy was practically perfect.

I had always seen him as a child. At first I ignored him like the rest of the family, but then he began to show more and more attitudes, until he became a key piece in the war of succession.

He seemed to be highly regarded by the Duke himself, something he did not try to hide at all. He had the very rare element of lightning and on top of that he was very skilled and powerful in using it. Handsome, intelligent, brave and when he wanted to he could also be cruel.

Plus his behavior this morning showed that he certainly knew what sex was. The only question left was: could he get her pregnant?

He was just a kid.

Rose gritted her teeth, she had to bet that she could. If it wasn't possible she would feel better about giving her chastity to Maxwell than to any other man in this castle.

It's decided then.

***

In one of the guest rooms of the grand castle, Roger rose naked from the bed. He put on a red robe with fine gold embroidery, which matched his hair and short beard.

He looked through the window made of impure glass with a stoic, emotionless face.

"What are your conclusions?" he asked seemingly out of nowhere.

Beneath the fine sheets of the cabin, a young and beautiful blonde woman peeked out.

Clare was Duke Magnus's first daughter and his own niece.

"Father is still the same as ever, if not worse. The castle is lightly guarded and he practically ignores everything around him other than his ladies. My brothers are as disappointing as ever. Marcus lost in power, Mateo believing he has everything in his hands, while he is just a puppet and Gerald... Gerald is just Gerald."

Roger nodded. The defenses of this castle were so low that his parents would turn in their graves if they knew that Magnus had turned their castle into his own pleasure house.

Clare sighed. "The war of succession will soon break out and a side will have to be chosen."

Roger just remained silent, staring into space. The war of succession that Clare was referring to was not a little child's game that her nephews were having, it was something much bigger and more dangerous.

The current Ashelan king Kirgin III Von Strauss was already in his final years of life. This would not have resulted in a war if it were not for the fact that in all his years of life, the king was unable to conceive an heir.

Many forces were preparing in the darkness for the impending war, but his brother spent his days as if nothing was happening around him.

A war was not something to be sniffed at, many great noble houses had disappeared in the past just because of minor skirmishes.

"That's better," Roger said. "When war breaks out and the castle's defenses are at their most vulnerable, I will attack and take what is rightfully mine."

"And my silly husband will support you in everything." Clare smiled.

"The only threat in this castle is Maxwell." Roger said a little worried.

"Maxwell? He's just a kid, he doesn't participate in my brothers' little game and always keeps a low profile." Clare smiled. "He's not a threat."

"I hope so."

"Don't worry, if anything ever comes up we can handle it easily."

"Is that so?" Roger asked interestedly.

"You may not know this, but Maxwell's mother is of commoner origin."

"Really? Hahahaha then everything is settled."

***

Maxwell returned to the castle before noon, following the procedures of lowering the drawbridge and the thick steel gate. The first thing that greeted him was a wide courtyard with a healthy green lawn, and he naturally urged his horse to go to the courtyard; where the guards trained and where the stable was also located.

On the way he met a few guards and servants who greeted him respectfully. Immediately after reaching his room he ordered some servants to prepare a bath for him.

The servants were already accustomed to Maxwell's strange behavior of bathing every day and did their task without complaint.

Once in his bathtub, Maxwell couldn't help but moan with pleasure. He couldn't understand how people in this era considered being dirty to be healthier than taking a refreshing and restorative bath. According to some old family doctors, the layer of dirt protected them from illness.

Maxwell of course thought it was ridiculous, but no matter how hard he tried to convince his father and relatives, they just laughed it off. Maxwell was not influential enough to overthrow a deeply rooted custom in this time and world.

Of course there were exceptions, like his mother for example. She never took his advice to heart, but as soon as he left her side she began to follow his example and also bathed her little sister. Others who followed her example without complaint were Maria and even Anna.

The rest of the family bathed but very rarely, this of course filled them with a bad smell, but they hid it with a thick perfume.

As he normally did, Maxwell changed into a black shirt and a black vest, giving him a very refined appearance. His hair had grown a lot over time and now reached his shoulders, which was a pain when it came to washing it. Maxwell never let his hair run freely on both sides of his face, it looked a little strange and even a little feminine. For this reason, the left side of his long hair was carefully combed and placed behind his ear. The right side on the other hand was combed back but diagonally in such a way that part of his hair stayed up there, but the rest was spread out on the right side of his face in small bangs that made him look more charming.

His fashion sense was a blend of untamed and disheveled, yet it exuded a rugged charm. Perhaps it was simply his self-confidence shining through.

Maxwell left in the direction of the dining room but halfway there he returned to his room, took a piece of paper and wrote: tonight in the old tower.

Just in case, he put it in his pocket.

Dinner went on as usual, only Marcus intervened at one point to mention that he had invited several nobles who would come in the coming days to celebrate and congratulate him on his future son.

Maxwell almost snorted out loud with laughter, but managed to hold it in. Something that caught people's attention, on the other hand, was that Marcus sat down next to Magnus again and left Maxwell in his place, allowing Max to be between two beauties again.

This time Maxwell didn't hesitate twice before gobbling down his entire meal in a few breaths and shoving both of his hands under the tablecloth.

Just as he expected, both women opened their legs in welcome to his bold actions. Penelope was not surprised, but Rose was. He thought it would be like the last time and he would have to make a little effort, but Rose even took the initiative to caress his leg very suggestively.

Maxwell's little friend couldn't help but get up angrily, so much so that it began to hurt because he couldn't get it out of his pants.

Through gritted teeth Maxwell pulled the small paper from his pockets and forcefully placed it into Rose's small hand that still rested on his leg.

*****

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