Episode 139: His Second Wife Had a Child First…
The front gate of the Lahart Imperial Capital estate.
Carriages adorned with the emblem of Fervache were lined up in a row.
In front of them stood the servants and administrators working at the Lahart estate, along with Yohan and Francia, all waiting respectfully for his arrival.
Creak.
The wheels of the carriage rolled forward.
Passing by the carriages carrying the congratulatory gifts he had personally chosen and the specialties of the northern region, a silver carriage made its entrance. It was slightly larger than the other carriages, with the emblem of Fervache engraved more prominently.
As the door of the silver carriage opened, a man, whose youthful appearance made it hard to believe he was in his forties, stepped down the stairs. It was the Duke Fervache, who had regained his composure and leisure now that winter had ended.
“Welcome, Father-in-law.”
Yohan greeted the Duke with a bright smile. The Duke slowly nodded in response and extended his hand.
“It’s been a while, my son-in-law.”
“Haha…”
Hearing the words “my son-in-law,” Yohan let out an awkward laugh as he shook the Duke’s hand. For some reason, he had a strong premonition that this hand might soon slap his cheek.
“Father!”
Francia, beaming with joy, quickly stepped up beside Yohan. She carried both the excitement of a daughter reunited with her father and the grace of a noble lady who would soon become the Duchess.
“Haha. Have you been well, Francia?”
“Of course! I’ve always been doing great.”
After a brief hug, Francia and the Duke exchanged warm smiles.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“These days, I have energy to spare, so I’m fine.”
“Hehe, but traveling all this way must have been tiring. Let’s go inside.”
“Alright.”
With their brief greetings exchanged, the father and daughter turned towards the estate.
“Let’s head inside, my son-in-law.”
“Yes.”
Yohan followed them into the mansion, feeling a strange mix of guilt, discomfort, and unease.
***
The Dining Hall of the Lahart Estate
After finishing his meal, the Duke wiped his mouth with satisfaction.
“The food was excellent. It’s a shame that seafood is so hard to come by in the north.”
The meal served to him consisted mainly of seafood-based imperial cuisine.
Since seafood was difficult to procure in the northern region, they had made the best choice by hiring a chef specializing in seafood when assembling the estate’s kitchen staff.
“I’m glad it suited your taste,” Yohan said with a small smile.
His own plate was also clean, a testament to how much he had enjoyed the meal.
“Yes. I haven’t eaten much seafood before, but I should make a habit of it. It’s similar to meat, but lighter and softer, so it doesn’t feel heavy after eating.”
Though seafood preferences varied from person to person, once someone acquired a taste for it, there was nothing better. It was low in fat, easy to digest, and guaranteed to be delicious.
“But you’ve brought a lot of gifts. Are they wedding presents?”
Francia asked, touching her fingertips together.
“Haha, there’s no way I’d bring only this much for a wedding gift. When the time comes, I’ll have to bring gold and jewels, of course.”
Yohan subtly observed the Duke’s expression. Judging by his tone, he wasn’t just speaking figuratively.
“Francia, I’ve brought elixirs and various tonics for you and my son-in-law. Since the Lahart estate’s mansion is still being organized, I also brought paintings and crafts that can be hung on the walls.”
Artistic gifts like paintings and crafts were considered the ultimate sign of sincerity among nobles.
“Thank you, Father-in-law.”
“No need for thanks. You two must have gone through a lot, and it pains me that I could only do this much due to my busy schedule.”
“Haha, gifts are about the thought behind them, aren’t they? Your sincerity alone is more than enough.”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard.”
The Duke Fervache closed his eyes and slowly nodded. Francia truly had a keen eye for men—undoubtedly, she took after her mother.
“Now, let’s talk about the wedding.”
“Yes.”
“We plan to hold the wedding in the Lahart territory.”
“…Wasn’t it supposed to be held in the North?”
As Yohan tilted his head in curiosity, the Duke lifted the teacup prepared by a servant and answered.
“You are a Duke now. Since you can no longer enter as a consort, it makes sense to hold the ceremony in Lahart territory. From now on, Francia will also take the name of Lahart instead of Fervache.”
Francia Lahart.
The name had a certain ring to it.
Was it because the idea of a wife taking her husband’s surname felt romantic? His heart tingled slightly.
“And about the succession…”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
Now, the most important issue was brought up.
“Francia was originally the heir to Fervache, set to inherit the duchy once I retired. If you had entered as a consort, you would have become the Duke.”
Yohan listened attentively, his gaze fixed on the Duke.
“But that’s no longer possible. Even when you were a count, it would have been difficult, but now that you are a duke, making you a son-in-law is simply out of the question.”
The history of Lahart had just begun, but it was a promising new power. If it merged with the northern Fervache, it would create an enormous force in the future. Not taking advantage of that would be a missed opportunity.
“So, I intend to extend my retirement and name your child as the heir.”
“You have decided to maintain a direct bloodline.”
“Exactly. I have protected Fervache to pass it down to Francia.”
The process would become quite complicated, but there was no better way to ensure the continuation of the direct lineage.
Of course, the Duke Fervache wasn’t doing this solely for the sake of bloodline purity—his reasoning ran deeper.
“I see. I understand.”
“Good.”
Clink.
The Duke placed his teacup down.
“So now, let me ask you both—when do you wish to hold the wedding?”
Francia answered.
“I think it would be best to hold it as soon as my military service ends and the affairs of Lahart territory are settled.”
“Hmm, that means it will take quite some time.”
“No, the work in Lahart territory will be taken care of quickly. As soon as my service ends, we can proceed right away.”
“How would that be possible? You two still need to learn how to manage work. There is no need to rush.”
Although Yohan had studied at the academy, he knew things would inevitably be messy. The work was simply too complicated. But there was someone specialized in such matters—Rudella.
The problem was how to bring it up…
“Well, about that…”
Yohan spoke cautiously.
“There is something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
How was he supposed to say this?
The Duke was fond of him, even calling him ‘my son-in-law’ with pride. And now, he had to tell him about a second wife…
But he had to say it.
If he didn’t, the issue would never be resolved.
“There is actually someone who is very capable of managing the territory’s affairs.”
“The family’s work? That should be handled by a family member.”
“She… is a member of Lahart.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
The Duke furrowed his brows in confusion. From his perspective, Yohan’s words made no sense. The Lahart family had just been established—who else could be considered a part of it?
Yohan took a deep breath before finally speaking.
“The truth is… I have a second wife.”
“…What?”
The Duke’s expression hardened instantly.
“I can explain.”
Before the atmosphere could grow tense, Francia stepped forward.
“This was a necessary step to bring down the Crown Prince, who was targeting me.”
“…Explain in detail.”
“Well…”
Francia leaned forward, meeting the Duke’s gaze.
“You know that we uncovered the Crown Prince’s treason, right? I wrote to you about it.”
“…That’s true.”
“At that time, the person who brought the evidence was Yohan’s second wife. Without her, things would have gone terribly wrong.”
“…”
“In any case… she wanted to become Yohan’s second wife in exchange for providing that evidence. After much deliberation, Yohan and I decided to accept.”
Duke Fervache closed his eyes tightly and rubbed his temples. His head throbbed. When he thought of Francia, his anger surged like an explosion, but he couldn’t just lash out blindly.
Wasn’t it his own failure that he hadn’t dealt with the Crown Prince sooner? He had his reasons, but in the end, he hadn’t been able to remove that cunning man who had set his sights on his daughter.
The two of them had eliminated him instead, which, as a duke, was something he should commend—
“You mean to tell me that you took another woman despite having Francia?”
But as a father, the idea of his daughter being in such a situation was unacceptable. The duke had accepted it as a noble, but as a father, he simply couldn’t.
“Regardless of the circumstances, how could you take another woman when you already have Francia?!”
“Father!”
“Francia, stay out of this!”
The duke’s fury erupted.
“I won’t press you too hard since I wasn’t able to help you two, but if you swore to be devoted to one woman, shouldn’t you have kept that promise?”
“You’re absolutely right…”
“And now that you’re part of one of the Four Great Houses, how can you justify polygamy?! I have—!”
The duke’s angry rebuke continued.
Yohan kept his head lowered, listening in silence.
A man taking in a concubine before even getting married to his fiancée? Honestly, if he were in the duke’s shoes, he’d be furious too. Who in their right mind would do such a thing?
Yet here he was—the very man who had done it.
All he could do was listen and sincerely apologize.
After about ten minutes, the duke finally calmed down a little, sighing as he gulped down a glass of water.
“Haa… Fine, I’ll acknowledge it. Considering your opponent, I suppose you had no other choice. Yes, it is what it is.”
“However… there’s actually one more thing I need to tell you.”
“…There’s more?”
“Uh… My second wife… she became pregnant first.”
“You sly little fox…!”
The duke, who had just managed to cool his temper, flared up again.
For over an hour, he rained down scolding after scolding.
Throughout it all, Yohan responded to every question the duke asked, summarizing the situation as best as he could.
“Haa… So not only did your second wife conceive first, but now you’re planning to take a third wife?”
“…That’s correct.”
Yohan nodded. The story had finally reached its conclusion, and the duke had regained his composure.
But his sarcasm remained.
“Impressive. At this rate, you might have six wives by the time you actually hold the wedding ceremony.”
“That won’t happen… This is the last.”
“How can I trust a man who’s already taken three wives?”
“I have no excuse…”
“You sly little fox…”
The duke sighed heavily as he rubbed his face.
“Fine, what’s done is done, and it can’t be undone. But don’t let this go any further.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“You won’t neglect Francia, will you?”
“Of course not. I swear that will never happen.”
“…Good. Then that’s all that matters. Polygamy isn’t unheard of, after all.”
Now that the duke had finally eased up, Yohan let out a sigh of relief.
It was strange to think this way, but it really was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
***
Magic Tower
In the Magic Tower, the tower master, Rein Adriche, had finished his morning tasks and was enjoying a cup of tea as he gazed out the window.
His eyes were fixed on the north.
“So Duke Fervache has headed to the capital?”
When Rein asked, his aide responded.
“Yes, sir. He went to the Lahart estate in the imperial capital.”
“Hmm… I thought the timing wasn’t right yet, but there’s no better opportunity than this.”
A strange magic circle flickered deep within Rein Adriche’s pupils.
“It’s time to begin.”
To kill the man who had given him nightmares—
And to claim the Obsidian Saintess as his own.