Her plans were meticulous, clearly indicating that thought had been put into it and that these werenât just random scribbles. It was clear these were all things Cecile sincerely wanted to do. Suddenly, Estianâs eyes landed on a small paragraph in a corner of one of the pages.
Whatâs the point of imagining all this? Iâll only be able to leave when Iâm being sold through marriage. I donât know who Iâll end up marrying, but I doubt my future husband will allow me to do these things. I read in a book that a princess thatâs sold off is no different than a commodity. Whoâd let their possession run around freely?
Estian was at a loss for words, as he read Cecileâs grim sentences. It was true that among royalty, those that were unfavored tended to be used as a means of trade. He wondered what mightâve happened if the dice he tossed hadnât landed on Navitan. What wouldâve happened if heâd chosen a different woman as empress, while Cecile ended up sold as the wife to some unknown person? The thought alone made his stomach churn and he gripped the ends of the notebook in his hands tightly.
Estian understood the fate of such royalty to some extent; he experienced it once in a kingdom heâd conquered long ago. On their way towards the capital, they attacked a province theyâd marched through. The governor of that region had run over and dropped himself before Estianâs feet begging for mercy without attempting to put up a fight. It wouldâve been an unremarkable incident if the governor hadnât dragged over a blonde woman and made her kneel before Estianâs feet too.
âI also offer this woman, Your Majesty! Sheâs a princess I received in return for my gold mine! Look, is she not beautiful? Sheâs surely worthy of serving Your Majesty tonight!â the governor cried, pointing at the trembling woman who was obviously paralyzed with fear.
Certainly, the womanâs beauty had been enough to trade for a gold mine as the governor claimed, but what stuck with him was the look of resignation in the womanâs eyes, as if it was only natural sheâd been traded like an object. Looking over at his sleeping wifeâs form now, he couldnât help but gnash his teeth at the thought that Cecile couldâve gone through a similar experience. For the first time, he offered a prayer of thanks to gods that he didnât believe in that the dice thrown that day had landed on the kingdom of Navitan.
Taking a deep breath, Estian turned his attention back to the notebook.
17. Visit Rivendale Library, known as the largest library on the continent. Itâs said that every book ever published on the continent is there! Even romance novels!
This didnât seem too difficultâRivendale Library wasnât that far from the empire. Or rather, maybe itâd be good to take the opportunity to just move the library into the empire⌠specifically the capital even? Itâd be even better if it was situated right next to the imperial palace! A smile crept onto Estianâs face, as he resumed flipping through the pages, until he found one with all sorts of drawings on it.
55. Visit Aluna Lake City. Absolutely have to sleep there at least one night! They say you should stay a few days because itâs the most beautiful city on the continent, but the accommodation is far too expensive. Itâd be fortunate to spend even one night there. I read in a book that the emperorâs villa in the northern forest of the lake city boasted the most beautiful scenery, but how would I get in there? Itâs not like I can just ask Emperor Estian to let me in. Not that he would anyway. Wouldnât I die before I even spoke?
âAlunaâŚâ Estian rubbed his chin, surprised to see his name mentioned out of nowhere. Certainly, as Cecile had written, there was an enormous villa built between crystal clear lakes owned by the imperial family in Aluna. It was supposedly a beautiful dwelling located in the laidback, peaceful resort town, though Estian had never been there himself. He knew of Aluna because it was famous, but heâd never held the slightest interest in the place.