C109
"What does this mean?"
"I'm not sure what you mean."
As she responded thoughtfully, the Empress took a refreshing sip from the tea cup in front of her.
"Literal that. Young Master Birod is a good candidate. I don't say this just because he's my nephew."
When she speaks of Young Master Birod, she refers to the grandson of the current Duke of Birod and the son of the young Duke of Birod. If there's no issue, he will inherit the Duchy. Moreover, rumors say he has a good personality, so many people would welcome him as a husband. Of course, I have no interest whatsoever.
"Thank you for your words, but I still have no thoughts about dating or marriage. I just got divorced."
I had already married Leandro, who was said to be the best candidate for a husband in the empire, and then separated, so there's no way I'd be happy with this proposal. Above all, at a time like this, I could quickly discern the Empress's true intentions...
"No? For someone like that, you seem quite close to the second prince."
It was for this reason as well.
"You danced with the second prince at Her Majesty's birthday party before, didn't you? The person leading the contract between the magic stone mine currently owned by you and the imperial family is also the second prince."
"... That's right."
"And yet, you two have no relationship? How am I supposed to accept this?"
I feel annoyed after hearing this. I don't know why I have to listen to these questions as if the Empress were interrogating me. I'm upset because for several days, I haven't even had the chance for a proper conversation with Terence.
"I actually...!"
It's been a few days since I tried to tell Terence the whole truth in the mining village, but I failed due to unexpected guests. After that, Terence and I were busy giving instructions to the influx of engineers and workers, dealing with villagers anxious about the changes, and coordinating contract details. I saw him often, but it was always just a brief face-to-face encounter surrounded by people. There was no space to talk about my transmigration or the goddess's blessing, and there wasn't enough time. Subsequently, the situation wasn't much different in the imperial palace. I had nothing to do but discuss contract details, but Terence, who was in the lead, seemed busy meeting various people, including the Emperor.
"In reality, he's very busy, and I feel sorry for him."
One of the reasons he was so busy was because I had left many of the cumbersome aspects of the mining operation to the imperial family through a contract. If I hadn't done that, I would already have been busy dealing with all the people flocking to the magic stone mine like a pack of dogs. That's because it's not just a magic stone mine; it's a magic stone mine producing top-quality magic stones. The world is currently in chaos. The discovery of a new top-tier magic stone mine and the fact that the owner of this mine was none other than me, famous for divorcing the young Duke Cassius, left everyone in a cauldron of shock. People talked about the changing price of magic stones every day, the power relationship between the imperial family and the temple, or the divorced woman who changed her life in an instant. Also, according to the letter Diana sent, there is a steady stream of guests requesting to visit Ambassador Leok's residence.
"In the past, they ignored me for standing up to Cassius..."
Well, it's natural since magic stones are widely used throughout society. Moreover, the magical power of a high-grade magic stone was equivalent to a thousand medium-grade magic stones of the same size. The value of high-quality magic stones can be seen just by observing the tremendous influence the temple, which was the sole provider of high-quality magic stones in the empire, has had in various places.
The gift for me that the goddess mentioned in my dream meant not only hastening the moment of the meteorite's fall but also this. The Andala mine, which should have been a high-grade magic stone mine, turned into a top-tier magic stone mine! In hindsight, this seemed to be the reason why the divine beast we fought against was much stronger than described in the novel. Magic stones are created with the power of the divine beast, and as the power of the divine beast became stronger, the level of magic stones also rose by one level. My faith in Goddess Miella, which seemed almost nonexistent, seemed to spring forth from the depths of my heart. At least a little.
"Goddess, I still don't like your personality, but I'll accept the higher-level magic stones."
However, despite my gratitude, I found myself in a quite bothersome situation. Being the owner of the top-tier magic stone mine in the empire and owning only one of the two high-level magic stone mines, including the Andala mine, had completely different weights. Perhaps, if I had been the owner of a high-level magic stone mine, I wouldn't have let her unmarried nephew, whom the Empress in front of me also valued, fall in love with a divorced woman.
"Tell me. Do you really have no relationship with the second prince?"
I opened my mouth while looking at the Empress, whose eyes were shining intensely.
"I didn't say we have nothing to do with each other."
"Then?"
"I might be presumptuous, but His Royal Highness was a good friend of mine and is now a great collaborator."
"A close friend and collaborator."
The Empress, who was tilting her tea cup, raised her eyebrows.
"So, is there any possibility that you two can develop a relationship beyond that?"
I tried to say, "There is no such possibility."
—……..
But curiously, the words didn't come out. Instead, Terence's face came to mind.