Henrietta's Self-saving

Chapter 12

"Father, there is one more thing I'd like to ask of you?" I added when the marquis was about to stand up.

"What is it?"

The marquis would give anything Henrietta wants. And now that his daughter learned how to say thank you, he would give everything to her, even the moon and the sun. 

For reasons I don't know, he loves pampering Henrietta. I didn't want to take advantage of it, but this patriarchal world, I don't hold the same authority I had in my past life. I need to have people to work under me since I am not able to do things freely considering my status in the noble society. A woman.

"I would like to learn how to wield a sword," I said.

He frowned, "Wield a sword? Why would you want to learn how to use a sword when you have plenty of knights to protect you?"

I am the type of person that protects rather than be protected. Just the thought of having literal knights in their shining armor around me wherever I go makes my head ache. Sir Keith alone is too much for me to handle.

Of course, this reason alone would not be enough to convince the marquis.

"Generations after generations of our family produced has protected the western frontier. Everyone who inherited the title are swordmasters. But, elder brother, who will soon inherit the title chose not to take the same path father took and instead decided to take over our family's businesses. Wouldn't it tarnish the family's reputation?" I stated.

The Marquis of Hutchrene has always defended the western frontier. But father already had an injury that prevents him from wielding a sword. 

The Emperor was concerned with his condition and did not allow him to return to the border. It was Henrietta's brother who was supposed to replace the Marquis in defending the border but the problem is, he had a weak body and was more inclined to civil affairs.

There was a long deliberation on who should replace the Marquis in defending the western frontier. The other marquises had borders they needed to protect so there was a real struggle in picking a suitable candidate. Of course the First Prince's faction, led by the Ambergard Dukedom, took this opportunity to send the Second Prince to his death.

But Alaric has always maintained a low profile in the imperial palace. He didn't excel in anything so everyone assumed he was useless and incompetent. 

The intent behind the plan to send Alaric to the Western frontier was obvious yet the emperor did not hesitate to approve it. One would think that the Emperor's response proves he never cared for the Second Prince. Of course, as someone who've read the novel, it wasn't the case. In fact, the Emperor trusted Alaric and expected he would return victorious.

The Emperor just didn't want to admit he had expectations from this illegitimate child of his.

He heaved a sigh, "Since when did you start to concern yourself with the family's reputation?"

I smiled, "My confinement made me re-evaluate my past actions. I realized I gave father too much trouble in the past years."

A touched emotion glinted in his emerald green eyes. He tried to hide his surprise by averting his gaze.

He cleared his throat, "So you decided that since your brother chose not to wield a sword, you would take on the role?"

I nodded, "I know father does not want to force Henry to do something he does not want to. So, I thought I would do it. And, after seeing the knights in Hutchrene's swordplay..." I lowered my head, trying to hide my admiration of what I had seen during my stay in the Lovell state in Hutchrene. "...I was even more determined to do it."