Impending War

However, Max didn't realize that Kathleen was smirking slightly after he departed from the garden.

"Hehe, this guy's personality is exactly as I expected. He doesn't care about others and views people as his chess pieces, but he also believes in justice and always thinks he's right while his enemies are wrong." Kathleen chuckled as she thought about what would have happened in the original scene if she hadn't been transmigrated into the novel.

Mc was a selfish and ruthless character, and he was also a hypocrite when it came to justifying his mistakes and actions. In the original scene, the female lead would become angry with Max for no apparent reason and would run off to her dorm room after telling him that she would never marry him. Furthermore, she would begin to despise her mother for arranging the marriage contract.

And why did her own family arrange this marriage for her?

The Elacnor Empire didn't have a problem with inter-Duchy disputes, and if they were to escalate, a war would be the result.

The Elacnor Empire may not concern themselves with the conflicts among the Duchies, but they certainly have a vested interest in the outcome of any wars that may arise.

This is because the victors are often granted the spoils of war, which can include plunder and the annexation of territory from the defeated Duchy.

The imperial family sets limits on the victor's plunder and control over the defeated duchy, and assigns new rulers to the conquered territory, often from the capital or a prominent faction. This is to prevent the Duchies from expanding beyond their current borders.

Even so, the prospect of plundering everything from a duchy made it tempting to wage war. After all, it would double the assets of the winning duchy. However, such wars were not common in history.

Lately, there has been some conflict between the Black Dragon Duchy and the Alstrain Duchy.

The reasons for this conflict was very simple, Duke Oliver, Kathleen's father and the ruler of the black dragon Duchy, went missing three years ago when she was only 14.

The reason for his sudden disappearance remained unknown, and Alstrain duchy wanted to conquer the cave when the dragon was away.

If a Duke were to suddenly disappear, it would be quickly noticed due to the numerous events and ceremonies they are required to attend.

Typically, in such cases, a member of the Duke's family would announce the disappearance and make an official notification to the imperial family. Alternatively, a new ruler may be appointed to replace the missing Duke.

However, the black dragon Duchy didn't take any action to announce or replace Duke Oliver after his sudden disappearance, which was unusual.

As a result, the neighboring Alstrain duchy began to take an interest in the Black dragon Duchy, especially since Duke Oliver was known to be one of the strongest rulers in the region.

The Alstrain Duchy began to mobilize a large number of soldiers in the Balfour County, an independent region located on the border between Alstrain duchy and the Black Dragon Duchy.

The emperor has declared these counties as independent, which has resulted in frequent conflicts between the neighboring duchies to gain control of them.

This policy benefits the imperial family as it prevents the duchies from forming alliances with each other, which they don't want.

The situation in the black dragon duchy continued to deteriorate with each passing day. Kathleen's mother, Jessica Black dragon, stepped up and assumed control of the duchy.

Nevertheless, Jessica Black dragon declared herself only as the Duchess and not as the Duke, indicating that she would be second to the Duke.

She employed all the political resources and influence of the black dragon duchy to calm the people and avoid the upcoming war.

Ultimately, by proposing her daughter as a bride to the Alstrain duchy, Jessica Black dragon was able to negotiate a truce and forge a new alliance between the two duchies, effectively preventing the war.

No one knew why Duke Nicholas chose to accept the marriage proposal instead of launching an attack, and the reason behind his decision remained a mystery.

Though the people of the duchy were left with unanswered questions, Kathleen was privy to more information than the general public.

Kathleen Black dragon was fortunate to have a close-knit family. Her father was a faithful husband and Kathleen was their firstborn child. She also had a younger sister named Ellia who was three years old.

After her father vanished, her mother became engrossed in her duties and neglected Kathleen.

Although Kathleen could have been sympathetic to the circumstances of the duchy, the author chose to portray her as blaming everything on her family. Later on, she joins the hero's party and leaves her family behind.

Upon reviewing Kathleen's memories, Anna came to the realization that Duchess Jessica would never sacrifice her daughter's happiness for the sake of the duchy's peace. Thus, Anna resolved to uncover the truth by hearing the story from the Duchess's perspective.

The novel lacked crucial information about the female lead's background. Kathleen and Max developed a romance during the academy's final exam arc.

However, Kathleen's sudden betrayal of her family for the hero's cause lacked proper reasoning and seemed illogical, leading Anna to deem it as the worst novel.

After pondering her next move, she went back to the cafeteria where she left her meal. Since their break would end in just ten minutes, the girls were all still seated at the table, enjoying their food.

Sophie looked concerned about Kathleen's well-being, while Rowena appeared lost in thought about Kathleen's conversation with Max. Lily, on the other hand, was simply enjoying her meal. Kathleen returned to the table and took her seat.

Sophie was the first to speak, concerned for Kathleen's well-being. "Are you okay, Kathleen? What happened with that guy?" Sophie asked, not anticipating a response from Kathleen given that Max and Kathleen had just had a private conversation.

Kathleen shared the news she received from Max with the girls, revealing that she had lost her heiress title and was now engaged to him. She quickly began eating her meal, which she had protected with a layer of mana to keep it clean.

The other girls were shocked and repeated her words in disbelief. "What?" "What?" they both exclaimed.

Sophie was not the only one surprised by Kathleen's news; even Rowena seemed equally taken aback. Kathleen couldn't help but feel suspicious about Rowena's sudden interest in her.

Rowena was a minor character in the novel, whose purpose was to try and befriend Kathleen, but her attempts always ended in comedic failure.

As her character had no relevance to the overall plot, she was eventually forgotten once the protagonist became more powerful later in the story.

"Why are you both so surprised? Although it's unexpected, it's something that many people in the empire have been anticipating given the current state of the Black Dragon Duchy." Kathleen said nonchalantly.

Sophie studied Kathleen's face, trying to gauge her true feelings.

Sophie inquired, "Are you alright with this marriage, Kathleen?" and Rowena also leaned in, curious to hear Kathleen's response.