Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Peter Jaeger's Women (1)
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Peter Jaeger Count's mansion, reception room.
The Empire's Fourth Imperial Princess Louise von Reich was waiting here for someone.
At the same time, she was chatting idly with Charlotte, Major General Jaeger's exclusive maid. Charlotte had become familiar to her since she often accompanied him on his visits to the imperial palace, and under the princess's careful planning, they had even developed a close relationship.
"The aroma and flavor of this black tea are exquisite, and the pastries are perfectly balanced—not too sweet, with a nice nuttiness and great texture. Major General Jaeger would surely love them. Does he have them every day like this?"
"Ah, yes. In the field, I can only brew black tea for him, but otherwise, I serve them daily. I bake the pastries myself every day."
"Major General Jaeger is truly fortunate. To enjoy such delicious pastries and black tea every day... At this level, the taste and aroma are on par with anything from the imperial palace."
Louise was quite serious about pastries and black tea, to the point where she struggled to call anything subpar "delicious," even as flattery.
Yet even by her strict standards, Charlotte's pastries and black tea passed with flying colors.
It was the kind of quality that could open a café in the capital tomorrow and draw crowds.
Receiving such genuine praise, Charlotte blushed slightly, recalling how Major General Jaeger often complimented her baking as he enjoyed his tea and treats.
"During my training as an exclusive maid, I learned how to bake pastries, and even after being assigned to the major general, I studied diligently whenever I had the chance."
"If you weren't his exclusive maid, I'd want to whisk you away to be the imperial palace's pastry chef. That's how good it is."
"Thank you, Your Highness. But the major general is at the palace today and won't return until late..."
"I know. The ones I want to meet today are Colonel Kerzhit and Major Laura, so it's fine. Still, if you could, would you tell me that story about the major general that the bards often sing? Just until they arrive?"
If Laura or Anastasia had been there, they would have noticed that Louise's friendly attitude toward Charlotte went beyond mere kindness—there was something more at play.
But Charlotte had been trained only in clerical skills and in how to satisfy her assigned general day and night as his exclusive maid.
With her severe lack of political or social knowledge and experience, she didn't suspect the princess's goodwill in the slightest.
Besides, Louise had deliberately played the role of a naive, worldly young lady in front of Charlotte when writing letters to the 7th Guard Division, assuming she might one day marry Major General Jaeger to ensure smooth family relations going forward.
"Of course, Your Highness. It was right after the major general had just been promoted to brigadier general. He had finished consoling the families of soldiers who had fallen or been wounded, and he visited our home..."
"Really? The major general doesn't just fight on the battlefield—he steps up personally for his subordinates even after the war ends. He's just like a knight from a storybook."
And so, the princess and Charlotte conversed in an atmosphere that anyone watching might mistake for two friends gushing over a loved one.
Before long, the door opened, and Laura von Venner and Anastasia Kerzhit arrived.
"Your Highness, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit to such humble surroundings without prior notice...?"
"I wanted to meet with you, Mrs. Laura, and Baroness Kerzhit personally. There's some confidential business to discuss."
At those words, Laura signaled for Charlotte to leave, but Louise smiled and said,
"It's political in part, but Charlotte needs to hear this too. Just a moment, then..."
With that, Louise pulled an imperial decree stamped with the emperor's seal from her small bag and handed it to the two women.
"It hasn't been announced yet, but this is an edict that will be officially proclaimed soon. Take a look, and then we can get into the details."
Laura and Anya took the emperor-sealed document and began reading, while Louise leisurely finished the black tea remaining in her cup.
By the time the princess had drained her cup, Laura cautiously spoke up.
"My husband, Major General Peter Jaeger, already has me as his wife. Are you truly willing to become his second wife as a member of the imperial family, Your Highness?"
It was obvious to anyone who heard it.
On the surface, it sounded like concern for the princess.
But in truth, it stemmed from jealousy and a desire to exclusively hold the position of the one woman loved by Peter Jaeger.
The princess pondered her response.
Should she confess honestly that she loved Major General Jaeger just as deeply? Or lay out the cold reality and persuade her gradually?
Then, with a deep breath, she spoke quietly.
"Everyone wants to be their beloved's first, and hopes that person looks only at them. Any woman would. But, Major Laura—or rather, Mrs. Laura—a question: Among imperial royals and nobles, how many are truly loved by their husbands and live happily?"
"Why bring that up so suddenly?"
"You might not realize it, having risen through the ranks as an officer—equal to men, if not superior—with the support of Marquis Venner. Think of other noble ladies. How they go from girls to wives, bear children, and live out lonely lives."
Peter Jaeger, a commoner orphan who soared through the academy and beyond, saw this as just "how things are" among the nobility.
But Laura, who had lived as a noble lady until her mid-teens and still occasionally met childhood noble friends in the capital, understood.
She had been her soldier father's only child, with the talent and opportunity to rise as an officer despite being a woman—and by sheer luck, she had married the man she loved.
"My sisters often visit me at the palace and say things like this: Their husbands pretend to care because they're princesses, but don't smile much around them—yet they laugh so freely and whisper sweet nothings to their concubines. Even when their husbands are home, they feel like lonely outsiders. Have you ever felt that, Mrs. Laura?"
Laura was taken aback.
Because Peter Jaeger had always looked only at her, no matter how other women flirted, cherishing and loving her sincerely.
She had dismissed it as irrelevant to her.
Louise spoke gravely, her voice laced with desperate longing.
"You haven't, have you? Of course not. When Major General Jaeger visits the palace, he even asks me for gift recommendations his wife would like before leaving—showing how much he loves you. And a wonderful man like that, who knows how to love and respect someone, is exactly the ideal I've always dreamed of. I'd gladly set aside my imperial status to be his second wife."
"Your Highness..."
"I think you understand, Mrs. Laura. Being the second or third of a man who truly loves you is far happier than being the first of one who doesn't."
Hearing that, Laura imagined herself as an ordinary noble lady, forced into a political marriage with a man who didn't love her, as the princess described.
Just thinking about it felt suffocating and painful.
So she deeply empathized with the princess before her.
"Besides, accepting me is for Major General Jaeger's sake too. You know how he's brushed off political purges and crises so far. But he has countless enemies now—it's anyone's guess when he might face impeachment."
"Yes, my father is doing everything he can to prevent it... but I know there are voices in the imperial parliament claiming the major general's loyalty and abilities pose a danger to the Empire."
"I heard that during this expedition, when Major Matthias of the Griffin Marquis family betrayed us with the Austrica forces, it was Major General Jaeger's handling that kept the damage minimal. Yet some, preparing for the worst, argue: What if he defects to Warsaw or the Stockholm Kingdom? The north would surely follow the man who took the Khan's head, and it would spell disaster for the Empire."
As the princess said, the emperor and most titled nobles in parliament currently trusted Major General Jaeger's loyalty.
But honestly, no one knew when that trust might shatter.
"That's why Father wants to place me by Major General Jaeger's side—to demonstrate the emperor's and crown prince's trust to everyone and dispel these baseless suspicions. And beyond that, to give him the justification and substance to secure the north as a base for unleashing his talents. Colonel Kerzhit needs to stay by his side for that too."
"To protect the man I love, must I consent?"
"Yes."
Hearing that, Laura nodded and replied.
"Understood. Please tell His Majesty that Laura von Venner is convinced..."
As Laura moved to withdraw, Louise looked at her with a mix of envy and wistful sorrow.
"We're going to be family soon anyway—will you hear me out? I truly envy you, Mrs. Laura. Because you can help the major general in ways I can't."
Laura didn't quite grasp what she meant, but since it was the princess's request, she listened attentively.
She never imagined hearing "I envy you" from someone at the pinnacle of imperial power.
That curiosity proved her undoing.