Dark Moon Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 146. Independence Day II (Patreon)

Third Arc (Fallen Heart) -  146. Independence Day II

Across his row of seats, Lady Belle and Duke Nicolin sat side by side watching the play. But while her father's attention was on the stage, Lady Belle's attention was on Angel.

Although looking at him with another woman from a distance made her heart ache, she couldn't let go of this opportunity. She didn't have much chance to see Angel so she would look at him until she was satisfied.

Not only her, but almost all single noblewomen also didn't waste their chance to look at the king up close. The singer was no exception. All of them thought the same thing, that feeling was something that could grow later. What they saw from Angel was his power, his position, his authority, and his wealth. So wherever they loved him or not, it didn't matter to them. After all, wasn't that an unnecessary thing in royal and political marriages? They didn't need their feelings to get him, what they needed were his feelings and position.

They tried to find the right opportunity to talk to him or start thinking about good topics. Moreover, they had received little information from Rose about how Angel usually spent his days. Although all of it sounded like a usual daily life of a king, they realized how he put his duty above all else and how disciplined he was when it came to his schedule.

So they soon realized that in order to win Angel's heart, they had to be able to show the qualities of an independent woman that he could rely on. Someone who could help him and rule with him. Not a woman who only knew how to seduce or socialize, but a woman who was fit as his queen and could rule with him. In other words, what they had shown Angel so far was wrong. So that was what they would show today.

Even though Lady Belle had those qualities and her status was high enough to get Angel's attention, she was worried about something else. She realized that, after a lot of socializing and chatting around, many nobles had changed their judgment of Rose. Some even started to take a side with her. Mostly because her easygoing and dynamic personality was different from the king's strict and disciplined personality. Their personalities contradict each other but also complement each other. Coupled with her royal status, Lady Belle realizes that Rose was the perfect match for Angel.

Still, Rose's easy-going charm did not quell the noblewoman's desire to get that number one position in Euphorion. It was something they couldn't let go of before Angel chose his queen.

Due to that change, Lady Belle felt threatened. She realized that support from nobles was one of her advantages and she would lose it sooner or later if she didn't do something. But what? Even her father didn't know what to do since the king's power was getting stronger over time. Breaking support for the king was tantamount to suicide.

As they stared at him, they realized one thing. Indeed Angel's attention was focused on the stage, but his cold expression showed he didn't enjoy it at all or even cared about it. Moreover, there was no romantic gesture from him to Rose, so all of them started to take random guesses that their relationship was well.

'Is this our chance?' they thought. Their hearts pounded in restlessness, tension, and curiosity. They even didn't pay attention to the play anymore even though the actors and actresses had shown their best acts.

The noblewomen were deep in their thoughts. If they could fill the gap in the king's heart, they believed they could win over his feelings easily. Moreover, the last war exposed a lot of the king's mysterious past, so some began to understand the king's cold attitude and how he valued loyalty more than anything else.

The singer also realized the same thing. No, not only her but all the actresses. Although being his queen sounded impossible to them, seducing him so that he could make them his concubine sounded good enough. This was their golden opportunity to raise their status.

Although most of them kept an eye on the king they also did not close the opportunity to approach the noblemen. Likewise, the actors.