Chapter 139: Bronya: I Will Fulfill the Marriage Contract
"P-payment in body!?"
For a moment, Bronya stared at the silver-haired girl, whose smile was brimming. Her face was a mask of disbelief, utterly dumbfounded, and her voice became a stuttering mess.
"What's wrong?"
Silver Wing crossed her arms, her ample bosom rising and falling slightly as she spoke with an understated tone:
"According to Inter-galactic Regulations, Belobog, as a nation, should sign a contract with the patent holder for the seeds. That patent holder is Caelus."
"He did say I could use it for free, but that only applies to small amounts. For an amount of this magnitude, it's hard for me to accept it with a clear conscience."
If a friend sends you a few tens or hundreds of credits as a red packet, you'd happily accept it. But if they toss you a 'small gift' equivalent to the entire market value of a Fortune 100 company, can you still call them a friend?
Even a godfather couldn't do something like that, could he?
"Or are you saying you think you can wantonly rely on Caelus's kindness and sympathy? If you think that, you don't have to pay it back. I'm sure Caelus won't force you to repay the debt."
Her words, sweet and a little playful, resonated in the air.
Silver Wing mused internally.
Sigh, I'm just too kind!
"No! Of course, I wouldn't think that!"
Hearing Silver Wing's words, Bronya immediately spoke up in a hurry, her tone flustered but earnest.
How could she possibly unilaterally seek help from a good friend without restraint?
This had already far exceeded the scope of "help."
"So then, if you can't pay it back, find another way~!"
"But, payment in body, or something like that..."
Bronya's face flushed a beautiful crimson, her lips slightly parted as if a lotus bud was unfurling, with a hint of sensuality. For her dignified and serious personality, this topic was too stimulating.
Firstly, she didn't believe her own body held such immense value, enough to be compared with the hopes of millions or the future of a civilization.
Secondly, if there was to be a body payment, it should be her paying it back!
There's no way it should fall to her "alternate self"... or rather, Silver Wing had absolutely no reason to pay such a price for Belobog!
Bronya, inexplicably nervous, felt her heart pound much faster than usual. A strange sensation was brewing in her chest, spreading outwards.
Just as that unprecedented feeling was about to reach its peak.
"Just kidding!"
The sudden, lighthearted voice made Bronya's heart abruptly stop, like a sports car speeding at 200 mph slamming on its brakes. If one were to measure Bronya's heart rate at that moment, the pattern might connect into constellations.
"You!"
Her face crimson, Bronya felt like a deflated balloon, her mind utterly blank. She glared, annoyed and angry, at her "other self" who was lightly covering her red lips, a thoroughly amused smile on her face.
Silver Wing's moist lips fought to maintain a less upturned curve, and she continued before Bronya could speak.
"But it's not entirely a joke."
"!" Bronya's throat bobbed, the words she was about to say swallowed back forcefully.
"The principle remains the same: if you can't pay it back, find another way. So, if you and Caelus become family, you won't need to pay back the money, right?"
"F-family!?"
"Yes, by becoming spouses, 'I' can freely use the patented products under Caelus's name. So, as the Grand Guardian, I arranged a marriage contract with him."
Her tone implied it was perfectly natural. A wife using her husband's patents, isn't that just logical?
"A marriage contract!?" Bronya's silver pupils constricted, and she gasped aloud.
With Bronya's political acumen as the Grand Guardian's successor, she naturally understood what her "other self" was saying. Political marriages were commonplace among the nobility.
Parties entering a marriage alliance must maintain a certain degree of social parity and matching status, to promote the common interests of both families.
But what Silver Wing was talking about wasn't a marriage alliance at all; it was simply one-sided, targeted poverty alleviation!
Forget nobles; even a noble's dog wouldn't agree to this!
In reality, no emperor would marry a commoner and make her empress, just like some corporate titan with trillions of assets wouldn't marry an actress...
Do you believe him, or do you believe I am Alisa Rand?
"That's right. The remaining nobles and high-ranking officials of the administration basically all know about this." Silver Wing picked up a glass and took a small sip.
"How can this be allowed?!"
A myriad of emotions echoed in her chest, and an indescribable expression surfaced on Bronya's face.
Among nobles, the more esteemed and high-ranking a person's status, the less likely they are to have autonomy in marriage. The Grand Guardian is an exception.
This is because the Grand Guardian succession system is not traditional hereditary succession, but rather requires the Grand Guardian to adopt a child and raise them as an heir from a young age. All past Grand Guardians have followed this.
As for the Grand Guardian themselves, there is no precedent for marriage. Becoming the Grand Guardian means taking on the heavy burden of Belobog's very survival, casting all personal matters aside.
This is also one of the reasons why the people hold the Grand Guardian in such high esteem.
However, what Bronya was concerned about wasn't establishing a precedent for a Grand Guardian getting married, but rather...
"This is for Belobog."
Silver Wing's words silenced Bronya.
Knowing the harshness of the situation, understanding the despair and suffering of the common people, and fully aware of Belobog's plight, she couldn't find any fault with Silver Wing's actions.
Her pale fingers trembled as they tightly clutched the blueprints and the cold-resistant crop manual. Bronya shook her head fiercely, calling out through gritted teeth.
"But this is too unfair to Caelus!"
She deeply rejected this method. To use such despicable and insidious bargaining chips to bind the understanding, benevolent, and righteous Caelus was truly too underhanded and vile!
From the perspective of Belobog's and civilization's continued existence, all citizens benefit from this marriage alliance, including her as the Grand Guardian. Only one person suffers: Caelus bears all the costs.
"This is for the people of Belobog, for the future of civilization."
Silver Wing's tone was coldly righteous, containing the resolve to use base and opportunistic means for the sake of the populace.
"But—"
"Do you want to void this marriage?"
Meeting the silver eyes dotted with pink pupils, Bronya opened her mouth, her lips parting and closing, but ultimately no words came out. The words of refusal were stuck in her throat.
Her strong sense of justice brought her intense anguish and unspeakable shame, but she was the Grand Guardian of Belobog.
She had to consider the survival of millions of people!
Sitting in the position of national leader, a qualified Grand Guardian first considers the nation and its people. For this, she would do things she didn't want to do, even if it meant becoming a woman who uses despicable means.
Bronya's face showed vivid struggle.
"Do you like Caelus?"
The sudden question made Bronya's cheeks turn scarlet at an astonishing speed: "W-what are you suddenly talking about?"
"Just answer my question." "...I don't know."
"Then do you feel favorably toward him?"
"Uh..."
Her maiden heart once again hit by a direct question, Bronya turned her head, wanting to avoid Silver Wing's gaze. But remembering the topic they were discussing, she ultimately responded, nodding her head.
Facing a hero who had helped Belobog so much, how could she not feel favorably toward him?
Hearing this, Silver Wing seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then she raised her hand and placed it on Bronya's shoulder:
"If you dislike this contract for your personal reasons, I can understand."
"I can fulfill the marriage contract with Caelus in your stead." Silver Wing's face showed a gentle, polite smile.
"No! It's not like that!" Bronya hastily shook her head, denying it.
She had already used such despicable and insidious bargaining chips to tie Caelus's kindness; how could she then let her "alternate self" from a parallel world, a "Bronya" who shouldn't bear this responsibility, take on this "baseness" herself?
"Bronya" (Silver Wing) had truly done so much for Belobog, many things that she herself couldn't have done, like abolishing the noble class...
At this very moment, Grand Guardian Bronya's prestige in the hearts of the people of Belobog had reached an unprecedented level, surpassing all previous Grand Guardians, directly challenging and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the First Grand Guardian!
All of this was Silver Wing's achievement.
"It's alright."
Silver Wing's expression softened, the pink pupils in her eyes seeming to soften too. She said with a smile.
"If you find this method hypocritical and contemptible, then adding genuine feelings will make it alright."
"Adding... genuine feelings?" Bronya lifted her eyelids, looking blankly at Silver Wing.
"That's right, genuine feelings."
Silver Wing raised her flawless jade hand, gently placing it over her chest, as if feeling her throbbing heart. Her vermillion lips parted slightly, and she spoke in a soft whisper:
"Let yourself like Caelus, let yourself fall in love with him. Use a fervent and sincere emotion to erase the hypocrisy and deceit. I'm already doing that."
"This...?"
Hearing this, Bronya's expression rapidly shifted. She could feel her heart accelerating once again.
Make herself fall in love with Caelus?
This certainly seemed like a method. Although even with her body and emotions, she didn't believe it could equal what Caelus had given, it was the greatest return she could offer him.
Just as Bronya fell into thought, she suddenly seemed to realize something crucial.
"Wait!"
"What did you say?"
"You're already doing that?"
Bronya abruptly looked up, staring at the silver-haired girl before her, whose smile remained.
"Ah, after all, I'm the one who found a way to forcibly arrange this marriage with him. If I thoroughly fall in love with Caelus during my time as Grand Guardian, wouldn't everything just fall into place naturally?"
Hearing Silver Wing's lighthearted words, Bronya fell silent.
It was as if an angel had streaked across the sky, and the entire official residence fell into a heavy silence.
Bronya knew this was Silver Wing's sense of responsibility. The marriage she arranged, she would fulfill.
But how could she let her 'other self,' who had no connection to Belobog, bear this burden?
"I will fulfill the marriage contract." Bronya took a deep breath, her tone resolute.
Not only would she fulfill the marriage contract, but she would also... fall in love with Caelus before Silver Wing!
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