As evening gradually fell.
Jeanne scattered a handful of fish food into the garden pond. Trout, carp, perch, and pike swimming within immediately crowded together, fighting over the food.
They were not ornamental fish. On fasting days, the Emperor would often order his attendants to catch them and distribute them to favored officials and nobles.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she asked without looking up, "Finished talking with Anna's family?"
"Mm. I've said everything I needed to say."
Jeanne raised the glass of wine in her hand. "Honestly, I was rather worried that Anna was just getting her hopes up. A gifted girl like her, who lacked affection throughout her childhood, is far too easy for others to exploit."
Vivianna had actually shared those worries. She felt that, after all, she was not the old Emperor's biological daughter and had no right to contact him.
If Lothar had not used the excuse of getting in touch with the German Emperor ahead of time, she might not have been able to make up her mind.
Even blood-related family could be distant, treating her as a bargaining chip for the family's gain. Much less an outsider.
Lothar shook his head. "The old Emperor isn't purely a political animal, which is why he hasn't done an especially outstanding job as Emperor. That's precisely why I believe his affection for Anna is genuine."
Jeanne lifted her smooth little chin. "Let's hope so. As far as I'm concerned, anyone capable of becoming Emperor has a black heart."
"You're right, but no matter what, Franz is certainly much better than the Grand Elector."
Lothar sighed. As a newly crowned King and future Basileus, he understood that deeply. Excessively high moral standards were not necessarily beneficial to a nation.
Just then, Eve entered the garden at a brisk