Dear Broom Knight.

Chapter 837 Darkness and Wealth: A Woman's Support

"Valera." Katarina tried to hide her massive body behind the nature mage, lowering her voice as she went, "Why do I feel like it's even more dangerous after we come back?"
They were all laughing, but... the atmosphere was even more terrifying than when I was fighting that jerk for the throne!

Valera didn't even bother to reply... Didn't she already know perfectly well what was going on over there?
Previously, everyone was just speculating, and although it was highly likely, it had not yet actually come to fruition.

No matter how eloquently Armies spoke, it was all in vain unless Hades himself appeared.

Persephone is indeed a very convincing figure, but the one who can truly determine the inclinations of the Underworld is Hades.

The Countess never wanted Pearl and Persephone to become one, precisely because she didn't want Pearl to become a goddess who could only survive through a man's tolerance and love.

She didn't quite understand the complexities of the divine, but... with the simplest of maternal concerns, the Countess preferred to let Pearl live alone for a while rather than let her entire mindset change.

Due to certain traditions, women in the Northern Kingdom did not have as many career options as those in the South, but they were not entirely without them.

Especially noble ladies.

It's not that they won't be sent away by their families to marry, but basically, their dowry and their own identity still belong to them.

As long as the country remains stable and healthy, nobles will not need to brand themselves as scheming to seize their wives' property.

This also includes marriage alliances between families.

The portion of the property required to be given as a dowry for the bride is completely separate from the property registered in the wife's name.

Even though the Countess had almost completely broken ties with her family, her family did not dare to completely abolish her share of the inheritance.

This was the rule that the nobles tacitly agreed upon.

Failure to comply will not harm the Countess, but rather the family's own reputation and standing.

Everyone can know they're selling their daughter, but they can't just not do anything overtly about it.

This means that the family has completely lost its noble bottom line... and then it will be rejected by the entire noble system.

Of course, I can give you the items, but whether they're good or not is another matter.

However, as long as they have these dowries, noblewomen can rely on them to have the opportunity to survive independently.

Therefore, no matter how much the Church of the Night acts up, or how much trouble the Church of Wealth causes, noblewomen will choose the side of these two churches when it comes to taking sides.

It's not for any other reason than that, as long as the two major churches stand firm, women will have a certain degree of freedom.

Although men still get more.

This is because much of the bloodline is passed down through paternal genes, so the main participants in wars are still men... Women do exist, but there are fewer of them, and they are less stable.

Those families that can pass on feminine qualities have always been able to stand at the top!
The women can accept that the team lost because of its strength, not because of any rules or traditions.

But they will never easily give up their power.

Men aren't ignorant of these things.

Otherwise, why would the Church of the Night be able to enter the heavily guarded Northern Palace at will, without any surprise on His Majesty Travis's part?

Everyone understands what's going on.

Women may always be quiet, but that doesn't mean they won't fight for their rights.

Not all of the many queens in the Northern royal family are foolish enough to only trust their family.

However, tragically, without the careful care of their families, they find it difficult to guarantee that they won't fall ill during the vulnerable period after childbirth.

His Majesty Travis is certainly not the kind of despicable person who would allow others to harm his queen.

Moreover, once he discovers any trace of it, he will definitely investigate thoroughly and throw all the 'innocent' people in the queen's palace out of the palace as well.

Their so-called innocence does not mean they did not fail in their duties.

This is also the main reason why, in the later years, his queen was able to spend several years with her children.

The palace servants had finally made it in, and they certainly didn't want to be thrown out in such an undignified manner.

However, the investigation revealed that, in most cases, it was the queen's maternal relatives who were responsible.

Since she is unwilling to serve the family, it's no wonder the family has completely abandoned her... At least she can get a large amount of resources in return to compensate for the losses she suffered.

As a tool for political marriage, the queen was merely part of a deal between the king and his family.

His Majesty Travis could only punish the individual who committed the act, not the entire family.

After all, according to the rules of the nobility, they themselves had given up the deal.

Moreover, although the queens of Travis did not have the power to participate in political affairs, they still held supreme power in the harem.

His Majesty Travis is still quite willing to abide by the correct traditional rules.

Even his officials had to ask for the Queen's permission before handling matters concerning the harem.

If the Queen doesn't want to use a particular servant, especially in her own palace, it's just a matter of a word.

Actually, it's understandable that these young queens can't do this, since their families don't teach them these things.

Travis, who grew up enduring hardship and suffering alongside a cruel father and a foolish brother, could not understand their actions of fighting back despite their lack of ability.

You only have the right to stand up if you have the ability!
Isn't this playing with your life?
Of course, most importantly, Travis, who treats his wife and children as commodities, isn't exactly normal. He doesn't like people who break contracts, regardless of the reason.

Although, in truth, these queens who turned against their families were all coerced into coming to power by their families.

But, that's all there is to it.

She might feel some regret and resentment, but she certainly wanted the position of queen.

How could a girl from a noble family, not from a family so impoverished that she only had a title, be completely powerless to resist?
It's not like we're sending them to some dark and hopeless place; she's the Queen of the North!

At the very least, none of the people sent in had ever openly voiced their opposition.

On the contrary, some of the queens sent in by these middle-class families later on might have been forced into it, since such families might only have one or two suitable daughters in their direct line.

Although their resistance was more subtle than that of the previous queens, it was far more effective.

It was from that time that the Church of the Night began to flourish throughout the Northern Royal Palace.

But this is also normal.

The Church of the Dark Night was never a place that noblewomen preferred to visit.

Although the girls in the dark all have their own flaws, they absolutely only care about themselves.

Whether it's scheming and infighting or open and covert struggles, it's all for the sake of one's own strength.

The future they envisioned for themselves was one where they stood on high ground, looking down at the earth.

Basically, there's no weak perspective like "I want to marry a good man and then help him become the ruler of the world."

Just like those two dark moons that stayed in the Icefield Palace.

Don't be fooled by their flirtatious banter and sexy poses with Alex; it's more like they're saying, "I'm so beautiful, why don't you look at me? How dare you look at her?" It's not that they actually want to climb the social ladder by taking the male route.

Girls from the Church of the Dark Night are all pretty much like this.

In other words, even if they get married and have children, their first reaction to encountering a terrible man is definitely not to be tolerant or to expect a good outcome.

Rather, being a widow is fine too.

Of course, whether she can kill him is another matter, but she would definitely dare to do it.

If it doesn't work out, then just separate!

She was forced into that situation, so she naturally has a high degree of sympathy.

In an era before divorce, this was probably the greatest expectation an ordinary family could have for their daughter.

Girls from middle-class families, who are still exposed to these ideas, are easily drawn to the heroic spirit and righteous indignation of the Dark Night Church.

However, girls from noble families rarely have this opportunity, but they certainly don't need it.

No matter who they marry, their husbands are unlikely to do anything to harm them openly, and they don't feel that kind of urgency.

The suffering and torment they endured after marrying His Majesty the King did not come from Travis, but from their family.

Those who harm them are often enemies from within or outside the family.

Valera once thought that if it weren't for Lori, even if she had been taken away by the Church of the Earth, she might have ended up on the path of darkness.

None of them are good-natured people.

No matter how gentle and amiable they may appear on the surface, they can still ruthlessly stab you in the back.

Including the silly Taylor.

Every church, regardless of any particularly serious shortcomings on the surface, has its own unique group of followers.

In the land of storms, even if the faith in the main deity is unwavering, there are still many who secretly lean towards other gods.

A businessman will definitely place a statue of the goddess of wealth in his home.

It's perfectly normal for girls to keep a small statue of the goddess of the night for themselves.

Therefore, Valera could understand why the Countess was worried about Persephone's appearance, which seemed to overlap with that of certain queens.

Of all those queens, the ones who died the earliest, and who even lost their own children, were all of the Persephone type.

However, in Valera's opinion, the Countess was worrying too much.

That's a god!

Persephone, who managed to leave behind a reputation for marital bliss in a terrible place like Greece, was definitely not what she appeared to be on the surface.

“Darling…” A sickeningly sweet voice suddenly came from outside the hall, “Hades, how are you feeling?”
"Has the seal made you feel uncomfortable in any way?"

"It's alright, just a little stuffy." The dark Grim Reaper spoke calmly. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon."

Tsk!
Tsk tsk tsk!
Ever since the two of them returned with Earl Hamilton, Valera has rarely been in the same room with them unless absolutely necessary.

Too cloying.

(End of this chapter)