In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 53 Gertrude's Confession

Late at night, Chen Qi, who had been busy all day, finally finished dealing with all the government affairs and dragged his tired body back to his palace.

Unfortunately, the power struggles with the Duke of Windermere and the Colombian president were already exhausting.

In addition, there was Hildegard, whom he had personally appointed as the "Marshal" to lead the expedition against Bolivar.

Chen Qi had to explain to her in detail the areas occupied by Bolivar, as well as how to deal with the issue of public sentiment, and so on.

Moreover, as Letania prospered and more and more departments were added, the emperor's duties became increasingly heavy.

In particular, after he stripped the nobles of all real power, almost all state affairs fell on his shoulders.

Chen Qi felt even more acutely the workload that had followed when the shoehorn abolished the position of prime minister.

Sigh, we're still short-staffed.

There is still too little talent.

Otherwise, Chen Qi wouldn't have been so eager to bring talented children like Texas and Lappland to the tower to personally train them when he saw them.

Even though Chen Qi was extremely busy, he was unwilling to reverse course and restart the nobles.

The reforms in Letania are in full swing.

I cannot give up halfway just because I am afraid of hardship.

Otherwise, all that blood of the Leitanians would have been shed in vain.

"Ok?"

As Chen Qi, his mind in turmoil, pushed open the door to his bedchamber, he found it unusually dark, even though it should have been brightly lit.

And there was a dark figure waiting in front of him.

"who?"

Fortunately, before Chen Qi could reflexively draw his sword, the beautiful figure who heard the voice slowly turned around, revealing a face that Chen Qi knew all too well.

"...It is I, Your Majesty."

"Gertrude?"

Chen Qi visibly relaxed only after he saw Gertrude's face clearly.

"You're here, so why did you turn off all the lights? And chase the guards away?"

"I almost thought an assassin had come. I don't want to kill one of my few loyal subjects because of my paranoia."

As Chen Qi stepped into the room and began to take off his long, cumbersome robe, he spoke to Gertrude behind him:

"So, is there something you want to ask me?"

“I have entrusted the war effort entirely to Hildegard. You will need to take care of Bolivar’s political and intelligence matters.”

Because of absolute trust and because it was too dark inside, Chen Qi did not notice Gertrude's silence.

He didn't even notice that while he was rambling on, Gertrude, who was silent behind him, was slightly clenching her teeth as if she had made up her mind.

In the dim light, she reached out her slender hand and unbuttoned a button on her collar.

Soon, one piece of clothing after another fell silently off Gertrude's body.

"Hmm? Gertrude, why aren't you saying anything? You—"

However, when Chen Qi noticed that Gertrude's silence had lasted a little too long, he turned his head in surprise.

Looking at Gertrude's body, which had somehow removed all its clothes, he realized that she had been naked.

The words he hadn't finished saying were abruptly stuck in his throat.

"...Is it beautiful?"

After a long while, only after confirming that Chen Qi was attracted to her body did Gertrude's slightly shy words reach his ears.

"It's beautiful."

Chen Qi answered almost without hesitation.

Although the room was dimly lit, he could still clearly see Gertrude's curvaceous, snow-white body with a hint of shy blush.

It's strange, Gertrude is only 21 years old since she joined.

But she seemed to possess an innate allure unique to mature women, captivating people and making them drool over her body.

However, Gertrude was always by his side, so much so that Chen Qi usually overlooked her charm.

But now, he has to admit that he is captivated.

But he has not lost his rationality because of this.

"But... I don't understand why you did this?"

Chen Qi was a little confused.

If Gertrude wanted to seduce herself, she had many better opportunities before.

Now, she is a duke and controls both the propaganda and intelligence departments, so there is no higher title she can attain.

Even if she became his woman, it wouldn't mean much to Gertrude.

Besides...

After going through so much together, Chen Qi no longer believes that Gertrude is the same woman he remembers as someone who would stop at nothing to climb the social ladder.

So why is she doing that?

"...Now that things have come to this, how come my dear Emperor doesn't understand people's hearts?"

"A beautiful young girl, in the prime of her youth, suppressed her shyness and revealed her most unguarded self in front of the man she admired most."

"Does the meaning behind this need further explanation?"

Gertrude, feigning composure, intended to use her most skillful seductive manner to calmly convey her meaning to the monarch before her.

However, he was met with Chen Qi's completely indifferent gaze.

Gertrude's carefully constructed facade, concealing her true self, crumbled almost without resistance, turning into shattered glass.

Eventually, the smile faded, and the composure could no longer be maintained.

Instead, there is the heart of a noble girl, her soul riddled with wounds and tears of grievance streaming down her face.

"...I'm just scared."

"I'm afraid that this time, once I leave your side, I'll never see you again."

Gertrude couldn't help but chuckle, as if mocking her own weakness, and muttered to herself:

"I look ridiculous, don't I?"

"Born into nobility, I was used as a tool by my weak and incompetent father from a young age."

"He told me that my destiny at birth was to complete a political marriage and become a sacrifice for him and his family to consolidate their position."

"From the time I can remember, I was taught those aristocratic etiquettes."

"And those... dirty tricks."

"How to seduce a man, how to poison a woman who poses a threat to you, how to keep a man firmly under your control..."

Now, I feel like a little girl experiencing her first love.

She so easily revealed her true feelings, exposing her most vulnerable side... to express her deep love for this man.

"It's all your fault, Your Majesty."

With tears welling in her eyes, her lips slightly pursed, and her cheeks flushed red, Gertrude stared intently at the silent Chen Qi before her.

"Fate only gave me two paths: either to survive by my own means and schemes, engaging in backstabbing and intrigue."

"Either... die a humiliating death in some corner, as worthless as a maggot in a stinking ditch." "But then, your appearance changed my fate forever."

"You gave me hope, you gave me a future, you gave me everything I never dared to imagine I could have."

"You've made it impossible for me to see any other men. The thought of marrying men I don't even want makes me feel uneasy and disgusted."

"The thought that I might never see you again fills me with a despair that makes me want to commit suicide."

"Your Majesty, please take full responsibility for this."

With two lines of clear tears falling, Gertrude approached the man before her, a man she could only dream of.

Until those trembling fingers actually touched his cheek.

She then became certain that everything before her eyes was not a hallucination.

"Now, Your Majesty, please tell me."

"Does a woman as filthy and lowly as me have the right to continue serving you?"

Gertrude's voice trembled so much that the anxiety and fear of rejection almost filled her eyes.

The next second, she was met with a reassuring chuckle and a soft whisper.

"—I agree."

“My dear, Miss Gertrude.”

……

At this very moment, in another room of the tower, a scene unfolded that was completely different from the ambiguous atmosphere in Chen Qi's bedroom.

"So, what exactly are you trying to say, Liselotte?"

Having finally shed her maid outfit and donned a jet-black marshal's uniform, Hildergard felt far from relieved.

The reason was the sister in front of him, whose expression was calm, but whose eyes revealed a strong distrust of him.

The black and white twins are ultimately products created together.

They may not be very good at understanding people's hearts, but their understanding of each other can be revealed by just a small gesture.

"Do you suspect that I've sided with Qi? Do you suspect that I've chosen to betray you for my own future?"

"...How can you expect me to believe that you haven't betrayed me, Hildergard?"

Liselotte's face remained perfectly calm, and she was even unwilling to waste any words explaining her suspicions.

It was precisely because of her unwavering attitude that Hildergard felt an undisguised disgust.

She understands her sisters.

Once she has made up her mind about something, she will assume that it is the truth and become absolutely convinced of it.

In the past, it was Liselotte who was responsible for suspecting and investigating which nobles posed a threat to them.

Hildergard, who was in charge of carrying out the task, didn't see anything wrong with it.

But now that she was the one being suspected, Hildegard truly felt that sense of annoyance.

"We were both reduced to slavery together, so why does Qi trust you so much now, Hildegard?"

“Bolivar is almost a natural fit for a separatist state. He not only gave you the command of an army group, but also assigned his confidant Gertrude to assist you.”

"Even...your seal has been almost completely broken, hasn't it?"

Liselotte, who knew her sisters' current strength simply by sensing them, was convinced that her guess was correct.

“Hildegard, my sister, please tell me.”

"What exactly did Qi do to you that made you willing to serve him like this?"

"—I am not working for him, Liselotte."

"I did it for Letania."

Finally, Hildegard, who was being doubted by her own sister, completely lost her temper.

"Lizelot, together we found the meaning of our existence: to create a better Letania."

"And now, Letania is about to rise, and war is about to break out."

"Why don't you stand up and protect the people of Letania? Why won't you stand up and fight for Letania?"

"Still indulging in the fantasy of returning to the throne?"

Gazing at Liselotte, whose eyes were tightly closed and who remained silent, Hildergard's eyes flashed with deep disappointment as she said softly:
“Lizelot, we cannot only love Letania when we are empresses.”

"Now, the emperor of Letania is Qi. Even if we don't agree with his choice of the path of war, we must do our best now that things have come to this."

“Let the people of Letania shed less blood, and let the foreigners shed less blood... that is true mercy.”

"Why can't you, who always presents yourself as benevolent and virtuous, understand this point?"

"Do you think all of this is fake?"

"Could it be that the hopes and smiles of all those people whose lives are becoming increasingly prosperous, the hardworking workers, and the soldiers with high morale...?"

"Just because something isn't created by our own hands, does that mean it's all fake?"

"..."

However, Liselotte responded to Hildergard with only silence.

Looking at her stubborn sister, Hildegarde shook her head in disappointment and left without saying a word.

Not being good at arguing, she had no way to persuade her sisters to get out of their misguided ways.

She could only hope that her sisters would understand this principle in the future.

……

Several days later, in Lentinham, the capital of Victoria, the Duke of Windermere, who had served as the negotiator, finally returned.

Under the watchful eyes of the world, the Duke of Windermere, returning victorious, raised the agreement high in her hand to countless reporters and civilians.

That is the agreement concerning the territorial planning of Bolívar, signed by you and the eight dukes of Victoria.

This scene was captured clearly by a reporter from Lentinium and published on the front page of major newspapers that same day.

Two powerful nations, relying solely on an agreement, divided up territory that did not belong to either of them.

This sounds ironic.

Unfortunately, the people of Victoria do not care about the fate of the Bolivarians.

[For a moment, Victoria, and even neighboring countries like Kazimir, Kazdel, and Ursus, all breathed a sigh of relief at this news.]

At a time when everyone sensed the approaching threat of war, yet most were unprepared, they were all relieved that the flames of conflict would not reach their countries.

They all hoped that after obtaining the Bolívar, Letania would stop, as stated in the agreement.

But you know very well that these are promises that can never be kept.

The gears of war have already been turned.

Bolívar is about to become the first country to feel the power of that steel torrent.

And this war, which may be the largest in Terra's history, is about to begin.

Chapter Two for today!

*Sobbing* Please, dear readers, add this to your favorites and give it your support!
Regarding the ratio of battle scenes to romance, please rest assured, there won't be any "chasing after the husband" moments. I'm just laying the groundwork for the joy of their future reunion.

After all, you can tell from the synopsis that this is a simulation game with multiple playthroughs.

But don't worry, the protagonist isn't likely to "suddenly" end the simulation. Making the plot plausible is a matter of the author's skill; just leave that to the author.

Of course I'll design a magnificent ending for the protagonist!
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(End of this chapter)