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

Chapter 70 Empress? Concubine! Vina's Ultimate Fate

"Woo..."

When Vina groggily woke up after sleeping for an unknown amount of time, she belatedly realized that she was no longer in that damp and dark alley.

Feeling the soft mattress and pillows that enveloped her, so soft they seemed to melt her bones, and the faint scent of incense in the air, she drifted into a daze.

For a moment, Vina even thought that everything she had experienced was just a dream.

His father was not hanged by the people.

Her country was not conquered by Letania.

All of this was nothing more than a nightmare for Princess Victoria.

But soon, Vina's fantasy was shattered by a somewhat familiar voice beside her.

"You're finally awake, Miss Vina."

When the familiar female voice rang out again, Vina almost reflexively sat up abruptly from the bed.

Beside Vina's bed, Viviana, dressed in a light blue lace dress and looking as adorable as a beautifully crafted porcelain doll, smiled at her.
"Your body is too weak. You were found unconscious in the alley. I had no choice but to have the guards bring you back to recuperate."

"Ah, don't worry, your clothes were changed by the maids in the tower, and they also took you to bathe."

"You must be very hungry now. I'll have someone tell the kitchen to prepare some food in a bit."

"If you don't mind, please have some of my tea and snacks first."

"Thank you……"

Looking at the plate of delicate pastries and the fragrant, rich black tea that Viviana had personally brought over.

Vina, who had forgotten that she hadn't eaten for several days, couldn't resist the urge to eat.

But just as Vina picked up a cookie, about to put it in her mouth...

Only then did she belatedly realize the terrifying message in Viviana's words.

"...Wait, I didn't introduce myself to you, so how do you know my name?"

"And you said this is a tower? The tower of Letania?"

Memories of her previous coma suddenly flooded back, and Vina's expression changed almost immediately.

As she looked at Viviana beside her, who still had a sweet smile, she couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice:
"who are you?"

"Since you can live in the tower, are you perhaps the child of the Elector of Letania?"

"That's really rude of me."

Viviana, however, remained remarkably composed in the face of Vina's shock.

She had no intention of harming Vina, nor did she harbor any hatred towards the Victorians; she simply answered Vina's questions politely and honestly.

"My name is Viviana."

"As for this place, it is the tallest tower in Trinitylme, which can also be described as the royal palace."

“I think Miss Vina must also know my father.”

Under Vina's increasingly desperate and trembling gaze, Viviana smiled and uttered the answer that had almost made her faint.

“My father is the Emperor of Letania, Qi.”

Boom!

In an instant, it was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in Vina's mind. Vina felt her mind go blank, and even the silver plate in her hand fell to the ground due to excessive shock.

"boom."

Just then, the door to the room was pushed open without warning.

Startled, Vina instinctively turned her head and was immediately confronted with the familiar face of the monarch that frequently appeared in Victoria's newspapers.

That was the face that had frequently appeared in her nightmares ever since Victoria was destroyed, a face that filled her with both hatred and fear.

"—Nice to meet you, Crown Princess of Victoria, Miss Vina Victoria."

"I have to say, I really didn't expect to see you here."

“After I accepted Victoria’s surrender, I ordered a nationwide manhunt for you in Victoria, but we still found nothing.”

"But you chose to hide in the place closest to the tower. I really admire your courage."

You can imagine how wonderful Chen Qi's feelings were upon receiving this "unexpected joy" from Vina.

Even Chen Qi never expected that Viviana's grassroots investigation would actually bring him such a heavyweight fish.

However, what Chen Qi didn't know was that his guess actually overestimated Vina's abilities.

Vina came to Letania only because Victoria fell so quickly that she left in such a hurry that she didn't even have time to prepare a map.

The members of her "Glasgow Gang" are all skilled fighters, including former nobles and Knights of the Tower.

But in the past, they could only barely survive by collecting protection money. They rarely even left the slums of Lentinium, let alone Victoria.

When they were forced to flee due to the fall of Lentinium, they quickly lost their way in the wilderness and wandered for more than ten days.

If it weren't for strategist Morgan noticing the towering tower in the distance when everyone was almost in despair, they might have already died in the wilderness.

However, as the Crown Princess, Vina simply couldn't bring herself to say such a shameful truth.

She could only feign composure. Faced with the emperor who had conquered Victoria and utterly shattered her honor, she had nowhere to escape but to accept her fate.

"Further words are useless, Emperor of Letania."

"You'd better give me a quick and painless death right now. As long as I'm alive, I will never let you go."

"—Miss Vina, it seems that during your time as a gang leader in Londinium, you didn't get to know me very well."

“I will not kill someone of value to me casually, especially someone like you who has a great influence on my rule.”

Chen Qi smiled at Vina's completely expected answer.

Vina's resolute acceptance of death reminded Chen Qi of Margaret Nearl, who had attempted to assassinate him.

But what about Margaret, who was even more daring than Vina?

The last time Chen Qi heard news of Margaret, it was because she was too ashamed to face the Kazimierz people and locked herself in her home in Lin Guang, honing her martial arts skills almost frantically every day.

It is a very obvious weakness for characters like Margaret and Vina, and it has extraordinary political significance.

Chen Qi has his own set of methods for handling this.

"—Jian, you take Viviana and leave first."

"I have some important matters to discuss with Miss Vina."

"it is good."

Immediately understanding, Jian picked up Viviana, whose face showed disappointment.

As Jian slowly closed the door, Viviana, unable to contain her curiosity, looked up at Jian and asked:
"Mother Jian, what important matter does Father have to discuss with Miss Vina?"

"...I don't know either."

After an eerie silence, Jian forced a fake smile, gently rubbing Viviana's horns, which were now longer than hers, and said with slightly lowered eyes:

"It's probably some very important national event."

It must be said that Jian's lie was very clumsy.

Even someone as young as Viviana could see through Jian's lies and pretense at a glance. As the person closest to Chen Qi, Jian and Chen Qi's understanding had long reached the point where a single look or a word was enough for them to understand each other.

Jian knew that Chen Qi wanted to manage his country well and had even begun to seriously consider the matter of his descendants and the empress.

As for Jian, she had just refused to become empress, citing her lack of political value.

Princess Victoria, who was unexpectedly captured by Viviana, was one of the best candidates to become Queen.

“Victoria’s Crown Princess… that’s a lucky break for him.”

With mixed feelings welling up inside, Jian sighed and finally gave in to himself with a forced smile.

Perhaps this is the best choice for him.

This was the last bit of help I, who had no background, no ability, and no understanding of politics, could offer him.

Help him preserve his humanity.

At the same time, from his perspective, we should strive to maximize his benefits.

……

“It won’t hurt to tell you, Miss Vina.”

"After I conquered Victoria, I was very conflicted about what method I should use to make these Victorians submit to my rule."

Inside the room, Chen Qi sat down on the edge of the bed where Vina was lying, and said in a calm voice:
“The Victorians were more stubborn than I had imagined, and extremely resistant to our rule.”

“To be honest, Miss Vina, from my perspective, I could completely disregard these conquered Victorians.”

"Whether it was the Letania, or the Gauls, the Tara, or even the Casimirs, they all deeply resented Victoria."

"If I were to issue an edict to reduce all these stubborn Victorians to slavery, I think I would only be met with cheers."

"You can't do that!"

Chen Qi's words startled Vina, who almost cried out.

However, no matter what, Vina was once the crown princess. Even though she was forced to flee the palace at a young age, Vina was still keenly aware of her status.

Now that things have come to this, as the daughter of a fallen kingdom, she no longer has the right to bargain with this emperor.

Her fate, and indeed the fate of all Victorians, was entirely determined by a single decree from the emperor.

Since he was willing to talk to me about this, it meant that he did not want to turn Victoria into a living hell.

"Then that's your problem, Miss Vina."

"As a princess of Victoria, what means do you have to make the people of Victoria accept my rule?"

"...It's very simple."

However, no sooner had Chen Qi finished speaking than Vina, born into royalty, after only a moment's thought, gritted her teeth and gave her answer:

"Once I become your queen, I guarantee that the people of Victoria will submit to your rule."

Born into the Victorian royal family, Vina received an education from a young age and developed an awareness of her royal status.

That is, when Victoria needed her, the girl herself might be used as a political sacrifice, married to a man she didn't like or even knew.

Now, Vina, who is the only remaining heir to the throne of Victoria, faces the enormous gamble of "the lives of thousands of Victorians."

Vina chose to fulfill the responsibilities befitting a crown princess.

“I witnessed my father being hanged by the people of Victoria, and the eight dukes ruling their own territories, rendering the Victorian royal family a mere shell of its former self.”

"Now, I am watching Victoria being conquered, and as the Crown Prince, I am powerless to change anything."

"But if I am still of value to you, and if I can still save the people of Victoria from disaster."

"My fate is insignificant."

Anyway, I have nothing left to lose.

Vina felt bitter as she came to the truth. She didn't know how many times she had started to blame her father for leaving her with such a huge mess.

Even though she had lowered her stance to the lowest possible level, Vina still hadn't given up in her heart.

She did not give up and rebuilt Victoria.

For her, becoming the tyrant's empress was merely a temporary compromise.

The Victorian Empire has stood for thousands of years, and Victorian customs, traditions, language, and so on... cannot be easily erased by Letania.

As long as one still considers oneself a Victorian, one can survive.

Then I might have a chance to restore Victoria to her former kingdom one day.

Vina kept all these thoughts of enduring humiliation to herself, only showing Chen Qi an attitude of "at his mercy".

She thought that her demeanor would fool the cunning tyrant.

But she didn't know.

How naive were his supposedly well-hidden little secrets when he clashed with Terra's top politicians?

"Queen?"

"Miss Vina, you're probably overthinking it."

Hearing Vina's self-satisfied speech, Chen Qi laughed out loud again.

But the next second, just as Vina looked up in surprise, Chen Qi pronounced his verdict on the crown prince's fate:
“My throne is not reserved for a crown prince of a country I have conquered.”

“Miss Vina, the only thing you can get from me is the position of a concubine.”

"Furthermore, don't expect to receive any favors from me in the future, or to give birth to an heir to the Kingdom of Victoria, let alone exert any influence over Victoria."

As he spoke, Chen Qi slowly stood up, looked directly at Vina's slightly open, somewhat dazed face, and smiled faintly:

“I just need you to reassure the people of Victoria and make them feel that they are one family with Letania—that’s all.”

“I will not let you go back to Victoria, and you are free to continue to hate and be hostile towards me.”

"I am only interested in your country, your territory, and your productivity."

"As for you..."

Chen Qi's gaze swept over Vina's body, which appeared curvaceous even under the silk quilt. After a short silence, she smiled and shook her head, saying:
"You can rest assured, although I consider myself a man who enjoys women, I only accept women I trust."

"You will live as a concubine in this tower, enjoying wealth and luxury until you die."

"Perhaps on that day, I will return your body to the royal tombs of Victoria."

After saying that, Chen Qi refused to say anything more and left the room without uttering a word.

Vina, who was only just beginning to react, was left alone in the room, lost in silence...

Vina didn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment.

Should I say I breathed a sigh of relief?
The tyrant did not immediately attempt to take her as she had imagined, and she did not need to experience that intense sense of humiliation.

But this emperor, so rational that even conspiracies and tricks had no effect on him, made Vina feel a deep sense of powerlessness...

She felt that the gap between herself, as the crown princess, and the emperor was like a deep chasm.

All the elaborate plans he had meticulously devised were, in his eyes, nothing more than simple schemes like children playing house.

What should I do?
Does Victoria have a future?
(End of this chapter)