Chapter 25
In front of the Grand Duke’s residence.
My jaw dropped as I witnessed a rare sight.
Ten carriages loaded with all sorts of gifts had arrived at the Grand Duke’s residence.
The servants gathered in small groups, murmuring among themselves. The former Grand Duke, Leopold, stroked his mustache as he observed the scene.
Kaiden pressed his forehead as if he had a headache.
“What is all this?”
“Gifts sent by Princess Caroline…”
“I heard that already. But why is she sending gifts to me?”
Kaiden muttered as he surveyed the carriages. I, too, was stunned by the sheer scale of it all.
“This… looks like the kind of gift you’d send for a marriage proposal.”
As I mumbled in a dazed voice, Kaiden slowly lowered his hand and looked at me, as if in slow motion.
His eyes widened, and he slowly opened his mouth.
“A marriage proposal…?”
* * *
“Did he say he received the gifts I sent?”
When Caroline asked, her maid bowed her head and replied.
“The Grand Duke was reportedly quite surprised.”
“Haha, really?”
Caroline seemed pleased. She ate a grape with a languid expression and said,
“I’ve marked him as mine, so now he won’t go to any more matchmaking meetings, right?”
“Of course, Your Highness. Even if the former Grand Duke tries to arrange a match, the other nobles will steer clear after hearing about this.”
The maid flattered her. A few steps away, Caroline’s personal mage, Genba Jinski, spoke with an apologetic expression.
“I’m truly sorry about yesterday, Your Highness. I should’ve burned the face of the woman the Grand Duke was supposed to meet…”
“Oh, that’s fine now. I was disappointed in your incompetence, but I’ll trust you to make up for it later.”
“Thank you!”
“You may leave.”
Genba Jinski bowed and left Caroline’s room.
Caroline ate another grape offered by her maid and muttered,
“The proposal will be perfect at the Founding Festival banquet.”
* * *
<Saintess Appears! Reviving the Dying!>
I looked at the illustration plastered across the front page of the newspaper.
It was a black-and-white sketch of Stella, the original story’s female lead, with her long hair tied back tightly, healing a sick person.
Stella was gaining fame in the eastern part of the empire for flawlessly healing those attacked by magical beasts with her holy power.
This had been discovered and reported to the press by the original story’s male lead, the second prince, Lucas, who had been dispatched there.
Everything was proceeding according to the original story.
‘Should I run away?’
As I seriously considered it, Bled objected.
[If you run away, they’ll definitely come after you.]
There was only one person who would come after me.
‘…Kaiden would come himself, wouldn’t he?’
[Probably.]
A knight who flees is unconditionally executed.
A chill ran down my spine, and I shivered as I glanced at Kaiden through the newspaper. He was pressing his temples with his hand, as if suffering from a headache.
We were sitting in the drawing room of the Grand Duke’s residence.
I was under a week-long house arrest, so naturally, I had nowhere else to go, and Kaiden was forcibly confined to the residence as well.
The reason was singular.
“Do you think Princess Caroline is going to propose to me?”
When Kaiden asked, Vito replied with a mournful expression.
“It seems likely.”
“Damn it.”
Oh, that’s rare.
Kaiden usually only swore when slaying magical beasts, otherwise maintaining an air of refinement.
To my eyes, having rolled around in the slums, he was the epitome of a noble.
“What kind of language is that in front of your grandfather!”
And the other epitome of nobility, Kaiden’s grandfather, Leopold, the former Grand Duke, immediately scolded him for his bad manners.
“What are you going to do now?! With Princess Caroline acting like this, no woman will want to meet you for matchmaking!”
That was true.
The enormous quantity of gifts sent by Princess Caroline was practically a declaration of war.
‘I’ve claimed Kaiden, so no other marriageable noblewomen should dare look at him.’
Princess Caroline was the Empress’s daughter, and her influence was immense. No one would dare risk incurring her wrath.
In other words, the noblewomen who had scheduled matchmaking meetings with Kaiden contacted him to cancel, not wanting to fall out of favor with the Empress.
“Are you going to marry Princess Caroline?”
At Leopold’s question, Kaiden immediately protested.
“No way.”
“So you’ll reject her proposal?”
“I have to.”
I shook my head. The former Grand Duke shared my sentiment.
“You fool, Princess Caroline is the Empress’s daughter! She’s not like the powerless Princess Serena! Do you think the Empress will let you off if you reject her?”
“Even so, I can’t marry someone I don’t love.”
“Tch, for such a trivial reason! Just marry her!”
“Grandfather!”
Kaiden shot to his feet. The former Grand Duke stood up just as defiantly.
“Do you think marriage is all about love?! Your insolent father was the exception, but most people marry for family and wealth! Isn’t that right, Marion?!”
Suddenly caught in the crossfire, I straightened up in surprise.
“Uh… well, I don’t really know much about the marriage affairs of high-ranking people…”
As I rolled my eyes, trying to deflect, I felt Kaiden’s gaze on me.
He was looking at me with eyes that said, ‘I told you I want to marry someone I love.’
I pretended not to notice. Getting involved in a family feud wasn’t exactly appealing.
At that moment, the former Grand Duke shouted at me.
“Fine! In that case, learn by watching Kaiden’s marriage process! Once we get him married off, you’re next for matchmaking!”
“What?!”
I couldn’t help but leap to my feet.
I was tall for a woman, but compared to the men of the Baltstein family, I was insignificant.
Kaiden, in his prime, was not only tall but also broad, and even the aged former Grand Duke had an imposing presence for his years.
So, even as I tried to protest, I felt overwhelmed by their aura.
“No, what does that even…”
“You need to get married too! I’ll neatly arrange a list of suitable matches for you, so wash your neck and wait!”
At the former Grand Duke’s outburst, I could only panic.
‘Why me, of all people?!’
* * *
Time passed quickly, and the day of the Founding Festival arrived.
While staying at the Grand Duke’s residence, Kaiden and I were being worn down by Leopold’s relentless nagging.
He urged Kaiden to marry Princess Caroline and pestered me to take bride lessons for my future.
Unable to leave the residence, we had no choice but to endure his barrage of nagging.
[The obsession of old humans with marriage is astounding.]
I nodded at Bled’s words.
‘By the way, I’ll finally see the female lead today.’
The female lead, Stella, and the male lead, Lucas, meet in the eastern part of the empire, a region plagued by magical beasts. That’s the start of the original story.
Stella heals those injured by magical beasts with her holy power, and Lucas, moved by her miraculous deeds, is inspired.
Convinced by Lucas, Stella arrives at the palace on the day of the Founding Festival to meet the Emperor, but with no time or means to prepare a dress, she appears in a shabby state.
The imperial nobles mock her for it.
But when she heals an injured bird with her holy power, everyone comes to revere her.
“Hm. They’re still a long way off.”
Looking out the window, I saw the sunset. Stella and Lucas would arrive tonight when the banquet was in full swing.
Until then, I’d patrol the banquet grounds to prepare for any potential terrorism. Of course, knowing the original story, I knew nothing would happen at the Founding Festival banquet.
But with the recent wyvern terror incident, most knights were on high alert.
‘…I only got to wear one of the dresses Kaiden prepared for me.’
I felt a bit guilty toward Kaiden, but there was nothing I could do.
“Marion.”
The Crown Prince was approaching me from a distance. I pretended not to hear his voice, turned around, and hurried away.
I could hear him calling “Marion!” from behind, but I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from throwing a punch if I had to talk to that terminally prince-syndromed guy.
[Let’s avoid him before you turn his face into a punching bag.]
I wholeheartedly agreed with Bled’s words.
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By Anna 💓
