Chapter 2

Leonida’s first order was for him to attend a banquet in the palace as her representative.

Since she was the deputy head of Ferdinand, that meant he was now the deputy of the deputy.

Kaon laughed inwardly, looking outside the carriage’s window and watching the walls of their duchy grow farther away.

‘Actually, this isn’t funny at all. What the hell am I supposed to do? Why didn’t she tell me about this in advance?’

He crossed his arms and glowered at the aide sitting opposite him.

Quick-witted as he was, Joseph obviously sensed the figurative daggers pointed at him, but he opted to feign concentration on his book first before raising his head. “Lady Leo said to only let you know right before the event.”

“Joseph, whose aide are you, again? Mine or my sister’s?”

“Of course, I serve you, Young Master, but Lady Leo pays the salary.”

“Hah…”

It went without saying that the deputy had greater authority than the young master. Still, the present circumstances made his head hurt.

Kaon blinked rapidly to dispel the fog in his mind. “Never mind, just tell me about what happened with the Ingelos family. What even happened? Was this really the agreement between our families? Those foolish wizards…” He frowned.

Was it a hoax? The Ferdinands and Ingeloses were equally disdainful of each other. The latter was comprised of typically arrogant mages who looked down on everyone who couldn’t control their mana; they especially hated knights because, by their standards, they were beings so far from intelligence. Moreover, Ferdinand was the knight family from the founding myth that was recorded to have been their enemies since the beginning. It was no exaggeration to say that the two were mortal enemies.

There had to be some reason why the Ingelos family had agreed to an arranged marriage, and he believed that he at least had a right to know what it was—given that he was the other half of the arrangement.

“Since ancient times, their family has always been devoted to the study of magic, as you must already know.”

Well, yes, he did know. The whole kingdom did. Mages and research were inseparable, and Ingelos was the oldest mage family in Gaius, as well as the one that was most abundant raw power and talent. Everyone knew that they were madly engrossed in all things magical.

“All forms of research are expensive, but magic research has a particularly astronomical cost. That’s why the Magic Tower is trying to earn and save every penny.”

“Persistent bastards…” Kaon ground his teeth.

How many negotiations had his sister conducted with them? They really were a miserly bunch.

“But the Ingeloses, in a good or bad sense, are the ones most like the ancient mages.”

“Ancient mages?”

“In terms of being purely obsessed with magic. Money or anything like that is not part of their priorities.”

Kaon paused. He had a rough idea of ​​what Joseph was trying to say.

“…Are you saying they have a financial problem?”

It still seemed surreal.

Even though they were his family’s enemies, Ingelos was still one of the seven families representing the kingdom. It was not a nameless family tucked away in a corner of the kingdom. A duke’s family undergoing a financial crisis? Wasn’t that absurd?

“Yes, and it’s quite a serious situation. They’re on the verge of bankruptcy.”

“What?”

Joseph confirmed it, explaining that it really was quite dire.

“How could that be?”

Kaon was genuinely curious.

King Helios I, the founding king of Gaius, did not forget to pay tribute to the five families who contributed to his founding. Each family was given the land they wanted along with huge amounts of gold and precious stones.

Of course, it was a story from several hundred years ago, but even considering that, it was incomprehensible that Ingelos alone was on the verge of ruin.

The situation of the other four families was more or less the same as theirs because even if the Ferdinands were worried about the future and looking for ways to prepare, they weren’t in serious financial trouble right now.

“Didn’t I tell you? They are the ones who are the most like the ancient mages. How would you describe a mage?”

“What…? Single-minded and reticent? Selfish?”

Kaon knew he was biased, but it wasn’t like mages didn’t act that way.

Even the mages officially dispatched from the Tower who were obligated to protect the territories neglected their duties, contributing to the prejudice against them.

“Ingelos is an exceptionally antisocial family. There is probably no other in Gaius and beyond who can exceed them in that.”

“Well, that’s… something.”

“If each member of the family was raised to value only the act of increasing their own magical power and dislike all other activities, wouldn’t that be a fundamental problem?”

“It means no one is making money.”

“Correct.”

There was obviously nothing wrong with cultivating intellect and exploring academic pursuits in itself, but what if every single one in the family is focused on that? No matter how much gold was there, it would run out one day if nobody bothered to add to the pile.

“Aren’t there many places that need mages? I know that the recruitment for royal mages is always open.”

“It’s not what they want to do.” Joseph shrugged. “According to the information we have received, it seems that the king has also made an offer to Ingelos. He said he was willing to pay off their huge debt to the central bank and even support their research.”

“Isn’t that deal much better than what the royal family wants with us?”

It was bittersweet to admit, but without a swordmaster, even a good and loyal knight family was not as useful as a mage family.

“However, it seems that the king intends to actively interfere with their family by ordering regular mage training and issuing essential research tasks.”

“So that was the catch…” Kaon sighed, understanding why Ingelos wanted to cooperate with Ferdinand this time.

The two families wished to choose the lesser evil, with the arranged marriage being the reason to politely decline the king’s offers.

“It seems too deceitful.”

From the king’s point of view, it would appear that the two families chose the enemy instead of cooperating with him. Wouldn’t that provoke his ire even more?

“It’s all in the execution. If the reason looks plausible, he has no choice but to let it slide despite any suspicions.”

“That’s why I’m being told to be as obedient as a lamb.”

Two sacrifices would be raised on the altar, and in return, both families would get what they wanted.

Kaon began to wonder who the poor lamb from Ingelos would be.

***

“…What in what now?”

“You must act as if you have fallen in love with the Ingelos’ eldest daughter.”

“Fall…”

It really was just one crazy thing after another. Kaon ran a hand through his well-groomed hair—which would have horrified the maid who had made it so neat in the first place, but that was the least of his worries at the moment.

“That is Lady Leonida’s second order.”

Kaon felt his good mood disappear. Somehow, his cooperation had led him to this point, on his way to the palace, absolutely befuddled at all the plans that involved him but were made without him.

Was this why Leo hadn’t been nagging him these past few days?

“This is crazy. Would you do something like that? Because I wouldn’t!”

“You don’t have to actually fall in love with her. You just have to pretend that you did.”

“I know that! Still, I don’t like the idea, so I won’t do it.”

Kaon wasn’t an actor in a traveling theater group. His pride would never allow him to do it.

“Well, my role is only to relay messages. The one who must go back to the duchy and talk to Lady Leo is you, Young Master,” Joseph stated calmly. “Didn’t you also worry about seeming deceitful? She is concerned about the same thing.”

“So she wants me to act like a fool? Does she think so lightly of her brother’s pride as a knight?”

It wasn’t that he was unaware or unappreciative of Leonida’s hard work. Kaon also wanted to help his sister for the sake of Ferdinand, which was why he accepted the command to be betrothed to an Ingelos. He even willingly undertook the twenty-day journey with little knowledge of what he was supposed to do.

This, though, was too much. By this point, he was almost wondering whether Leonida really thought of him as a brother.

“Does she? You know how much Lady Leo loves you, Young Master. Besides, there is no doubt that you will become a great knight in the future.”

“Is this the usual thing that beloved little brothers are made to do?”

“But, Young Master, if you don’t do it, the young lady of Ingelos will have to do the pretending, and in that case…” Joseph looked at Kaon with ominously bright eyes. “Won’t it hurt her fragile heart? If you, who will become a knight representing Ferdinand, do not take care of her, won’t that be a shameful act that goes against the code of chivalry?”

“…”

“Lady Leo, who has exceptional foresight, must have had that in mind, hoping that her one and only brother will walk the righteous path of a knight.”

Kaon was presented with the unusual sight of Joseph clenching his fists and speaking with fervor.

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “How much were you supposed to get?”

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about. As your aide, please remember that I am also always thinking about your future. Even if Lady Leo had indeed promised a bonus, would I have dared to sell my soul for just a few gold coins?”

He definitely would have dared. In fact, it was unlikely that there was anything left of his soul at this point. Even though he always looked weary, his eyes shone in the presence of money.

“If it’s really difficult for you, just try asking for a dance. Lady Leo would not have given these orders in hopes of a passionate courtship. It would just be nice to have ideas on how to propose.”

“Fine. I’m not going to do anything other than ask her to dance, so don’t expect anything big or make me do more than that. I refuse.”

“Understood.” Joseph paused, looking at Kaon’s pensive expression, then said abruptly, “You never know, right? Perhaps the lady will be beautiful enough for you to fall in love at first sight.”

“With an Ingelos? Me? That’s ridiculous.”

The words were comforting in their own way, but they wouldn’t work on him.

‘I can’t fall in love with her, of all people… It would be like a dog eating grass.’

Kaon waved his thoughts away and kicked Joseph out of the carriage. He just wanted to carry out his sister’s orders as soon as possible and shake off the burden placed on him.