Chapter 16

“I swear by my name and my special abilities that they are both my daughters.”

There was nothing to complain about anymore because the mother herself said so. In this way, Mariel Chartus became the second child of the Marquise’s family.

However, only three years later, Adele was attacked and murdered by an unknown man of suspicious origin, making the Marquise of Chartus fall into Philip’s hands.

“Her tenth birthday is approaching.”

“Report back as soon as you receive confirmation.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Calix continued with a faint smile.

“If the child develops a special ability, she’ll be the next Marquise.”

He spoke in a strange tone as if he was confidently stating a matter of fact. In fact, he ignored his promise to support Anthony’s succession to the marquisate in return for the marriage.

However, no one in this room cared about that. Likewise, Ryzen opened his mouth calmly.

“Philip believed that his son would soon be promoted to the rank of Marquis.”

“He probably doesn’t know that it will hasten his expulsion.”

He was a fool who was so blinded by the piles of gold in front of him that he couldn’t even see the cliff right in front of him. To Calix, he was a man not worthy of taking the time to even talk about.

“You can’t let that idiot sit on the Marquise’s seat, not in the presence of a legitimate female heir.”

Calix brushed his dark hair lightly, approaching the desk with slow steps. Then he stopped and opened his thin lips to continue the conversation.

“She is lucky to have survived until now.”

It was a meaningful remark. Ryzen asked cautiously.

“Did the Emperor have any words to say about ‘that’?”

“None.”

“It seems that the Emperor is aware of your concerns.”

“I suppose he decided to see if there is anything useful for him.”

Calix said sarcastically.

He tilted his head to the side and looked at the desk. He glanced briefly at the Emperor’s seal, stamped clearly on the marriage license, and then at the signature next to it.

Asella·Chartus.

The handwriting was elegant and neat. Calix’s long fingers gently pressed down on the woman’s name.

“Did you notice anything else?”

Ryzen gasped. His lord had never asked more than one question regarding anything, yet now he did.

Two questions about Asella Chartus.

Of course, he could have replied in the same way he had earlier. It would have been a smart way to pass the question by without complications.

But he pictured that person who was sitting there naturally, despite knowing everything.

“She seemed to be a good person, better than the rumors about her.”

The words flowed out of his mouth.

A slightly surprised expression appeared on Calix’s indifferent face. It was not often that Ryzen spoke so favorably of someone.

“Did you speak to her in private?”

“Yes, but there was nothing special about her besides what I reported. She is a woman of few words.”

“By the way, why did you make this judgment?”

At that moment, Ryzen was speechless.

Even he didn’t know why he said so.

His mission today was to deliver the Lord’s engagement gift to the future Grand Duchess and to observe whether or not she had awakened any special abilities.

The encounter was extremely brief. The conversation consisted of a few words before he left the room. However, he had no idea why he felt that way.

In the midst of thinking, Carlix’s interrogation continued.

“It’s a bit early to finalize your judgment around her, isn’t it?”

Realizing that he had been rash and a bit thoughtless, Ryzen acknowledged his mistake and said.

“I am sorry, Your Excellency. I judged prematurely.”

Calix narrowed his eyes. Although he had known Ryzen for quite some time, this was the first time he had seen him as strange as he was acting today.

It was quite interesting in its own way, so Calix decided to tolerate his aide’s mistake.

“How are the preparations for the wedding?”

“It’s proceeding without a hitch.”

“Any requests from Chartus?”

“There were a few, but the budget is sufficient to cover them.”

“Do whatever she wants. Anything.”

The immense wealth of the Benvito family had already surpassed that of the Imperial family. Whatever Chartus demanded was a trifle, like a tiny bit of sand on a wide beach.

“Yes, Your Excellency. And-“

Ryzen asked after a brief hesitation.

“Do you wish to arrange an appointment with the Young Lady?”

Political marriages were common in aristocratic society. They were constantly recalculated to secure unity and alliance between the families and to guarantee the interests of the family.

However, since the relationship involved becoming husband and wife anyway, most noble families had a long betrothal period before marriage so that the two parties could get to know each other.

It usually lasted a year or more, or six months at the very least.

However, the wedding date that Calix Benvito had set was only a month from now.

“It’s better to arrange a meeting with the lady and get to know her…”

“No need.”

Cutting off his sentence with a single word just as a sharp blade, Calix turned his attention to the documents in his hand.

It was true that Ryzen’s reaction was interesting, but it wasn’t enough to make him want to meet her before their marriage.

She was just a woman who would become his wife anyway because of her value. It didn’t matter what kind of woman she was, as long as she was good enough.

If she had the ability, she would do the best she could as the Grand Duchess, and if she didn’t, she would just do whatever she could.

There was no need to waste time.

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