CH 191

Heinrich III, Clementine, and Heinrich IV were summoned by Katharina and calmly waited for her, Helmut, and Helmut’s fiancé candidate to arrive at Manor Royce.

Both Heinrich III and Clementine have arranged marriages for their eldest and second sons. By the 3rd time, they’ve gotten used to it and it doesn’t bother them so much. When they first married off their eldest son, they had a lot of trouble choosing a partner and preparing for the marriage itself because he was the heir.

When it was with their second son, they were calmer than when it was with their eldest, but even so, there were many things they didn’t know to expect, and it took them a while.

Compared to the first two, this third time, they are not so upset. They’ve already experienced most of the patterns and processes. Besides, Helmut is the third son of a viscount who has almost no chance of succeeding House Royce. The person who will marry him will always be suitable regardless of her status. Perhaps she’s not even of noble birth.

Both Heinrich III and Clementine think it’s fine. When it was their eldest son, it was a perfect marriage of convenience. They weren’t so strict with their second son, but it was still a marriage with strong political motivations. In this case, they would like to let their third son, Helmut, who is unlikely to be given a territory let alone inherit the family estate, marry someone he loves. That was their kindness.

The eldest son will inherit the Royce Viscountcy if things proceed as they are. Their second son also remains in their family as a vassal of the territory. The eldest son inherits all of Royce territory, but the second son’s family is also given territory to continue serving. Compared to that, there really isn’t enough room to give even the third son land.

The second son’s family may be the only one who also owns land. Since the official decision has not yet been made, it is fluid, but making them a permanent lord means that Royce territory will be divided, and the thinning of the authority will be visible. There is a high possibility that the second son will return the territory to the eldest son’s family, with the second son’s descendants becoming vassals without land to rule over.

Even though the House Head’s family and the second son’s family are in such a situation, there is no way the third son will be given territory, and they can’t have high hopes for whoever is going to marry him.

If she’s the second or third daughter of a barony or viscountcy, it’s fine, but if things aren’t going well, it’s no surprise that she’d be the daughter of some merchant, or even a commoner. Since Helmut serves Flora, his job is safe until Flora is offered off as a wife, but he may lose his job if Flora ends up being sent to a different House and given different servants.

In such a situation, what kind of person would marry Helmut? Knowing that their parents came to think that it would be fine for Helmut to marry whoever without forcing him to make her that good of a partner, politically speaking.

However…… that day, what the three of them witnessed while waiting for the younger Royces to return was completely different from what they had expected. The parents and eldest son could not believe their eyes, and neither would have the second son if he was there and not busy managing the territory in his older brother’s stead. Heinrich III and Clementine couldn’t hide their surprise when a completely different person than they expected got out of the carriage.

Helmut had gotten off the carriage first, prepared a platform for the lady to climb down on, and that lady was a very beautiful young woman who had clearly received a high degree of education. At her age, she is still young enough to be called a girl, but she is very beautiful and full of grace.

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It’s not like it’s a vassal’s favoritism, but as expected, the lady’s elegance and beauty are no match for Flora, the daughter of their Lord’s family. From the perspective of House Royce, Flora is exceptional in both her beauty and the perfection of her movements. As expected, this lady doesn’t reach that level, but even so, they’d think she’s a daughter of an aristocratic family who is much higher than their eldest and second son’s marriage partners.

Though that can’t be right. There is no way such a high-ranking noble lady would marry Helmut, who would likely not even be given a territory, much more inherit the Royce Viscountcy. Even if you have a high level of behavior and education, you won’t necessarily be a high-ranking aristocrat. There are even daughters of merchants who are highly educated and possess the kind of behavior that makes them mistaken for nobles. The older Royces composed themselves and made their introductions.

“Welcome to my abode,” Heinrich III said. “I am the owner of this house, the Viscount of Royce, Heinrich III.”

“Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me today,” Helmut’s fiancee candidate said. “My name is Christiane von Reingen. I am here today to formally introduce myself to discuss an engagement with Mr. Helmut.”

Her response is so dignified. The possibility of her being a daughter of a merchant has disappeared because she is used to speaking to the Heads of Houses with her family name. The fact that she can be so dignified with the viscount himself is proof that she is quite accustomed to such things.

Looking at Helmut at a glance, he was calm. Heinrich IV was filled with mixed emotions that he couldn’t separate as either amazement or jealousy when Helmut calmly brought along such a beautiful and highly educated young lady.

“Why are we standing around and talking here?” Clementine said. “Come now, let’s move into the reception room.”

As she said, they move there. It will become clear who this lady is. With that in mind, Helmut’s father, mother, and eldest brother nodded to each other before sitting down.

After a brief round of greetings and self-introduction, they immediately got down to business. It’s a serious discussion because it’s about the marriage of their son and younger brother. It’s not like they want to quickly find out who this young lady is by any means.

“So then…” Heinrich III said, “I beg your apologies, but I don’t know anything about House Reingen… may I please ask what sort of family it is?”

Since she called herself Christiane von Reingen, there is no doubt that she was a noble. However, neither Heinrich III, Clementine, nor Heinrich IV knew about House Reingen. If they don’t know, best to ask the woman directly.

“Yes Father-in-Law,” Christiane started, “House Reingen is a family with a long history who have served the Kingdom of Ploiss since its founding. Ever since our founding ancestor was conferred the title of Marquis for his military service, we, his descendants, have been serving Ploiss as the Reingen Marquisate.”

“Mar-Marquisate…?” Heinrich III sputtered.

“”…………””

Hearing those words… Father, Mother, and Eldest Brother all froze. It’s not that they don’t believe her. It is no wonder that she is a daughter of a marquis who has acquired such a high level of education and behavior. That’s not the point.

Speaking of a marquisate, it’s above a count. It would be a big mistake to think that a difference in rank of 1 level is no big deal. If it’s the highest of the lower ranks and the lowest of the higher ranks, the difference would be slight, but basically, if even 1 rank is different, the significance is like the distance between heaven and earth. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the 2 of them were so far apart, they lived in entirely different worlds.

In the first place, a margrave was a count who was given this vast territory and authority to guard the frontier, that is, this border of the kingdom. Therefore, a margraviate is regarded as 1 rank higher than a county. In other words, a marquisate is equal to or higher than the Lord they serve, Margrave Carruthers.

House Carruthers, the highest among the margraviates, will have a considerably higher family status than a marquis. However, margraves are considered to be higher-ranked and stronger versions of counts and tend to be seen lightly by marquises. Regardless of your actual family status and ability, margraves are often looked down upon as somewhat large landowners far off in the countryside.

Compared to that, if you are a genuine marquisate, you will be respected wherever you go, even if you are the lowest marquisate among your rank. It was completely unbelievable that such a high-ranking noble daughter would marry the third son of a viscountcy who might not even become an heir or be given a territory.

Of course, it must be true that this Christiane von Reingen is the daughter of a marquis. They don’t doubt it. If she used a pseudonym in a place like this and misrepresented her identity, in the worst case, you could even get the death penalty. Even if you don’t know anything about House Reingen, you can easily find out if you look it up, and there’s no reason to tell such a reckless lie.

What is unbelievable is why a young lady of such status is trying to marry Helmut. Even if she doesn’t lie about her status, it’s possible that she’s lying about her marriage. Or even if they just got engaged, the other side would break off the engagement and say something like, “You should make amends for damaging my daughter’s reputation.”

“Lady Christiane…” Heinrich III started. “You, you do know that there is almost no possibility that Helmut will inherit the House as he is the third son, and on the contrary, there is a high possibility that he will not even have land of his own?”

He holds back the trembling in his voice the whole while.

“Yes. Of course, I know. Even so, I still want to marry Mr. Helmut,” Christiane said. “I have already received permission from my parents. After that, Father-in-Law, Mother-in-Law, Brother-in-Law, I am ready to get married any time.”

Father, Mother, and Eldest Brother were overwhelmed by Cristiane’s earnest, straightforward statement. Above all, she said, “I have already received permission from my parents.” If Christiane is making a fuss about marrying on her own for her sake, then it would be best to tell her parents and get them to calm her down. However, it is difficult for a viscountcy to refuse if the marquisate has already permitted it.

If you think about it the other way around, it will be easier to understand. If a high-ranking noble somewhere saw the daughter of a low-ranking noble for the first time and offered to take her as a concubine or a mistress, would they be able to refuse? The answer is “No, not at all.”

Of course, there are ways to decline. For example, there is a method of telling your relatives or the faction head to refuse. The relationship with the other party may get a little worse, but no matter what happens, there is no absolute guarantee of being able to refuse. In the first place, even in the case of such a forceful marriage, if you try to forcefully take away an only daughter or only son, you will receive a backlash from those around you. It’s not that everything absolutely goes according to the wishes of the higher nobles.

However, even so, it is also an aristocracy where a certain amount of demands are sanctioned. They will leave their eldest daughter alone, so if you were asked to send your second and third daughters to be mistresses, it would be difficult to refuse. Even if you ask a relative or faction leader to negotiate in your stead, there is also a power relationship between the other party and your faction. If you think about the opposite of that situation, it’s obvious that House Royce can’t refuse in the current situation.

There is a way to rely on House Carruthers, to who they are subordinate. In the first place, it is not permissible for House Royce, a vassal of Carruthers, to arbitrarily join another faction by marriage, especially a marquisate who is higher than them. First of all, it is a definite matter to consult with the Lord. Still, they don’t know if House Carruthers will refuse. House Royce also does not understand the power relationship between Carruthers and Reingen and had no way of knowing themselves.

“Is this really okay?” Heinrich III. “Even our Lord’s House cannot guarantee you the life of a marquis’s daughter. Lady Christiane, you would have to be…”

“Father-in-Law, please stop calling me ‘Lady Christiane,’” Christiane said. “I will be your daughter from now on. This is no way for the House Head to be treating his third son’s wife.”

When Christiane said so, Heinrich III was at a loss for words. That’s certainly true, but there’s no way someone like a viscount can act like a superior against the daughter of a marquis. In the first place, they don’t understand Christiane’s aim. What are the benefits of House Reingen trying to influence or take over House Royce? They don’t think she would even give their precious daughter as a wife to them, of all people.

It’s eerie not knowing what your opponent is aiming for. If this is House Reingen’s undermining of the Carruthers Vassals, they must act quickly.

But… neither Heinrich III nor Clementine seemed to think that Christiane was plotting such a thing. She’s only said this much, but you can tell she’s a straight and honest girl. And the emotions contained in her eyes staring at Helmut were not so depraved or scheming that there was more underneath the surface.

Christiane definitely admires Helmut from the bottom of her heart. Considering the difference in status between the two, they don’t know why House Reingen allowed this marriage. They don’t know, but the two young people must be in love with each other. They even thought that if they didn’t allow them to marry here, they would even elope.

Then there is one thing to do. If both Father and Mother were serious about wanting Helmut to get married, and the other party agreed to it, there would be no hesitation. They’d simply have to go Margrave Carruthers and find out Marquis Reingen’s true intentions from them.

“I understand…” Heinrich III said. “If your feelings are so set in stone, we have nothing to say. However, as the Viscount Royce who serves Margrave Carruthers, we have to ask our Lord to permit this marriage. I can’t guarantee the results, but is this acceptable to you?”

“Fa-Father?!” Heinrich IV spluttered.

As the eldest, he is still unconvinced and he suspects there is something behind it. But Mother and Father were ready to allow it.

Maybe they’ll have to go to the royal capital. After consulting with House Carruthers, they may have to go directly to the royal capital and have a close-knit discussion with House Reingen. At the same time as his resolution, Heinrich III saw the two young people getting along well and wished them much happiness in the future.