Chapter 244: A Happy Year-End (1)

Chapter 244: A Happy Year-End (1)

I haven't had a proper conversation with the Iron-Blooded Duke since the incident in the Room of Truth. It wasn’t because he was avoiding me, though. I simply hadn’t had the time to stay at the castle as I was busy touring Wulken with Marghetta as my guide.

Then, I received a summons from the Iron-blooded Duke after spending three days enjoying the sights of the duchy. It seemed that he was finally ready to let me leave the castle.

However, this call didn’t make me feel particularly anxious.

"You’ve come."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"I don’t mind being addressed formally during work, but call me father-in-law in private."

"Understood, father-in-law."

That was because the anger he felt from having his youngest daughter taken from him had been soothed by her affectionate nature.

"But, you know, he might like it if you thank him or tell him that you love him."

I made that suggestion to lessen the Iron-blooded Duke’s lingering anger. Fortunately, Marghetta took it to heart. She ran to the Duke and told him she loved him.

Thanks to that, the Duke’s gaze toward me was surprisingly calm. It wasn't exactly warm, but at least there was no hostility. I could be content with that.

“There’s no need for an engagement ceremony. Once Marghetta graduates, you’ll marry immediately. There’s no point in inconveniencing the guests with an unnecessary event.”

The Duke muttered as he shuffled through some papers.

"That makes perfect sense."

Skipping the engagement ceremony—it was a surprising statement coming from the Iron-blooded Duke, who doted on his daughter, but it was a practical one.

Engagement ceremonies were usually modest compared to the main event, the wedding. After all, an engagement was just a promise. It wasn’t uncommon for the engaged couple to be in their early teens, or even younger.



It was rare for someone like me, who was over twenty years old, to have an engagement. Besides, with the wedding planned for next year, there was no need to make a big deal out of the engagement.

"Take this."

Nodding at my response, the Iron-blooded Duke handed over the documents he had been holding.

"This is the dowry I’ve prepared for Marghetta."

"...Pardon?"

I couldn't help but ask. Why was he giving the dowry now? Wasn’t that supposed to be exchanged closer to the wedding?

Despite my confusion, the Duke simply motioned for me to check the contents.

Wow.

The six-page document held more than I could have imagined.

Is this... a dowry?

I had to blink in disbelief. The dowries I was familiar with usually included furniture and in grander cases, maybe a house. That was my understanding before I was reborn into this world.

But what the Iron-blooded Duke had prepared went far beyond that. There were several buildings in prime locations in the capital and a barony’s worth of land near the capital.

And this land—if my memory served me correctly—included an iron mine. Was the Iron-blooded Duke, who was building a military industry empire, really giving away an iron mine?

Is this the life of a noble?

I felt a bit overwhelmed. The words carriages, ships, jewels, and gold coins in the document barely registered after seeing that. Such extravagant dowries were given when a Duke doted on his daughter.

“I’ve already married off four daughters, so what’s left for Marghetta is relatively smaller.”

‘Smaller...’

I instinctively scanned the documents again. If this was considered small, then how much did he give his eldest daughter? Did he hand her entire counties?

"Do you need more?"

"No, father-in-law. This is more than enough."

"Then take it."

I quietly gathered the papers as the Iron-blooded Duke spoke indifferently.

I wanted to say that it was too early to receive a dowry since we weren't even married yet, but the look in his eyes made me swallow those words. His gaze clearly said, ‘Don’t make this difficult and just accept it.’

“You’re going to get married anyway, so what’s the problem? Or were you planning to get engaged and then back out of the wedding?”

And it was obvious what would happen if I refused. The Iron-Blooded Duke, whom I’d finally managed to placate, could easily revert to hostility.

"The current servants are quite capable. You can keep them on or replace them with someone you prefer."

"I’ll keep them as they are."

It was a generous offer, not just of material things, but of people too. Thus, I accepted it without hesitation.

Well, I’ll probably remember it when the time comes.

***The end of the year was when the Imperial Council wrapped up its activities for the year and planned for the next. It was also the time when the activities of the county were reviewed.

So, the end of the year tended to be busy. Fortunately, most of the work involved paperwork, so it wasn’t too overwhelming, but—

"Your Grace the Iron-Blooded Duke?"

— It’s been a while, Count Tailglehen.

The relatively smooth end of the year was abruptly disrupted by an unexpected call from the Iron-Blooded Duke.

This was strange. I’ve had little interaction with the Iron-blooded Duke, especially since he delegated most of his authority to his heir. Thus, our contact was usually limited to formalities at the New Year’s Ball.

"I hope you’ve been well."

— What would an old man who’s just resting comfortably have complaints about? I’m doing well.

I offered a greeting out of courtesy, and the Duke nodded in acknowledgment. Since he initiated the contact, he would surely get to the point soon.

— Besides, I’ve recently had a significant concern lifted off my shoulders.

Sure enough, his next words made me sit up straighter. It seemed that this was what he wanted to talk about.

I unconsciously tightened my grip. For the Duke, who I had little connection with, to reach out directly rather than through an aide—it couldn’t be anything trivial. Right before the New Year’s Ball, something troublesome must be brewing—

— Actually, I contacted you because I thought it was appropriate to have a word with you as a future in-law. I hope I’m not interrupting your busy schedule.

?

In-law?

I became momentarily speechless. In-laws? Me, in-laws with the Iron-Blooded Duke?

— Count?

However, I couldn’t stay silent. The Iron-blooded Duke was still in front of me, after all.

First off, this couldn’t be a joke. The Iron-blooded Duke, especially one as family-oriented as him, wouldn’t make such a prank.

And there were signs if I thought about it. Marghetta and Carl had grown quite close, and my wife was also fond of Marghetta. Even the rumors circulating in the social circles had taken their union as a given.

The only question was when it would happen and whether she would become the first wife over the Mage Duchess.

"Yes, in-law. It’s a term I’m not very familiar with, so I was caught off guard."

— I understand. I felt the same way when I married my son off. This is just an engagement so it’s different from marriage, but it’s only a matter of time.

I spoke up quickly, and it was fortunately the right response. I narrowly avoided becoming a head of the family who knew nothing about his child’s engagement.

Well, I really didn’t know.

Regrettably, I truly didn’t.

But what could I do? I left the matter of marriage in Carl’s hands entirely without interfering. So unless Carl told me directly, my knowledge was limited to the rumors circulating in society.

I thought that would be enough. With the network I’ve built, I prided myself on being able to pick up on most rumors quickly.

I never expected an engagement to happen without any warning. This was the first time I had encountered such an unexpected engagement.

***I quickly reached out to my wife after ending the call with the Iron-Blooded Duke.

I needed to find out if she had heard anything from Carl. If not, then I had to explain the situation before she started getting questions about the engagement from others.

— Carl got engaged?

As expected, my wife knew nothing. If she had known, then she would have told me.

— I... I didn’t know anything...

"The Iron-blooded Duke said that it was a sudden decision. The engagement was finalized about an hour ago, and Carl returned to the capital right after. He probably didn’t even have time to tell anyone."

I tried to calm my wife, who seemed understandably shaken.

This engagement was sudden and unexpected. Didn’t the Iron-blooded Duke himself say that it had only just been finalized?

If so, then Carl didn’t have a chance to say anything. There wasn’t time, and he likely hadn’t fully processed it yet.

— Do you really think so?

"It’s not something he would hide. Even if he tried, it would come out soon enough. Don’t worry too much about it."

Yes, it wasn’t something that could be hidden.

Thinking about it, Carl had always been the type to stay silent, whether he was put on probation or even imprisoned. He was just not used to talking about things.

...Still, I wish he had told us about something as important as this.