CH 34

I’m back, Lady!”

“Welcome! Did you deliver the letter well?”

“Yes. I met the aide I saw in front of the hotel the other day and gave it to him. I said “There was no need to reply and handed it to the marquis of Ajas” I did a good job, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did. good job.”

When I put some madeleines from today’s snack in my hands, Helen twitched her cheeks in happiness.

‘Awww, my Helen is so cute.’

Only after Helen had gulped down the contents of her mouth did I ask, cautiously.

“The others didn’t catch you, right?”

“Probably. Oh, right. But when I came up, the butler told me to inform you that dinner was being prepared.”

“Dinner?”

“Yes. Tonight, it looked like the second youngster and the first lady would all be coming home.”

“Oh…Really?”

Our family hasn’t been together since the New Year’s Ball, with Eldest Brother busy being Eldest Brother, Little Brother busy being Little Brother, and Sister Lily busy being Sister Lily.

but it’s not like we’re just going to have dinner…They have something important to tell me, so they ask me not to miss the meal.

‘Hmm, I guess we are going to talk about my marriage too.’

I was glad I hadn’t gotten in trouble with my little brother. If this was my first meeting with him after the ball, I wouldn’t have been able to eat because I was too concerned.

“Mmm…Helen, bring me some paper and a pen.”

“Are you going to write another letter?”

“No. I need to write some plans.”

How would my big brother bring up the subject of my marriage, and how would my little brother and Lily react after hearing that?

[“You’ve gone from saying you’re not going to marry Leon to saying you’re going to marry him.”]

I’m sure they’ll ask about him.

I need to organize the story to go around in advance.

With that thought, the white paper was filled with letters so densely that it turned black, but what the eldest brother brought out at the dinner table was a story I could never have imagined at all.

“Duke Daphnen has arranged for us to meet.”

“what? who? You?”

“Yes”

“Oh my god!”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the unexpected topic, but I was the most surprised of all.

“As expected, that’s what Duke Daphnen was talking about at the time! So who is it? Which family Lady is she?”

“Don’t make such a fuss, I can hear you without speaking aloud…”

“Ah, brother Liv, you are shy now.”

“Nell.”

“Okay, I’ll be quiet. So who is she really?”

“Rather than that, I’m curious about why Duke Daphnen is trying to arrange a favor for my brother. It wasn’t like there was any interaction with our family.”

At Lily’s words, the little brother nodded with a slightly worried face.

“You’re not thinking of getting involved in central politics, are you?”

“You don’t have to worry. The person he arranged for the meeting is the Lady of Baroness Vincent.”

“If it’s Baroness Vincent’s daughter…”

“It’s a family similar to ours.”

‘You mean a family that lives quietly on a small estate near the countryside, unconnected to central politics?’

“Vincent…I think I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never heard of it in the capital, and so she hasn’t made her social debut yet. How old is she?”

“Twenty-three this year. I heard that she couldn’t debut in the social world because of her family’s circumstances and she had no plans to do so in the future.”

“No matter how much it is, she can’t even get the blessing drink…Ahhh! Vincent! Sophia Vincent!”

At Lily’s question, the eldest brother, who was raising his wine glass, gave a slightly surprised expression.

“Yes, that’s her name, do you know her?”

“My classmate. We were pretty close friends. She was so good at healing magic that the professor of healing wanted her as a direct student…I lost contact with her because she dropped out midway and went back to her Country.”

“Really? Why?”

“I don’t know why. So there were a lot of rumors going around.…”

Lily shook her head, not really wanting to talk about it, but my eldest brother was quick to explain.

“Duke Daphnen told me beforehand that her family is in debt, so even if I get married, I won’t get much of a dowry.”

“Debt?”

“But it seems to be mostly paid off now. She was hired by a mercenary group to work as an expert healer.”

“Wow, mercenaries…”

I’ve only heard of it, but I’ve never seen a mercenary before. It was because Howard was far from the border, and there was no dungeon nearby, so the mercenaries don’t come around.

“Even if she was just a healer, it’s quite a feat for a noble young lady to work for a mercenary group.”

“Yeah.”

‘Is that why she never debuted in the social world and never got married? ‘

Among the nobles, mercenaries who would do anything for money did not have a good reputation. She is said to have been a healer for the mercenaries, but they couldn’t look at the young lady who worked among them with a kind eye.

Lady Vincent must have known that too. Normally, people wouldn’t choose to work for a mercenary group because they were afraid of losing their reputation.

“I want to meet her…”

‘I want to meet and hear about the mercenaries… !’

“I haven’t even met her yet, Nell, and you say you want to see her.”

“Ah, of course, things went well with you! If it goes well, you’ll have to introduce her.”

“Of course, I’ll introduce her, she’ll be our new family.”

“Wow, new family!”

But was my expression too excited? My eldest brother burst into a small laugh and shook his head.

“Don’t get too excited already. You never know how things will turn out.”

“Our youngest must have built a mountain of expectations?”

“Then why can’t I get excited?”

My brother, who thought he couldn’t get married because of me, said he sees the light!

“You see in the capital, right? Then I guess we’ll have to delay going back.”

At my little brother’s question, my eldest brother nodded his head.

“We’ll have to go back before spring, though.”

“Nell, what are you going to do? Do you want to go back to our house first?”

“Come to think of it, we should talk about that.”

It came.

Something to come has come. My eldest brother put down the fork and knife he was holding and rinsed his mouth with cold water.

In the meantime, I put down the fork I was holding and quietly put my hands together on my lap.

“Nell. Have you still not changed your mind about what you said to me in the carriage the other day?”

“Of course not. Why would I say such things with certainty?”

“Well, I’m glad you’re not the tomboy that Howard is so proud of.”

“Hehe”

“What are you talking about? Nell, have you been into anything else?”

“No, I haven’t yet.”

“Not yet?”

‘Um…I already sent the letter, so he must have received it already, right?’

“What, what is it? Don’t make people anxious, just tell me.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, so you don’t have to be so anxious.”

“Nell wants to marry the Marquis of Ajas.”

“What?!”

My little brother looks at me with a shocked face and Lily looks equally surprised, not as much.

Unlike the gazes, the silence that had fallen heavily on the table was soon broken.

“Nell! You say you have nothing to do with Marquis Ajas?”

“Not yet. But from now on, I will be doing it with him.”

“You you…!Do you still remember getting involved with that guy and spreading dirty rumors? But are you going to meet him again?”

“If I have to say it, it’s a rumor spread because of my fault. Rather, it’s something I should apologize to, Leon.”

“Why are you apologizing for that? A man doesn’t get hurt by such scandals, but not you. Because of that rumor, your wedding is already blocked.…”

While talking, the little brother hurriedly shut his mouth.

I already know everything, so I don’t have to be so self-conscious. I let out a nonchalant voice as I dipped the strawberry with my fork and brought it to my mouth.

“Even if it weren’t for that rumor, my road to marriage would be blocked. Who would take an adopted child of unknown birth as a wife instead of a second wife?”

“Nell!”

“Nell, don’t say anything so close to self-deprecating as that. What are you talking about where your sisters and brothers are listening?”

“Sorry. But I also know everything, so I hope you don’t bother to hide it.”

At my words, my little brother let out a sigh.

Across from him, my sister Lily crossed her arms lightly and looked at me with a complex expression on her face.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to get married or anything, that you were going to live at Howard’s, and that you could handle yourself, so why did you suddenly change your mind?”

“Because Leon is such a good man…?”

‘In fact, it was the marriage of my two brothers that had a decisive influence on my whim, but how could I bring that up?’

I can’t be a stumbling block in the future of my eldest brother, who has barely paid off all his debts and is looking forward to seeing the future.

“I told you before. I’m gonna live off a man’s face. I don’t think I’ll get tired of Leon’s appearance even if I see him for 100 years.”

“Do you know how dangerous the Ajas’s Territory is?”

“Of course beyond the walls of Ajas would be dangerous! But the castle will be safe. It’s a place protected by the Marquis of Ajas.”

“You must be able to say such a comfortable thing since you’ve never been there, but Ajas’s territory is famous for being cold, rough, and barren. You won’t be able to grow your favorite flower garden there.”

“Don’t say that. It’s a town where people live, too, would you like someone to disparage Howard Country as a small, poor place?”

“You’re changing the subject again. Anyway, I’m against it. I don’t know anyone else, but I can never change my perception of Ajas.”

“Why can you accept it?”

“Because he was so messy with you. Do you need any other reason than that?”

“So it’s Leon’s fault…”

“Maybe because of His Highness The first prince, the rumor has subsided as the second princess is also taking care of herself. By the way, Nell, if you marry the Marquis of Ajas, everyone will pick up the rumors that have subsided. you’ll be a vulgar woman who slept with a man in a hotel before marriage.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve agreed with Alex. I am also half accepting him. Regardless of who he is, the situation is too bad.”

“but…”

“If you really want to get married, I will look for a man who is humble, handsome, and rich. Okay?”

As if the story was ending here, Lily put the fork and knife on the plate.

“Then I’ll say goodbye. I have some papers to deal with.”

“sister!”

But Lily, pretending not to hear my call, left the table without regret. I looked at my eldest brother as if I were asking for help, but he only shrugged his shoulders with a face of “What can I do when Lily comes out like that.”

“Because of that, Nell, you are prohibited from going out for a while.”

“What? why!”

“Why? I know you, if I leave you alone, you’ll go to the Marquis of Ajas and ask him to marry you.”

My little brother shook his head, saying that he couldn’t see anything other than that.

“Letters are forbidden, too. I’ll ask Helen to do it too, so don’t try to sneak anything behind me. Got it?”

“….”

“Answer.”

“Allright, I won’t go out and I won’t send any letters.”

“What? Why are you so submissive?”

when I saw my little brother with an unexpected expression, I murmured to myself

‘Why not? I’ve already sent the letter, and I’ve arranged a meeting with him in my room.’

I was warned not to marry against my family’s wishes, but this time I had no choice.

‘If I ever get married again, I’ll make sure to ask my siblings’ permission.’

‘If Leonhard visits me today, I will ask him to marry me!’

I made up my mind and unlocked the window, but it wasn’t Leonhard who knocked on the closed window late at night.