The Weight of a Forced Betrothal
Ruang eyed Bianca with a calculating gaze as he caught her wrist, not out of any grand scheme to inflict harm. He had simply reacted to the way she seemed on the verge of fleeing, and the thought of keeping her close for future use had crossed his mind.
Yet Bianca desperately wanted to redirect the attention that was fixating on her.
So she swiftly changed the subject.
“T-Then why did Lady Angela attack me?”
“Attack me?”
Ruang’s gaze naturally drifted toward Angela.
Angela froze in place.
This conversation.
Right here.
And in front of Ruang no less?
Only moments ago, Angela had been staring blankly as she was dragged along, but now she finally looked genuinely flustered, and a tiny spark of satisfaction flickered in Bianca’s eyes.
She had been the one suffering the most from the constant chaos, after all.
“U-Um, well, that’s… because I was worried about the rumors that I’m dating someone…”
“Rumors of dating?”
Bianca blinked in surprise.
This was brand-new information.
Of course Ruang would eventually set a marriage alliance, that much was certain.
Even in noble society, a prince’s betrothal was a topic of endless discussion.
But up until now, it had remained nothing but speculation.
Only the Emperor, who ruled the empire, could make it official.
Angela kept her mouth shut and stole a glance at Ruang, her expression asking without words whether she should even speak.
Ruang looked at her and let out a soft chuckle.
“Indeed. I suspect she’ll end up with one of the major ducal families.”
“That would certainly be the case,” Bianca replied calmly.
“Given how precious the Emperor’s bloodline is to him.”
She knew all too well how much noble families treasured their daughters.
Of course, Bianca was not one of those families.
The Lascachi ducal house already held a pivotal position among the Emperor’s core allies.
There was no reason for her to be linked to the second prince.
Angela hesitated before finally speaking up.
“S-So… I was afraid I might not be able to protect myself from that person…”
“Hmm, Lady Angela?”
“Y-Yes?”
“Aren’t you taking this a bit too personally?”
Angela’s mouth fell open in shock.
It was so unexpected that she couldn’t even form a coherent reply.
Saying something like that right to his face.
It felt almost as if she were telling him that he wasn’t that terrifying of a woman.
“W-What do you mean…!”
“Why are the daughters of such great houses so fixated on you?”
Bianca cut in with refreshing bluntness.
“If you’re to marry the prince, you should be aiming for a far grander alliance.”
“That’s… only if the prince doesn’t love me…”
Angela glanced cautiously at Ruang.
He didn’t react with anger to her words. He simply smiled.
Only then did Angela finally grasp the reality of the situation.
Yes, Ruang was showing interest in her.
But it wasn’t the kind of insane love that would make him discard the world.
One day they might become lovers.
There was even a chance of that.
But not right now.
Bianca summed it up naturally.
“It would be best if the prince himself explains this.”
“Right, Lady Goldren.”
“Y-Yes, yes!”
“Though you’re a bit foolish, you’re undeniably cute.”
The corner of Ruang’s mouth curved upward.
“I won’t throw away everything my family holds dear just to fixate on you alone. Does that make sense now?”
“A-Ahaha… Y-Yes…”
Angela forced a laugh, but inside she wished the floor would swallow her whole.
No interest.
p>That was even crueler than she expected.
Even though he found her cute, that wasn’t nearly enough.
To draw that clear a line in front of her, especially with a friend standing right there.
Embarrassment flooded her entire face.
Yet Bianca tilted her head curiously and spoke up again.
“Hmm, but if you feel very jealous, Lady Angela might end up suffering a bit.”
“I’m not jealous!”
Angela immediately revived, feeling as though a savior had finally appeared.
“There are always people like that.”
Ruang agreed lightly.
“As long as they’re deeply devout or avoid public appearances, it’s fine. Just bring your wife to official events. But if the jealousy is too intense, even one lover is too many.”
“Hmm… Did you happen to hear about any other candidates?”
Bianca dove straight into the main point.
“The empire has five ducal holdings, doesn’t it?”
“It does, but…”
Bianca quickly organized the families in her mind.
“As far as I know, only one place has the youngest daughter of a duke: a single location. All the others are far too young. If His Majesty isn’t planning to delay the marriage right now…”
“It must be the Rosfield family, then.”
“O-Oh!”
Angela exclaimed in delight.
Bianca reached her conclusion with almost immediate speed.
In truth, noble society was far smaller than most people realized.
And the truly significant families were even smaller.
Excluding commoners, fallen nobles, and minor border lords, the pool of families who could realistically become marriage candidates narrowed dramatically.
“Even excluding the ducal houses, there are influential earls in the capital…”
“But that would clash with imperial interests…”
“And I’ve already said I intend to serve as a knight. I’ll be interacting with many external families. It doesn’t suit someone who should be guarding a single estate.”
“Then what about earls who hold lands outside the capital? The major houses want the prince’s bloodline, not wandering knights.”
“Exactly.”
“You’ve already given almost every hint.”
Bianca sounded impressed.
“Did Lady Angela figure this out first? You’re far more astute than I expected—”
“No.”
Ruang interrupted.
“Before Lady Goldren even mentioned the ducal title, she brought up the subject herself.”
The atmosphere grew subtly tense.
In reality, expanding the list to include both dukes and earls would have left many more candidates.
But Ruang’s direct hint about the ducal title had allowed Bianca to narrow it down so quickly.
Yet Angela had spotted the same path without any such guidance.
“Um… How did Lady Angela guess it?”
“A-Ahaha… By chance, I suppose?”
“…”
Bianca stared at Angela in silence.
Ruang watched her as well.
He had clearly told her to prepare a cover story yesterday, yet the lack of preparation was painfully obvious in her reaction now.
Angela’s spine chilled.
She was certain she would be scolded severely if it were just her and Ruang alone.
So she quietly shifted her position.
Right next to Bianca.
Thanks to her luxuriously curled golden-blonde hair, she could at least avoid Ruang’s gaze even slightly.
“Um, Lady Angela?”
“S-Sorry, save me!”
“W-What? What are you…?”
Bianca looked startled.
In truth, she hadn’t wanted Ruang’s gaze so close either.
Especially at this distance, every time their eyes met she kept reliving the sensation of being grabbed by the shoulder yesterday.
Now, however, Angela had pressed herself right up against her, completely passing the look along.
At that exact moment.
[Article/clause content]
Knock knock.
“Excuse me, Your Highness Prince Ruang. The master has asked if you could see him.”
“Has the head of the household returned already?”
Ruang stood up from his seat.
“Yes. Since the master has arrived, we should go offer our greetings.”
“Ah, me too…”
“Eh? Eh?”
The servant’s words meant that Giovanni Goldren had returned.
The master of this house was Giovanni.
Ruang was merely a guest.
So if the master had come home, it was only right to greet him first.
And Bianca, as a guest herself, rose as well.
Yet.
“I-I’ll come too!”
Angela nearly shouted.
“Huh?”
“U-Um, yes. Let’s go together.”
Bianca answered automatically, and before she could react, Angela grabbed her hand firmly.
She then looped their arms together.
The soft, full sensation wrapped around Bianca’s arm.
Bianca’s body stiffened instantly.
It was a strange feeling.
Strange, uncomfortable, yet strangely warm.
She tried to pull away, but Angela’s grip was far stronger than expected.
The grip of someone who didn’t want to die was unnaturally powerful.
In the end, Bianca could only move forward while being held by Angela.
******
“Should we meet separately?”
“Yes. The prince said he wishes to see His Highness the Prince first.”
“Then let’s go in first.”
Ruang entered the Goldren family’s study.
From the outside, the Goldren residence appeared dazzlingly ornate.
But the study itself was surprisingly tidy.
As if the family had tried hard to cultivate an aura of noble dignity.
Of course, gold was still everywhere.
Gold accents sparkled in every corner, and ornaments studded with jewels filled nearly half the space, alongside fine furniture.
The remaining half was books.
Books were indeed luxuries, but compared to the gold, they felt almost frugally modest.
At the center stood Giovanni Goldren.
He did not wait seated.
He greeted the higher-ranking guest while standing.
Ruang returned the greeting with perfect politeness.
“Your Highness Prince Ruang. It is an honor to meet you.”
“The honor is all mine.”
Ruang replied with a smile.
“I, on the other hand, feel as though I have ruined your family’s plans.”
The words were courteous.
But the intent was anything but polite.
It felt like a father whose daughter was being taken by a man who wanted her.
Yet Giovanni’s expression remained unchanged.
“Your Highness, would you be able to pay the value of this child?”
“Value…”
Ruang narrowed his eyes.
“What exactly are you thinking?”
Giovanni did not dodge the question with noble grace.
Instead, as a merchant, he cut straight to the point.
Any ordinary noble would have been offended by those words.
Nobles valued power and strength above all.
They believed money would naturally follow once you possessed both.
That was why they looked down on those who chased money.
Because money was all they had when they lacked power and strength.
But the Goldren family was different.
They had acquired power and strength with money.
That was why the old nobles were all the more hostile toward them.
Because the appearance of someone like Goldren would shake the established order.
Yet Ruang reacted with surprising calm.
He did not dismiss Giovanni’s words outright.
He simply treated them as an interesting trading proposal.
A faint smile crossed Giovanni’s face.
“I want the fruit of love.”
“Love…”
The phrase did not literally mean fruit.
The fruit of love.
That is, children.
A metaphor for the result born of mutual affection.
A common expression among commoners.
But in noble society it was entirely different.
For nobles, children were tools for the family long before they were the fruit of love.
They formed alliances through arranged marriages, became knights to raise the family name, and were sent to monasteries to connect with religion.
By contrast, commoners enjoyed far greater freedom.
Of course, they too used children when it suited them.
Sending servants to earn a living, training them under masters to learn skills, or sending them to the battlefield for promotion.
Still, they never erased children from the family register simply because they were the result of love.
Nobles were different.
They erased them from the register even before birth and excluded them from succession.
Therefore, Giovanni’s words were not a simple request.
What he wanted was one thing only.
Not to leave Angela as a passing woman.
To claim her as his own.
And the child born from that love.
In other words.
The successor of the Goldren family, who would inherit the Emperor’s blood.
That was the price Giovanni Goldren demanded.