Male Concubine or Fiancée?
It had been a few days since I returned home without drawing attention. My life remained largely unchanged from before—comfortable and cozy, one might say. Today was no different. I was simply lounging in the garden, basking in the warm sunlight and savoring a moment of perfect leisure.
“Haaaawn.”
I let out a long, lazy yawn while staring blankly at the drifting clouds. The sound of approaching footsteps made me frown. What now? I had a bad feeling about this. There was no reason for anyone to come looking for me at this hour. And if someone was looking for me, it could only be—
“Young master. The Marquis is asking for you.”
Of course. It had to be my father.
“Why? What for?”
Had a banquet come up that required his attendance already? No, that seemed unlikely. Such events wouldn’t be scheduled in such quick succession. So why was he summoning me? No matter how I looked at it, it couldn’t be for anything good.
“...He seemed rather urgent. It would be wise to go see him at once.”
“Do I have to?”
“Do you seriously think that’s an option?”
At Valek’s words, I let out a heavy sigh and hauled myself to my feet. Fine. They say it’s better to get the beating over with quickly. Or do they? Isn’t it best to avoid getting beaten at all? I don’t know which lunatic came up with that saying, but whether you get hit now or later, it still hurts. Depending on the circumstances, taking the blow while someone’s anger is at its peak might actually hurt more. Of course, refusing to go wasn’t really a choice. There was no telling what disaster might erupt if I didn’t show up.
Sighing repeatedly, I forced my heavy, reluctant feet to move.
“Did Father seem upset?”
“...He did appear somewhat displeased.”
“Haaaaaaa...”
I really, really didn’t want to go.
“Haaaaaaa...”
Following Butler Valek to the drawing room, I stopped before the door and let out a deep sigh before slowly straightening my slouched posture. I adjusted my clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles until I looked presentable again, then knocked.
Knock. Knock.
I wasn’t sure why he was using the drawing room instead of his study, but at least I probably wouldn’t get hit in here. Tsk. It’s not like I did anything wrong. Hadn’t I been acting the same as usual? ...Or was that the problem? Maybe.
“I’m here.”
“Enter.”
At my father’s command, I slowly reached out and opened the door. The moment I stepped inside, my breath caught in my throat. The first thing I saw was Marquis Helios, seated in the place of honor and leisurely sipping black tea. And beside him...
...What the hell are you doing here?
Golden hair and blue eyes. It was the woman I’d seen at the Archduke’s party. She was smiling comfortably, sharing tea with my father as if they were old friends. The atmosphere between them seemed far more harmonious than anything I’d ever experienced with him.
“You’ve arrived. Sit down.”
“...Is she a guest?”
So this was how I ended up entangled with the protagonist. Once again reminded that anything could happen in a novel’s world, I asked the question in a voice I fought to keep calm. I needed to avoid her at all costs. No matter how much plot armor existed, I never imagined she would come all the way to our home.
“...Hello. We meet again.”
As I regarded her with as much composure as I could manage, my father—seated in the place of honor—watched me with a perfectly neutral expression while calmly drinking his tea.
“Yes, we do.”
I answered her greeting calmly and turned my gaze to my father. Could you please explain what the hell is going on? Something about this felt deeply ominous. If she had visited our family for any other reason, there would have been no need to call me here. I pushed the uneasy thoughts from my mind and stared at him intently. He responded in his usual impassive tone.
“Greet her. This is your fiancée.”
What the fuck?
I barely swallowed the curse rising in my throat and frowned. My father looked at my face with perfect composure.
“Lady Floverhart.”
“Yes, Marquis Helios.”
“I apologize, but could you excuse us for a moment? I need to speak with my son.”
“Of course.”
The elegant, perfectly polite demeanor she showed now was nothing like what I’d seen at the party. I deliberately kept my eyes off her as she answered.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“...Yes.”
I don’t want to. Absolutely not.
As she passed me and whispered those words, I gave the opposite of my true feelings in reply. The moment the door closed, I strode straight up to my father.
“A sudden engagement? This isn’t what we agreed upon!”
I barely managed to contain my bursting indignation as I demanded an explanation. My father continued facing me with that same serene expression.
“Not what we agreed upon? I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Didn’t we have an implicit understanding? I would keep quiet and smile at parties, and you wouldn’t send any marriage prospects until my reputation improved.”
Was a verbal contract not a contract at all? I never took you for that kind of person, Father. I’m truly disappointed!
In response to my heartfelt complaint, my father pulled a single sheet of paper from his robe and placed it on the table.
“Choose.”
“...Pardon?”
“Will you become Marchioness Carmen’s male concubine, or will you become engaged to Lady Floverhart?”
What my father had set on the table was a marriage proposal featuring the portrait of a middle-aged woman along with detailed conditions.
...Forty-nine years old?
Was this a joke? So I had to choose between being sold off to a forty-nine-year-old Marchioness Carmen or getting engaged to the protagonist of this novel who was around my own age?
“Why are there only two choices? No, more importantly, why aren’t you answering what I said?!”
“Compared to what this father of yours had in mind.”
Clink.
With a calm motion, my father set his teacup down on the table. Yet he didn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, it trembled faintly.
If I push any further, that cup is definitely going to fly at my head.
I had nothing but an ominous premonition.
“Your reputation is far worse than I imagined. So bad that even your decent appearance and the solid backing of the Helios Marquisate offer little merit.”
“...Um.”
Was it really that terrible? What exactly had I done? All I did was laze around without doing anything, ignoring etiquette and living as I pleased. There wasn’t anything else, was there? This was why rumors were so terrifying. They had turned me into complete garbage without any basis whatsoever. I was a good-for-nothing layabout, not trash. If I was being generous, maybe I could pass as a fire-attribute filial son.
“So I thought it over. Even hearing your current reputation, I should connect you with someone suitable.”
“And that person is Lady Floverhart?”
Why her, of all people? Why did it have to be someone who seemed like the protagonist?
“Are you familiar with the Floverhart family?”
“...That? Me?”
How would I know?
“...Sigh.”
My father swept his hair back neatly, revealing his forehead where a thick vein bulged in the distinct shape of a cross. Remembering that if I irritated him any further he might smash that expensive teacup over my skull, I quietly shut my mouth.
...Better stay silent.
“The Floverhart Barony is currently in severe financial straits. The baron and his wife have fallen into gambling, so their eldest daughter, Lady Floverhart, is the one managing the family.”
“...I see.”
So that was why she’d been hearing those things from Count Silik—that pot-bellied excuse for a man. The general plot was coming into focus. The protagonist trying to marry an older count for her family’s sake, and the male lead who steps in to help her. They gradually grow closer, eventually fall in love... Something along those lines, right?
But.
“So I decided you would be perfect.”
And now my father had twisted the story completely.
“You may be a second son with no real power in our family, but it’s not a bad match. After all, you bear the name of the Helios Marquisate.”
“You can offer some support to the crumbling Floverhart Barony, and they won’t be particularly bothered by your reputation.”
It was a fair trade, wasn’t it? My father’s face was the picture of serenity as he said this. The engagement would be more than satisfactory for both the Floverhart family and the Helios Marquisate. If one were to nitpick, it might seem slightly unfair to our side, but if viewed as disposing of defective inventory, it wasn’t so bad.
“After speaking with Lady Floverhart, I found her to be quite an intelligent young woman.”
She also seemed to possess enough utility value to win my father’s approval. I didn’t understand why no one ever bothered listening to the opinion of the defective stock in question.
From my perspective, it was simple.
I’m screwed.
When my father spoke to this extent, the chances of overturning the decision were close to zero. He even seemed rather pleased with the arrangement.
...Tsk.
I had sworn to avoid getting entangled with her—the protagonist of this world—no matter what happened. But now that it had come to this...
This is troublesome.
This was definitely plot interference. It was one hundred percent against me, but I couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing. If I wasn’t careful, I could end up as the villain who gets casually sliced apart by the male lead. I wanted to live doing nothing at all. I had zero interest in dying young.
So from now on...
Moderately.
When Lady Floverhart eventually leaves to find her true love, it would be crucial to maintain just enough distance that my head wouldn’t fly off. So that later, standing beside the male lead, she might say...
He was just an ordinary person.
Something like that! Or, even better, There was a guy like that, I suppose?