The Eve of the Engagement

The days flew by like arrows. Before I knew it, the eve of the engagement ceremony had arrived.

I had considered running away again, but things were different this time. Back then, they hadn't been watching me closely. Now, soldiers discreetly patrolled the perimeter of the mansion, and servants kept dropping by every few minutes to ask if I needed anything. It was painfully obvious they were on high alert to make sure I didn't bolt.

This must be what they mean when they say don't commit crimes. So this is the sorrow of an ex-convict. Of course, I have zero interest in defending those scumbag criminals—except for a tiny handful. But come on, I'm just an ordinary, law-abiding citizen. All I did was crash one lousy engagement party and make a girl cry a little. Is this really how I deserve to be treated? It's unfair.

I mean, everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes you wreck an engagement ceremony. Sometimes you make a girl cry. It's only human.

Knock knock knock.

The sound of knocking made me flinch. Fuck, I'm gonna develop neurosis at this rate.

"Is there anything uncomfortable for you, sir?"

"...Yeah. Having someone knock on my door every thirty minutes is extremely uncomfortable."

"My apologies, but it is Lady Melissa's direct order."

Of course it was that damn old hag's command. I briefly considered storming over there, raising absolute hell, and then making a run for it—but I didn't think I'd actually be able to escape from those three monsters in the family. One would be bad enough, but three? Terrifying. And this was the North. The place was crawling with their subordinates. In the game, this map even gave them buffs. There are limits to how broken a stage can be, you trash game.

"Tell them if they don't want to see me go on a real rampage, they should stop sending people."

"...Understood. I will relay the message."

Staying cooped up in the room was suffocating, so I threw on a coat and stepped outside. Unlike the warmly heated interior, the hallway was bitterly cold. I instinctively crossed my arms and shivered. This place really was fucking freezing.

Maybe it was because it was nighttime, but the chill reminded me of the old days in Cheorwon, and suddenly I was craving potato pancakes. Potato pancakes and makgeolli—that combination is unbeatable.

"Hey, Werner."

A rough, gravelly voice suddenly called out from behind me. When I turned around, there stood a walking mountain of muscle—no, Melchior.

Was he here to monitor me too, just in case I tried to escape? The difficulty of this escape room game was getting ridiculous. How was I supposed to get out if they kept deploying surveillance units like this?

"What brings you here, brother? Did you come to watch me in case I run away?"

"Something like that."

Melchior clapped a heavy hand on my shoulder and looked me straight in the eyes, his expression unusually serious. I could only recall a handful of times when this usually boisterous, laughter-filled man had ever looked this grave. It seemed he had something truly important to say.

Probably something along the lines of If you make my daughter cry, I'll kill you, or maybe If you make my daughter cry, I'll fold you in half backwards. Honestly, I was the one who felt like crying. Being dragged here ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and forced into marriage? This was the kind of plot you'd only find in some shady 19+ doujinshi.

"Werner... I'm going to speak seriously..."

I braced myself for whatever threat was coming.

"If you truly hate this, you can run away from the engagement. I'll handle my daughter and Melissa for you."

"Brother, what the hell are you..."

The words were so unexpected that I was genuinely shocked. I had assumed that as a total daughter-obsessed fool, he would always put his daughter's wishes first and wouldn't give a damn about my feelings. On top of that, this muscle-brained barbarian actually cared about someone else's opinion? For a second I thought I was under an illusion spell—like someone was testing whether I actually wanted to get married or not.

"Why are you suddenly acting like this, brother?"

"My daughter is completely smitten with you, and my wife is desperate to make you her son-in-law."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Do you perhaps dislike the idea of me becoming your son-in-law?"

Brother, you don't like me, right? Why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to hit me?

"No. If you became part of our family, I would be so happy I might just fly away."

"With your body weight, brother, that would be physically impossible."

"You little—! That's not the point right now! I just..."

Melchior scratched his head, his pure white hair identical to Glacia's. It seemed his limited vocabulary made it take him quite a while to organize his thoughts.

"...You don't actually want this marriage, do you?"

"How did you..."

"You think this older brother doesn't know you? You're just going along with my daughter's stubbornness. Do you really think I wouldn't notice how you always put other people's feelings before your own?"

How did this barbarian's character interpretation surpass everyone else's? Why was the tank dumping stat points into knowledge like a madman?

"Brother... about that, well... ha..."

"And your tastes are pretty specific too. For example, someone like our leader's wife."

Fuck, no matter how I look at it, this guy doesn't seem like a barbarian at all. How is he reading people so accurately?

Had he even noticed that Werner had been secretly in love with Airi's mother? If things had come this far, I needed to eliminate him before he became a problem...

"Don't worry. I haven't told anyone. It's a secret between us."

"So what exactly do you want from me, brother?"

"If you're going to leave, I'll help you. But if you do decide to go... I'd like you to at least say goodbye to my daughter in person first."

"A goodbye?"

Could anyone actually survive after saying something like that? Calling it a "goodbye" was just a polite way of saying I'm so tired of living that I'm offering you my neck—please cut it off quickly.

"Hahaha! I bet you're worried that if you say something like that to her, she might actually cut your head off."

"No, not really."

This guy is a mind reader, damn it.

"That child likes you more than anyone else. If it was for your sake, she might even be able to let you go."

"I'll try talking to her first."

Well, if my father-in-law was personally giving me a chance to escape, I had to take it. It wasn't that I was some trash who enjoyed abandoning women and making them cry. It was simply that the Confucian DNA flowing through my veins compelled me to respect the wishes of my elders. Confucianism—the very foundation of my homeland. How could I possibly betray it?

As I headed toward where Glacia would be, a sudden question occurred to me. I stopped walking and turned back to Melchior.

"What about the other brothers and sister? How are they doing these days?"

"The Heavenly Demon old man is as energetic as ever—still beating me up regularly. That thief woman got caught by the leader while stealing somewhere. And that unlucky knight bastard is doing just fine, as usual."

"I'm glad to hear everyone's doing well."

"They're all mostly worried about our youngest, though. As you know, they all adore you more than anything..."

"They're all busy people. They don't need to worry about me."

"How could they not worry? They took their eyes off you for one moment because they were busy, and you ran away. Your injuries still haven't fully healed, have they?"

Werner's injuries... That must be referring to that incident mentioned in the setting book. It had given some additional explanation about how Werner had fallen into a trap and died.

"Brother... I wouldn't normally say this to you, but I'm warning you in advance."

"A warning?"

"If you ever mention that incident in front of my disciple, I might actually kill you. Even if Media wakes up, never speak of that incident. At that point, it won't matter if you're my brother or not."

I didn't want to burden that poor child with unnecessary guilt.

"Alright, I understand. Your personality hasn't changed at all."

Because of Airi, he had been injured so badly that he could no longer freely cast those brilliant Grand Magic spells he once used. On top of that, he had fallen into a trap because of Airi, and those injuries had ultimately led to his death. If I were in her position, the guilt would have driven me to suicide.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠truth behind the injuries Werner suffered would go with me to the grave. Although, since I was currently on my way to meet my fiancée, that grave might very well be right around the corner. I just prayed that nothing would happen.

I had been waiting outside the second room that Glacia was currently using for thirty minutes after her personal maid told me to wait. What the hell? Was she some kind of Zhuge Liang? Why make me wait this long? Was she going to open the door only after I'd come three times and then teach me the art of dividing the world into three kingdoms or something?

I had no idea what was so urgent inside, but it was already late at night. I was starting to get sleepy. And yet here I was, left standing in the hallway. I was her elder, damn it. How could she make an elder stand around like this? If Confucius, the very root of Confucianism, saw this, he would have thrown a Confucian punch strong enough to smash the door to pieces.

Growing tired of waiting, I connected with Constellation - Confucius in one hand and began charging up a Confucian Punch.

Just as I was about to unleash the Confucian Punch (the Wrath of the Confucian God), Glacia's voice came from inside the room.

"I'm sorry for making you wait. Please come in."

When I opened the door and stepped inside, I found Glacia waiting for me. She had apparently just finished bathing—her hair was still wet. And instead of her usual dignified attire, she was wearing something far more seductive.

It was a frilly set of lingerie that teasingly hinted at what lay beneath without fully revealing it.

Fuck. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It looks like I need to disconnect from Constellation - Confucius and reconnect with my old Sexual Constellations instead.