The Marriage Problem (2)
I opened the folding door and stepped into the mercenary office.
“Wow! I’m so glad you’re safe!” Kelly, who had arrived earlier, rose from her desk and hurried over with a bright, relieved smile. We exchanged light kisses on both cheeks as our morning greeting.
Scanning the room, I saw that Kelly was the only one who had come in. “Epibia hasn’t shown up? When I stopped by the house they said she left early with Marcus, so I figured she’d be here.”
“Miss Epibia has been spending all her time in the commercial district lately. She probably won’t come back until evening.”
“What’s she doing?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but it looks like she borrowed tools from a blacksmith she knows and is making something. She kept saying it was a gift for the captain.”
“A gift? What could it be?” Another one of her odd creations, no doubt. As long as she doesn’t cause an accident, we’ll be fine.
“Now that I think about it, we really need to build our own forge soon, but we’re short on time. Have you looked into shop locations yet?”
“Yes. Just as you instructed, I found about five places. If you have time today, would you like to go look at them together in the commercial district? We’ve been holding off on signing any contracts until you’ve seen them yourself.”
Kelly’s eyes sparkled at the prospect of a rare outing together. She was probably hoping we could inspect the rental shops, share lunch, browse the street vendors, and stroll through a scenic spot to enjoy the breeze. I’m sorry, Kelly. The king and the nobles have been hounding me lately, and my mind is a complete mess.
“I can’t today. I have somewhere I need to be.”
“I see.” Disappointment was plain on her face. Pretending not to notice, I quickly changed the subject. “Where did Marcus go? He came with Epibia, didn’t he?”
“He’s probably cleaning around the office. Didn’t you see him on your way in?”
“He’s outside?”
I stepped out of the building and circled the grounds looking for Marcus. Cleaning the area around the building morning and evening had become his daily routine. At first I tried to stop him, but he insisted that if he was going to draw a salary without doing anything, the least he could do was keep the place clean. So every morning he swept the grounds, and by evening he would set a chair in front of the office and chat with the neighborhood elders.
I found him behind the building, broom in hand. A boy of about seven was tagging along at his side, keeping him company.
“I’m back.”
Marcus straightened and turned. When he saw me, his face lit up with a warm smile. “So you’re allowed to wander around outside again?”
For a while I had been forced to stay hidden inside the Penclau estate, dodging the knights of the Hildegrart family. Only after the misunderstanding with them was cleared could Dana and I finally return home.
“I left the estate this morning.”
“Dana too?”
“Yes. She came with me. She’s sleeping at the house right now.”
“Good. You should have made up sooner, you fool. You were always going to end up back together anyway, so why fight so hard?”
Marcus ruffled the boy’s hair, pressed a coin into his hand, and sent him off to play elsewhere. “From the look on your face, you’ve got something you want to say to me.”
“How did you know?”
“I can tell at a glance.”
“Even when you’re just lazing around, your skills haven’t dulled one bit. That intuition of yours is still terrifying.”
“I spent my whole life reading people while stealing for a living. You think I can’t read a face as obvious as yours, brat? Your thoughts are as clear as looking into still water.”
“I could lay out a mat for you.”
“Lay out a mat? What mat?”
“It’s something people from my country say. It means you sound like a fortune-teller.”
I took the broom from Marcus’s hands. “Enough cleaning. Come fishing with me.”
“Why there?”
“So we can fish.”
The breeze was cool and the weather bright, lifting my spirits. We found a scenic, quiet spot, cast our lines, and waited for a bite. Marcus sat beside me, uncorked a bottle of liquor he had bought on the way, and took a small sip. I gazed at the watercolor-like scenery around us, drew a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. The heavy weight in my chest eased, and a bright smile found its way to my lips.
Suddenly, memories of our days in the bandit group surfaced. “If Phelton and Harry were still alive, what do you think they’d be doing right now?”
“Hard to say. Phelton would probably still be chasing after women, and Harry—being the diligent sort—would be helping you with everything he had.”
A chuckle escaped me. Marcus was probably right. That was exactly how I pictured it too.
“Something’s weighing on you, isn’t it?” Marcus said abruptly. “It’s written all over your face that you’re looking for advice. You’re carrying something heavy and suffering in silence.”
“Whose face?”
“Yours.”
I smiled faintly and admitted it honestly. “You got it right. I guess that thing you said earlier was true after all.”
“What thing?”
“That you can see right through me.”
“I know you better than anyone. Of course I can read you.”
“But you’re only half right. I’ve already decided what I need to do. I’m not really here looking for advice.”
“Then why come to the fishing spot?”
Marcus took another drink from the bottle. “I came to escape the complicated reality for a while and return to something familiar. I wanted comfort from my parents. Just seeing their faces gives me strength. Even a light chat with them puts my mind at ease and clears my head.”
“Am I your father?”
“You are my father, aren’t you?”
Grinning, I hugged Marcus from behind. “Good grief, my dear father. Look at that—I can wrap both arms around you now. When did you lose so much weight?”
“You lose weight when you get old, you brat.”
Marcus clasped the arms around his neck and smiled contentedly. Just then, one of the fishing rods bent sharply. A fish had taken the bait. I rushed over, grabbed the rod, and reeled it in. A catfish no bigger than my palm flopped on the line. Since we were only fishing for the fun of it, I released it back into the water.
I cast the line again and returned to my seat. The wind tousled my hair. It felt refreshing. Staring blankly at the rippling river, I spoke.
“Soon, the life we’ve known until now will disappear and everything will change. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it.”
“You managed fine even after the bandit group fell apart.”
“This change is on a completely different scale.”
It was far greater, and it had come suddenly. I could become a noble. I could grasp wealth and fame. It was like a cat turning into a tiger. Yet I was terrified. I didn’t know if I deserved these things or if I had the vessel to hold them properly. I had never even practiced for any of it, and that worried me.
After a brief pause, I continued. “…The king and the nobles are fighting over me.”
“Why?”
“They’re desperate to claim me for themselves.”
“That’s an honor. When would an ordinary commoner ever enjoy such fortune?”
Marcus said it offhandedly and stuck a pipe between his lips. I kept my eyes on the river and went on, almost muttering to myself.
“I know exactly what they’re after and why they’re doing it. It’s not because they’re drawn to Kang Hyun-woo. They’re only looking at Dana. They’re circling, wondering what they can squeeze out of her. If she ever disappeared one day, I’d become worthless overnight. Probably… definitely.”
“That’s not wrong. Compared to Dana, you really are the useless one.”
The matter-of-fact reply made a wry laugh slip out of me. I chuckled foolishly for a moment before continuing.
“Both marquises want to take me in—one as an adopted son, the other as a son-in-law. Not because they like me, but purely for the sake of their houses and themselves. If I entered either family that way, I’d probably spend my life being looked down on and dragged around by the nose. I wouldn’t be able to do anything on my own terms. I’d always have to watch my adoptive father’s or my father-in-law’s mood. It would be a bleak life.”
“And that’s not all. People would point fingers. ‘Look at that guy—his life turned around because he landed a good woman.’ The haves always want more, and nobles are far more jealous and envious than slaves or commoners. They’d say you clawed your way up by latching onto a woman, and that label would stick to you for life. No matter how many battles you win or how many merits you earn, it won’t matter. They’ll only ever see you as the man who got lucky with a woman. You’ll never hear the word ‘hero’ from noble lips. They’ll only badmouth you behind your back.”
I nodded. “You’re right. If I become an adopted son or son-in-law like this, I’ll be overshadowed by both houses’ prestige and never grow or shine on my own. Honestly, I don’t even respect Marquis Espera, so I don’t understand why I should become his adopted son. And with Adelia… Dana is already here. Marrying her feels wrong somehow. Dana might get angry too.”
“What? You’re planning to marry Lady Adelia?”
“Maybe. Nothing’s decided yet.”
“Just what exactly happened? Good grief. Well, if that’s the case, Dana probably won’t mind much.”
“Why not?”
Marcus took another sip before answering. “Do you know? Royalty and nobles live far more licentiously than slaves or commoners. Some royal families have family trees that are a complete mess. They claim to preserve noble bloodlines, yet they practice incest as casually as eating a meal. And to maintain their houses’ power, they arrange political marriages without hesitation.”
He added, “Go tell Dana right now that you’ll take Adelia as a concubine to expand the Kang family’s influence. She’ll understand immediately. She was born and raised in that kind of environment, after all. She’ll proudly agree for the sake of her husband and her house.”
“She already offered to give me sons not long ago. Ten of them, no less.”
“Of course the legal wife should bear sons. If she doesn’t, she gets cast aside. The more sons—ten, twenty—the better. They all become the house’s strength.”
I let out a short laugh. “So what are you going to do? Reject the nobles’ offers and keep living as a mercenary?”
“I was considering it, but then the king made me an attractive proposal. That changed my mind a little.”
Marcus’s eyes widened. “The king offered you something good?”
“He did. But he’s approaching me for his own benefit too, isn’t he? Not because he wants me, but because of Dana.”
“Of course. Without Dana, he wouldn’t even know who you are.”
A spark of heat rose in my eyes. “So this time, I’m going to make sure they remember exactly who I am. I’ll use the tangled relationships between the king, Hildegrart, and Penclau to turn the tables and bleed them dry. Right now, I hold the initiative in dealings with all three houses. They won’t get anything from me or Dana. Nothing at all……”
I grinned. “But what I gain will be enormous. Wealth, honor, and women.”