Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Arranged Marriage
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Clunk. And then thud.
There was someone who dared to barge into the Bendel family head's office without knocking and plop down right across from him.
Even tilting the chair back crookedly like the finishing touch of a dragon.
Hey, give me a shot of the strongest stuff you've got here.
It was the kind of attitude that made it seem like those words would come out any second.
"…"
A deep sigh escaped the Bendel family head's lips.
That was the extent of his punishment for the rudeness.
"I heard you were back about half a month ago, but this is the first time you're showing your face, Roera."
Idor Bendel, the head of the Bendel Family, immediately set aside his work to greet his daughter.
"It's not like I'm some face you've been dying to see, right?"
She fiddled with her hands. Roera answered while inspecting her nails.
One might wonder how a noble lady from a prestigious family should act toward her family head father, but Idor just gave a wry smile.
That was the kind of creature her father was.
Infinitely soft and pathetic when dealing with his prickly youngest daughter—
And even more so if that youngest daughter was raising the family name in the eyes of the world.
"I've been hearing a lot about you lately. How is it? Does the work there suit you?"
Roera's response was extremely vague.
She twitched her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders.
"...Well. I'm glad it looks good on you."
Silence flowed.
Until the father's will to have a heartfelt reunion conversation with his daughter after so long was broken.
"Can I ask a favor?"
"A favor? From you to your father? That's rare."
Idor recalled when his daughter had last asked him for something.
He couldn't even remember how long ago it was.
"This marriage between someone from our family and someone from the Diltan side. Let me do it."
"...That's your favor?"
Idor's face turned ghostly, as if possessed.
Because the Roera he knew was a girl he could never imagine getting married to anyone.
She was someone who pathologically hated the social conventions and norms demanded of her.
Long ago, she had half-cut ties with the family and started wandering outside. The family had no choice but to let such a Roera go.
They only hoped she wouldn't go astray and would continue raising the family name with her sword, as she did now.
But what was this?
Showing interest in family matters?
And in something as major as an arranged marriage, no less?
"It's not that hard a favor. It's better for both sides anyway."
Roera pressed Idor like a mercenary haggling shrewdly with a merchant.
"Honestly, does it make sense? Marrying that Rishir guy off to the second daughter of the Diltans. Even if he's a live-in son-in-law, come on. They're obviously going to use it as an excuse to meddle, nitpick, and exert influence everywhere, right?"
"Hm…"
The point Roera raised was something Idor was well aware of.
Of course. As the family head overseeing all major and minor family affairs.
Sending Rishir as a live-in son-in-law to the Diltan Family was undoubtedly taking on considerable risk.
Yet the reason Idor willingly accepted the arranged marriage between the two was simple.
"Even accounting for that, what we gain is far greater."
The Bendels were not some insignificant border family that could be dismissed.
There were limits to wielding power with justification alone.
The Diltans would surely demand various rights in exchange for taking in the bastard as a live-in son-in-law.
The Bendels would have to grant some of them.
But if they crossed the line? Or showed signs of it?
Then the story changes.
The justification would shift to the Bendels, and they had ample power to exercise it.
"It's a complicated matter."
Politics is always like that.
However, there was one way to make this complicated story simple.
As Roera said, marry her off to the Diltans.
Roera was direct lineage of the Bendels.
The weight of that bloodline was incomparable to a bastard's and even heavier than the Diltans' direct lineage.
If Roera became the Diltans' daughter-in-law, the Bendels could exert influence over the Diltans in various ways.
And above all—
It was Roera's affair.
The expectation that she would marry, the clean resolution that she would serve the family.
For such a Roera to hold a wedding in the family name.
It would be a waste to send a girl of Roera's caliber merely to the Diltans, but hoping for more right now would be greed.
As the Bendel family head, he couldn't help but be tempted.
But Idor was also a father to his daughter.
At the very least, he needed to know why his daughter was suddenly acting like a different person.
"You have no interest in family matters. Am I wrong, Roera?"
Roera neither affirmed nor denied it.
She just shrugged once.
"I'm curious why you're suddenly interested in this arranged marriage."
"Nothing much. I happened to see the young master of that house, and he was my type."
Her voice was awfully dry for a woman who had fallen at first sight, but Idor didn't notice.
"Hm…"
A man who was her type, huh.
A simple reason.
But also the most important motive in romantic relationships.
"I can't see it myself, but they say he's all the rage among the young ladies. Seeing you say that, their taste must be spot on. By the way, I never imagined you'd be interested in men."
"What, you think I'm interested in women?"
"That's not what I meant—but whatever. As you say, you're at that age where you're interested in men."
"…So. Are we done here?"
"But listen."
Only then did Idor reveal the backstory of this arranged marriage.
"In truth, this marriage was arranged at the strong insistence of the Diltan Family's lady."
Roera frowned and tilted her head.
A face that said she couldn't understand at all.
It was a point where Roera's logic from moments ago applied perfectly.
Rishir was handsome. In terms of looks alone, he wouldn't bow to that famous Diltan young master.
But he was a bastard.
An element that nobles, who valued bloodline above all, could never take lightly.
"…Why?"
"I don't know the reason, but she seems personally interested in Rishir."
"Hah."
Roera scoffed in disbelief.
"What a weird lady. What does she even know about that guy?"
"?"
"Anyway. Let me ask once more: we're done here, right?"
"…"
After a moment's deliberation, Idor nodded.
"I'll sound out the Diltans positively on this matter."
"Great. Enjoyed our productive talk."
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Roera left the room with a satisfied expression.
"Phew…"
After parting from her father, Roera went straight outside to get some air.
The suffocating feeling improved a little.
Yeah. Just a little.
"Marriage…"
Until just recently, she had no interest in marriage whatsoever.
In fact, she still didn't.
She still had zero interest in marriage.
The supposedly handsome guy from the Diltan Family was the same.
He was probably an obnoxious noble type.
And he had the looks to boot?
"Damn it."
The thought of inserting herself among nobles from other families and pandering to them.
Just imagining it made her chest tighten with suffocation.
She was satisfied with her current life.
Not bound by family or status. Not caring about others' gazes.
If possible, she wanted to continue this life forever.
Yet she chose marriage.
No one's coercion. Purely her own choice.
Did she regret it? She did.
If she could, she'd retract it right now.
But she wouldn't.
"…This is right."
She no longer wanted to let her father arbitrarily control that guy's life.
She wanted him to reclaim his own life.
And the only one who could help with that was her.
She knew it.
That he had never once made such a request.
Maybe he didn't even want it.
Thus, all this was mere self-satisfaction.
"…"
Struggling to atone for that day's mistake.
Perhaps a shallow hope that he might recognize her efforts and change his mind.
Suddenly, such thoughts crossed her mind.
Wouldn't it be better to just apologize honestly instead?
"Ugh~"
Roera shuddered and scratched her arms. Goosebumps.
It was pointless from the start.
She had already gone too far.
She remembered the young Rishir emotionlessly tearing up her letter.
Back then, she would recall that scene constantly and think.
How can I get him to accept my apology?
How can I earn forgiveness?
She pondered endlessly, but no answer came.
If a single apology could solve everything, she wouldn't have come this far.
'Come to think of it, what has that guy been up to lately? He's been wandering around outside.'
She suddenly grew curious.
Rishir, that guy.
How would he react if he knew she was sacrificing for his sake in her own way?
Would he be surprised and say he'd misjudged her?
No way.
He'd probably ignore it, saying it was none of his business.
Or maybe rage that she stole his chance to impress their father.
"This damn—"
Thinking about it, it was a very plausible possibility.
Roera imagined Rishir misconstruing her intentions and condemning her.
The picture drew itself effortlessly with minimal effort.
"…"
But something was off.
It wouldn't draw properly.
-...As expected, only Roera worries about me.
Instead, she recalled the conversation with Rishir before arriving here.
The strangely changed Rishir of late.
She knew it was nonsense.
Surely said with sarcastic intent.
"You get it... Only me…"
Yet Roera couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from rising.
"So, Master. I might end up getting married."
The next morning.
I reunited with my master at our usual spot behind the library.
The first topic was the arranged marriage I'd suddenly heard about yesterday.
"Rishir is getting married?"
No way.
Unbelievable.
My master muttered with a shocked face.