The Rocksfield Family's Betrothal (1)
The Rocksfield Earldom lay on the western frontier of the Valua Kingdom.
The cities in the kingdom's west had evolved with the times, focusing on commerce and industry, but the Rocksfield Earldom clung stubbornly to its old traditions, emphasizing martial prowess above all else. Some called them stubborn diehards, mocking the family's rigid adherence to the past.
"You've returned, my lord."
As the earldom's master—who had led his forces to victory in countless battles—came home, an elderly butler handed him a damp cloth and inquired after his well-being.
Troyed Rocksfield nodded. He wiped his face and the back of his neck with the cool, soaked towel, then asked the butler about the state of the earldom.
The butler replied, "The lady is well, as is the earldom."
"Good."
Troyed nodded again, handing the used towel back to the butler. He strode forward briskly, his family knights following with the clink of metal armor.
After a few steps, a woman with curly black hair cascading to her waist appeared in a hurried gait, accompanied by her maids.
"Sorry, Lloyd. I should have come out to greet you sooner."
"It's fine, Diana."
Troyed gave a stiff nod in response to his wife's apology. With her black hair and dark eyes, Diana exuded a noble beauty and refined smile, like a doe from the sacred mountains. She was the Countess Rocksfield, Troyed's wife, and mother to one daughter and three sons.
Diana Rocksfield, dressed in a peach-colored mermaid gown, offered a bright smile to comfort her husband and his men after their grueling battles.
'I'll lay down my life for the countess from here on out!'
'But the count looks every bit the fifty-something he is—why does the countess still look like she's in her twenties?'
'You think only our lord bears the scars of time?'
The family knights whispered among themselves, comparing Troyed and Diana's appearances. Knowing it was disrespectful to their lord, they still muttered things like, 'In a few more years, they'll look like father and daughter.'
"And the children?"
"I've returned first with the vanguard and horses. The rest should arrive in three days."
"I hope they get back soon."
Diana let out a relieved sigh at the news her sons were safe, nodding. Then she asked the question she always posed to Troyed.
"Lloyd, any word on Allen...?"
Diana's face fell into sadness as she inquired about her daughter, far away in a foreign land. She believed Allen was safe. But the gnawing anxiety and endless fear were impossible to suppress. Was she eating properly? Had she fallen for some villain's tricks? With no way to track her location or check on her, her worries only grew day by day.
"She's with Sir Gilliard, so she should be fine. No news is good news—let's trust and wait."
Troyed meant to reassure his wife, but it landed differently for her. Anger flashed across the countess's face.
"Lloyd, don't you worry about your daughter? How can you be so heartless?!"
"Of course I worry. How could I not? Once the war ends, I'll send word to the Liberia Elf Kingdom."
"When Sir Gilliard was captured, you were ready to pay a fortune in ransom yourself! But when Allen gets taken, you do nothing!"
"Allen went of her own accord... I merely respected her will."
"Don't give me that nonsense—you think I don't know what you're up to?!"
"......"
"If anything happens to Allen... Lloyd, I won't let it slide."
Troyed looked crestfallen at his wife's sharp rebuke—a far cry from his usual stern demeanor, full of rare vulnerability.
'They've been fighting more lately.'
'I'm team Lady Rocksfield, obviously.'
The knights, peeking into the couple's world, wore awkward expressions. Some pitied their lord; others felt his rigid ways were the real issue, frustrating even to onlookers.
"Alexin."
"Yes, my lord."
"Order the warhorses rested and double the guards' vigilance. Some rebels must have tailed us from the rear."
"Understood!"
The knights dispersed at Troyed's command. He then headed to his chambers with the butler, tended by maids.
Clink.
He tried the doorknob. It wouldn't turn—locked from inside, no doubt.
"......"
After standing frozen for a few seconds, Troyed turned to the butler.
"Show me to another room."
"Yes, my lord."
Having been scolded in front of his men and now barred from his own bedroom, Troyed headed to a guest room he'd grown all too familiar with.
The countess had declared she wouldn't emerge from the bedroom for the foreseeable future, but a sudden piece of joyous news had her bolting out in disarray.
"Lady Allen has returned to the earldom with Sir Gilliard!"
The announcement jolted the countess from her gloomy bed.
Her daughter was back! She wept tears of joy at the news that the girl who'd kept her up nights was safe.
She hurriedly dressed—nearly running barefoot—and rushed to greet her returning daughter. The maids and knights, having heard the news, bustled about preparing a proper welcome.
"Mom!"
The blue-haired knightess, home after months, spread her arms in a beaming smile.
The countess smiled back just as widely—then slapped her daughter's back mercilessly with her palm.
"You little wench! Running off without a word—to me, your own mother—to chase after Sir Gilliard?!"
Smack! Whack!
The sharp sounds echoed from her back. In her youth, Countess Rocksfield—Diana—had been a renowned mage of exceptional talent. Mana gathered in her palm, striking like a blunt weapon against Allen's skin, tough enough to deflect spear thrusts. But these heavy blows were another matter; Allen yelped in genuine pain with each hit.
"Ow! Ahh! I-I was gonna come back...!"
"This isn't some neighborhood stroll—you crossed the damn border!"
"S-Sorry...! No, forgive me! Ahh!"
Yushin Gilliard, arriving with Allen at the Rocksfield estate, watched her get thrashed by her mother and muttered, serves you right. He sent infinite respect to the one person in this world who could tame the rabid dog.
"Ahem, welcome. I apologize for the unsightly display, Sir Gilliard."
"Not at all, it's fine."
Yushin bowed politely in response to Diana's words.
"I trust you've been well, Countess Rocksfield."
"As you see, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for looking after Allen all this time, Sir Gilliard."
The bastard who lured my daughter away. Diana masked her displeasure with a bright smile to welcome him. He might become her son-in-law someday. He looked like a homewrecker sparrow now, but she'd hold her tongue for the future.
"And who's that behind you...?"
Diana, eyes misty with joy at reuniting with her daughter, shifted her gaze to the figure lurking behind Yushin.
Hooded up, the presumed man looked so ragged he inspired pity.
Yushin spoke. "It's the Second Prince."
"P-Pardon? The Second Prince...?"
"We crossed paths along the way."
At Diana's question, Yushin turned to reveal Second Prince Alphonse.
Alphonse pulled back his hood. Covered head to toe in filth and mud, his appearance shocked Diana; she covered her mouth with both hands.
"P-Pleased... to meet you, Countess."
Alphonse spoke awkwardly in a halting tone. Demoted to commoner, he'd wandered streets hearing nothing but "beggar," "scrounger," and "vagabond." He shrank before the countess.
"How do you know Sir Gilliard...?"
"W-We met by chance. Thanks to him, I evaded those brutal thugs and made it here."
At Diana's query, Alphonse glanced at Yushin and stuck to their rehearsed story. Yushin had promised safe passage to the Liberia Elf Kingdom; Alphonse, desperate to flee the kingdom of his betrayers—the crown prince and princess who'd used him as a discard—had endured the humiliations from Yushin and Allen.
The loyal Rocksfields will back my brother, next in line for the throne. Telling the count the truth might get me out of this pinch now, but staying means he'll kill me eventually.
Escape was survival. So Alphonse cooperated with Yushin for exile to Liberia.
"Sir Gilliard!"
Troyed approached swiftly with his knights. He greeted Yushin warmly but offered only a stiff, formal nod to his daughter after months apart.
"Allen, glad you're safe."
"...Yeah."
"Your brothers will return in three days."
"......"
Allen turned away without reply. Father-daughter relations were ice-cold. Troyed, expecting no more, nodded silently and ended the reunion.
"The Second Prince is here," Diana said.
Troyed's eyes widened in surprise. He bowed hastily to the sackcloth-clad Alphonse.
"Forgive me for not recognizing you. I know not the details, but please, come inside. I'll have the maids prepare food and clothes."
"Th-Thank you... "
Alphonse, braced for rejection as a fallen commoner, looked startled by the welcome. He eyed Yushin, then followed the family butler into the manor.
Ordering the butler to tend the prince, Troyed approached Yushin—leaving his wife with their daughter—and led him to a parlor inside the estate.
"Thank you for caring for my inadequate daughter all this time. I offer my deepest gratitude, Sir Gilliard."
"I'm the one who should be grateful."
Yushin returned the courtesy with proper etiquette. After sharing recent news, Troyed asked about the slaying of the Raging Flames Demon King.
"I heard you vanquished Sabnack, the Raging Flames Demon King. To think you were the famed Diablo Slayer of the Holy Empire... Had I known sooner, I'd have made you my son-in-law on the spot."
"It was kept secret, known only to a few Holy Empire officials. Agares's minions and legions could strike anytime."
"Hmm, fair enough."
Troyed nodded in understanding, then furrowed his brow in deep thought, nodding repeatedly. Finally, he spoke again.
"Sir Gilliard."
"Yes."
"If you're amenable... how about we betroth you to the Rocksfield family on this occasion?"
What? Proposing marriage out of the blue to a guest? Some traditional Rocksfield joke? But Troyed's stoic face held not a trace of humor.