An Arranged Match
The arranged political marriage. A ceremony conducted solely for the benefit of the families, regardless of the wishes of those actually involved. An ordinary person would never agree to marry based on the arbitrary whims of their elders, but that only applied when the parties were commoners. For nobles, born with responsibilities from the moment they drew breath, words like arranged match or political marriage were familiar concepts they were expected to accept without question.
"I-it is an honor to meet you, Lady Rebellion. I am Rian Veilburg, the eldest son of Count Veilburg."
'So this is Rian Veilburg.'
Watching the man who was clearly tense to the point of trembling, the woman's eyes narrowed slightly. Rian Veilburg, eldest son of Count Veilburg. The legitimate heir to the county. Blue hair and blue eyes. Age, twenty. No maternal relatives. One younger brother, three years his junior. Mana proficiency, presumed to be at the beginner level.
'As the information suggested, it seems he hasn't trained his mana at all.'
"...It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Rian Veilburg. I am Cynthia Rebellion, the eldest daughter of the Rebellion Grand Duchy."
Having heard Rian's greeting, Cynthia quietly returned the courtesy while subtly observing him. Rian, already frozen with nerves, tried his best to avoid her gaze as he struggled to continue the conversation.
"Th-thank you for coming all this way. I should have been the one to visit..."
"Not at all. This was a proposal from our grand duchy, after all. It was only natural that I come first."
Her voice was stiff and businesslike. It wasn't exactly negative, but it was difficult to call it positive either. Because of that, Rian felt even more tension as he escorted her.
"W-would you like to sit down?"
'Ah, my voice keeps shaking...'
Pulling out the chair so she could sit comfortably was fine, but his nerves were so high that his voice wouldn't stop trembling. He glanced at her reaction, worried she might take it poorly, but her expression barely changed, leaving him with no clue what she was thinking. The only relief was that she obediently sat in the chair he had prepared.
'Phew. Thank goodness.'
"Where is Count Veilburg? Will he not be joining us?"
"Ah! He will be here shortly! Something urgent suddenly came up..."
"I see."
She nodded quietly, as if it didn't matter much to her. As Rian fidgeted, searching for the next topic, Cynthia spoke again.
"Well, as long as the parties involved are here, that should be enough. What are your thoughts on this?"
"Pardon?"
"I've already heard the Count's answer, but I haven't heard from the person directly concerned yet."
She elegantly swept back her deep golden hair and asked, as if seeking confirmation.
"Will you marry me?"
"!"
Cynthia's unexpectedly direct question caught him off guard. For a moment, Rian felt a rush of embarrassment and lowered his head, delaying his response. But soon, as if having made up his mind, he lifted his head with determination and answered loudly.
"Of course, I have no objections at all. Marrying you would be nothing short of an immense honor for me... However."
"However?"
"I wonder if Lady Rebellion is truly comfortable with this..."
"What do you mean?"
"Marrying someone you've never even met before."
This was the one thing that had truly bothered Rian, so he spoke clearly and deliberately.
"Are you really alright with marrying me?"
"Why wouldn't I be? The family has decided on you, so I simply prepare for the marriage as instructed. As long as you don't oppose it, there will be no problems with this union."
"Th-that's not what I meant..."
"If you're worrying about me, I'd like to say it's unnecessary meddling. For nobles, political marriage is like a label we carry. Aren't you here for the same reason?"
"Y-yes... I suppose so."
Rian stared blankly at Cynthia's unexpectedly calm acceptance. Meanwhile, Cynthia observed him and organized her thoughts. Contrary to what she had just said, she had no intention of actually going through with this marriage.
'This should buy me at least a year.'
Rebellion Grand Duchy. A family that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Yumariel imperial house and held undisputed dominance over half the empire. In that place, often called the empire's second imperial family, Cynthia had returned after concluding the discussion of her political marriage with the Veilburgs.
Click. Click.
"We greet Lady Cynthia."
"Welcome back, my lady."
Swish. Swish.
As Cynthia returned to the family estate, the household servants and knights bowed deeply toward her. While members of the same family might usually exchange light nods, there was no such casualness among the grand duchy's people. When a direct descendant of the grand duchy passed by, they offered greetings with military precision, as if facing royalty.
"Lady Cynthia."
"What is it?"
At that moment, the grand duchy's steward spoke to her.
"The eldest son of the Poland Marquisate is waiting."
"Vihar? Why so suddenly?"
"He knew you were having your arranged meeting today. It seems he was worried."
A faint smile curved Cynthia's lips. It wasn't mockery—it was genuine amusement. The same woman who hadn't smiled even once in front of Rian now looked delighted at Vihar Poland's behavior.
"Where is he now?"
"He is waiting in the guest parlor."
"Understood. I'll go see him now."
Cynthia immediately headed toward the guest room where Vihar waited. The grand duchy was larger than most villages, so the walk took some time, but her desire to see him made her steps quick and light. Soon, she arrived at her destination.
Creak—
"C-Cynthia."
"You were here."
A man was already seated on the sofa in the guest room. Shiny silver hair and a handsome face that radiated elegance. Seeing him leisurely enjoying his tea, Cynthia let out a small laugh.
"Vihar, why did you come without even sending word?"
"Well... today was the day of your arranged meeting, wasn't it? For some reason, it felt difficult to contact you."
"What was so difficult about it?"
"......"
He didn't answer, simply taking another sip of tea. On the surface he looked composed, but his discomfort was clear. As Cynthia watched him with a mischievous expression, Vihar twitched his eyebrows and changed the subject.
"How was it?"
"How was what?"
"Rian Veilburg, was it? I mean, what was your impression of your fiancé after meeting him in person?"
"Hmm... He was handsome."
"...Oh?"
Vihar twitched his eyebrows again, smiling crookedly. Cynthia sat down on the opposite sofa with a nonchalant air and continued speaking about Rian.
"His personality seemed decent, and his manners were good too. Well, he was so nervous that we couldn't have a proper conversation, but compared to those rotten nobles, he was quite acceptable."
"That's quite a generous evaluation. Is it because he's the man you personally chose?"
"Me, personally choose? I'm only engaged because Father ordered it."
"How many fiancé candidates do you even have?"
As Vihar said, Cynthia's list of potential fiancés numbered in the dozens to over a hundred. Not only domestic nobles, but royal families and generals from foreign countries were included, so exceeding a hundred was only natural. Among them, Rian was the one Cynthia had selected herself.
"Why did you choose Rian Veilburg?"
"Because he seemed the easiest to break the engagement with, that's all."
"In what way?"
"It's a secret."
"Hmm... There must be something there."
As if she had no intention of revealing more, Cynthia swept her hair aside and looked elsewhere. Her beauty was so breathtaking that merely looking at her could leave one spellbound, but Vihar had built up some resistance and didn't lose his composure. He slowly rose from his seat and moved to sit beside her.
Thump.
"Tell me, Cynthia."
"!"
"I'm asking you nicely."
Vihar was also possessor of a beauty that could rival anyone's. He reached out and gently brushed back the hair she had just swept aside. Faced with his bold advance, Cynthia's face flushed and she remained silent for a moment. But eventually, unable to resist the temptation, her pink lips parted.
"Sigh. Don't tell anyone."
"Of course not."
Meanwhile, after finishing his meeting with Cynthia, Rian still couldn't shake off the lingering tension she had left behind.
"Wow, I thought I was going to die from nervousness!"
"Haha, it really was Cynthia Rebellion. To think I'm engaged to the flower of high society."
"Hehe. Young Master Rian looks so happy~ Are you that pleased? To be able to marry Lady Cynthia?"
"Well... i-it's an honor, of course..."
"I suppose~ Young Master Rian, I've rarely heard you talk about women, but you've mentioned Lady Cynthia a few times, haven't you?"
"Ah, Anna! Don't tell anyone about that!"
Anna. The maid who had raised Rian since childhood and now served as his personal attendant. Her casual tone might have seemed too light when addressing a noble, but since the two of them were practically like siblings, no one paid it any mind.
"Our young master is finally leaving the nest. Sob sob, I knew it was coming, but now that it's actually happening, my heart feels so heavy~"
"We aren't even married yet. Who knows when the engagement might be broken off."
"Come on~ That's not true, Young Master! This was something the Duke of Rebellion brought up first, wasn't it? Unless the Duke himself cancels it, no other high-ranking noble could possibly break this engagement."
"Mmm... Still, there are parts I can't quite understand. Honestly, Lady Rebellion and I are from completely different leagues."
Cynthia Rebellion was a top-tier noble with a claim to the imperial throne. In contrast, Rian was merely the heir to a count's family. It wasn't a low position by any means, but compared to Cynthia, it was undeniably much lower. Even though the families had approved the marriage, from Rian's perspective, it was impossible not to feel anxious.
"I understand what you're worried about. You're afraid Lady Cynthia might call off this engagement, right?"
"It's not exactly that... It just seems like Lady Rebellion isn't happy about our betrothal..."
"Well, that's unavoidable. Both you and Lady Cynthia only came to this meeting because of your families' orders. Developing a good relationship from the very first meeting is practically impossible."
"...Yeah..."
He already knew that, but there was a difference between thinking it and hearing it out loud. Rian suddenly looked dejected, hanging his head in thought. Anna let out a big sigh and declared in a loud voice.
"Don't worry, Young Master! You have me!"
"...What can you do, Anna?"
"You don't know? I'm the Romance Master, Pink Anna!"
"If you're a master, why aren't you married yet?"
"Do you want to get scolded? I was going to help with your love life, but maybe I shouldn't after all."
"...Help? What exactly are you going to do?"
"Obviously! This Anna is going to teach you how to capture Lady Cynthia's heart!"
"......"
Rian wore an ambiguous expression, clearly not very convinced. Anna didn't care and clenched her fist, shouting with enthusiasm.
"There's one year left until the wedding! Don't worry, Young Master! This Anna will make sure Lady Cynthia falls for you!"
"...No, I'm already anxious enough. Forget it."
"Trust me! Your personal maid! If you can't trust me, who can you trust!?"
"Maybe I'll find someone else."
"Ah, just trust me already!"
And so, Rian began his study of romance in order to conquer Cynthia's heart.