Chapter 244
Since the incident in the Room of Truth, I hadn’t been able to have a proper conversation with the Iron-Blood Duke. It wasn’t that he was ignoring me; I just didn’t have the time to make my way to the castle because of my “Ulkern Tour” guided by Marghetta.
After enjoying a fabulous three-day tour of the duchy, I finally received the summons from the Iron-Blood Duke. It was time for me to leave the castle.
However, I wasn’t particularly scared this time.
“You’ve come.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“When we are in a private setting, call me father-in-law.”
“Understood, Father-in-law.”
The frustration of having my youngest daughter taken away had been eased thanks to Marghetta’s charm.
“I wonder if it’d please you to hear expressions of gratitude or love from him.”
That was my suggestion to lower the Iron-Blood Duke’s anger. Thankfully, Marghetta took my advice to heart and rushed to tell him she loved him.
Thanks to that, the look in the Iron-Blood Duke’s eyes was surprisingly calm. Not warm or welcoming, but at least there was no negative emotion there. I was satisfied with that.
“We will skip the engagement ceremony. We’ll get married straight away once Marghetta graduates—there’s no need to bother the guests with a silly engagement.”
The Iron-Blood Duke muttered this while shuffling through a few documents.
“That makes sense.”
Skipping the engagement was a strange statement to hear from a father doting on his daughter, but honestly, it was the norm.
Usually, engagement ceremonies are just minor affairs compared to the main event—the wedding. After all, engagement is just a promise. Often, those involved are not even adults, and sometimes, they are still children.
Cases like mine—being over twenty and getting engaged—are quite rare. Plus, if we’re getting married in a year, there’s no need to fuss over an engagement ceremony.
“Here.”
After my response, the Iron-Blood Duke nodded and handed me the documents he had been fiddling with before.
“This is the dowry prepared for Marghetta.”
“…Huh?”
My instinctive reply came out before I even knew it. Why was the dowry being given now? Wasn’t it supposed to be exchanged before the wedding?
Despite my confusion, the Iron-Blood Duke gestured for me to read it over quickly.
‘Wow.’
And the contents of those six pages exceeded my imagination.
‘This is the dowry?’
I doubted my eyes for a moment. The dowry I knew usually consisted of furniture and maybe a house at most. That was the understanding I had before “possessing” this body.
But what the Iron-Blood Duke prepared went far beyond my expectations. Several buildings located on the main street of the capital, and territories roughly the size of a baron’s estate near the capital.
Moreover, if my memory serves correctly, this land even has iron mines. Is the Iron-Blood Duke seriously handing me the iron mine along with everything else as part of the dowry?
‘Is this what a noble life looks like?’
I felt scared. I didn’t even have time to take stock of the carts, ships, jewels, and gold coins that were also included. When a duke gets all wrapped up in his daughter, this kind of monstrous dowry comes out of nowhere.
“I’ve already married off four daughters, so what I have left for Marghetta is merely a fraction.”
‘A fraction…’
I involuntarily scanned the documents again. If this is considered a small amount, then how much did he give to his eldest daughter? Did he possibly give away three or four baronies?
“Do you need more?”
“No, Father-in-law. This is more than enough for me.”
“Then take it.”
Quietly, I packed the documents as the Iron-Blood Duke spoke in a seemingly uninterested tone.
Honestly, it felt premature to be receiving a dowry before even being married. I almost felt like saying that, but upon seeing the Iron-Blood Duke’s intense gaze, I swallowed my words. It was clear he expected me to just take it without causing a fuss.
“What’s the problem? We are getting married anyway. Were you perhaps thinking of just getting engaged without going for the marriage?”
The consequences of rejecting his offer were all too clear. After having him change his demeanor from neutral to hostile once already, I didn’t want to provoke him again.
“The managers are fairly competent. You can leave them as they are or swap them out for whoever you want.”
“I’ll leave them as is.”
What a generous offer to provide people along with material goods. I accepted his offer without hesitation. If a duke thinks they’re capable enough to handle management, they are not easily found elsewhere. If they’re offering, why not just take it? Besides, I wouldn’t know who to hire instead.
“Now, go. If you are returning to the capital, then go ahead.”
“Yes. I’ll greet you at the New Year’s Ball.”
I bowed my head several times as I exited while the Iron-Blood Duke dismissed me.
When I first came to Ulken, I was ready to face a bitter trial, but now, as I left, I was laden with gifts.
‘Thank you…’
I silently expressed my deep gratitude, knowing he would never hear it. Honestly, even being spared from punishment was something I was grateful for, let alone receiving such a generous gift.
For now, this was Marghetta’s dowry, so I’d leave it to her. After all, once I become a count, she will need to manage the territory as my wife, so it’s best to start her training early.
I headed toward the capital with the send-off of my future in-laws and, of course, using a teleportation magician’s services.
Thanks to that, I arrived at the capital much faster than planned. If I hadn’t visited Ulken, I would have had to travel by coach from the Academy to the capital, which would have taken even longer. Truly, teleportation is the best.
“Alright, let’s breathe.”
As soon as I arrived in the capital, I ruffled the shoulders of Louise and Irina. To be honest, I wasn’t the biggest victim of this Ulken trip; it was these two.
I was struggling myself, but how hard must it have been for these innocent students? Unexpected encounters with dukes and, on top of that, meeting that duke who is the father of Marghetta. It wouldn’t be strange if they were terrified of being scolded for even existing in his presence.
Moreover, the whole reason I got dragged to Ulken was to establish an official relationship with Marghetta. It would’ve been rude to her if other potential wives made their presence felt during that time. So, the two of them had to keep a low profile while in Ulken.
At least the duchy tour gave them a chance to catch their breath, but once evening came, they had to return to the ducal residence to sleep. Uncomfortable sleeping arrangements would have made the little reprieve meaningless…
“It must have been boring staying in Ulken, right? I’m really sorry; you both worked hard.”
Marghetta knew this and hugged Louise and Irina warmly. She must’ve felt guilty knowing her presence was a burden to her juniors.
“Hehe, it’s alright! When was I ever going to see Ulken without this chance?”
“Same here. So please, don’t worry about it.”
Thankfully, the two little angels smiled brightly, easing Marghetta’s worries.
“Next time, when the Lady visits our territory, it will be lovely. The tulip garden in Flanbel is beautiful.”
Yet, as Marghetta’s expression still held traces of guilt, Irina quickly added:
“Of course! We have to go!”
Hearing that seemed to help Marghetta relax a bit and smile.
By the way, to invite the wealthy lady naturally like that, Irina surely has a knack for business. She really is Yuris’s child.
“Oh! Our territory is also nice! Aitini is lovely for traveling!”
“Is that so? What’s Aitini famous for?”
Louise proudly spoke to Marghetta, who was chuckling softly.
“There’s plenty of eel there!”
That bold proclamation made me snicker. How do you tout a specific local product while claiming a place is great for traveling?
“…Eel?”
But at Marghetta’s serious tone, I found myself glancing around.
Suddenly, strict and serious gazes landed on me. Both Marghetta and Irina had their eyes fixed on me.
Why are you looking at me at this moment? Were we not discussing a harmonious travel destination just moments ago? It was perfectly fine just five seconds ago!
“Let’s save the travel conversation for later and rest now. Everyone must be tired.”
I quickly changed the subject. If we didn’t change the topic now, it seemed our conversation would take a weird turn. My instincts warned me.
“Yeah, they both haven’t had a chance to relax, so let’s hurry inside.”
Marghetta appeared to be the most attuned to the peculiar atmosphere and willingly participated in the topic change.
Right, what’s crucial now is helping those who are mentally weary to unwind. Marghetta wouldn’t mix her priorities up.
“Traveling can be discussed comfortably later.”
“Haha, let’s do that.”
I forced a stilted smile at Marghetta’s words. It seemed I might soon be embarking on a thorough tour of the duchy.
‘…A tour of the territories?’
However, thinking of the territories brought an uneasy feeling to my stomach. Like something had slipped through my fingers, but I had no idea what that something was.
Well, I suppose it would come to me in time.
*
The end of the year is a time for reviewing the year’s activities of the Assembly and planning for the coming year. Naturally, I had to summarize the activities of the count’s estate too.
Thus, the year-end was bound to be a bit busy. Thankfully, it mostly involved organizing paperwork rather than direct actions, so it was manageable.
“Your Grace Iron-Blood Duke?”
—Long time no see, Count Tailglehen.
That decent year-end was disrupted by a contact from the Iron-Blood Duke.
How strange. I had very little direct contact with him, especially since he had delegated most of his authority to his sub-lord. The only time I possibly saw him was at the New Year’s Ball.
“I hope you’ve been well.”
—I’m just a happy elder enjoying a peaceful life, so why would I have anything to complain about? How about you?
I exchanged polite small talk, and the Iron-Blood Duke nodded in the customary fashion. Since he reached out to me first, he likely had a matter to attend to.
—Besides, I’ve freed myself from a significant worry.
As expected, the words that followed made me straighten my posture. This was probably the reason he had contacted me.
I instinctively clenched my hands. It was odd for the Iron-Blood Duke to contact me directly without sending a retainer first.
There’s no way this could be a mundane issue. Just before the New Year’s Ball, dealing with something challenging…
—In fact, since you are about to become my future in-law, I wanted to reach out and say hello. I hope I’m not interrupting your busy schedule.
?
‘In-law?’
For a moment, I was left speechless. What?? Me and the Iron-Blood Duke?
—Count?
I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer. The Iron-Blood Duke stood right in front of me!
This was definitely not a joke. A duke, especially one that valued family so highly, wouldn’t joke about something like this.
There was a glimmer of understanding. Marghetta and Carl’s bond seemed quite strong. Plus, the Duke’s wife also adored Marghetta, and the social scene was buzzing about their union as if it was already a fact.
It was merely a matter of when and whether he would leave the Marcilio family behind to secure the first position as Marghetta’s husband.
“Yes, I suppose it’s in-law territory. I was caught off-guard as that term is rather unfamiliar.”
—I understand. I felt the same way when I sent my son off to marry. Although this is an engagement and not a wedding, it’s really just a matter of time, isn’t it?
I rushed to find my words. Thankfully, I was right. I nearly became a father who knew nothing of his child’s engagement.
‘But I really didn’t know…’
Regrettably, it was true that I was completely out of the loop.
Still, what could I do? I left the marriage of Carl entirely in his hands without interfering. Thus, without Carl saying anything, all I knew was based on the rumors floating around in social circles.
Still, I thought this limited knowledge would suffice. I was confident in my network and believed I could easily gather reliable information.
However, I never expected the engagement would happen without any prior signs. This spontaneous engagement caught me completely off guard.
I hurriedly contacted my wife to check if she had heard any news from Carl. If she didn’t, I’d better explain the circumstances before others started asking her engagement questions.
—Carl is engaged?
Of course, my wife was just as clueless as I was. If she had known, she would have told me well in advance.
—I, I know nothing…
“The Iron-Blood Duke has hurriedly made the decision. He mentioned that they finished the engagement just an hour ago and returned to the capital, so nobody had the time to say anything yet.”
I tried my best to reassure her, sensing her bewilderment.
This engagement was impulsive and sudden. The Iron-Blood Duke just said he had completed it not long ago.
So Carl had no chance to say anything either. He simply didn’t have the time, or he was too dazed to do so.
—Is… Is that so?
“I mean, it’s not like he’d hide something like that. Any secret would get out quickly anyway. Don’t worry too much.”
Indeed, it wasn’t something to hide.
Thinking it through, it’d be odd for him to keep quiet about things, especially when he’s usually so reserved. He just was never good at finding the right moments to speak up.
…Still, I wish he had told me about this good news.
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