When Luke finally arrived home, dusk was already creeping in.
The Valten family’s mansion was a strikingly grandiose building, even among the posh residences lining the bustling main street.
The castle town, draped in wisp-like fragments of purple clouds, was gradually turning crimson as it caught the twilight. The baron’s mansion, with its particularly large silhouette, rose majestically against the fading evening backdrop.
(…I wonder what Father will do.)
The older brother’s fiancée transitioning into the younger brother’s fiancée could seem like a non-issue if love was the only factor, but life was rarely that simple.
It was easy to predict that Luke’s change of fiancée to Matthias would muddle the relationship between the Valten family and the Cleve family.
In fact, Luke couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety regarding Matthias and Natalia’s future—why on earth were they so carefree about it all?
(No… Father probably won’t say a word, as always…)
With that intuition nagging at him, Luke instinctively reached for his throbbing head.
In the Kingdom of Perles, there are four levels of nobility: duke, marquis, earl/count, and baron.
It was said that in some distant lands, there existed an extra rank known as “viscount,” positioned between earl and baron, making it five levels in total. However, in most regions across the world, the traditional four ranks remained standard.
Though exceptions exist, most nobles ranked earl and above are either established figures or influential lords from before the kingdom’s founding, while barons are typically newcomers to the noble scene. The Valten family was no exception; they were a clan that had only recently sprung into prominence.
The Baron Valten family hailed from a merchant lineage.
They started off thriving as a pharmaceutical wholesaler and eventually branched out into a multitude of successful ventures including distribution and finance, becoming renowned as one of the leading trading houses in the nation.
Having forged a great fortune, the Valten family generously donated massive sums to the royal family and made no small contributions to the church, all while steadily establishing their foothold.
The grant of nobility happened several decades ago when a prolonged conflict with the neighboring country finally concluded thanks to peace mediation.
With the royal family’s finances on the brink of collapse, they barely managed to survive with the Valten company’s active support.
The Valten clan was finally admitted to the nobility, recognized for their extensive economic contributions to the kingdom over many years.
Despite their towering wealth, they were of low standing, being commoners rather than people of distinguished lineage.
Naturally, it followed that they would seek to compensate for their lack of nobility in their marriage partners.
Both the head of the Valten family from generations past, along with the previous head, managed to secure marriages with daughters from high-ranking noble families, thereby reinforcing their noble bloodline.
The wife of current head of the family is also a woman who hails from an esteemed earl’s family.
And that very lady was the source of Luke’s headaches.
“…I’m back.”
As he opened the door that had no one to welcome him, he stepped into the hall.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard his name called from above.
“Luke.”
A man with dull ash-blond hair leaned over the stair railing, looking down at him.
Luke and Matthias’s father, August, the current head of the Valten family, had that tired look plastered on his face.
“Father…”
“Come quickly.”
August lowered his fatigued face and issued a succinct command. A strand of his now predominantly gray hair fell, slightly disheveled, onto his forehead.
“It seems there’s something to discuss.”
He didn’t say, “I have something to discuss,” which implied that it wasn’t his own matter but rather something relayed from another.
Predictably, there was no chance for defiance.
Luke dutifully followed his father to the man’s private room, purposely pausing for a few seconds before entering.
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
Being cautious turned out to be wise.
No sooner had he stepped into the room than a glint caught the corner of his eye; the next moment, something smashed into the wall right beside him, exploding into bits.
CRASH!
“You useless brat!”
Simultaneously, the thick scent of sandalwood wafted through the air.
Apparently, a glass bottle of perfume had been hurled at him. He managed to duck just in time, but had he entered a moment earlier, it would have struck him squarely in the face.
“I heard the daughter of Count Cleve broke off her engagement! If you can’t even keep one fiancé in line, you’re not just useless—you’re practically a disaster!”
The voice that scolded him so haughtily belonged to Baroness Hermine Valten, August’s wife and Matthias’s mother.
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Luke instantly contritely apologized.
He knew that arguing back would only land him in even murkier waters, and he could tell that Hermine merely relished belittling him—not that she was genuinely furious about his broken engagement.
Proof of this came soon after, as her expression changed from stormy to clear; it was like the sky had brightened after a tempest.
Hermine was not disappointed by the end of Luke’s engagement. On the contrary, she was quite pleased.
After all, the fiancé who had ditched Luke chose Matthias.
“Well, of course, she’d be more drawn to Matthias than you. Count Cleve’s daughter has a discerning eye.”
Hermine proclaimed it with the ease of someone stating an obvious truth.
The corners of her mouth hidden by her fan seemed to quirk up as if she were laughing quietly.
“After all, you’ve got the blood of a lowly commoner coursing through your veins.”
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