Episode 22: Barons and Earls
Freshly brewed tea was served, but Hermine didn’t touch it.
“That really pisses me off!”
She had felt relieved when she banished Luke. Finally getting rid of the illegitimate child her husband had fathered with a commoner was a weight off her shoulders.
However, the sweet taste of victory didn’t linger long.
This was when she burned the engagement vows between Luke and Natalia and re-engaged Matthias.
The discussions between the two families began with cordial seasonal greetings, but it quickly ran aground.
There were numerous discrepancies in their claims, but the biggest point of contention was which of the bride and groom should take the other’s name in their family register.
According to the kingdom’s current laws, married couples must bear the same surname. When Matthias and Natalia wed, they must choose whether to take the Valten name or the Cleves name.
Moreover, it was stipulated that only those bearing their birth family’s name could inherit titles.
In other words, at this point, Natalia had the right to inherit the title of Countess of Cleves, and Matthias had the right to inherit the title of Baron of Valten. But if they married and changed their names, they would have to relinquish their rights to inherit from their birth family.
Would Matthias leave the Valten family and become the husband of Countess Cleves?
Or would Natalia leave the Cleves family to become the wife of Baron Valten?
It was a choice of one or the other. There was no way for both spouses to hold titles.
“…The conditions we are presenting remain unchanged. They are the same as our previous engagement.”
The one stating this matter-of-factly was Count Cleves, Natalia’s father.
“Whether the groom is a brother or sister, I will welcome them into my family. I will not marry my daughter off to a baronial family.”
The Count had only two daughters, Natalia and her young sister.
Count Cleves arrogantly asserted that since Natalia was the eldest daughter and destined to succeed, the marriage condition should be that she would marry a man who would come into their family.
“Not at all!”
Hermine emotionally retorted, practically standing up from her chair in a fit of rage, adamantly refusing to allow Matthias to enter the Count’s family.
It is true that when she had previously arranged the engagement with Luke, she willingly agreed to the Count’s request for him to become her son-in-law.
Wanting to solidify Matthias’s claim to the title, she wanted to swiftly rid herself of the troublesome Luke. If she could eliminate Luke as a nuisance while also establishing a connection with the count’s family, it would indeed be a delightful turn of events.
But Matthias was different. He was Hermine’s beloved son, and she never dreamed of letting him leave home.
“I could give away Luke without a second thought, but there’s no way I could let my adorable Matthias go to the Cleves family!”
Count Cleves demanded that the conditions be concluded as previously promised, but Hermine stubbornly resisted. Caught in between, her husband August remained silent, wearing a frown.
It would have been preferable if he would just firmly refuse, as the head of the family should, but Hermine felt disappointed seeing him as such an indecisive and unreliable man.
“No matter how much you wish for it, Count, I cannot grant that. Matthias is our precious only son!”
“An only son…”
Count Cleves muttered bitterly, wrestling with his furrowed brows.
He felt a sense of disgust at Hermine’s audacity; she brazenly referred to Matthias as her “only son.”
Throughout various moments in the conversation, the Count had asked the Baron and his wife about Luke’s current situation several times, but only received vague answers in response.
Even when he pressed on whether Luke was no longer with the Valten household or questioned where he currently was, they constantly evaded giving a proper answer.
Count Cleves rubbed his deeply wrinkled forehead.
(…So they expelled him under the pretense of a broken engagement? I knew the Baroness mistreated her stepchild, but… this exceeds what I’ve heard…)
It was remarkably callous to take the reckless declarations of two inexperienced youths seriously and swiftly kick Luke out.
The Count had suspected many times that Luke was undoubtedly going through hardship, and even so, he had appreciated how Luke could grow up without becoming resentful, always retaining his upstanding nature.
If the Cleves family were to welcome him as a son-in-law, he could adore him like a son. The Count had secretly looked forward to the day when that innocent young man would call him “father-in-law.”
“There is still another young lady in the Cleves family. Why not have her marry and carry on the line?”
Hermine stated sternly.
In her mind, she had a perfectly reasonable argument, yet Count Cleves was not convinced. His younger daughter was still just a child; she hadn’t even begun her training to be a successor.
Count Cleves glared at Hermine, his quiet anger rising.
“…If our family has a second daughter, then surely you have an eldest son as well?”
“What?!?”
Hermine, alerted by Luke’s presence being brought up, reflexively raised her voice.
August, noticing her rudeness, tried to intervene, but Hermine shook off his hand.
“Luke is the eldest son of a baron. He ought to have the right to inherit a title!”
“Not a chance! That child is a lowly bastard!”
“The current Marquis of Northeim was also born as an illegitimate child. Would you say the same thing to the Marquis, that he is lowly?”
The mention of the famous marquis caught Hermine off guard, leaving her momentarily speechless.
The current Marquis of Northeim was born of a union between the previous Marquis and a commoner woman but was raised by his father’s legitimate wife and inherited the title. He was well known for his sharp intellect and excellent management skills, frequently discussed in high society.
“While the last Marquise of Northeim was a generous woman, there exists a precedent for an illegitimate child becoming a head of a marquis family. Are you suggesting that a baron’s head cannot come from similar origins?”
Count Cleves implied that Hermine was narrow-minded in contrast to the generous Marquise.
Frustration mounted as Hermine’s forehead creased deeper, yet Count Cleves stood firm, his arms crossed.
“I will approve your marriage to Natalia. However, the condition is that your son-in-law must join our family. Luke can inherit the Valten estate.”
“You must be joking!”
“It’s entirely normal for the eldest son to become the successor. I don’t think I’m asking for anything unreasonable here!”
Hermine trembled with rage, her fury virtually quaking her.
The atmosphere at what had once been a celebratory gathering turned ominously tense, teetering on the edge of explosion.
The Count of Cleves and the Baron of Valten.
The discussions between the two families sank deeper into entangled complications, becoming increasingly strained.
There were moments when talks teetered on the brink of collapse, yet ultimately it was agreed that Natalia would marry into the Valten family.
The Barons offered a dowry well beyond the norm and promised significant financial support to the Count’s family, somehow managing to reach an agreement.
In reality, the Count had initially selected Luke because they were struggling with their business and hoped for financial backing from the Valten family.
While it may sound harsh to say they took advantage, they managed to strike a deal by offering an exorbitantly inflated dowry.
They were supposedly finessing an agreement… or so she thought, yet Hermine could never forget Natalia’s insufferable pout as she sulked in dissatisfaction.
“What a selfish, cheeky little girl!”
Matthias was nothing like Luke. Did that brat truly understand that being able to wed such an exceptional young noble like Matthias was a stroke of extraordinary luck?
If she were to become Matthias’s wife, she ought to be modest and willing to make small compromises, like accepting to marry him.
Regardless of family status, a wife must honor her husband, value her in-laws more than her own family, and be a dutiful wife who doesn’t question her new family’s wishes.
In her frustration, Hermine summoned the maid in charge of clothing and ordered her to open one of the dressing rooms.
“Oh?”
In a corner, among countless resplendent dresses, a single fan lay discarded.
The outmoded design, yellowed tassels— it was the work of the previous Baroness.
“Oh no, it can’t be! That’s not my mother-in-law’s fan. I can’t believe it’s still here…”
Hermine had never been particularly mistreated by her mother-in-law.
Still, the very presence of a mother-in-law was an irritation, and more so, she hated that her mother-in-law seemed to dote on Luke.
—What a troublesome old bat! Taking an interest in a lowly illegitimate child. If she wanted to cherish her grandchild so much, she should have just loved Matthias and showered him with attention.
Just after admonishing the merits of honoring her husband’s parents, Hermine vented her ire at her mother-in-law, snapping the fan in two and tossing it aside.
TN: Earl is synonymous with Count, a title often used for a noble lord governing a county or region.
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