Recently, Benedict had been living in extreme happiness.
“Have you woken up?”
When he got up in the morning, his beloved, whom he had once loved more than anyone but believed he would never see again, greeted him.
“Papa, you look like a fool again today.”
When he went to have breakfast, his cutest daughter in the world smiled and said hello.
“Good morning, my lord.”
“Here’s the task you entrusted to me.”
Most of the work that Benedict had been handling alone was done by the distant relatives.
“Lord!”
“A new proposal has arrived! Come take a look!”
“That person is…”
“…I’m jealous.”
Instead of being feared, the residents of the territory greeted Benedict with smiles, and tourists openly expressed their envy towards him.
It’s no wonder that the gossipmongers referred to Benedict Allen as the man who had it all.
A good family. Excellent subordinates. A prosperous territory. Added to personal health was overwhelming strength.
Moreover, having built relationships with various powers of the continent through a series of incidents, there was no need for him to worry about politics either.
Recently, the power that Benedict Allen had was such that he could even declare independence as a nation if he wanted.
Of course, since Benedict was not someone with an insatiable thirst for power, he would prefer to maintain the status quo rather than suffer from unnecessary headaches.
Despite seeming carefree, there was one concern on his mind.
“My lord, could you please check this?”
“Not another marriage proposal, I hope?”
It was the marriage proposals that constantly poured in for Lucy.
By both Benedict’s and the continent’s standards, Lucy was an exceptionally admirable bride candidate.
Her looks praised by the goddess were only the starting point; her abilities were remarkable and her background and connections were unmatched by anyone in the world.
“Yes, the prince of the Magic Empire has shown interest…”
“Politely decline. I can’t hand over our daughter to such a weak human.”
“Understood. And there are more coming from elsewhere.”
“Don’t detail them one by one, just give me a list.”
Bang!
“Here it is.”
Suppressing a sigh, Benedict examined the names on the pile of papers laid down by his subordinate.
Many marriage proposals had come for Lucy even before, as the background of the Allen family was appealing.
However, back then, those proposals were at a level that could be suppressed due to Benedict’s power.
But the proposals coming in now were different.
They were fundamentally from powerful count families, and frequently even proposals from dukes of other nations. Lately, offers from the royal family had been coming in often too.
Even for Benedict, rejecting offers of such caliber was burdensome.
Though he had been managing to deflect them because of Lucy’s achievements and the connections she had built, he wondered how long that could last.
“…At this rate, I guess we should just make an announcement.”
“What do you mean?”
“If anyone wants to have a marriage proposal with our daughter, they’ll have to defeat me first!”
I will never let weaklings have Lucy! If they want her, they must at least be strong enough to defeat me!
How could someone without that level of strength possibly handle our daughter!
Just when Benedict was about to explode from the stress, a delicate hand rested on his shoulder.
“You know, if you say it like that, it makes Lucy sound like a prize.”
With that soft yet low voice, cold sweat began to trickle down from Benedict’s forehead.
“Is our daughter an object?”
“Not at all, dear.”
“Then why say it that way?”
“I can’t just hand our daughter over to any random person. Don’t you know who Lucy is? She’s a hero who saved the continent and our daughter as well! I cannot let her fall into the hands of those who seek only sacrifice and power!”
Benedict Allen believed there are things that can only be understood in a fight.
In a sense, the announcement he was about to make was an effort to find a suitable suitor directly.
“I understand your intent, but if I leave it to you, Lucy will have to live alone forever.”
“That… that can’t be! If I see someone decent, I will let them win, you know!”
“Enough. Just cancel that announcement. It’s not your decision to make.”
Armaidi didn’t want to send Lucy off to a buffoon either.
However, that was their greed. It didn’t align with what Lucy desired.
“You remember the last time you got scolded by Karia? Our thoughts and Lucy’s thoughts are different. Just let Lucy do as she wishes.”
“…That’s true.”
“And Lucy is very lucky. If she does what she wishes, everything will work out.”
Armaidi, who knew better than anyone about Lucy’s luck, just hoped she could do as she wished. She had the ability and the right to do so.
“So, what about these marriage proposals?”
As the warm conversation between the couple was interrupted by reality from the distant relatives.
They knew it was an inappropriate time to break the mood, but it was an immediate issue that needed addressing.
They had already delayed it a lot, and if they expressed their refusal again, it would only provoke anger from the other side.
To avoid that, they had to respond appropriately.
“Even if we refuse, we should at least see their faces once. Our young lady has a knack for subtly mocking her opponents, providing them with justifications. If you could manage that, it would make future responses smoother.”
Benedict and Armaidi were about to argue for their daughter’s honor, but they fell silent.
Having both suffered from Lucy’s sharp tongue before, they couldn’t muster a rebuttal.
“Then I’ll ask Lucy once.”
*
The pile of papers that Mama brought contained information about various individuals.
Specifically, it was related to the marriage proposals.
Marriage proposals! I allowed a statue to be placed to avoid this, and yet why does this come up in front of me!
[It’s simple, just meet them and give them a good mocking like usual. If the opponent gets mad and charges, wouldn't that nullify everything? It’s not different from what I said about marriage proposals.]
‘What’s different about it?’
[There’s no compulsion. Think about Avery. If it weren’t for your help, that child would have had to marry against her wishes.]
It was indeed small compared to Avery’s case. Although I suffered mentally, I could repay the annoyance, too.
Hmm. But still, is it really worth it? How long will it take to meet each of these people one by one?
[Then just call them here. In this case, you’re the boss. If you say you’ll talk, they’ll come find you.]
‘…Ah, what if I say this? If they want to talk to me, they have to defeat me in a duel first! Then after totally slapping them down, I can send them back and they’ll be too scared to come back!’
It’s a perfect plan, though!
I wonder how many people in the continent could actually defeat me!
I’ll just crush them one by one and relieve my stress while boosting my reputation and scaring off the fearless perverts! It’s flawless!
[That’s all well and good, but let’s set a few conditions. You need to prevent them from using dirty tricks as much as possible; otherwise, it might not end up being a real torment.]
‘That sounds good! Let’s do it!’
After discussing this plan with Grandpa, I mentioned it to Mama, who looked at me with a somewhat strange gaze.
“Is the child like the parent?”
“Why is that coming up?”
“Because our lord said something similar.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
To think my level is the same as Papa’s.
That’s a bit sad.
*
As the affairs of the kingdom capital began to show signs of resolution, Rene put down his quill and left the capital.
Once considered the most likely heir to the throne and a genius who would carry on the glory of the kingdom, he was now merely the son of a traitor who attempted to overthrow the nation.
Of course, no one treated Rene as a criminal due to his prominent position in the royal extermination operation, and with several noble families and other princes supporting him.
There were many who hoped he would continue to work in the capital due to his remarkable contributions during the process of rebuilding the royal family.
However, Rene himself refused that notion.
This was not a place where he belonged.
He would return if he needed help to alleviate his parents’ sins, but for now, he wanted to leave for a while.
With his strong will, combined with the time that the Second Prince Cecil needed to cement his royal power, Rene managed to leave the capital without much difficulty.
The first place he decided to visit after gaining his freedom was the territory of the Allen family.
Recently, the Allen territory had become a place where people worshipped the savior known as Lucy, and it was overflowing with tourists.
Street vendors were unable to sell their goods due to lack of stock, and those standing in long lines admired Lucy’s statue despite the lengthy wait. A man who seemed to have arrived the previous day was excitedly recounting to his friend how beautiful Lucy looked when she came out onto the street that morning.
To think that Lucy Allen would be so beloved; it’s a moment he could never have imagined even when they talked about a hopeful future together.
Chuckling to himself as he headed towards the Allen mansion, Rene found himself momentarily frozen upon seeing Lucy’s statue with her eyes closed in prayer, then shook his head.
Now was not the time to be swayed by such things. First, he needed to become a proper person.
As he navigated through the crowd and reached the mansion, he blinked in surprise at the mountain of gifts piled up beside the guards.
What on earth is this?
“Wow. More have piled up again.”
“Should we send them to the church?”
“Wait a bit. We need to check each one first. That way, I’ll have something to say tomorrow.”
“Lucy Allen.”
Upon calling out in excitement, Lucy startled and turned her head sharply.
“First Prince?”
“It’s been a while. How have you been? Rumor has it you’ve been having a tough time.”
Though he spoke warmly, Lucy only glared at Arthur with wary eyes.
What’s going on? Did something happen that I don’t know about?
“I never imagined the First Prince would become my first opponent! Great! Bring it on!”
“What?”
“Oh, right. Fighting here in the street is a bit much. Come inside. I’ll make sure to stomp you down politely.”
“Wait a moment. Please explain clearly why I have to fight you.”
“…Didn’t you come to challenge me?”
“I merely remembered something you said last time. You mentioned it’s best to roll around when your mind is troubled.”
“Oh…!”
Though Rene found himself wrongly accused, he held back his anger.
Just seeing Lucy regret her silly actions was enough to satisfy him.
