Chapter 1.1 – Political Marriage

Sesher Kingdom, Edrach Lordship, Tiso Village.

“Livie, guests have arrived from the capital.”  

“Huh?”  

Livie turned around abruptly while tossing hay to the gathered sheep. Her golden hair, shining brightly under the sunlight, rippled and swayed softly with her movement.  

“Guests? From the capital?”  

She blinked her pale green eyes, resembling a grassy field, as she asked again. The news her friend had delivered seemed incomprehensible at first.  

“Yes, people… a lot of them. They’re all dressed in fine clothes. There are grand carriages and knights too.”  

Anne spread her arms wide as she spoke.  

“…Knights? Carriages?”  

Even with her friend Anne’s explanation, it was hard to believe. It sounded like a dream she had last night or a passage from a fairy tale.  

“Here? In this village?”  

Tiso Village was a countryside place, even among countrysides. 

Guests here, especially from the capital?  

Livie had never set foot in the capital in her entire life. She had never even seen her father go there. And now, people from the capital suddenly arrived? Riding grand carriages, no less…?  

“That must be an exaggeration.”  

Livie waved her hand dismissively with a laugh.  

“No, it’s true! They were really big! That’s why the Earl told me to hurry and bring you.”  

In Tiso Village, the term “Earl” was considered as trivial as calling someone “Mister” from the neighborhood.  

“Bring me? Why?”  

“That, I don’t know. But they said they were looking for you, that you had to be there.”  

Anne shook her head as she replied.  

“Really?”  

Livie tilted her head with a puzzled expression. 

Guests from the capital, no, multiple guests, were here, and they were looking for me?  

“Alright.”  

Livie dusted off the dirt on her apron and started walking toward her house, thinking she might as well see what kind of grand guests they were.  

***

“…You’re telling me I’m getting married?

Livie pointed her finger at her own eyes, as if trying to poke them, and spoke.  

“Me? Are you sure it’s me? Huh?”  

She had repeated the question several times already, and each time, she received the same answer. Yet, she couldn’t stop asking.  

Because something she had never imagined in her life was happening right now.  

“Well… that’s how it turned out.”  

Livie’s father, Earl Nicholas Hayden, muttered as he turned his head away.  

Nicholas’s face, as he said this, was so pale it was almost bluish. This meant that all of this was undoubtedly true.  

“How did it turn out like this?”  

Her father, who should have given her a clear answer, had summarized the situation in a very concise and straightforward manner.  

He wasn’t a man of many words, even on usual days. No matter how much she asked about her biological mother, he never uttered a single word.  

So Livie came to her own conclusion: her mother must have been a woman who committed a crime so terrible that it was unspeakable.  

Living with such a father, Livie had become skilled at reading his thoughts through the wrinkles on his forehead or the depth of his sighs.  

But this time, she couldn’t figure him out. She absolutely couldn’t.  

The sudden appearance of the Kingdom’s army in this remote village, which might not even be properly marked on maps, was surreal enough. But the fact that they had come to the house of the only noble in the village, Earl Hayden, was even harder to believe.  

And the contents of the King’s decree they brought left her completely stunned.  

「The eldest daughter of the Hayden family, Livie Hayden, shall marry Duke Fayden Resette as a royal bride.」  

The King’s envoy read the decree with a solemn expression. The scroll he held with both hands bore the symbols of the royal family—a white dragon and white roses. Even Livie, who had lived her whole life in the countryside, recognized these symbols.  

“Receive the King’s command with reverence.”  

The envoy, Earl Collam, handed over the scroll as he spoke. Though he barely maintained a polite tone, his gaze betrayed his disdain, treating Livie and her father as less than insects.  

Livie stared at the scroll extended toward her instead of reaching out to take it.  

“It may feel like a dream, but this marriage has been sanctioned by the King’s command. Refusal would be considered rebellion against His Majesty.”  

Earl Collam raised his chin as he spoke. He then stared at her, silently pressuring her to accept. Despite this, Livie didn’t reach out her hand.  

“Living in such a remote corner of the world, it’s understandable to be shocked by the idea of becoming a Duchess overnight. I understand your feelings.”  

Earl Collam cleared his throat and spoke, seemingly switching to a conciliatory tone.  

Livie let out another hollow laugh in response.  

A Duchess?  

“That’s absurd.”  

She had just returned from feeding the sheep. The dirt marks left by the sheep rubbing their heads against her hadn’t even disappeared yet. 

And now, she was being told to become a Duchess? This was too abrupt a rise in status. It was so overwhelming it almost brought tears to her eyes.  

“You’re telling me to marry a Duke?”  

“Yes.”  

No matter how many times she asked, the answer remained the same. At this point, it was clear this was real.  

Earl Nicholas Hayden, who had been staring at her blankly, began explaining the significance of this marriage again.  

“This marriage is the union of the white rose and the red rose.”  

“What kind of union?”  

“The union between the Royal Family and the Resette Dukedom, which has been at odds with the Royal Family for a long time. It’s the safest and most certain way to end the civil war.”  

The Duke of Resette was the ruler of the southern region of the Sesher Kingdom, practically a king in his own right. He was also a man who constantly coveted the throne, causing the war seven years ago.  

But none of that mattered.  

“The Duke is over fifty years old, isn’t he?”  

Was my memory correct? 

No, she had heard that years ago, so he might be even older now.  

“He is exactly fifty-one years old.”  

Earl Collam answered cleanly without hesitation.  

“Fifty… one?”  

She gave up calculating their age difference. That wasn’t the important part.  

“You’ve been given a very noble mission. By marrying, you will bring peace to this country. Consider it an honor.”  

“…An honor?”  

She shook her head before quickly responding.  

“Why do I have to marry him? I… I’m not someone worthy of such a grand marriage.”  

The more she thought about it, the less she understood.  

The first shock was seeing the house filled with people upon entering. Then, she was forced to kneel and listen to the King’s envoy read the decree. Everything had happened so suddenly.  

“Why should I, someone who hasn’t even seen the Duke’s face, become his bride?” 

This was what they called an arranged marriage.  

What is an arranged marriage?  

It’s a method of marriage among nobles and royals.  

Of course, Livie was a noble. But there were levels to nobility. Unless one lived in the capital and frequented the royal palace, or owned vast lands and wealth, a noble title was nothing more than an empty decoration.  

No matter how noble one was, the King didn’t take responsibility for their assets.  

Noble families with royal blood, or those occupying key positions in the royal palace, might be an exception. Perhaps if the King showed special favor by granting a bounty of gifts.  

The Hayden Earldom did not belong to any of these categories.  

Political marriages are not for just anyone. Especially those carried out by royal decree. She wasn’t even a lady of a family with “noble blood.”  

She was merely called the daughter of an Earl because of the title her father earned during his days as a knight. In reality, she was nothing more than a country girl whose daily routine involved feeding sheep.  

So then, why?  

“Because Miss Livie Hayden, you carry royal blood.”  

“What blood do I carry?”  

Livie heard something incomprehensible again. 

What on earth was this man talking about?  

She simply stared blankly at the royal emissary. Earl Collam observed her closely before turning to Earl Nicholas Hayden, who knelt beside him, pale and silent.  

“Have you never told her?”  

“…No.”  

Nicholas’s answer was brief, his voice strained as though wrung out. It was heavy with deep, agonizing sorrow. 

Why?  

“Father…?”  

Livie wanted to shake him and demand, “What are you hiding?” But her father’s expression was so grief-stricken that she couldn’t bring herself to do so.  

However, the royal emissary seemed to know something. Livie looked at him, silently demanding an explanation. Meeting her gaze, the Earl nodded and began to speak.  

“For the union between the royal family and the Resette family, marriage is essential. However… the royal family currently has no daughters.”  

“…”  

“To be precise, there is no daughter ‘in the palace.’”  

What does that have to do with me? 

Livie, unable to understand, opened her mouth to ask again.  

“But there is one person here.”  

“…What are you talking about?”  

Whether Livie was shocked or not, Earl Collam continued his explanation as if fulfilling his duty. Summarized, it went something like this:  

The kingdom had been split into two warring factions. Specifically, it was a brutal war between two families who both carried royal blood.  

Some days, the Chestere family, to which the current King belonged, held the advantage. Other days, the Resette family, to which the former King belonged, gained the upper hand. The battle swayed back and forth, plunging the kingdom deeper into chaos.  

Recently, it seemed as though the Chestere family was regaining dominance with a series of victories.  

The final battle had been won thanks to the Kalini Order of Knights, whose commander was celebrated for this achievement.  

Yet, it was not a complete victory. In the eye of this temporary storm of peace, the King came to one conclusion.  

He must prevent another blood-soaked civil war at all costs. The Resette Ducal family was still strong and could easily win the next war.  

Thus, the heads of the two families held a meeting. The price of the peace treaty proposed by the Duke of Resette was simple:  

“To send a woman of royal blood from the Sesher royal family as his wife, and to grant the child born of him and his wife the right to inherit the throne.”  

To symbolize the unity of the two families, it was decided that a daughter of the Chestere family would marry the Duke of Resette. The issue was:  

“The royal family has no daughters.”  

Earl Collam emphasized once more. To be precise, there were no daughters who had survived with their sanity intact.  

The Chestere royal family suffered from what could only be described as a cursed illness, which affected only the women.  

The princesses locked in the tower and the King’s half-sisters were no exception. Regardless of the womb they were born from, the result was always one of two fates:  

They either died young from an unknown illness or went mad.  

Desperate to ensure the success of the political marriage symbolizing the peace treaty, they scoured the land, searching for a woman with even a drop of royal blood.  

And that woman turned out to be her.  

Livie could not believe what the royal emissary was saying.  

“So, as a royal daughter… in that capacity? Father, Father?”  

Livie called out to her father, her voice rising.  

“How could this happen to me?”  

“I’m sorry.”  

Earl Hayden could not lift his head. Livie felt as though she was losing her mind.  

“Our family is just an Earl’s family, one that everyone has long forgotten.”  

As Earl Hayden said, the Hayden family was merely a managing family representing the village of Tiso. Most villagers had even forgotten that he held the title of Earl.  

It was no wonder. Nicholas Hayden was born and raised here. After growing up, he went to the capital and became a knight protecting the royal palace.  

For his various achievements, he was granted the title of Earl Hayden, but it was merely a ceremonial title.  

He had only a small amount of wealth and no granted fief. The King’s favor extended only to granting Nicholas the right to return to his hometown and govern it.  

“Then why am I the target of this marriage? The title Father received was just… a hollow title given in place of money!”  

A loud cough interrupted, but Livie paid no attention. The situation was too shocking for her to care.  

“Well…”  

Nicholas hesitated, unable to continue. The sweat beading on his forehead clearly showed how flustered he was.  

“Father, please explain. What is going on?”  

Livie asked again, her face full of confusion. But Nicholas still did not give a clear answer.  

Watching the father and daughter struggle to communicate like foreigners, the royal emissary cleared his throat. When the two finally turned their heads toward him, he resumed his business.  

“That’s because you are the daughter of a princess, Miss Livie.”  

“…Excuse me?”  

Livie stared blankly, certain she had misheard.  

“Whose daughter did you say I was?”  

“The daughter of Princess Elga.”