Chapter 1 – Pressure (Part 10)

After an uncomfortable conversation with Emilliano at the Royal Academy, Cassius concluded that he could no longer delay the matter of marriage.

If his father, the late Duke Aisar, were still alive, he would have married the woman his father desired for the family. But now, he had to choose the woman who would become the lady of the house himself. With no particular family in mind and no interest in attending social gatherings to select a woman, there was only one person who could help with this task.

“Summon Aaron Haas. Tell him it’s urgent.”

Cassius called the head butler to summon his secretary, who had already left for the day.

Aaron Haas, the Duke’s secretary and closest confidant, was also an unofficial bodyguard for the Duke. With red curly hair and green eyes, he was the second son of the Haas Trading Company, the largest in the kingdom. He excelled in gathering rumors and conducting investigations, leveraging the family’s commercial network, and was even skilled in swordsmanship and self-defense. A true talent in both literature and martial arts, he caught Cassius’s eye during their academy days and became his secretary after graduation.

‘The Duke usually doesn’t show his emotions and is always cold, but recently he seems to be oddly displeased with something.’

Instead of being upset about the urgent summons after work, Aaron tried to think of reasons why he might be called. Since the Duke usually worked alone in the evenings, it was bound to be something serious. Such instances were rare, which made him more concerned.

With a hardened expression, Aaron opened the door to the office. Naturally, he was more tense than usual. Today, the atmosphere in the office felt heavier than ever.

The office, used by the head of the family for generations, still had the furniture used by the late Duke Aisar. The desk, made of dark wood with large drawers on both sides, was imposing by itself, and the master of the desk exuded an even greater sense of authority than the desk, whether it was the previous or current head. The bookshelves lining the walls, the furniture used for storing documents, and even the table and chairs used for occasional guests were all black or dark in color.

No matter how many times he entered, he could never get used to this office. While it symbolized the dignity of the Ducal house, Aaron, who grew up in the kingdom’s largest trading family surrounded by luxurious items, considered it the number one place in the Ducal residence he wanted to change.

‘It’s been almost a year since the late Duke passed, but the Duke has no intention of changing the decor…’

Aaron thought the Duke’s face, shadowed by the sunset behind him, seemed unusually grim today. However, realizing his disrespect for thinking his esteemed superior looked grim, he quickly regained his composure.

“Aaron, I’m sorry to call you after hours. However, there’s something urgent that needs to be done.”

“It’s fine. What would you like me to do?”

“We need to gather information on noblewomen who could become the lady of the Ducal house.”

Aaron thought the inevitable had finally come and barely restrained himself from cheering. Although the Duke hadn’t shown interest in any lady so far, he assumed there must be some candidates in mind.

“Yes. Which young ladies are you interested in?”

The Duke slowly met Aaron’s gaze and, with an unchanged expression, said,

“None.”

“Pardon?”

“I have no interest in anyone. I plan to choose from the candidates you bring. Select the candidates by tomorrow.”

Aaron, who had accomplished many tasks excellently as the Duke’s secretary, felt his mind go blank for the first time.

“Duke… There are countless women who wish to become the lady of the Ducal house. Are you asking me to narrow them down in just one day? It might be easier to detect all the enemy spies hiding and operating within the country.”

“There are criteria, so you don’t need to investigate every family. Just narrow down the candidates according to the criteria I provide.”

After hearing the Duke’s conditions, Aaron left the Ducal residence with a heavy heart and headed to the Haas family’s trading office.

***

The Haas Trading Company, the largest in the Kingdom of Brunchia, imported and exported a variety of goods, from general merchandise to luxury items and raw materials useful for alchemy. They primarily dealt with wholesalers, so ordinary people rarely used the trading company directly, but some special clients, like nobles and royalty, conducted direct transactions.

An item not publicly known to be traded by the Haas Trading Company was “information.” The company used its trade routes to gather information that was hard to come by through unofficial means.

Only the Grendel Ducal house and the royal family were aware of this, while some high-ranking nobles suspected the existence of the information network but were not certain. This was why Duke Cassius requested Aaron to gather information on potential candidates for the lady of the house.

Behind the large warehouse where goods came and went was a surprisingly small office for a trading company of its size. Entering the office, Aaron sighed. His brother, Ronan Haas, who was working late at the office desk and was the current head of the Haas Trading Company, looked up from his papers and smiled at his younger brother.

“What brings my cute little brother to see me at this hour?”

“The Duke has tasked me with something. It’s urgent. But brother, you’re in that state again?”

Ronan’s blonde hair, which could look handsome if styled, was a mess, as if he had been pulling at it while reviewing documents. His shirt, untucked and worn carelessly, was severely wrinkled, with more than half the buttons undone, exposing his chest. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing arms stained with dust and ink marks from moving goods.

“What’s the big deal? It’s late, and no one’s coming. I’m not even a noble.”

“As the head of the trading company, you should present yourself well. Besides, you said important clients sometimes come at night.”

“If someone comes at night in such a hurry, they won’t care if I’m n*ked. Hmm, actually… some might even prefer it if I were.”

“Brother! You must never get involved with noble ladies! And definitely not with noble young ladies! I warned you!”

“Do you think I’m that foolish? Of course not! I wouldn’t do anything risky. But didn’t you say you had an urgent matter?”

“Yes, I need information on young ladies who could become the lady of the Ducal house. I have to report to the Duke by tomorrow.”

“So, the Ice Duke is finally getting a wife. But even for us, gathering information on all the marriageable young ladies in the kingdom in half a day is impossible.”

“The title should be Marquis or lower. The family shouldn’t be too wealthy or ambitious. The woman should have an appropriate level of education and age. With these conditions, it should be doable within the time frame, right? And don’t call him the Ice Duke.”

Ronan thought the nickname was fitting, but he held his tongue when he saw his brother’s angry face. After hearing the conditions, he pondered for a moment.

“Since there’s no need to expand power through marriage, he’s looking for a quiet lady to keep the house.”

The thought that it was like bringing in another doll like himself crossed Ronan’s mind, but he didn’t voice it, fearing Aaron’s reaction.

Aaron sighed again at his brother’s words.

“I think the same as you. The Duke seems to want someone who will just quietly exist in the house. But why does he need to do that when he could marry any woman in the kingdom? There’s no better groom than the Duke. Frankly, any family would be lacking compared to the Grendel Ducal house.”

“That’s your opinion. As a husband, the Duke is closer to a failing grade.”

“What are you talking about? Is he lacking in family, skills, or looks? There’s no man as perfect as the Duke!”

Aaron’s admiration for the Duke wasn’t new, but Ronan still couldn’t get used to it and looked at his brother with an incredulous expression. He thought Aaron’s respect for the Ice Duke would fade after working closely with him as his secretary, but it seemed to grow stronger every day.

While he could understand respecting the Duke as a superior since he handled state affairs well as the first Minister of Administration at a young age, he didn’t expect Aaron to rate him so highly as a man.