Chapter 1 – Pressure (Part 11)

“The Ducal house is too burdensome unless you’re plotting something through marriage. There’s no need for skills in literature or martial arts since there won’t be competitions or duels between the couple. The Duke’s face is fine, but there are many handsome men in the world. Most importantly, he lacks humanity. Do you think the Duke can create a warm family and make it enjoyable? It seems like there would be an even colder wind blowing than with others. You, who have watched him, should know better. In this case, being handsome is a disadvantage. Imagine seeing that face every day but not receiving love. How heartbreaking would it be for a wife?”

Aaron couldn’t refute his brother’s stream of words. Knowing the Duke’s usual personality and the current situation, he couldn’t imagine the Duke creating a harmonious family.

“I should have gotten a low title somehow.”

“Why? Are you going to cross-dress and marry him?”

Aaron ignored Ronan’s ridiculous joke and looked regretful.

“If I could have attended the Spring Ball, I could have noted down suitable young ladies and introduced them to the Duke. I was looking forward to attending for the first time in years. Was there really no one he liked among the women he danced with? Wait! Come to think of it, even if I make a list, he must have danced with most of them already. This is a problem!”

“Your Duke didn’t dance with anyone.”

Aaron, who had been speaking his thoughts aloud, looked at Ronan in shock. Although the Haas family, as the operators of the kingdom’s largest trading company, couldn’t attend the Spring Ball because they weren’t nobles, they meticulously gathered information about the ball to understand the dynamics forming among the nobles.

Thus, Ronan already knew that the Duke hadn’t danced with anyone.

“Really… Even though His Majesty the King commanded attendance… with no one?”

Ronan nodded seriously with a nod.

“Consider it fortunate. Since he didn’t dance with anyone, there’s no one he liked or didn’t like. It seems dancing skills aren’t necessary to become the Duchess.”

Aaron felt it was a missed opportunity for the Duke to naturally get closer to someone he liked at the ball. On the other hand, he briefly worried whether the Duke could marry if he rejected all the candidates presented to him. However, his concern was soon outweighed by his admiration and sympathy for the Duke. Aaron clenched his fist and said,

“The Duke will meet his perfect match and fall in love if given the chance! I’ll make sure to introduce him to an excellent young lady. Brother! This is an additional condition I’m adding. Please find someone with good manners who doesn’t frequent social circles, has no bad rumors, and is beautiful, to match the Duke’s quiet personality!”

Ronan thought Aaron wouldn’t be as enthusiastic about setting conditions even when finding his own bride. It was time for Aaron to find a lady he liked, but he seemed uninterested in women, perhaps taking after his superior. This made Ronan even less fond of the Duke.

“Don’t you plan to start your own family instead of focusing on the Duke?”

“How can I when the Duke hasn’t yet? As his one and only secretary, I must see him establish and enjoy a stable, harmonious family with my own eyes. Got it? So make sure to select the right candidates!”

“Alright, alright. I have work to do, so leave now.”

Ronan grumbled that even a real brother wouldn’t go that far and shooed Aaron out. Aaron left the office, repeatedly reminding Ronan as he did.

Aaron’s concern for the Duke’s marriage wasn’t solely because he was tasked with selecting candidates.

The Duke meeting a good wife and creating a loving family was important not only for Cassius personally but also for the entire Grendel house. The Grendel house hadn’t had a lady for a long time, and neither the previous nor current Duke was attentive to the household or staff, making the Ducal residence rather bleak.

To bring warmth and life to the place that felt like it was perpetually cold without any humanity, despite not being in the northern region in the dead of winter, they needed a lady who would receive the Duke’s love.

Aaron felt a renewed sense of responsibility and clenched his fist.

***

The next afternoon, Aaron handed several folders to the Duke in his office, speaking with a hopeful tone.

“I’ve gathered information on young ladies who meet your conditions.”

Looking at the thicker-than-expected folders containing information on a dozen candidates, the Duke asked,

“Are they all willing to marry?”

“The candidates all attended the Spring Ball and stayed for a long time, so there’s no need to worry about that. I’m sure there will be someone among them who will capture your heart.”

Just as the Duke was about to ask Aaron who seemed most suitable among the candidates, Aaron couldn’t hold back and continued speaking.

“Once you choose your future wife, the Ducal residence will become brighter, and you will be able to enjoy the joy of being with family. I’m sure you’ll create a loving family!”

Seeing Aaron’s eyes sparkling with overwhelming expectation, the Duke couldn’t bring himself to ask him to choose someone. Aaron, having grown up in a harmonious family, seemed likely to make a choice contrary to his own intentions.

The Duke opened each folder and reviewed the information on the dozen candidates. As he turned the pages, he saw a familiar face. Having never formally been introduced to a woman, Cassius tried to recall where he had seen this face.

It was the woman with the strange expression at the Spring Ball.

He remembered his gaze lingering momentarily while looking around for suspicious individuals. Unlike the expression he saw then, the portrait was very demurely drawn.

The next folder contained documents about the daughter of the Earl Kumaran. Cassius, who had seen her in person due to their shared role as Ministers of Administration, knew the portrait was much more flattering than reality.

“The portraits don’t seem to match the actual appearance.”

If there had been more time, they could have had a Haas family informant, who specialized in portraiture, create accurate portraits. However, with only half a day available, they had to use portraits published in the ‘Ladies’ Newsletter,’ which were inherently less objective.

“The skill of the portrait artist and the amount paid by the client can affect the accuracy, so there may be slight differences from reality. If you give me more time, I can hire an expert to create objective portraits…”

“That’s not necessary. Appearance isn’t the important factor.”

In any case, Earl Kumaran’s family, being aristocratic supremacists with political views differing from the royal family’s direction, was not considered for marriage.

After eliminating a few more based on various criteria, four candidates remained. Their educational level, family wealth, siblings and friends’ relationships, and social activities were all similar, making it difficult to determine superiority.

Among the four, the daughter of the Serenze quasi-Baron was considered the most beautiful, but since portraits could be exaggerated or distorted, it wasn’t a decisive factor. Holding these four folders, the Duke stood up.

“I’ll visit Marquis Gottree. Let’s call it a day.”

“Yes. Have a good trip!”

Leaving behind Aaron, whose eyes sparkled as if they could bore holes into his back, the Duke stepped into the teleporter set up in a corner of his office.

Professor Emilliano van Gottree looked over the documents handed to him by the Duke, his long silver hair disheveled. Choosing just one to become the lady of the Grendel house felt more challenging than evaluating his students’ assignments.

“They all seem similar…”

Emilliano said as he sat on the sofa in his lab, looking at the documents.

“I think so too. That’s why I came to ask for your opinion. Since you research magic, maybe you’ll feel something different when you look at the materials.”

“Look, I’ve told you several times that alchemy is science, not magic! What I do is scientific research using magical substances. Just because laypeople call it magic doesn’t mean I’m reading fortunes or faces. If it’s about these ladies’ impressions, you might as well ask the psychology professor next door…”

“Enough.”

The Duke said, looking through the documents again. He didn’t usually hesitate over decisions, but marriage was already proving to be a bothersome and tiring matter. Yet, despite his inner thoughts, his expression showed no change.

Watching him, Emilliano went to his desk and picked something up.

“If they’re all similar, why don’t we roll a die?”

The Duke asked, looking at the die Emilliano held out.

“Is that a magic die?”

“I told you it’s not magic.”

“Fine, a science die?”

“If it’s science, yes. It’s a culmination of science. When you throw a perfectly crafted six-sided die, the probability of any one side facing up is precisely…”

“Emil.”

“…It’s just a normal die. It doesn’t matter who becomes the lady, right? Use this die to decide. Since there are four candidates, assign numbers 1 to 4, and roll the die. If you get a 5 or 6, just roll again.”

The Duke hesitated briefly before picking up the die. As Emilliano said, it didn’t matter much who became the lady among them. Cassius stared at the die for a moment before tossing it into the air.

At the same time, Elysia, who was lounging on a sofa reading the latest novel, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively sat up.

A person’s fate or personality doesn’t change easily. Let’s see if things go according to your plan.

Elysia shuddered at the sudden memory of her reincarnation.

“Why am I suddenly thinking of that time? I feel a chill all over… Am I catching a cold?”

Elysia tilted her head, but when nothing else happened, she dismissed it and lay back down on the sofa.

The die rolled across the lab table and stopped, showing the number 4. Emilliano handed the fourth folder to the Duke, who read aloud the information about his betrothed.

“Elysia von Serenze, eldest daughter of the Serenze quasi-Baron.”