Chapter 1 – Pressure (Part 7)

“If you had just danced with anyone at the ball, the nobles wouldn’t have swarmed like this! If they wanted to propose, they should come to you! But you were so cold that they came to me instead! I’m the King! Am I supposed to handle your affairs?”

Cassius had no retort for this. Clois, who had been pretending to cry, suddenly became angry and spoke sharply.

“Cassius de Grendel, since it seems unlikely that you’ll marry for love, I command you. Immediately, right now, choose any suitable lady and propose. Get this swarm off my back. If marriage takes time, then at least get engaged!”

Cassius left the King’s office with a heavy heart. Outside, the King’s secretary pretended not to have heard anything, while Cassius’s long-time friend stood nearby, grinning.

With his long silver hair tied loosely back, Emilliano van Gottree was a professor in the Alchemy Department of the Royal Academy of Advanced Studies. His eyes, a silvery-blue that bordered on silver, were filled with amusement. Even seeing Emilliano’s expression, Cassius maintained his stoic demeanor as he spoke.

“Did you hear…”

“Of course. Our King seems quite healthy, given how strong his voice is.”

“Such irreverence.”

Emilliano van Gottree was a peer from Cassius’s childhood days at the general academy and the only person who remained his friend to this day. Despite inheriting the Marquis title immediately after graduating top of his class from the Alchemy Department at the general academy, Emilliano had declared early on that he was only interested in alchemy and pursued his academic achievements. After progressing through the advanced and highest levels of study, he became a full-time professor at the Royal Academy of Advanced Studies, the kingdom’s premier research institution and educational space, at a young age.

“You seem troubled, so I’ll make time from my busy schedule to counsel you. Let’s go to my lab.”

On a normal day, the Duke would have ignored him and gone his own way, but this time he followed Emilliano obediently. Emilliano, knowing full well how much the Duke disliked it, deliberately put an arm around his shoulder and led him to the teleportation circle within the palace. The guards at the teleportation circle asked them,

“Where to?”

“To the professor’s research hall at the Royal Academy of Advanced Studies, please.”

“Understood.”

At Emilliano’s words, the guards opened the protective door of the teleportation circle and let them inside. To ensure the royal family’s safety, the palace’s teleportation circle only allowed travel from inside to outside, not the other way around.

Despite this, two guards were always on duty to monitor those leaving, in case of any unforeseen incidents. When the guard manipulated the alchemy device installed in the teleportation circle, they arrived instantly at the Royal Academy of Advanced Studies, where Emilliano’s lab was located.

“Gasp! Pro… Professor!”

“Oh no, what do we do! He’s already back!”

The research students, who had been enjoying a brief moment of freedom in the research hall corridor while Emilliano was at the palace, couldn’t hide their shock when they saw him suddenly appear at the end of the corridor.

With his long silver hair and sky-blue eyes, Emilliano was objectively a handsome man who could stand out anywhere, but he was infamous for his endless research assignments and harsh evaluation standards. He was one of the faces that research students at the Royal Academy of Advanced Studies least wanted to see.

‘These guys, they were excited thinking I wouldn’t come back today because I went to the palace.’

Emilliano smiled and spoke to the research students who were startled by his appearance.

“If you have time to chat outside the lab, I assume you’ve brilliantly completed your assignments? Shall I go hear your reports right now?”

“N-no, well, not yet… That is, soon…”

Seeing the flustered student unable to continue, Emilliano waved his hand dismissively.

“There’s no way you’ve finished already with your skills. Or maybe you’ve done a shoddy job. Don’t worry, I’m just here briefly to talk with my friend, Duke Grendel. Hurry back to the lab. It’s best not to come near my office until you’ve completed your assignments.”

Thinking that no one would dare approach unless the professor specifically called them, the research students hurriedly vacated the area.

***

Inside Emilliano’s lab, it was as messy as ever. Various inventions, vials of reagents, new books, and research journals were scattered everywhere. While Cassius, familiar with the chaos, cleared a spot on the sofa by organizing papers and blankets, Emilliano proudly displayed his latest invention.

“Look at this, it’s a doll I recently completed.”

Emilliano pointed proudly to a life-sized wooden puppet carved from wood. It was designed to move its joints like a marionette, but it had no control rods or strings.

“At first glance, it just looks like a big wooden puppet, right? But what do you think it can do, hmm? Aren’t you curious?”

Knowing Emilliano would continue boasting regardless of his response, Cassius remained silent and waited.

“You’re no fun…”

Chiding Cassius, Emilliano picked up a fist-sized stone from the desk and stroked it in one direction. The puppet’s hand began to twitch, and soon its jaw clicked open, emitting a voice.

“Hello, hello, hello.”

Finally intrigued, Cassius got up and approached the puppet.

“See, isn’t it amazing! I mixed several automatic mechanisms with alchemy to create its core. By pre-setting it remotely with a magic stone, it can be controlled. Right now, it can only perform a few actions, but once its performance improves, it will be able to do even more incredible things.”

“How does it produce a voice?”

“I recorded human voice wavelengths into the magic stone, and it releases them when certain conditions are met. Thankfully, one of my research students generously provided the voice for free.”

When Emilliano rubbed the magic stone in another direction, the puppet started repeatedly bending its waist at a 90-degree angle. Observing the puppet’s movements, Cassius commented,

“If it evolves further, it could be used for security against intruders or even to carry out combat operations instead of regular soldiers.”

“Well… yes. The royal family probably approved the research with that in mind, but my goal is to develop it for everyday use. Like serving tea or performing physically demanding tasks.”

After finishing his boast, Emilliano sat on the sofa opposite Cassius. With a small table between them, Emilliano began to speak.

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t think I can delay it any longer. While His Majesty may have exaggerated, it’s true that the pressure from other nobles is intense. As the head of the family, I also believe I should bring in a mistress for the sake of the family.”

“You don’t have anyone in mind, do you? Is there a family you’re considering? I doubt anyone would refuse a marriage proposal from Duke Grendeldom.”

Seeing Cassius’s expressionless face, Emilliano sighed.

“You must have thought about marriage to some extent. Surely you have some criteria for who your wife should be.”

“Someone without ambition, whose family has no desire to expand their power, who doesn’t stand out but has enough grace and insight not to harm the Grendel family, and who poses no threat to the Grendel family and the royal family.”

Emilliano was dumbfounded by Cassius’s string of requirements.

“Setting aside ambition, don’t you have any preferences like wanting her to be beautiful or kind-hearted, or at least having a good appetite? Is there nothing you personally desire?”

Cassius looked at the professor with a puzzled expression.

“What benefit would my personal preferences bring to the Dukedom?”

“…I think the problem isn’t finding a bride, but that you might need to see the psychology professor next door first. Fine, let’s say you find a woman who meets all your conditions and marry her. Do you think she would live quietly without making her presence known after becoming the Duchess of Grendel? People aren’t puppets that move according to your will.”

Cassius replied emotionlessly.

“I’d prefer a woman like a puppet. That way, I’d have less to worry about.”

The professor looked at Cassius with a dazed expression before speaking.

“There is a perfect match for you.”

“Which family’s lady is she? It doesn’t have to be a noble. A suitable merchant family would do…”

Emilliano stroked the remote-control magic stone, and the wooden puppet began waving its hand again, repeating “Hello, hello.”

“Say hello to your perfect mistress. Let’s call her… Emily. She’s quiet, doesn’t speak, doesn’t eat, and certainly has no ambition. You just need to stroke this stone to control her. When you don’t need her, you can stash her in the warehouse, so you don’t have to worry unnecessarily.”

Though his expression remained unchanged, Cassius’s eyes gleamed slightly more than usual. Between the Duke and Emilliano, who was grinning, only the puppet’s voice echoed.

“Hello, hello, hello.”

“I’m leaving.”

Cassius stood up abruptly, left those words behind, and exited the lab, closing the door behind him in protest. Staring at the spot where the Duke had disappeared, Emilliano muttered to himself.

“No matter how much you were raised as the symbol of the Dukedom, you should at least have your own thoughts when looking for a wife to spend your life with…”

Emilliano sighed and shook his head.