Chapter 2 – Engagement (Part 5)

“What if we move to the southern villa? We haven’t visited in a while, but we’ve maintained dealings with the merchants there, so settling there shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“The southern villa… Then Marion would have to enter the dormitory if she gets into the Academy, right? I heard the dormitory facilities aren’t great… There’s also the worry of her being bullied. Should we not send her to the Academy in the capital and have her receive private tutoring instead?”

The two fell silent again, deep in thought. Seeing her parents looking troubled, Elysia recalled her past life. The worn-out expressions of her previous family and the last words she had spoken to them were vivid.

“I wish you would all just disappear!”

Even though they were a family that had never spoken kindly to each other and only hurt one another later on, remembering those as her last words to them pained her. She didn’t want her current family to suffer because of her.

The area Tobias mentioned near the southern villa was less populated and more barren than the capital. Moving there would mean losing the business foundation they had built in the capital. Additionally, most of the staff who had become like family would have to be let go.

Considering the distance from the capital, Marion would have to stay in the dormitory if she attended the Academy, which meant they would hardly see her. There were also concerns about the facilities and networks, as Lillian mentioned. But they couldn’t ask Marion to give up on the Academy she had longed for.

‘No, the whole family will suffer like in my past life. We might end up hurting each other, living without any comfort. What if we push ourselves too hard and fall ill, or become so estranged we can’t stand each other’s presence? What if I lose my family again?’

Elysia wanted to live comfortably. And she had been living comfortably enough to be satisfied with herself. But that peace and safety were only possible because there were no problems in her family. If the family fell apart, she couldn’t continue living as she had.

Elysia made up her mind and entered the study.

“I’ll marry the Duke. I’m best at being lazy, so I’ll manage to live leisurely without causing any big trouble in the Ducal house. I’ll marry the best groom in the Kingdom and live the most luxurious life!”

Elysia’s declaration turned the Serenze household upside down. Realizing their daughter had overheard their conversation, Tobias and Lillian tried to persuade her, saying they could still resolve things.

Seeing her parents like that only strengthened her resolve. She couldn’t bear to make her parents, who only wished for her happiness, suffer.

For the next few days, Elysia was persuaded by her family and the Serenze household staff, who had learned the situation, from the moment she opened her eyes until she lay down at night.

But once Elysia had made up her mind, she didn’t waver at all.

“I want to live comfortably. But think about it. What if one day a natural disaster strikes and Father’s business goes bankrupt? What if Marion blows up a building during an alchemy experiment at the Academy and has to pay an enormous compensation? What if Mother invests based on information from the ladies’ gathering and suffers huge losses? I want to marry into a family where I can live without any worries, even if the sky falls. There’s no place like the Grendel Ducal house for that, right?”

Tobias sighed as he listened to Elysia passionately argue that it was not just for her family but for her own luxurious life. Her reasoning was absurd, but the real issue was Elysia’s attitude. Her unusually determined demeanor suggested she wouldn’t change her mind, no matter how many days they tried to persuade her. Being a daughter with an unexpectedly quirky side, Tobias feared she might just storm into the Ducal house on her own if they didn’t agree.

“Alright. You didn’t often insist on things since you were young, but once you made up your mind, no one could change it. As you said, we’ll send a reply accepting the proposal from the Ducal house.”

In the end, with a heavy heart, Tobias agreed, and Elysia’s decision was upheld. Marion suggested they should confine Elysia and check her mental state, thinking she might have gone mad, but fell silent at Tobias’s stern look. Even Lillian, who had liked the Duke from afar at the ball, couldn’t hide her worried expression.

“Mother, didn’t you tell me to ask the Duke for a dance at the Spring Ball when I first attended as an adult? You also said it would be nice to have him as a son-in-law. Now that your wish has come true, shouldn’t you be happy?”

Elysia half-jokingly remarked, but Lillian started tearing up instead.

“I just said anything back then. I just wanted you to show some interest in other men.”

“The Duke hasn’t changed from then to now. Nothing much has changed.”

“Are you saying that as if it’s a good thing? Yes, he’s consistently rude and shameless. I’ve never seen such an insincere proposal.”

Lillian recalled the overly swift and endlessly business-like proposal, unable to suppress her anger and trembling. While the Duke’s attitude was certainly problematic, Elysia had no particular illusions about the proposal itself.

“The ring was top-notch, and the bouquet was beautiful. It wasn’t particularly romantic, but there was nothing wrong with the gifts…”

Lillian let out a deep sigh.

“You said you wouldn’t succeed your father’s business, yet you speak so indifferently, like a merchant. What I’m saying is, sincerity is important. I thought you might live well if you treated the ice Duke kindly, but seeing you now, I can’t help but worry.”

Though Lillian had opposed the marriage, she seemed to have already considered the possibility of the proposal succeeding. Elysia thought her mother, who considered all possibilities, truly belonged to a merchant family, and she was amazed by her thoroughness.

***

From the moment the Serenze family sent a reply accepting the marriage, everything progressed very quickly. The engagement period before the wedding was six months. Since the Duke was extremely busy, there would be no separate engagement ceremony, and Elysia was to move to the Ducal house immediately under the pretext of learning the ways of the household.

“In an ordinary family, even among nobles, it’s rare to move into the other family’s home to adapt before marriage. However, the Grendel Ducal house, being of a branch of the royal family, adheres to customs akin to royalty. We ask for the understanding of the quasi-Baron couple and the young lady. It’s also a consideration for the young lady, who will find many things unfamiliar once married.”

The day after sending the reply, Aaron visited the Serenze house to inform them of how the engagement with the Duke would proceed. Typically, during the engagement period, each stayed in their own home while negotiating the terms of the marriage contract. However, even this had to be done while Elysia stayed at the Ducal estate, not her family home.

No matter how positively one tried to think about it, the six-month engagement period seemed intended to observe whether there were any eccentricities or suspicious traits in the future Duchess. It was only natural to thoroughly investigate the woman who would become the wife of the current Duke of Grendel, who was fourth in line to the throne and served as the King’s right hand as the Minister of Administration. However, it didn’t feel pleasant.

“Still, considering it’s about bringing in the mistress of the Grendel household, and it’s our first daughter’s engagement, not even having an engagement ceremony seems a bit…”

Elysia’s mother expressed her reluctance about sending her daughter off like this, but Elysia, who didn’t want a grand affair, found it rather fortunate.

Until the generation of the Serenze couple, engagement ceremonies, especially among nobles, were customarily lavish, but recently they had shifted to simply adjusting the contract and going on an engagement trip. Since King Clois, who valued practicality over customs, ascended to the throne, engagement ceremonies were considered less important, and they were often omitted.

“If we were to hold a proper ceremony, imagine how troublesome it would be. All the guests would be glaring to see who the woman marrying Duke Grendel is.”

Even imagining it made Elysia shiver with dread.

“Mother, I’m fine. The Duke should spend his time on important matters for the royal family and the country, rather than on trivial things like this.”

Aaron thought that the lady who would become the mistress of the house was very considerate, and he looked at Elysia with an impressed expression. At that moment, Tobias spoke up.

“No matter how busy Duke Grendel is, he should conduct the wedding with proper courtesy, right? For the Duke, whether the wedding is grand or modest, it won’t tarnish his reputation, but for a small family like ours, we might suffer from rumors that we sold our daughter to the Ducal house and didn’t even care.”

Tobias’s expression was gentle, but his tone seemed somewhat angry. Aaron hurriedly replied, flustered.

“Yes, the Duke’s wedding is an event anticipated by the royal family, so it will be grand, with the royal family and all high-ranking nobles attending.”

It seemed as if a cold aura surrounded Tobias’s smiling face.

Aaron, feeling even more intimidated, struggled to continue speaking.

“And… the young lady will not be able to bring any maids or servants from the Serenze household.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”