For some reason, my father had always shown a tendency to dislike Mishael since a long time ago. Was it because he believed Mishael was the evidence of his own wrongdoing? Even though he knew just how holy and mysterious a beauty Mishael had grown into, my father couldn’t help but feel disturbed and couldn’t overlook his good looks.

‘He doesn’t know that our family’s downfall is predetermined.’

Because I was thinking about that, I couldn’t come up with a straight answer. Whether he interpreted my silence as agreement or not, my father wetted his lips and started talking.

“After hearing the news about the lady, who will become the future Marquis of Pama, he took an interest and fell in love at first sight when he saw our Lily at the royal palace banquet. So, he wanted to get closer, but since our Lily is always surrounded by men, he couldn’t bring himself to speak… So, he asked if he could meet you personally through me.”

“Hmm…”

I tapped the edge of the teacup and got lost in thought.

He wasn’t wrong. Lately, there have been quite a few aspiring suitors aiming for the future husband of the future Marquis of Parma, a family that had been revived the moment I’ve been temporarily managing it. The position of a marquis is high, and although my father has tarnished it a bit, I possess the abilities of an ancient house that I am restoring, my skills as the head of the family, and even my exceptional appearance, although it’s a bit conceited to say so myself.

In fact, that’s why many gentlemen, like Joel Landos and Stefan Kiel, approached me…

‘I’ve never spoken properly until now…’

Somehow, it seemed timid and sly, but on the other hand, there was also room to view it positively as not being blatantly disrespectful. In other words, it could be interpreted as behaving modestly in line with the duties of a prospective son-in-law.

The fact that he first attacked Father gave me a feeling that he would do well without disregarding him later…

‘Well, it wouldn’t hurt to meet one more person.’

Even if I try to pursue a natural encounter and try to meet someone in social circles, I end up only thinking about Mishael. It seems that ‘natural encounters’ are no longer possible for me. If I can analyze the other person deeply through such artificial encounters, then maybe, well…

‘Alright. If it’s a meeting with marriage as the premise, I might as well consider compatibility…’

Of course, assuming that the other person’s appearance meets my taste as Father assured me, it also depends on compatibility in terms of personality and manner of conversation.

“Alright, I’ll go and meet him.”

Father, who was observing my expression, must have thought that there was a possibility that I would accept it. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of me. It said…

「May 22nd, 2 PM, White-Roofed Villa in Arel Village, Trydon Territory.」

Seeing the date and location written for the meeting, I realized that it was in the most peaceful neighborhood even in the prosperous suburbs.

If it’s a marriage meeting, shouldn’t we have tea time at the lady’s mansion? I raised one eyebrow, feeling suspicious about the note I received.

“What is this…? It can’t be that my blind date is Marquis Trydon, right?”

I frowned as I recalled Marquis Trydon, a man in his mid-40s, is diligent, domestic, and highly respected in the political circles, very much unlike my father who’s also a marquis. He has only three daughters due to the unfortunate circumstances with his wife, so it wouldn’t be possible for me to be matched up with the non-existent son of the Marquis of Trydon.

“It’s the villa owned by that young man.”

“Does the other person have a noble title in the Trydon territory? Why does he have a villa in Trydon…?”

“Well, it’s not like that… That young man, you see, is from Hesed.”

“Hesed? So he’s an immigrant?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Hesed is a country bordering Lycius. It’s a country that personally left a good impression on me because they supported the protagonist in the original story when she was fighting for the throne.

“Hmm… Well, I suppose for a noble from another country to maintain their noble status in Lycius, marriage is the best option. So, they want me to come by myself?”

“He said he would send a carriage, but I firmly refused. I was worried, you know…”

Worried…? Of what…?

I briefly considered whether I should dangle a carrot¹metaphorically means sending a distress signal or SOS when someone is forced into a situation or unable to do something. It implies a call for help or rescue. apparently, it’s from a meme. in front of my father, but for now, I simply put the note in my pocket. It would be better to investigate on my own rather than waste energy arguing with my father. I had prevented my father’s misguided investments in advance in a similar manner on more than one occasion, so this time should be fine too.

‘The 22nd, huh…’

Just three days later… Well, somehow I’ll figure it out. They are capable.

***

On the day of the marriage meeting.

After getting off the carriage, I felt uneasy in many ways.

Although it was said to be a vibrant suburban villa, the place where the carriage arrived was really, really quiet. In the middle of a field filled with nothing but nature, there stood a suspiciously impressive villa, with not a single village in sight within a radius of 3 kilometers.

We passed through the gentle mountain scenery, the beautiful forest paths, and the peaceful pastures, which were considered the pride of Trydon. I arrived thinking that this was definitely not the place.

‘The Black Wings Guild didn’t mention anything…’

Black Wings was the name of the long-standing guild I have been fond of since I was young. By the way, I also requested information about Mishael’s illness from them.

When I was a teenager, this place was an information guild where I could easily afford the fees, but five years ago, the master changed, and since then, it suddenly became the most prosperous back alley information guild with exorbitant fees. Except for the fact that I hadn’t been able to find information about Mishael’s illness, their ability had also become remarkable.

They also showed their loyalty to their valued customers. Thanks to them, I can’t count how many times they prevented my father from putting up strange guarantees or falling into the hands of unscrupulous people to make bad investments.

That’s why this time, I also requested the Black Wings to find out some information about the owner of this villa.

‘He’s the son of a count from Hesed, he immigrated early and bought this villa, making it a kind of service business, and they said his business is stable.’

Black Wings even added that even though they didn’t know what the business was, it would be beneficial to our merchantry. I wasn’t even curious about such things, but since Black Wings was such a considerate guild that provided me with the information I didn’t even request, I thought it was fine.

Three days wasn’t much time, but their confirmation that this marriage meeting was safe was enough.

‘I also requested secret security today……’

Nevertheless, except for the suspicious location, the villa itself was quite impressive. The appearance of the building, with a white roof and a building adorned with light pink underglaze which the villa was named after, exuded a somewhat romantic feeling. The garden wasn’t particularly spacious, possibly due to the size of the building, but it was decorated with various spring flowers in a delicate and charming way, centered around the fountain in the center, adorned with elegant sculptures.

‘If only the weather was better, it would have been more enjoyable to see.’

That’s right. The weather had been gloomy since lunchtime, which coincided with my thoughts that this marriage meeting was suspicious. There was news that it would rain in the evening, so I would have to return home without delay today…

As I brushed off these restless thoughts, I averted my gaze to the garden. Somehow, I felt a strange sensation. It felt like someone’s gaze was directed at me…

What is it?

I reflexively turned my head to the second floor of the building. But I couldn’t see a visible silhouette. The curtains were drawn on one of the windows…?

‘Is the person over there my marriage meeting partner?’

It was strange that no one had come out even though the carriage had arrived. Did they only see me now that I had arrived? That’s what I thought when I briefly glanced at the entrance.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Lady Parma.”

It was a middle-aged man who seemed to be the caretaker of the building standing in front of the entrance. A man dressed neatly in a suit like a butler of an ordinary mansion greeted me with a bow.

“Welcome to our villa.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“The master is waiting, please come inside.”

I followed him while engraving in my mind that the caretaker referred to my date as ‘the master.’

Why did he express the desire to meet me first and then not come out to greet me personally? How should I interpret such an awkward behavior? Is he that shy? Or is it that Hesed’s hospitality etiquette is different from Lycius’s… Suppressing my suspicions about my date, I followed the caretaker.

Anyway, the Black Wings said it was fine.

But the uncomfortable feeling soon melted away. The decoration and atmosphere of the hallway were completely to my taste. The style of the furniture, the pattern of the silk wallpaper, the artwork displayed on the walls… Not only there was a new piece by my favorite artist that I unfortunately couldn’t get my hands on, but the walls were also adorned with wallpaper from my favorite workshop.

‘No way, did Father tell him about this?’