Chapter 6

Find a marriage partner?

Even though she was of the legendary Clan of Love, it was not pleasant to search for a marriage partner for her ex-husband.

‘Hugo really has no feelings left for me. Well, that’s understandable.’

Suddenly, she recalled the misfortune of Hugo, who had to wander outside for ten years, swayed by the schemes of her stepmother, Countess Bedwig.

‘Even if that didn’t happen in this life.’

Realizing Hugo’s cold feelings made her heart ache.

‘He must hate me. He must have already seen the marriage conditions. That’s why he can so casually ask me, his ex-wife, to find him a marriage partner.’

The past Catherine wouldn’t have been able to refuse Hugo’s request.

But the new Catherine, living a new life, was different.

She had decided not to sacrifice or work for others to the point of hurting herself.

This was separate from her feelings for Hugo.

She wanted to protect both herself and Hugo, not just Hugo alone.

“I’m sorry, Hugo, but I have to refuse.”

So, refusal was the obvious course.

“Please, I’m asking you.”

Hugo asked again, quite earnestly. A faint wrinkle formed on Catherine’s forehead. She clasped her hands tightly on her lap.

“Hugo. Putting aside our personal feelings, it’s a ridiculous request. Having an ex-wife find a remarriage partner for her ex-husband? We’re divorced, remember?”

Failing a marriage once is not a big flaw. If you have a lot of money, that is.

In that sense, Hugo was not a good match in many ways.

‘Because of me, he has one more flaw.’

The words she added were spoken with bitterness to make Hugo withdraw his request.

She didn’t want to refuse so harshly, but she unintentionally said something hurtful out of her own resentment.

Hugo stiffened slightly.

But Catherine deliberately left it as it was instead of trying to mend things.

“What… did you say?”

Hugo, who had been fiddling with his teacup, raised his head.

Was he very upset?

Judging by his twisted expression, it was hard to gauge his feelings.

She wondered if he was just annoyed or angry.

“I said I can’t do it.”

“No, not that.”

Hugo’s voice was hard.

‘Shouldn’t I be the one getting angry?’

It was both pleasing and displeasing to see Hugo expressing his emotions.

She disliked herself for reacting to his emotional changes.

Catherine clamped her mouth shut.

At that, Hugo raised his hand and ran it through his hair. Though his hair was neatly groomed, there was nothing to brush back.

“Haa, Catherine. How do you see me?”

A weak sigh escaped Hugo’s lips.

‘How do I see you? As a heartless ex-husband asking his ex-wife to find him a marriage partner.’

Catherine tensed her cheek muscles to keep herself from pouting.

Hugo’s lips curled up as he watched Catherine’s profile, but he quickly returned to his usual expression before she could see.

“I’m not the one getting married.”

Catherine’s eyes widened.

“What?”

She felt embarrassed.

“I’m asking you to find a partner for my brother. You know him well, Brian.”

“Brian?”

Brian Edward, Hugo’s brother.

“As you know, neither Brian nor I are familiar with the social circles of the capital.”

Hugo continued calmly.

Catherine raised her hand to stop him.

“Brian? That small and cute?”

“Brian is 18 this year. He was 14 when you met him. He wasn’t small and cute then, and he isn’t now.”

He replied bluntly.

Catherine had always craved family affection. She especially wanted a younger sibling.

No, let’s correct that.

She wanted to give love to the younger sibling she was born with.

But since she couldn’t, she adored Brian, the younger brother she gained through marriage to Hugo.

Unlike Hugo, Brian liked and followed Catherine very much.

Brian, who had been a great comfort to the lonely Catherine, was naturally someone she liked, but the decisive reason she liked him was that Brian resembled Hugo.

Imagining Hugo as a child while looking at Brian was one of Catherine’s joys before her return in time.

At 14, Catherine remembered Brian well.

Hugo said he wasn’t small or cute, but Brian, who had grown a bit slowly, was still small and cute at 14.

“What do you think? Can Brian find a good match?”

Even if there wasn’t, she would have to make one.

Catherine felt a sense of responsibility towards Brian.

However, she couldn’t guarantee finding a good match.

For nobles, marriage is a transaction.

What a man can offer is wealth and the ability to maintain that wealth.

The importance of family glory had faded long ago, and good looks or excellent speech were secondary.

In that sense, Brian was not a good match.

First of all, he couldn’t inherit a title.

If Hugo died suddenly, – Catherine shivered at the thought – if he had a wife, the right to inherit the title would go to her first.

Even if his wife died, if he had children, Brian would be merely a guardian.

It meant he could only temporarily take care of the family until the nephew who would inherit the title came of age.

So, the possibility of inheriting a title was remote, and the wealth was small.

‘Should I have wished for Hugo to become rich? Instead of just thinking about getting him out of the battlefield, should I have researched ways to make him rich?’

After her return in time, Catherine only thought about how to get Hugo out of the battlefield as quickly as possible.

No matter how good a battlefield is, it’s still a battlefield.

She steadied her shaken heart. It wasn’t time that would come back even if she regretted it.

‘My choice was right.’

Money comes after people.

‘And even if I had tried, there wouldn’t have been a clear way.’

Catherine recalled Hugo’s estate. It was so underdeveloped and lacked resources, making it difficult to revive.

‘Even if I had increased it, it would have leaked away.’

Neither Brian nor Hugo showed any interest in managing and increasing wealth.

In summary, Brian was not a preferred husband for noble families.

“Objectively, it’s hard to find a good match.”

Catherine confessed honestly.

“I know.”

But Hugo assured her that things would change.

Although it was still a secret, he was about to receive a dukedom as a war hero.

It was such a groundbreaking title conferment that the queen was keeping it under wraps, so very few people knew.

And he had also become wealthy. If he hadn’t become rich, he wouldn’t have thought of moving next to her.

‘The benefactor’s help was significant.’

Winning battles consistently gave him some leeway on the battlefield. Hugo explored the surroundings during his spare time and discovered gold mines. Quite a few of them.

The queen told Hugo to take the land he conquered. This was also a secret deal between the queen and Hugo.

Hugo persistently pushed for the land with the gold mines, won the war, and eventually got it.

Thanks to that, he was able to move next door to Catherine.

Once Hugo received his title and his wealth became known, marriage proposals for Brian would flood in.

But Hugo didn’t want a woman from a good family or one who could bring a large dowry.

What he wanted was,

“Catherine.”

Catherine looked up at Hugo, her eyes filled with concern.

Her warm heart worrying about her ex-husband’s younger brother thawed Hugo’s frozen heart.

Hugo wanted Brian to meet a woman like Catherine.

“Hugo, do you have something to say?”

Hugo stared at Catherine.

He answered only in his mind that he wanted his brother to marry a woman like her, the one and only woman in his world.

“It’s nothing. Will you help me?”

Hugo smiled. Catherine, momentarily excited by his natural smile, quickly came to her senses and replied.

“I’ll help.”

Because it was Brian, not anyone else.

“I’ll ask you a few questions. Please answer honestly, Hugo.”

She needed to know well to find a suitable match.

Catherine took the request seriously out of loyalty.

“Madam.”

While she was asking various questions, Elbert came in.

When Catherine turned her head, Elbert walked in with a large bouquet of flowers.

He proudly presented the bouquet.

The bouquet, which was almost swung towards Hugo, was a fragrant freesia bouquet handed to Catherine.

“Ah…….”

Catherine’s eyebrows furrowed as she accepted the bouquet. It was clear she was troubled.

“What is it?”

Hugo asked.

“It’s a bouquet sent by a gentleman who admires our Madam!”

Elbert raised his chin. Hugo raised his eyebrows.

“Really?”