2.

Have you ever seen such a fool who finally married the woman he loved but couldn’t even speak to her properly?
Daniel wanted to introduce himself to those who would say no.

When rumors spread in social circles that Duke Bergis’s daughter Lenore would soon make her debut, Daniel immediately called for a tailor.

Duke Bergis was famous for only sending his daughters to one party. The reason was simple — even with just that, marriage proposals would flood in.

In truth, a debut wasn’t even necessary. But since everyone was so curious about her appearance, he would send her to just one party to show her, and then she would retire from society immediately after her debut.

This meant Daniel would only have one chance to see Lenore. However, many would approach her seeking connections with House Bergis and out of curiosity. They were all Daniel’s competitors.

“I don’t care how much it costs.”

Daniel didn’t mind spending money if it meant winning the competition.

“It can’t be too plain to stand out. But it shouldn’t be so flashy that I look like a clown. I want to give the impression of a mature man, someone who naturally makes people think he would make a good husband.”

The tailor scratched his head at Count Sillingdeer’s peculiar request, as he usually preferred simple attire with good fabric but minimal decoration.

Through fittings and alterations, and even making two more sets, Daniel carefully chose what to wear to the party. That wasn’t all. He took care of his skin starting two weeks before the party and didn’t touch alcohol or anything unhealthy.

For reference, he wasn’t usually this obsessive. Being someone who didn’t enjoy parties, he only attended those he absolutely couldn’t refuse.

But this time, there was someone he had to catch, even if it meant abandoning his usual principles.

After doing everything he could, the man headed to the party venue with determination on the decisive day. He might have arrived too early as there weren’t many guests, and Lenore wasn’t there yet.

He took a sip of wine to loosen his tense shoulders while engaging in conversation with those who came to greet him. But no matter how long he waited, Lenore didn’t appear.

Could it have been just a rumor? Was this not the party where she was supposed to debut?

Daniel suddenly became anxious. He kept glancing at the door, and seeing others do the same, they seemed to share his thoughts.

“It seems the Duke’s daughter isn’t coming.”

Just as everyone was getting disappointed, the atmosphere suddenly became lively. Lenore had appeared with the Bergis family members.

She looked around carefully while leaning on her brother’s arm. She seemed nervous, unfamiliar with parties.

While he was lost in thought about how cute her reaction was, he saw a man approaching Lenore. The man asked her to dance.

Lenore glanced at her father’s expression. When the Duke nodded, she took the man’s offered hand and danced.

He had planned to request her first dance!

Daniel anxiously waited for the song to end. But another man claimed the second dance too. Only on the third dance did Daniel finally get his chance.

‘My lady, do you perhaps remember me?’

Daniel had something he always wanted to ask when he met her. Even if she didn’t remember, he had a story he wanted to tell, something he had kept buried in his heart.

But when actually dancing with her, he couldn’t say a word. He was too shy to even meet her eyes, and his body felt foreign to him — it was all he could do just to avoid stepping on her feet.

“Count Sillingdeer, you lead so comfortably.”

As he was dancing stiffly, she spoke. Surprised, happy, and mind gone blank, he ended up stepping on Lenore’s foot.

Right after being praised for his lead, he made such an amateur and pathetic mistake. Daniel stammered in embarrassment.

“I apologize, my lady. I made a mistake…!”

“It’s alright. These things happen. I stepped on my brother’s feet many times while practicing.”

Lenore graciously let it slide. Daniel was moved by how generous she was, both then and now.

While waiting had felt so long, the dance seemed to end too quickly. Lenore went on to dance with another man.

In the end, he only danced with her once, and Daniel returned home feeling dejected for a while.

“I didn’t want to be remembered as the man who stepped on her foot while dancing…!”

He lay face down on his bed, berating himself for his mistake. But he didn’t have time for extended self-reproach.

He got up and sat at his desk. Now that the Duke had shown his daughter at the party, he would choose from among the flood of marriage proposals.

He had heard somewhere that Duke Bergis liked flowery language. After racking his brain for days thinking about elegant phrases, Daniel sent his marriage proposal.

While waiting for a reply, news of Daniel’s rivals also reached him. Information came that this count, that marquis, and even a prince had sent proposals.

Although the prince was only ten years old, since the king had no other children, the throne was practically guaranteed. Duke Bergis wouldn’t let go of the prince. Daniel felt urgent and rewrote his proposal.

Along with shortened flowery language, he included something the Duke would find hard to resist — the maritime rights that House Sillingdeer had monopolized for generations. Duke Bergis had coveted these rights since his father’s time.

If he mentioned it casually, the Duke would surely take the bait. Daniel’s prediction was right on the mark. After waiting a week without even a reply, Duke Bergis immediately sent a response asking him to visit the duchy.

“How can we share the sea that we’ve protected for so long?”

Some voiced concerns. But Daniel had already made up his mind.

Duke Bergis was the type of man who would take what he wanted by force if necessary. The previous Count Sillingdeer had faced several crises of nearly losing the monopoly to him.

Though they had managed to defend it somehow, the Duke must be quite frustrated by now. If he decided to attack with bloodshed in mind, in the worst case, they could lose Tegronica.

Better to form a connection through marriage and share the maritime rights amicably.

When he visited the duchy, Duke Bergis received him in the garden.

“I was quite troubled about who to marry Lenore to. Then I suddenly remembered how you looked at her during the party.”

“……”

“Was it love at first sight?”

Daniel didn’t answer. As if no answer was needed, Duke Bergis continued with a smile.

“I was considering accepting your proposal, but then a proposal arrived from the royal family. So I’m thinking of sending Lenore to Prince Zig.”

Daniel calmly took a breath, unsurprised. He had known the Duke would test him like this. He was trying to squeeze more out of him by dangling this threat.

“Wouldn’t it be better to invest in something certain rather than an uncertain future?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Duke Bergis stroked his chin, pretending not to understand.

“Given the prince’s young age, marriage would be difficult right away. You’d have to wait for the prince to grow up, and the longer you wait, the greater the risk of the royal family changing their minds.”

“Hmm, that could be true.”

“But the sea doesn’t need to wait.”

Daniel placed his hand over his left chest and smiled gently.

“If you and I join hands, we could suppress Marquis Crebi who’s trying to sneakily build up power, and enjoy an even more solid control over the sea.”

Duke Bergis glanced at him with a shrewd look before breaking into a smile and extending his hand.

“We certainly can’t let someone like Marquis Crebi take the sea.”

Got it.

As Daniel shook hands with Duke Bergis, he finally felt relieved. How to share the maritime rights with him — there was still much to consider, but he had cleared the first hurdle. That alone made today’s visit worthwhile.

As he was congratulating himself on a job well done, suddenly there was a loud noise. A wooden barrel had fallen and broken from a second-floor window.

“What if it had hit someone!”

“But sister, you pushed it!”

The sisters were quarreling at the window. Duke Bergis clicked his tongue when he realized who had caused the commotion. He ordered servants to bring the sisters down.

Soon after, the sisters were brought to the garden. Both had faces pale with fear.

“This is Count Daniel Sillingdeer. Lenore, you’ve already met him at the party, haven’t you?”

The sisters quickly glanced at his face before lifting their skirts slightly in greeting.