Chapter 1 – Arrange Marriage (Part 1)

The flower of the social world. That was the term used to describe Sophia Dveshi.

On the day of her debutante ball this year, the banquet hall was filled with men eager to speak to her, and the next day, countless letters and gifts poured into the Dveshi family.

Sophia spent delightful times reading the letters filled with sweet words from the men. She even looked forward to seeing who would send her a letter the next day.

Among the many men, the one Sophia chose as her partner was the eldest son of the Valkeres family.

It wasn’t because she felt love or any special emotions for him. It was because, compared to other men, he had a gentle and pure heart, and the more time she spent with him, the more she realized he was a decent man.

Therefore, Sophia dreamed of a married life with the Valkeres young master, as both friends and lovers. Her imagined future was a series of peaceful days.

However, the calm future she thought would become reality was shattered in an instant by a word from her father, the Duke Dveshi.

“I’m sorry, Sophia, you must sacrifice for the family.”

It was the first time the Duke Dveshi spoke with such a serious expression. Sophia blinked her clear, bright eyes and asked.

“Sacrifice?”

“You must marry the young master of the Loden family for the sake of our family.”

“The Loden family?”

Just hearing the name Loden made Sophia feel as if the rosy life she envisioned had vanished in an instant.

There was a reason she felt that way. It was because the Dveshi family and the Loden family had a bitterly hostile relationship.

‘Do you know how violent the people of the Loden family are? They are like devils, and if you marry into that family, you’ll grow horns on your backside. So never deal with the people of the Loden Duke’s family!’

Born as the daughter of Duke Dveshi, Sophia had heard those words so often since childhood that they were ingrained in her ears.

Even in the fairy tales specially made for children in the Dveshi family, all the villains were people from the Loden family, and the endings always resulted in their downfall.

To Sophia, who grew up with such a childhood, the Loden family was like devils. But marriage with someone from that family? How could that be possible?

In the Kingdom of Lux, the feud between the Duke of Dveshi and the Duke of Loden was so well-known that no one was unaware of their bad relationship. People would avoid places where they might encounter each other.

The reason for their estrangement, which felt like a fateful enmity, began with a territorial dispute that arose when the Kingdom of Lux was founded.

The Dveshi and Loden families, who helped establish the kingdom, were promised land as a reward, but unfortunately, they wanted the same land, which led to a conflict.

This dispute later escalated into a political faction fight, causing their relationship to deteriorate to the point of no return.

On the surface, it seemed like their relationship worsened only due to political rivalry, but there were additional reasons behind it.

“The people of the Loden duchy are so difficult and eccentric that just talking to them makes your mouth rot.”

“The Dveshi family is full of fools, and just talking to them makes you a fool too. They’re fools who only care about money.”

The Loden family mocked the Dveshi family as money-obsessed fools, and the Dveshi family pointed fingers at the Loden family as cunning.

Their personalities were like oil and water, unable to mix, making reconciliation impossible. Even their appearances were contrasting, which was another reason they couldn’t get close.

The people of the Loden family had cold impressions that seemed to exude a chill, while the Dveshi family members had soft impressions reminiscent of spring pastels.

In other words, their incompatibility increased the frequency of their conflicts.

As the disputes worsened day by day, letters of protest from affected nobles and commoners poured in, but the Loden and Dveshi families lightly ignored their pleas.

Thus, those who suffered had no choice but to appeal to the King, who alone could mediate between them.

“What complaint letters have arrived today?”

“They say they destroyed the square’s property.”

“Tsk, charge each family for the repair costs.”

“Understood.”

The King would clean up the aftermath of their fights as much as possible without causing harm to the two families.

He temporarily resolved the family disputes by ordering them to move their estates to opposite ends of the kingdom or by scolding and coaxing them not to cause trouble.

He tried various methods to stop the friction between the two families, but these were only temporary solutions and not complete resolutions.

The reason he went to such lengths to resolve matters in favor of the two families was that they were the ones who took the lead in ensuring the kingdom’s peace.

The Kingdom of Lux, with its abundant lands and resources, was constantly embroiled in minor disputes with neighboring countries.

Amidst the unstable situation threatened by neighboring countries seeking to expand their territories, the Dveshi and Loden families provided weapons and manpower for the kingdom.

Among them, the most active were the third son of the Loden family, the captain of the knights, and the second son of the Dveshi family, the vice-captain of the knights.

Thanks to their efforts for the kingdom, they held the upper hand in disputes with neighboring kingdoms, so the King couldn’t easily interfere with the two families.

For these reasons, the King tried to minimize disputes, knowing the efforts of the Dveshi and Loden Dukes.

The problem was that the eldest sons of the Loden and Dveshi families did not get along at all.

The two, who graduated from the same academy, would snarl and bite at each other whenever they met.

At banquets, their encounters ended with light arguments or glares, but when they met in the square, they would engage in psychological warfare, and sometimes even physical fights.

“That foolish guy!”

“That cunning guy!”

Marcus Loden disliked Raymond for being foolish, and Raymond Dveshi disliked Marcus for being deceitful.

The reason they particularly disliked each other, like lions and bears fighting, was not just because they came from hostile families.

Of all things, they both ended up liking the same woman.

The moment they first laid eyes on the Crown Princess Christina, they fell in love and competed to escort her whenever she went out, which led to frequent clashes.

Initially, they only engaged in verbal arguments and psychological warfare, but as the competition heated up, it led to physical confrontations. Thus, the most troubled person in this situation was the Crown Princess caught between them.

Unable to choose either, she was dragged around by them, forced into dates. She had to be careful, as a slip of the tongue could lead to family disputes.

“I will marry her to the Prince of the Kingdom of Padel!”

Finally, when the stressed Crown Princess collapsed, the enraged King extinguished the immediate fire by marrying his daughter to the Prince of the allied Kingdom of Padel, not to them.

But this was only a temporary measure and not a fundamental solution. In fact, they burned with even more hatred towards each other, blaming each other for failing to marry the Crown Princess, and now they started fighting every time they met.

As they increased the number of knights and attendants they brought on outings, the scale of the fights grew, causing significant damage around them.

They flaunted their entourages, bringing at least 20 attendants each time, inevitably causing damage to the surroundings.

[We can no longer live in fear!]

[If you can’t expel the two families, imprison their sons!]

[We can’t live like this! Please save us!]

As a result, on days when the two met, the Royal Palace was filled with protest letters piling up to the ceiling.

“Since complaint letters have increased lately, it would be wise to refrain from fighting. I have tolerated as much as I can, so it would be best not to provoke me.”

Unable to continue ignoring the situation, the King sent a stern warning to the Dveshi and Loden families.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

“We will be careful.”

Having given a significant warning once, he thought things would calm down, but they didn’t.

They maintained decorum in formal settings, but in informal ones, the fights between the young masters continued unabated. No, the flames grew even more intense, increasing the number of affected people.

So the King sent a second warning.

“If another person suffers, I will not stand by idly. Haven’t I endured as much as I could, considering your contributions? So please, don’t test my patience any further.”

The King was tormented to the point of having nightmares every night, but he endured again. However, this time, his tone was not as gentle. His voice was full of strength.

Whether his warning worked or not, there were no family disputes for a while, and the palace was quiet.

“Has peace truly returned?”

Just as the King was relieved, protest letters began pouring in again.

[When they appear in the square, business is impossible that day. We can no longer live in fear!]

[Please fight elsewhere! Why disrupt our leisure activities?]

Now, there was no one without complaints, from merchants to nobles. In the end, the King, who was on the verge of neurosis, could no longer endure it.

He convened an emergency meeting to discuss with the elder ministers, and the conclusion they reached was one.

It was a union between the families!