Chapter 1.3

Darkness had fallen over the shopping district. At the time, the most prominent guild, <Red Sun>, was located in a secluded building in the back alley behind the shops.

They had deliberately set up in such a back alley. Guildmaster Joseph was making a fortune doing errands for the most powerful noble families in the Empire, and as such, he was an easy target anywhere. So he had even formed a powerful mercenary knight order and was running a thriving business.

“What? Did I mishear you? Say that again.”

Joseph was sitting in a hard chair in his office, one foot propped on the desk, downing strong whiskey.

After a long day’s work, he was wetting his throat with liquor and thinking about how to handle the jobs he’d received, when a young lady, without a hint of fear, came in and made an outrageous request.

“Didn’t you hear me? I’ll say it again. I want to arrange a marriage for Duke Perschtman. The partner is Abel, eldest daughter of the Strauss family. She’s truly a beautiful and lovely young lady. I’m here to ask for help with a few plans to make their marriage happen.”

Aness was extremely nervous, but straightened her back and made her request formally, as if nothing was wrong. Joseph was a young man with a slender build and very sharp eyes. His brown eyes had a reddish tinge that made them unpleasant and rather chilling.

‘They say this guild is the best at what they do. If I get help here, it’ll work. I’ll get Lady Abel married off before the year is out. No matter what it takes.’

With that thought, Aness suddenly felt a surge of energy and tried to look as confident as possible, staring right back at the intimidating Joseph.

At her bold request, Joseph thought for a moment, then, as if unable to hold back, suddenly burst out laughing.

“Who did you say? Perschtman? Come on, say something that makes sense. Do you think that man would ever fall in love? He has wealth, ability, looks—nothing in the world to envy—and even the Emperor watches his moods. What ordinary young lady could ever catch his eye?”

Joseph glanced at the young girl before him with a mocking look, then finished the rest of his drink. He seemed to have decided to ignore her completely.

Feeling contempt, Aness was fuming inside. He looked to be only in his mid-twenties, but he was so rude and had such a rotten personality.

Even if he was the head of a famous guild, to treat a formal client like this was outrageous and infuriating.

“Look here. I’m not asking for a free favor—I’ll pay for the job, so why are you treating your client like this? Here’s the money. If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more. And for the record, Lady Abel is really beautiful. Any man would fall for her. Even you, if you saw her…”

Emphasizing Abel’s beauty seemed like the only way to bridge the gap with Duke Perschtman.

“Nope. Not interested…”

Joseph replied indifferently, pretending to pick his ear with his finger.

“What? You’ve seen her? You’ve seen Abel Strauss’s face? Where?”

Aness couldn’t imagine this shady-looking man having ever seen Abel at a social event. Someone like him didn’t fit in with glamorous ballrooms.

“Of course I know her. The skinny girl with the pale face, right? Ah, the combination of blonde hair and violet eyes is decent enough, but she’s unsociable and shy. Too skinny, too. Not really a type men would like.”

“!!!”

Aness clapped her hand over her mouth. He had just described Abel’s appearance exactly. She stared at his face, dumbfounded, as if she’d seen a ghost.

‘Is this guy really the guildmaster? Does he know who I am, too? But I’ve never even been to a ball…’

Growing anxious, she fiddled with the snow mask on her face. Meanwhile, Joseph, apparently done with his drink, set the bottle down on the desk and grinned at her.

He hadn’t been sure when she first walked in, but now he knew. It was Aness, the youngest daughter of the failing Klein Barony. Even with a mask, she couldn’t fool his eyes.

A baron desperate to cling to power, and three unremarkable daughters. The youngest, Aness, was known to be making a tidy income lately from matchmaking. Madame Boris was her business name, arranging matches between young noble men and women and taking a commission.

Now that he saw her, he was sure. Thick brown hair, a nose sprinkled with tiny freckles, and sparkling hazel eyes made her a rather cute-looking girl. Just as he’d heard, she was also quite talkative—almost exhaustingly so.

As the guildmaster whose job was to gather and use all information in the Eupherion Empire, no noble, no matter how minor, could escape Joseph’s radar.

‘Trying to marry off Duke Perschtman? She’s got guts. Let’s see how she does. This should be fun to watch.’

He’d been frustrated lately with some jobs that weren’t going well. He was ready to take it out on anyone, and as he drank, a little bird had just flown cluelessly into his net.

“Hm, now that I think about it, I suddenly feel like working. What do you need help with? Ah, don’t worry about payment. I’ve always wanted to see Duke Perschtman fall in love myself.”

When the man who had been glaring at her suddenly agreed so readily, Aness was so surprised she jumped in place.

“Wow, you really are a guildmaster worthy of respect!”

She was truly grateful, delighted that she could save her money. But Joseph’s face wore a mischievous expression.

“Please arrange a meeting between Miss Strauss and the Duke! I hear the Duke won’t even meet with women. Just set up an encounter. Once he sees Miss Strauss, he won’t be able to help but fall for her!”

At that, Joseph smirked inwardly. He knew many things Aness didn’t.

For example, Princess Julia of the neighboring Ormeus Kingdom was famed for her fatal beauty. Even the flowers around her seemed dull by comparison.

When Caron, as Foreign Minister, visited that country’s delegation, the princess had boldly approached and greeted him, but Caron had merely frowned and showed no reaction at all to her charms.

After that, rumors even spread that he might be a homosexual, so indifferent was he to women’s beauty.

Would he really fall for the ordinary Miss Strauss? But now, Joseph nodded as if convinced, pretending to agree with her. In truth, he had other plans brewing in his mind.

Caron Perschtman, the Duke, was a very old friend of Joseph’s. Joseph was actually the second son of the Marquis of Arpis, but had no interest in power or politics, so he had hidden his identity and worked in this business for a long time. No one knew his true identity.

Only his childhood friend Caron knew this secret. With such power—second only to the Emperor—Caron could have helped his friend, but never had. Even now, Joseph needed his help for a job from Earl Richmond, but Caron had flatly refused.

Caron was so inflexible that he strictly separated public and private matters, even when he could have helped. Annoyed by this, Joseph was always looking for a chance to get back at his friend.

In other words, helping Aness wouldn’t benefit him, but it was a perfect opportunity to play a prank on his coldhearted friend.

“Hm, just setting up a meeting isn’t hard at all. Our guild’s connections are top notch. If you wanted, we could even arrange a meeting with the Emperor. So this is nothing.”

When Joseph winked one eye and agreed readily, Aness was so happy she could hardly contain herself.

‘Wow, if this marriage goes through, my reputation will soar even higher. Maybe I’ll become even more famous than the legendary matchmaker Madam Leaf? My place in the Empire will be unshakable. With this much fame, I could live comfortably on a mountain of money for the rest of my life without ever marrying!’

In truth, despite having a job arranging marriages for young men and women, Aness herself had not the slightest intention of marrying.

Seeing the discrimination against women in this Empire, she saw no hope. Rather than getting married and losing her status, it would be better to remain single, keep her noble status, and help her family.

She wanted to revive her declining family by her own strength someday—not with the help of a husband’s family, but with her own hands.

“Thank you, Guildmaster! If this marriage goes well, I’ll make sure to reward you handsomely. I really promise.”

Unaware of Joseph’s ulterior motives, Aness expressed her gratitude again and again. As he watched her leave the office, a strange smile appeared at the corner of Joseph’s lips.