Chapter 1.5

“…….”

As Caron interlaced his fingers and glared coldly, wondering how he might kill this man, Joseph waved a hand and laughed brightly.

“They’re not the type to give up easily, anyway. Behind each of them is a family. Their parents are spending huge sums lobbying to make you their son-in-law—you do know that much, right?”

Duke Perschtman, the Empire’s most eligible bachelor. Anyone who could catch him, whom even the Emperor couldn’t control, would naturally gain wealth and honor.

Of course, the lesser nobles were desperate, unable to catch the young Knight Commander who had just reached marriageable age. Add to that the young ladies who had fallen for his looks, and it was chaos.

Caron, too, could no longer pretend ignorance about this troublesome situation. He knew that only his marriage would end it all, but he had no intention of marrying. He had no desire to know women, nor any interest in romance.

His elder brother, despite his political ambitions, had given up all his desires after falling in love with his wife and now lived only for his family, without a care in the world.

Caron believed that the thrill of expanding territory on the battlefield, the honor of serving the Empire and raising his family’s name—women made all of that meaningless.

Just look at the current Emperor. Surrounded by the Empress and concubines, he couldn’t make a proper decision and depended wholly on others—a weak man.

In short, Caron thought women were nothing but trouble. When he turned thirty, he planned to take a wife only to produce an heir.

So, in this headache-inducing situation, he couldn’t help but listen to the sly, self-serving Joseph’s proposal.

“Fine. It’s true this is a headache. So, do you have a solution? I can’t get married now. There’s too much to do. If there’s a way to live quietly until I’m thirty, I’ll pay as much as you want. But nothing else, so keep that in mind.”

Caron stated his position firmly. Joseph smiled and nodded.

“Of course, I have a very good trick. Rumors. If one big scandal breaks out, the unmarried young ladies will lose heart and turn away.”

“A scandal?”

Caron raised his thick eyebrows, displeased. Until now, he had built a reputation as a perfect, upright, and flawless man. No matter how hard others tried to find fault, they couldn’t find a speck.

“That’s right. Just one scandal with a woman, and it’s over. Just once is enough. Who am I? I’m an expert in this field. I was the one who arranged the marriage between the Marquis of Balzac’s son and the daughter of the Baron of Normandy. Of course, I collected a huge commission.”

Three months ago, when the two families held a grand wedding, there was much talk. Why would the Marquis of Balzac accept a daughter-in-law from such a humble family? Everyone was curious.

But behind it all was Joseph’s handiwork. According to rumors, the Baron of Normandy sold his house and gave all his wealth to a certain matchmaker to arrange his daughter’s marriage.

Now Joseph was boasting of his abilities by citing that achievement.

“Hm, so just one meeting and that’s it? After that, I won’t have to worry about anything?”

Finishing his words, Caron went to the safe in the back of his office. No matter how close the friendship, accounts must be settled precisely. As the richest man in the Empire, he pulled out several heavy pouches of gold coins.

“Payment first. Remember, it’s just one meeting. Set a date later. But it’s just a formal meeting, so make sure it doesn’t get unpleasant or clingy.”

With an arrogant look, Caron lifted his chin and gave strict instructions. In truth, he didn’t particularly like his old friend Joseph before him.

Joseph was so sly and self-serving that Caron didn’t want to associate with him, but there was no one better for solving this immediate annoyance.

Guildmaster Joseph was also known for handling and wrapping up work flawlessly.

Joseph, pretending to be all smiles in front of the arrogant Caron, took the money bags. But in his heart, he despised Caron, the arrogant noble who had everything in the Empire.

A b*stard who had so much that he looked down on everything else. Of course, Joseph admitted Caron’s natural talents were outstanding, but he was so high-handed and arrogant that Joseph wanted to see him fall into the gutter at least once.

“Hohoho, just trust me. That’s what friends are for. I’ll take care of it perfectly. I’ll be in touch soon.”

Joseph waved his hand as he left, mumbling to himself.

‘This is what you call k*lling two birds with one stone. I’ll pocket a pile of gold and soon enjoy the pleasure of knocking that arrogant b*stard down a peg. Just wait and see, you smug b*stard.’

***

“Really, is that really true?”

Abel, her beautiful violet eyes brimming with tears, asked once more, repeatedly.

“Ah, I told you, it’s true. The Empire’s most eligible bachelor, Knight Commander Caron, will soon set a date and time for the meeting, so let’s wait with peace of mind.”

Aness was sitting at a sunlit garden table of the Strauss Ducal family, enjoying fragrant herbal tea and sweet cookies.

At this moment, she felt incredibly proud of herself. Surely, her rival Madam Leaf could roll hundreds of times and still never pull off something this impressive.

Wasn’t this something only she had accomplished in the entire Empire? To arrange a meeting with that arrogant Knight Commander—she could hardly believe her own achievement as a matchmaker.

“Ah, thank you so much! It was truly the right choice not to go to Madam Leaf and to commission you instead!”

Abel, genuinely delighted, grabbed Aness’s hand. Aness, her face covered except for her mouth by a silver mask, smiled proudly and savored the joy of the moment.

“Hohoho. It was an excellent choice. Just watch—I’ll do everything I can to make sure the Duke takes a liking to you, Lady Abel.”

Now, Aness brimmed with even greater confidence than before. It was only natural—Abel, even from a woman’s perspective, was quite beautiful and lovely, with a pure and gentle personality. What man in the world could refuse such a woman?

No matter how much of a stone the Duke might be in front of women, if he saw such a lovely girl in person, his heart couldn’t help but be moved.

Confident of this, Aness nevertheless took extra care, helping Abel choose a dress and diligently preparing accessories and a fan.

However, this wasn’t really her area of expertise. Since childhood, Aness had been full of curiosity, enjoying reading and observing objects and people.

She was someone who reveled in imagination in nature, and unlike other girls her age, had little interest or skill in dressing herself up.

Rather than fussing over dresses, she thought it more useful to read society newsletters and keep up with the world.

Besides, with her family in ruin, they couldn’t afford to care about dresses or jewelry, so she was even more indifferent to appearances.

‘Hua, why are dresses so expensive anyway?’

While wandering the shopping district with Abel, looking at dresses and helping her choose, Aness was nearly exhausted.

Watching Abel pay for a single dress with gold coins worth ten days of her family’s food, Aness could only click her tongue.

Then she looked down at her own clothes. She was wearing a re-tailored, out-of-fashion dress her mother had worn in her youth. It was her only outfit for going out.

Of course, she could buy a new dress with her saved money, but she had no intention of touching her savings, which were meant for the future.

“Madame Boris, I’d like to buy you a dress. Would that be all right?”

Kind-hearted Abel, after ordering a dress to wear for her meeting with the Duke, looked over Aness’s attire and made the offer.

“No, that’s not necessary. I’ve already received my fee.”

Aness waved her hand as if it were out of the question, but Abel insisted on getting her a dress as well. Aness, stunned, received a lovely purple dress adorned with small ribbons as a gift.

‘This young lady is too kind. She’s too good for that arrogant Duke. She’s truly an angel.’

With a hefty fee and a new dress, Aness was so happy she felt like flying all the way home.

Even when her mother pulled her aside the moment she got home for the daily chastity pledge and a special hour-long sermon on the religious meaning of why women must remain pure before marriage, she was so lost in happy thoughts that she barely noticed.

“Do you understand, Aness? To defile your body before marriage is nothing less than an insult to God. Going to your husband with a tainted body is also a sin. If you defile yourself before marriage, I’ll erase your name from this family—remember that.”

Her mother’s sermon always began calmly but ended with a chilling threat.

“Yes, Mother, I’ll do my best to remain pure. I swear I’ll keep my virtue and never give in to a man’s temptation.”

While thinking about the day’s happy achievements, Aness raised her hand and completed her daily chastity pledge.

“Aness, I baked your favorite apple pie today. Try it while it’s still warm.”

Her kind sister Imelda had made the pie with apples she’d gotten from a neighbor and was happy to share it with her sisters.

“Thank you, Sister. It’s so sweet and delicious!”

Already in high spirits, Aness grew even more cheerful as she sat at the kitchen table eating her favorite sweet apple pie—until she caught a hint of worry on her sister’s face.