Chapter 4

“Your Grace!”

Welcoming Baron back to the capital mansion was Carlton. Worried because Baron had suddenly disappeared from the ball, Carlton’s face was full of anxiety. He had been keeping an eye on Baron at the ball, but while talking with a young lady, Baron had vanished, leaving Carlton pacing in concern.

“I was surprised when you disappeared so suddenly.”

Baron was not the sort to get hurt easily, but disappearing in an unfamiliar capital was cause for worry. Without a word, Baron patted Carlton’s shoulder and walked past, grabbing a random bottle of wine from the display and pouring himself a glass.

‘Rose scent?’

Carlton’s shoulders twitched at the unfamiliar scent coming from his lord. The fragrance that had just brushed his nose was unmistakably that of roses. There was no way his lord would wear rose perfume, so it must have belonged to someone else.

‘Could it be that His Grace…’

Carlton had to tense his facial muscles to hide his shock. That his lord, who had preserved his chastity even on the battlefield, would return with a woman’s scent clinging to him—Carlton quickly put the pieces together.

“Among the young ladies at tonight’s ball, look for those with red hair. She was about two hand spans shorter than me. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Was the red-haired lady the owner of the rose scent?

Carlton glanced at Baron cautiously.

“Also, look into whether there’s anything questionable about her family.”

Apparently, the red-haired lady was not the owner of the rose scent.

“Ah, since I’ve found the Grand Duchess, there’s much to prepare. First, I’ll need to see His Majesty the Emperor.”

Carlton had to stifle a cough that threatened to burst out. It seemed there was a separate lady who needed to be checked for flaws and another who would become the Grand Duchess. Quite a lot must have happened in just one night without him there.

“I’ll prepare, Your Grace.”

Whatever the case, as a retainer, all he needed to do was his duty. If his lord, who had spent his whole life on the battlefield, had found a partner, it was something to be happy about as a retainer.

*** 

“Pfft!”

Baron handed a handkerchief to his cousin, who, forgetting his dignity as Emperor, had spat out his drink.

“I didn’t expect you to be so pleased, Your Majesty.”

Baron, who had just made a bombshell announcement, showed no change in expression. The Emperor wiped his mouth, looking dazed.

“You’ve… found the Grand Duchess…?”

“Yes.”

Although it was the Emperor himself who had said Baron should start looking for a Grand Duchess, this was too fast. How could he have found a Grand Duchess after only a few days in the capital?

Moreover, according to what he’d heard, Baron had attended a masquerade ball last night. And at masquerade balls, all sorts of things happened between men and women. Maybe Baron, who had lived his life as if the battlefield were his home, had misunderstood something that happened at the ball. The North and the capital had very different values, so it wasn’t impossible. The Emperor asked cautiously, just in case.

“Does the young lady who will become the Grand Duchess know about this? That she is to become the Grand Duchess, I mean.”

“……”

Seeing Baron avoid his gaze in silence, the Emperor shouted, “I knew it!” startling the chamberlain, who rushed to calm him.

“Your Majesty, please! Let’s hear His Grace out first.”

“Yes, Baron, tell me. Have you even gone on a date with the young lady? Hmm?”

At the mention of a date, Baron looked away again. He had spent an unforgettable night, but wasn’t sure if that could be called a date.

“Just to check, do you at least know her name? Don’t tell me you don’t know the name of the young lady who will become the Grand Duchess?”

“Of course I do. She is Arisha Berloni of the Berloni Marquisate.”

Regaining his composure, Baron replied solemnly, and a look of relief flashed across the Emperor’s face. The Berloni family was a prominent pro-Emperor noble house.

If Baron, Grand Duke of the North, married a young lady from a pro-Emperor family, the Emperor had no reason to object. He had even worried that Baron might marry a northern lady, so this was a relief. Of course, Arisha would still have to accept the proposal.

“Isn’t it a marriage that won’t trouble you, Your Majesty? It will further unite the North and the capital.”

“That may be, but… Baron, speaking as your brother, marriage isn’t something you do alone. It requires mutual agreement.”

“I intend to make a formal proposal once I finish my current business. Marriage is an important matter, and her feelings are important.”

At least it seemed Baron wasn’t planning to force the marriage using his title. The Emperor sighed in relief, stroking his chin as he looked at the oddly excited Baron.

It seemed something had happened between them at the masquerade ball, but whether Arisha Berloni, a noblewoman of the capital, would accept Baron’s sincere heart was uncertain.

“If the marriage is arranged, I’d like to hold the wedding this social season.”

“What?!”

This time, even the chamberlain was so shocked he couldn’t even try to stop the Emperor, who raised his voice. The Grand Duke’s wedding was a national event that usually took months to prepare, and now he wanted to hold it within the current social season? The Emperor clutched his aching head.

“Baron, are you aware that you are the Grand Duke of this Empire?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“And you still speak so easily?”

Baron gave a bright smile to his cousin, who was holding his head and raising his eyebrows. That smile gave the Emperor an uneasy feeling, and just as he tilted his head, Baron spoke.

“Your Majesty, you said you would give me anything I wanted.”

“Baron Frontica!”

“A wedding within this social season—that is my wish.”

At that, both the Emperor and the chamberlain sighed at the same time. Since he had already given his word, he couldn’t refuse Baron’s request. There was no reason not to, and he mustn’t refuse.

The chamberlain’s face was already pale as he wondered how he would prepare the Grand Duke’s wedding in just a few weeks.

“Just to be sure—are you truly serious?”

“I swear on my honor, I am. It may sound foolish, but I have fallen in love.”

There was no wavering in his eyes as he spoke of his honor. To decide on his bride after a single night at a masquerade ball would be a story to make the capital’s nobles laugh, but Baron was a noble of the North, born and raised there. The Emperor and the chamberlain, well aware of the North’s particular sense of devotion, could only sigh deeply.

Moreover, Baron was famous for his steadfast loyalty and unwavering character. If someone like him had fallen in love, there was nothing more to say.

“Very well, let’s talk again after you propose.”

“As soon as the results are out, I will report to you.”

It was a bit too businesslike for a conversation about a marriage proposal, but the already exhausted Emperor just waved his hand, signaling for Baron to leave. As Baron exited the room, the Emperor and the chamberlain both let out a deep sigh, almost in unison.

“Your Majesty, do you really think His Grace the Grand Duke will have his wedding this social season?”

“He hasn’t even proposed yet, but probably so.”

Objectively, Baron was currently the most eligible bachelor in society. Son of the previous prince, with northern noble blood, mysterious looks, and the honor of being a war hero. If there was any flaw, it was that becoming the Grand Duchess meant spending a lifetime in the cold North.

However, according to rumors, there were already more than a few young ladies completely smitten with Baron, so for them, such a shortcoming didn’t seem to matter at all.

“Then we’ll have to hurry and prepare the wedding.”

“And the wedding gifts too.”

Both knew there was a mountain of things to prepare: from wedding flower arrangements, guest lists, food and drinks, to gifts. They let out another deep sigh.

Even as the Emperor felt a headache coming on, he also found himself wishing his cousin would succeed in his proposal. After all, he had devoted his life to the safety of the Empire, so surely he deserved to marry someone he’d fallen for at first sight.