They had barely averted a disaster that could have erased their lineage. Ascal wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

 

"My father has been unwell and decided to focus on his recuperation. Since I happen to have free during the Holy Night festival, I thought to offer my prayers alongside a dear acquaintance, Ascal-nim."

 

"I see."

 

"But now that I think about it, I didn't seek permission from Baron Debrue in advance."

 

"That's true as well."

 

Arthur nodded. But talk about it as if it was someone else's business.

Ascal looked at Arthur as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

"My father doesn't fuss over such matters; you're welcome to make yourself at home, Lia."

“That’s true.”

 

"…Understood. Thank you, Baron."

 

The conversation faltered once again. After a moment of silence, Arthur's gaze shifted as he noticed the self-defense sword tied to Ascal's waist, his expression changing.

 

"It's been quite some time since we've sparred. How about we have a match for old times' sake?"

 

"Sparing would make us sweat, then we’d have to bathe, not to mention change our wet clothes. I'd rather not."

 

"Why change? Just let the sun dry the clothes."

 

Conversing with the older generation sometimes made one aware of the generational gap, but with Ascal, it was different. It wasn't a generational gap he felt, but a gap in hygiene standards.

 

"I'd be uncomfortable. Perhaps spar with the knights later."

 

"Alright then."

 

Arthur seemed convinced.

 

Time passed like that.

 

Lia fidgeted with her fingers, the silence growing more awkward.

 

'Please, someone break this uncomfortable silence...'

 

That was when footsteps could be heard from a distance.

 

Those were quick, approaching steps.

 

Although it had been a while since he last heard them, Ascal recognized instantly who they belonged to.

 

"Brother!!!!!! Let's get married!!!!! Get married!!!!!!!!!"

 

It was Lucia Debrue.

 

Ascal's younger sister.

"Have you been well? You should send a letter sometimes. If you don’t initiate contact, one might think you're a rather cold-hearted brother. I'm glad to hear that the prison matter was resolved smoothly. Being that it was Zulat prison, I couldn't visit and could only pray from afar. I would appreciate your understanding of how anxious that made me feel. Actually, I was quite surprised to hear that you decided to come here for the Holy Night festival since I didn't expect you to visit the family home."

 

Ascal watched Lucia as she entered the drawing room.

 

Sitting in an empty chair as naturally as if she were the lady of the house, Lucia began to pour out words.

 

Truth be told, Lucia was, in essence, the lady of the house. With the absence of their mother, it was Lucia who was tending to the inner workings of the Debrue household.

 

Likely, it was Lucia who had vigorously pursued the magic stone investments and the Gem frog case as well.

“Anyway, the saying goes, ‘Strike while the iron is hot’, so how about getting married now that you’re here? You're not getting any younger, are you, brother?"

 

Ascal listened to his sister, who had taken the role of the lady of the house.

 

He was indeed grateful for Lucia.

 

Had it been only Arthur, the Baron Debrue’s estate might have been swindled away long ago. It was only thanks to Lucia that the household was still functioning.

 

Yet Ascal preferred to avoid meeting Lucia whenever possible.

 

Lucia was, to put it mildly, excessively talkative.

 

"Here's the list of eligible young ladies I've compiled for you. Fortunately, your reputation is currently so esteemed that we could select from young women of the most affluent families. In other words, you're in a position to marry upwards."

 

"I'm not thinking about marriage just ye..."

 

"Nonsense. In our society, marriage is not a choice; it’s a necessity. Haven’t I mentioned this in my letters? Besides, with your value at an all-time high, if not now, then when do you plan to marry?"

 

She was stating the obvious.

 

Unlike contemporary society, in the pseudo-medieval age that was closer to the pre-modern era, marriage within the Empire was a strict family affair.

 

It was less about the union of two individuals and more about the amalgamation of two households.

 

Upon closer examination, it was also quite logical.

 

One family might have a formidable knighthood but no money, making it difficult to provide armor for their knights.

 

Another family might be wealthy but lack soldiers to defend their estate, with neighbors coveting their land.

 

And if both families have children of marriageable age.

 

It was a match made in heaven.

 

The two noble families would naturally set a wedding date.

 

But what if the son, after wandering about, brings home a farmer's daughter claiming it's true love and wishes to marry her?

 

Only a nobleman who has lost his senses would turn a blind eye to such a matter.

 

Ascal, understanding this reality, could not simply persist with an 'I will not marry' stance. Instead, he was desperately postponing it.

 

"Next year. I'll do it next year."

 

"Do you realize that you've already been saying 'next year' for two years now? There's nowhere left to retreat, Brother."

 

Lucia pulled a neatly folded parchment from her bosom.

 

She unfolded it and began to read.

 

"Lady Isabelle of the Baron’s family. Background 5. Intelligence 6. Appearance 6. Personality 4. Noteworthy Point: Rumors of a lover exist. Being from a neighboring domain was an advantage, but now it doesn’t matter anymore.."

Then Luscia drew a line through the place where Lady Isabelle of the Baron’s family was written with her quill pen. It was a merciless attitude of a cool-headed matchmaker.

 

"Lady Helen of the Count’s family. Background 7. Intelligence 4. Appearance 8. Personality 5. Noteworthy Point: Suffers from an illness with a risk of premature death. There’s a high probability that you should meet her sooner rather than later"

 

Without a word, Lucia also drew a line through Lady Helen of the Count’s family. Ascal was curious.

 

"Why her?"

 

"She passed away last year."

 

"Oh..."

 

He then regretted asking.

 

"But don't worry. As I said earlier, thanks to your current popularity, Brother, our options have greatly expanded. This next lady comes with my personal recommendation."

 

Lucia took a deep breath.

 

"Lady Senestia of the Ducal family. Background 9. Intelligence 4. Appearance 9. Personality 6. Noteworthy Point: Works as an imperial official. That's like you, isn't it?"

 

A familiar family name somehow resonated.

 

Ascal engaged in deductive reasoning for a moment in his mind.

 

As far as he knew, there was only one Senestia Ducal family in the empire.

 

And among the young ladies of the Senestia family, there was only one who worked as an imperial official.

 

"Sushia..."

 

"Oh? Is she an acquaintance? That would make the process much smoother, wouldn’t it?"

 

"She won't do."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Just... she won't do."

 

'Ah, just not possible.'

​

Lucia, visibly irked by the irresponsible rejection, rose from her seat and took a step towards Ascal.

 

Just as Lucia was about to fire off a retort, she finally noticed Lia, who had not found an opportunity to interject.

 

Lucia had a habit of not paying much attention to her surroundings when she was deeply engrossed in something.

 

Upon seeing Lia, Lucia bowed in greeting.

 

"I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I am Lucia Debrue from the Baron Debrue family. And you are?"

 

"It's my fault as well for the late introduction. I'm Lia Cinus from the Viscount Cinus family."

 

The two women exchanged greetings with such formality that it seemed almost like a contest of who could do it more impeccably.

 

After finishing the pleasantries, Lucia whispered to Ascal.

 

-If you brought a woman, you should have told me earlier, Brother.

 

-I didn't bring her.

 

-Well, anyway… she is quite remarkable. Appearance 10.

 

Lucia said with a smile.

 

"Do you happen to know where the current alliances of the Empire are?"

 

"Officially, the Kingdom of Ludibrium, the Kingdom of Kelli, and the White Tower."

 

"What is the name of the trade route in the north of the Empire?"

 

"The Northern Sun Route."

 

"Which estate recently produced the highest-rated wine in the Empire?"

 

"The Baitz wine from the Viscount Leteil estate, though the land where that wine comes from is actually imperial territory, part of the Empire."

 

"Intelligence 10."

 

Lucia's quill pen danced across the parchment.

 

-Lia Cinus. Background 7. Intelligence 10. Appearance 10. Personality ?

 

"How would you react if, on your wedding night, your husband disappeared and upon searching, you found him in the midst of having an affair with a prostitute."

 

"Lucia. Stop."

 

Lucia seemed to realize that her question crossed the line and fell silent.

 

Ascal had once again saved his family from a potentially disastrous predicament...

 

"You douse them with oil, drop the candelabra you're holding to set the two ablaze, and then care for your husband who can no longer move for the rest of his life."

 

"..."

 

Inwardly, Ascal scored her Personality as a 1.

 

Lucia toyed with her feather pen.

 

 

-Lia Cinus. Background 7. Intelligence 10. Appearance 10. Personality 10. Noteworthy Point: Well-spoken.