Regardless of the era, when the eldest son came home to the family house, there were usually two patterns.

 

One was rather pitiable: having troubled their parents greatly, as soon as they returned home, they couldn't rest as they were fed nothing but scornful glances and wandered the house listlessly like a ghost.

 

The other was the eldest son who upholds the family's honor and, during his stay, was treated with such reverence that he needn't lift a finger.

 

Ascal was, of course, the latter. Though it was not his intention.

 

"My son. Make yourself at home and be comfortable."

 

Arthur, beaming with contentment, patted Ascal's shoulder as he lay relaxed.

 

These days, Arthur was satisfied.

 

Arthur wasn't a sociable man. If one were to classify his relationships, he'd be the type to have a few deep connections. Yet, when occasionally meeting with close friends, it was inevitable for family boasting to come up, especially at his age.

 

It was a recent story.

 

"My son has just entered the Magic Tower."

 

"My third won the swordsmanship tournament."

 

This incessant parental bragging was almost nauseating.

 

Whenever such conversations arose, Arthur would pretend not to hear and would deflect.

 

But those long-held grievances were now over.

 

"My son."

 

Arthur spoke softly.

 

"Ascal Debrue."

 

After that, children's accomplishments no longer dominated the conversations.

 

.

.

.

 

Ascal found himself spending a luxurious vacation under the proud gaze of his family.

 

"Brother, try these new berrys we've got! Shall I peel them for you? Just a moment!"

 

Berrys found their way into Ascal's mouth, already peeled.

 

"Now, spit the seeds here."

 

Lucia held out a bowl. Ascal was about to spit out the seeds but then thought better of it and sat up for the first time in a while.

 

"I'll peel and eat the berrys myself."

 

"Will you now?"

 

Ascal began to peel the berrys himself.

 

"Everyone, applause! Brother has peeled the berrys himself!"

 

 

The servants stopped their work and applauded in unison.

 

"As expected, there's nothing our brother can't do!"

 

Ascal looked at Lucia with a sense of absurdity.

 

To receive such treatment for merely peeling a berrys.

 

It felt like he was an animal being domesticated.

​

If there was anything to be upset about, it was the fact that he was not feeling too bad.

 

"Oh dear, look at the time. I almost caused a big trouble."

 

Lucia drew the curtains, blocking all the sunlight from entering the room.

 

"I almost missed your naptime, brother."

 

She then firmly placed a small bell into Ascal's hand.

 

"Ring this whenever you need anything."

 

To ensure she didn't disturb her brother's naptime, Lucia left the room. The servants also bowed their heads and disappeared.

 

Left alone in the room, Ascal felt an indescribable emotion...

 

Was this, was this right?

 

 

Meanwhile, in the Debrue family's garden:

 

"Do you also know how to handle a sword?"

 

"Yes. I have been practicing steadily since I was young, but I'm sure there are many shortcomings in the eyes of the Baron."

 

Normally at this time, Arthur would be practicing his swordsmanship.

 

Swinging under the sunlight, one started to feel the blood circulate in the weary body. Then, pouring a bucket of cold water over the sweat-soaked body brings back vitality.

 

But today, there was a guest.

 

Lia Cinus.

 

A woman his son had brought home. At first, Arthur didn't think much of it, but his daughter Lucia had given him a firm heads-up.

 

'She's a candidate for your daughter-in-law, Father. Please test her if possible.'

 

A test.

 

But what exactly was he to test?

 

Arthur was clueless. However, ignoring Lucia's request would only lead to further annoyance later. So, it seemed better to at least go through the motions.

 

"Shall we have a sparring match?"

 

It was a question asked without much expectation.

 

Naturally, he thought she would refuse.

 

"If you don't mind my inadequacies."

 

"If you're inadequate, you simply need to fill in what's missing."

 

Arthur extended a practice sword brought by a servant to Lia. She took the sword and assumed her stance. Arthur's gaze shifted.

 

'Quite impressive.'

 

Arthur closed the distance first.

 

The swords clashed.

 

Her shoulders twitched. This woman named Lia, she knew her way around a sword. No. It wasn't just knowing. 

 

She was a master.

 

How long had it been since he'd met a worthy opponent? A pleased smile spread across Arthur's face.

 

The sparring between the two continued until late into the afternoon.

​

​

"When do you plan to proceed with the marriage?"

 

"…What are you talking about?"

 

Ascal, who had been rolling around in bed, stopped abruptly.

 

"That woman Lia, she’s quite a catch. You are over twenty, isn’t it about time to start thinking about an heir? If there’s no one else in your mind, just marry her."

 

He had been dithering, and now it had come to this.

 

He had a hunch lately that his father was quite taken with Lia. Whenever they had a moment, they were in the garden, crossing swords. And it seemed like his father had grown quite fond of her.

 

Like a father-in-law and son-in-law who share a common hobby of fishing.

 

Predicting his father's thoughts probably went something like this:

 

If he gets married. Lia will always be at the house. There will always be an opportunity for sparring.

 

But Ascal knew...

 

This marriage was fundamentally impossible. Lia's true status was that of an imperial princess. She was out of the league of a mere baronial family.

 

Surely, Lia would think the same.

 

Ascal sought out Lia to subtly convey this sentiment.

'It seems like my father has this idea, but he seems to have a misunderstanding. Shouldn’t we clear this up?'

If he knew Yulia, she would surely explode in anger here. After all, she was a tyrant.

 

However,

 

Lia quietly blushed and then fidgeted with her fingers for a while without saying anything.

 

"Is… is that so?"

 

'Princess.'

 

'Please don't be like this.'

 

Feeling the atmosphere as if she might come out with something momentous, Ascal hurriedly left the place.

​

He needed to figure something out.

 

After running his brain at full throttle for a while, Ascal came up with a decisive move.

 

Why hadn't he thought of such a brilliant solution before?

 

Ascal immediately went to where Lucia was.

 

.

.

.

 

 

"You're considering matchmaking?"

 

"Yes. Marriage is a serious choice that shouldn't be taken lightly, right? We should keep as many options open as possible."

 

"Hmm... there's a point there. I’ll prepare everything."

 

Once someone became an official, because they knew the empire's secrets, they were always under the watch of the emperor's hounds. However, there was a third way out.

 

That was, to marry and carry on the title of baron.

 

What were they going to do if he said 'I will carry on my family name?'

 

Moreover, in the case of central nobility, there were quite a few who led a bureaucratic life while holding a title, but Ascal's estate was in the countryside.

 

Getting married and continuing the family line was the perfect excuse to resign from the administration.

 

And when the empire started to fall apart, the whole family could just make a night escape. 

 

It was a flawless plan.

 

"I've spread the word to as many young ladies as possible."

 

"I just need someone suitable. Strong legs would be a plus."

 

"That won't do. Your reputation is sky-high right now; we can’t waste this opportunity to find the best match."

 

And so, Lucia used her connections to get the word out.

 

The letters were wrapped in various pleasantries and polite inquiries, but the gist was this:

 

 

Initially, Lucia thought she would have maybe four or five responses at most.

 

It wasn't as if eligible bachelors were rare, and marriage, after all, required caution.

 

But Lucia overlooked something.

 

How fast rumors spread in this aristocratic society.

This letter, that began at the furthest reaches of the Empire…

 

-"Ascal Debrue is looking for a marriage partner."

 

-"Really? I want to go for sure."

 

-"If I happened to catch his eye, wouldn’t that be amazing?"

 

-"I want to go too."

 

.

.

.

 

 

"It's... it's unbelievable… Brother. Twelve, a whopping twelve people have applied for the position..."

 

Originally, the plan was to see each candidate one by one, but with this many people, it was impossible timewise.

​

In the end, they had to call everyone to the estate at once.

 

Not long after, a tremendous number of processions began to gather in the estate.

 

Twelve young ladies, their attendants, their friends, and pleasure-seekers gathered together.

“You really made the right decision expanding the house…”

 

If they hadn't expanded the house into a grand mansion, it would have been impossible to accommodate everyone.

 

Ascal unfolded the matchmaking list silently.

 

1. Emilia Lesh

2. Iris Sordia

3. Catherine Forster

…

11. Lia Cinus

12. Seri Lavione

 

There were two odd names on the list.

 

'Why did these people even participate?'

 

Lia was, of course, Yulia, and Seri was none other than the Second Princess Serena.

 

Who in their right mind brings alternate persona to a matchmaking venue?

 

Ascal's head was throbbing, and he went outside to get some fresh air.

 

 

Just then, a splendid carriage arrived at the fief.

 

The imperial flag affixed to the carriage fluttered in the wind. There weren’t many who could fly that flag - only those of the Emperor’s lineage.

 

The man who alighted from the carriage was blonde.

 

"Hahahaha! Ascal! To think you’d consider matrimony without telling me! I’m quite disappointed. But worry not! With my keen eye, I will surely find you a suitable partner!"

 

Prince Kain approached Ascal cheerfully.

 

Was the imperial family, perhaps, even more idle than the imperial administrators?

 

Ascal seriously began to regret not bringing Fer to his family home.