Chapter 27
Chapter 27
The aunt and uncle's eyes widened in surprise. I almost did the same, but stopped myself, not wanting to mirror their expression.
My aunt looked at me urgently and asked, "Mia, what's going on? Is he a servant?"
"I have no obligation to answer. I already heard from Georg why you're here. Just go back and don't come looking for me again. I only came out to say that."
At that, my impatient uncle grabbed my arm as I turned to leave.
"Mia! That family is rich and powerful! There's no reason to refuse!"
"If the conditions are so good, you can marry off your precious daughter, Ermingard."
My uncle's face flushed with shame at my words.
"Do you think we haven't tried? But their eldest son specifically asked for you."
"My own wishes don't matter, I guess? I've refused so many times. I don't know why they want me, a commoner without any Ability User powers."
"That's why we're here to persuade you. There must be a reason they proposed marriage. You just need to gratefully accept this generous offer."
My aunt and uncle's obsession, persistence, and venom were beyond imagination. They were people who didn't know how to give up or take no for an answer. If things continued like this, I'd have to meet them every day.
Just imagining it made my quality of life plummet. I couldn't hide my annoyance.
"There's nothing to be grateful for. Whether I get married or not is my decision. Why should I be forced by you?"
"I was trying to be understanding, but you're getting out of line! It's such a good match!"
My uncle was the type of man whose sinister intentions were plain to see. I tried to shake off his hand, but he gripped it tighter and wouldn't let go.
I met my uncle's gaze with a cold stare.
"Let go of me, Mister."
My aunt subtly gave him a look, and my uncle, who had been acting violently, obediently released my arm and shut his mouth.
Unlike my uncle, my aunt was a snake with a silver tongue, skilled at coaxing people.
"The doctor's family proposed marriage with such wonderful conditions. Are we having a hard time? They said they'd help with Georg's academy entrance and Ermingard's debut into high society in the capital. If you refuse, won't it make our position awkward, since we're receiving their help? You're not thinking of blocking Georg's future and Ermingard's marriage prospects, are you?"
I wore a blank expression.
"I don't care about your family's rise or fall. If that man stopped drinking and gambling, your household finances would improve. Why don't you get support for addiction treatment? So that's why Ermingard doesn't get any social invitations. The one blocking your children's future isn't me, it's that man."
"Mia Fortuna!"
My uncle roared and grabbed my arm tightly again. I frowned at the pressure, feeling pain, and Dante stepped forward, grabbing my uncle's arm.
"Let go."
"Who do you think you are, interfering? Do you know who I am?"
"I don't know, but I just heard that you're an alcoholic and a gambling addict."
"How dare a servant speak to a noble like that!"
But even my ill-tempered uncle was no match for Dante.
Dante lowered his eyes and gave my uncle a quiet warning.
"Actually, I don't care who you are. I tend to treat anyone who bothers me the same way."
Those chilling blue eyes had a power that overwhelmed others.
It was clear that he wasn't just saying words, that he truly didn't care if the other person was older or of higher status than him.
Was he being respectful because they were my relatives? Or was it out of respect for me, not them?
"Well, this..."
In the end, my uncle lost the battle of wills and stepped back, releasing my arm.
My aunt, who had been watching my uncle's defeat, scoffed.
"Mia, you're not actually interested in a mere servant, are you? You don't know the ways of the world. That's why you need advice from adults like us."
A surge of anger welled up from deep within my chest.
If I got angry and agitated, I'd lose. I repeated the words my grandfather had left me over and over again. And with great difficulty, I endured the rising anger and glared at my aunt and uncle.
"Watch your words. He's not someone you can speak about carelessly."
I omitted the words, 'Or he'll kill you.'
At that, my aunt placed both hands on her waist, gave a bitter smile, and continued, "Mia, in my experience, love is completely useless. You don't know what kind of consequences a foolish choice made in youth can bring."
I roughly understood how my aunt had become such a money-crazed demon. Choosing a man like my uncle was both the reason and the result.
"Do you think I'm the same as you, an old woman made unhappy by a foolish choice?"
My aunt's face stiffened at my calm question.
While she was at a loss for words, my uncle stepped forward.
"Hey, what kind of way is that to talk to your aunt! Gertrude, there's no need to be nice to a girl who can't understand what you're saying. Mia Fortuna! Do you think there'll be another place willing to take someone like you, who's only good for her body? Who would take a stubborn woman who doesn't listen!"
Before the echoes of his roaring voice could fade, Dante calmly tossed out a single word.
"I would."
At that word, the waves that had been raging suddenly calmed.
I looked at Dante in surprise. He wore a cold and arrogant expression, unlike his usual self. As soon as he made eye contact with me, after staring at my aunt and uncle, he smiled sweetly.
Meanwhile, my aunt and uncle, flustered by his sudden words, were clearly racking their brains for something to say. I was just as confused.
A noisy and long silence followed, and Dante casually added, "I'll take her, so there's no need for unnecessary worries."
"What business does a servant have interfering? Putting aside status, I'm asking as one man to another. Do you really think a woman who's always chattering back, who's stubborn and fierce, is good as a wife?"
My uncle, who had married Gertrude, who was fiercer and more stubborn than anyone, asked.
Dante's lips loosened as he listened quietly.
"Yes, it's my type."
My type. He was saying it to help me, but my heart beat a little faster and my ears felt hot.
"That kind of type..."
Perhaps he was quite flustered to meet someone who had the same taste as him, my uncle couldn't easily continue.
After a moment of hesitation, my uncle cleared his throat and said, "That girl can't do housework either. She can't do anything right if you ask her to. You'll have to do everything yourself, she's so much trouble."
"That's what I like most about her."
"Her grades were so bad she couldn't even get into the academy!"
"I don't really care about final education."
"Besides, she's so extravagant, the man who takes her will suffer. She doesn't know how to save and will buy luxury goods without a second thought. That's why commoners are no good."
My uncle kept trying to put me down, but he was only hurting his own wife in friendly fire. I could tell just by the way my commoner aunt's lips twisted slightly.
Besides, Dante was like a shield that deflected everything.
"If you're so poor that you begrudge your wife the money she spends, you should be earning money instead of worrying about other people's marriages."
Exhausted by the endless counterattacks, my uncle gasped for breath and wiped away sweat.
"In the end, the man won't be able to say a word and will be completely controlled!"
"Originally, husbands can't win against their wives. But, listening to you, it sounds like you're not talking about Mia, but expressing your own dissatisfaction with your marriage."
My uncle, caught out for using a familiar argument, shut his mouth and glanced at my aunt. My aunt, who was standing with her arms crossed, narrowed her eyes at him.
Dante was good at verbally attacking people too. He even stirred up marital discord.
My aunt sent her husband a look that said she would definitely kill him when they got home, then turned her gaze to me. Her red-painted lips curved up in a relaxed smile.
"Mia, you can't get married as you please. You're not 21 yet, are you? According to the Church law, your marriage requires the permission of your legal guardian. Your mother and grandfather have passed away, and your father is missing, so we are your guardians."
"Then I'll get married in a year. It's not like it's urgent."
Dante shattered her composure with a simple conclusion. My aunt and uncle's expressions turned dumbfounded.
Lightly ignoring them, Dante offered me his hand with a kind face.
"Actually, it's not a big problem if you get married late, or don't get married at all. I will follow Mia's choice."
I blankly stared at his face, then shook his hand like a negotiation.
"You ungrateful thing! You should get our permission, since we raised you!"
"Mia, rather than a man who isn't a noble..."
At my aunt and uncle's continued persuasion, I rubbed my forehead and said, "He's a high-ranking noble. So stop being rude."
I hired the mastermind as a housekeeper.
