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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Vandermir Ducal Family
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“Demian Vandermir, you crafty bastard!”
A shrill voice echoed inside the carriage as it entered the capital.
The speaker was the Duchess of Vandermir. She was rushing to the capital with her family due to her second son's sudden marriage announcement.
Fanning herself with a restless expression, she whipped her head toward her husband.
“How could he marry Lady Hugo of all people! Does that girl know about the arranged marriage?!”
“How would I know? Someone might have let it slip. Oscar, have you ever made a slip of the tongue in front of your brother?”
The Duke of Vandermir looked at his eldest son, who sat opposite him, with suspicious eyes.
The son had inherited his silver hair and brown eyes from the Duke, but his overall features strongly resembled the Duchess.
Oscar, who had been looking out the window with a bored expression, shook his head.
“It’s been over a year since I last saw that rat, Father. He probably planted spies in the ducal lands.”
“How could he be so treacherous! Truly, he is nothing but ungrateful and despicable.”
Even though it was purely a guess, the Duchess, who immediately concluded that Demian had planted spies in the main household, flew into a rage.
“Dear, please go and teach Demian a good lesson. He’s the type who never listens to a word we say, claiming I’m his stepmother and Oscar is his half-brother.”
The Duchess clung to her husband’s arm, pleading with a pitiful expression.
Having remarried the Duke seventeen years ago, she had no blood relation to Demian. Demian was the son of the Duke’s first wife, and she had given birth to Oscar with the Duke.
The reason she became the second wife, despite being the mother of the eldest son, was simple. The two had been having an affair while the former Duchess was still alive.
Not only did she brazenly give birth to the eldest son with him while his wife was alive, but she also took her place after the former Duchess died.
“He’s already pulling such underhanded schemes behind our backs. What will happen if he becomes the successor? We absolutely must stop him!”
“I know that too. The problem is that the one who announced the marriage is the daughter of the Hugo Marquisate.”
The Duke of Vandermir massaged his temples, a troubled look on his face.
If the marriage were to fall through, only their daughter would be ridiculed, so the Hugo Marquisate would surely insist on this match.
No matter how much power and justification the Vandermirs had to override the Hugo Marquisate’s wishes and force an arranged marriage, they couldn't simply manipulate them at will.
After all, the Hugo Marquisate was one of the most prestigious families in the empire.
‘Unlike his foolish mother who died, Demian is cunning.’
The Duke quietly gritted his teeth. Due to his affair, his relationship with his former wife had been strained, and naturally, his relationship with his second son was also uncomfortable.
Perhaps it was because Demian had once rebuked him when he was young.
‘Father is a coward who hides behind women.’
After saying those words, Demian left to study abroad, and the Duke and his son had been estranged for a long time.
It was only natural for people to feel uncomfortable around someone who stirred their guilt.
“Somehow, we need to persuade the Marquisate to make them back out of the marriage with Demian.”
“Shall we try to persuade them with bribes? Or what about intimidating the Lady into giving up?”
“Both sound good.”
The Duke’s face, as he smiled thinly, was as handsome and striking as a finely sculpted statue. Even his fine wrinkles added depth to his attractive features.
The Duchess’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded.
“Alright. I’ll try, dear.”
“Yes, I’m counting on you.”
“Oscar, you must help your mother, too.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Oscar answered half-heartedly. The carriage carrying them headed towards the Vandermir Ducal Family’s town house, where Demian was staying.
Demian Vandermir stood before an arched gate carved from pure gold.
He watched the ducal carriage enter the mansion, his hands in his pockets, his chin slightly raised.
“Commander, Lady Hugo has departed.”
Colin, who had approached from behind, reported in a low voice. Demian gave a subtle nod.
As the ducal family, having disembarked from the carriage, drew closer, he took his hands out of his pockets and let a chilling smile play on his lips.
“Thank you for coming all this way, Father. Duchess. And Brother.”
“Yes, my son has certainly caused me a lot of trouble.”
The Duke replied coldly. Beside Oscar, who yawned widely, the Duchess fanned herself, her expression displeased, and chimed in.
“Why do you always choose to cause your father trouble? Only our innocent family suffers.”
“Even if he’s a Sword Master or whatever, he can’t hide his abnormal tendencies, can he? I wonder who he takes after.”
Oscar mocked him, lacing his fingers behind his head. A chilly atmosphere flowed between them, meeting for the first time since the Duke of Vandermir’s birthday last year.
Demian swept his gaze over his family, who treated him worse than strangers, and let out a scoff.
“Well, Brother. I’ve heard I take after Father quite a lot.”
“What? You, how dare you…!”
“Please, come inside first. I’ve prepared lunch. Lady Hugo is also on her way.”
He cut off the Duchess, who was about to snap, and turned.
When the ducal family, feigning composure and suppressing their anger, unpacked and came down to the dining hall, Aracilla also arrived at the mansion.
“Young Master, Lady Aracilla has arrived.”
“I will go and escort Lady Hugo for a moment.”
As Demian left with the butler, Oscar, whose lips had been tightly sealed, finally spoke.
“So, the woman marrying him, isn’t she a social outcast and eccentric in the capital’s high society?”
“What noble Lady in her right mind would declare herself a lifelong bachelorette and work as a Mage? I don’t even need to see her to know she’s uneducated and lacks refinement.”
The mother and son thoroughly badmouthed Aracilla based solely on rumors. The Duke, who had been looking around the lavishly decorated hall with dissatisfaction, chimed in.
“At least the Marquis’s eldest daughter seems normal, so we should arrange a marriage between her and Oscar.”
It was while they were arbitrarily arranging a marriage between Iris and Oscar that it happened.
*Knock, knock.* With a light knock, the door opened, and Demian and his fiancée appeared.
Their gazes, which had been full of hostility, momentarily faltered. The woman entering alongside Demian was exceptionally beautiful.
She didn’t look strange, nor did she appear uneducated.
On the contrary, she was so beautiful and dignified that the three of them were utterly dumbfounded for a moment.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Aracilla Hugo of the Hugo Marquisate.”
Grasping the hem of her lovely light pink dress adorned with tiny floral patterns, Aracilla greeted them politely.
Refinement exuded from her, from head to toe, as she smiled sweetly.
“Thank you for inviting me here today. It is truly an honor to meet Sir Vandermir’s family.”
The ducal family regained their senses at the words “Sir Vandermir’s family” that flowed from Aracilla’s lips.
Aracilla was treating them not as the great Vandermir Ducal Family, but simply as the family of the man she was about to marry.
Receiving their renewed piercing stares, Aracilla sat across from Demian and the Duchess.
Oscar persisted in following her with his eyes. He seemed unable to believe that such a beautiful woman would become Demian’s wife.
“You’re marrying Demian, Lady?”
“Yes, Duke.”
“As far as I know, you declared yourself a lifelong bachelorette, Lady. What suddenly prompted you to decide to marry?”
The Duchess, interjecting sharply, added with a deceptively friendly smile.
“There have been so many ladies who intentionally approached our sons. So please understand our position; we can’t help but suspect her true intentions.”
“Yes, Duchess. I certainly understand.”
Despite the somewhat unpleasant remark, Aracilla nodded obligingly, showing no sign of displeasure.
*Is she perhaps meek?*
Just as the Duchess harbored such a question, Aracilla’s lips parted again.
“I decided to marry Sir Vandermir after seeing his face.”
“Cough—.”
Demian, who had been quietly drinking water beside her, coughed. He hastily wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at Aracilla.
She impudently gazed directly at the Duchess and smiled brightly.
“It’s rare to find someone whose beauty doesn't pale in comparison to my own. So, I decided not to miss this opportunity.”
A moment of silence fell at the unexpected answer. The Duchess said with a look of utter disbelief.
“Lady Hugo, marriage is no game.”
“I am well aware, Duchess.”
“I’ll be frank. I don’t approve of you as a match for our Demian.”
She nauseatingly used Demian’s name familiarly, attempting to play the role of his mother. Demian’s brow subtly furrowed.
“Demian is a Knight, and you, Lady, are a Mage, aren’t you? I want an ordinary noble Lady as a family member.”
“Ah, yes.”
Aracilla replied indifferently, then cut a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.
At her bewildering reaction, the Duchess’s lips parted slightly.
“Did you not understand what I said?”
“No, I understood. But a grown adult doesn’t stop being able to marry just because their parents object, do they?”
Under Cetron Imperial law, adults only needed to provide one guarantor each to marry.
Usually, family members served as guarantors, but friends or third parties were also acceptable.
“If two people are passionately in love, all they need to do is stamp the marriage registration form and submit it to the temple. It’s fortunate that I came to greet you like this.”
“Lady Hugo! As a noble Lady, do you have no shame in making such an immodest remark?”
“No, because love is nothing to be ashamed of.”
The Duchess’s face grew redder and redder as she watched Aracilla brazenly ramble on, shrugging her shoulders.
She found her utterly hateful and irritating.
“How dare you talk back to me like that…!”
“You asked, and I answered, so if you say that, it hurts my feelings.”
Interrupting the Duchess, who was about to burst out, Aracilla cast her eyes down dejectedly.
Her appearance, both splendid and innocent, momentarily lent her a pitiful aura.
Oscar stared blankly, almost drooling, until his mother stomped on his foot under the table, bringing him back to his senses.
“Then, I won’t answer any more questions. Perhaps you could ask Sir Vandermir if you have anything you’re curious about?”
Aracilla, raising her eyes daringly again, turned her head toward Demian.
“Let me ask first, Sir. The Duchess dislikes me, but what about you? Do you dislike me?”
Demian, who hesitated for a moment at her clear blue eyes reminiscent of a summer lake, shook his head.
“I approve of Lady Hugo.”
He answered in a low voice, then spoke coldly to the Duchess.
“So, please stop finding fault with Lady Hugo. It doesn’t matter to me if she is a Mage.”
“Demian, what kind of insolence is that to your mother! Finding fault! Apologize at once!”
At such an insignificant remark, the Duke instantly flared up. At the word ‘mother,’ Demian’s expression hardened.
Aracilla glanced at him, then raised a hand to mediate between father and son.
“Calm down, Duke. I don’t think Sir Vandermir’s choice of words was particularly wrong. Usually, in such cases, the listener’s opinion is what truly matters, isn’t it?”
While the ducal family was collectively speechless, Aracilla sighed dramatically and wiped her eyes with her hand.
Not a single tear had formed, by the way.
“But it breaks my heart. No matter what, Sir Vandermir and I will be marrying, and if you dislike me this much, won’t you just cut ties with us after the wedding?”
“No, who….”
“Even if this turns out to be our first and last meal together, I’ll try to eat as bravely as I can.”
Aracilla, deliberately raising her voice and pretending not to hear the Duchess, resumed her meal.
Clink, clink.
Watching her continue to eat steadfastly by herself, Demian had a strong hunch.
Perhaps marrying this woman might be the wisest decision of his life.
