Chapter 10
Chapter 10.
“……”
Enoch seemed reluctant, but Agatha firmly snatched the proposal he had brought.
She pushed it deep beneath the pile of documents on the corner of the table, where he couldn't retrieve it, and his gaze seemed to follow it.
Agatha pretended not to notice.
“I’m going to see His Majesty in a few days. I’ll contact you once an appointment is made.”
“……Very well.”
Agatha escorted Enoch to the palace gates and returned.
As she sat blankly in the drawing-room, staring at the ceiling, her ears slowly began to redden. Her left ring finger, where his slightly rough lips had touched, felt like it was burning belatedly.
“……Such a proposal.”
Had she ever received such a straightforward proposal before?
She hadn't heard any sweet words, yet it felt like a storm had passed.
It was sudden, but it wasn't bad.
No, in a way, it felt good. He didn't know it, but she had received a proposal from the person she liked first, hadn't she?
“Ugh.”
Agatha, who had been blushing for a long time, quickly pulled the proposal over and read it. Then, she immediately rang the bell and summoned her attendant maid.
“You called for me, Miss.”
“Send for the administrator.”
Agatha decided to resolve the matters of the Aratus Family immediately in the meantime.
The faster the repayment arrived, the more it would ease the man's worries.
Though she was somewhat swept away and pushed out.
Enoch returned to the Aratus mansion in the capital according to Agatha's will.
Having observed her closely, he realized that although she was better than before, her complexion was still not good.
“Welcome back, Master.”
Butler Ben was waiting in front of the main mansion.
Enoch, who had leaped off his horse, handed over the coat of the formal attire he had worn for his palace visit and entered the first-floor hall.
“Anything unusual?”
“Nothing.”
Today, the hall was once again filled with servants from various families.
Introductions, invitations, or gifts.
Enoch paused for a moment and commanded Ben.
“From today on, refuse all incoming introductions.”
“All of them, sir?”
“Yes. I intend to get married soon.”
“……!”
The visitors, who had been feigning indifference while paying attention to his arrival, suddenly lifted their heads.
Marriage would have an enormous impact, whether for forging ties with Aratus or for reconnaissance.
Enoch walked upstairs, passing the visitors who were in an uproar internally. Ben, who had quickly composed himself, followed behind him.
“Master, did you have a lady in mind?”
“I had one in consideration.”
“May I ask which family she is from?”
It had been less than a week since he had been ordered to compile a list of candidates for a political marriage.
The knights guarding the office bowed their heads. As he entered the open door, Enoch sat down on his desk.
“Agatha Nobilis.”
“……”
Thud.
Ben, jolted by the sound of the door closing belatedly, finally regained his senses. She was that unexpected and an overwhelmingly formidable figure.
“……Will you be alright?”
“She accepted.”
Ben, who had momentarily worried, was shocked first by the news that he had already proposed, and then again by the news that the result had already come out.
Even the most composed butler's expression contorted in astonishment at this moment.
“You received permission, already?”
“Yes.”
But… weren't you just going to deliver the proposal today…?
Ben swallowed the question that rose to his throat. Whatever had happened, Agatha Nobilis was someone they would welcome with open arms.
She possessed the lineage, blood, and assets of a family that had no need to join forces with Aratus relatives, or even to be involved with them at all. She was the best prospective bride of this era.
Currently, they could not ask for a better mistress.
Ben quickly composed his expression, but unconcealed joy overflowed on his face.
“I suppose I must tear up the list of political marriage candidates immediately. Congratulations, Master. I can guarantee that the other retainers will be just as surprised as I am.”
“Is that so?”
Enoch was silent for a moment. Then, while still seated, he tapped the desk a few times and continued.
“Prepare flowers, Ben. I must go and formally propose before the execution is over.”
“Even for a political marriage, it is best to follow the procedures. I will prepare the most beautiful bouquet.”
“Yes. I can trust you with that.”
Enoch turned his head to check the desk. The desk, which had been neatly cleared overnight, was once again piled high with letters and documents.
Though many of the letters would be gone from this pile now.
Ah, Ben added, as if remembering something belatedly.
“Then the discussion results regarding the proposal will be void, won't they? The retainers, especially Administrator Conrad, are waiting for the results. Shall I convey it like that?”
“……Well. I don't think that will be the case.”
“Did Madam say she would pay the life price as is?”
“Yes. It was no use trying to stop her.”
While the stated intention was to investigate what the current Aratus needed, it was no different from saying they would send the life price immediately.
Given her personality, which considered the impossible as routine, it would not be surprising if the terms of the proposal were fulfilled today.
Ben, momentarily bewildered, skillfully composed his expression and nodded.
“Indeed, Madam is different. Since she has led a family for a long time, she might have judged it necessary to examine the difficulties of the family she is to marry into beforehand?”
“……”
It didn't seem like that was the reason, but.
Enoch did not bother to correct Ben's misunderstanding. It was a positive interpretation, and if the relationship with the head butler was smooth, she would also have less work to do.
Enoch, already worrying about Agatha overexerting herself after marriage, awkwardly ran a hand over his face.
Is it too early to be thinking like this?
It was worrying about the woman who would soon be his wife. There was no problem with that.
It was just that he felt a little unfamiliar with himself.
“Ah, this is not the time. I will go and procure flowers immediately, Master.”
“Yes. And check on the relatives. There will surely be a reaction.”
“Yes, Master.”
Left alone in the office, Enoch thought for a moment, then took out some stationery and began to write a letter.
The recipient was “Isabelle Aratus.”
His younger sister, who was currently touring her territory and engrossed in internal affairs.
……It would be good to let her know in advance.*
The letter, sealed with wax and an imprint, was soon passed to a servant.
Because he had deliberately announced it, the news that Enoch Aratus was preparing to propose to someone spread throughout the capital overnight.
This was why, at dawn, the retainers, led by Administrator Conrad, had swarmed the Aratus mansion in the capital.
“My Lord!”
“Head of the family!”
As the sun had barely risen.
Enoch, who had just finished basic physical training with the knights in the training ground, felt a sense of déjà vu as he saw the group rushing towards him, out of breath.
He unbuckled the sword he hadn't drawn yet and placed it aside.
Was training over for today with physical conditioning?
“I have to go. Leon, take over the training.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
His premonition was not wrong. As soon as he approached the entrance of the training ground, the retainers arrived, panting, and surrounded him.
Every single one of them had their eyes wide open.
“You’re getting married!”
“No! What I heard was that you were going to propose!”
“It’s the same thing! My Lord, who is the other party? Rumors are rampant in the capital that you are going to propose soon and told them to refuse introductions!”
“What about the proposal? Is it a marriage mediated by Agatha Nobilis?”
“Did you perhaps say you couldn't accept the proposal and would only mediate the marriage?!”
As the tremendous voices overwhelmed him, Enoch flinched. A firm voice cut through the commotion with weight.
“Enough. If you talk any more, I won't tell you anything.”
“……!”
The retainers shut their mouths. Enoch, with a tired expression, buried his face in the towel handed to him by Butler Ben.
For now.
“Ask one by one, slowly. What are you curious about?”
“The marriage partner!”
“I've decided to marry Agatha Nobilis. I have received confirmation for the marriage, and I will go to propose properly within a few days. Next.”
“Wh-what…?”
The retainers' eyes trembled with astonishment, as if they had eaten dirt. The knights, who had been pretending to train but listening in this direction, were no different.
Administrator Conrad, who was asking the question, trembled.
“A-Agatha Nobilis? You mean the young lady Agatha Nobilis, the sole heir of Nobilis?”
“Yes. The proposal will probably… be executed as we proposed.”
“What? Wh-why are you paying the price for saving a life when you're getting married? Are you really getting married, my Lord!”
Even though they had been surprised as if they couldn't believe it just moments ago.
Now that something strange was detected, screams like shrieks were echoing from all directions, asking if the marriage was truly happening.
As Enoch tiredly wiped his face, Butler Ben, who had disappeared for a moment and returned, reported.
“Master. I believe you should step outside the mansion for a moment.”
“What is it?”
“Someone has arrived from Nobilis, they say.”
