Chapter 2
Chapter 2.
Agatha Nobilis was still an heiress of immense wealth, known not only in the Roxbard Empire but also in foreign lands.
Vast territories, trading companies, seven mines, five islands, fifteen ships, tax collection rights in areas outside her territories, port usage rights, tax exemption rights, inheritance rights to three titles, private soldiers to protect her territories, and so on.
Did she lack in lineage?
She had the Imperial Princess as her grandmother, and after the Duke and Duchess Nobilis and their two sons passed away in an accident, she had the Emperor as her godfather and the Crown Prince as her childhood friend.
This led to an exceptionally eventful life of six marriages and six divorces, but regardless, no one could deny that she was a power player who shook the continent and the ultimate marriage prospect.
From the age of five, she had been engaged in strategic marriages, and now, at twenty-three.
Agatha Nobilis, who had once again shaken the continent with another divorce, was holding her first salon as a single woman at her residence, having just finalized her sixth divorce.
Agatha, breaking her seclusion after a long time, widened her eyes.
"Enoch Aratus?"
"Yes. Lady Agatha has heard of him, hasn't she?"
"He is the young head of the Aratus family, who recently had a triumphant return."
The noblewomen seated around Agatha, including her friend Marchioness Iris Domunia, seemed delighted.
Enoch Aratus. Currently twenty years old.
Presumed to have been forcibly sent to war under pressure from his relatives at the age of ten.
This young head was known for his outstanding looks and abilities.
What made him most famous, however, was the wave of purges that occurred immediately upon his return.
"They say he drove out all his relatives?"
"You knew about it, of course. The social circles are abuzz with that incident."
Several families were expelled due to this incident.
The relatives who had freely plundered the prestige and wealth of the prestigious Aratus family while the head of the family was away were all banished to the provinces, and some engagements were canceled as a result.
With such turmoil occurring within a month, Agatha's sixth divorce news was bound to be replaced by that topic.
Agatha chuckled and made a jest.
"Marquis Aratus has provided timely assistance. He not only cleaned up the war that my third ex-husband lost, but this time he's also diverting the attention focused on my sixth divorce?"
"Oh my. Lady Agatha, you are too much."
"You say mischievous things, my lady."
The noblewomen burst into laughter. Though she spoke lightly, Agatha was quite serious.
It must have been about seven years ago. Even the expanded borders from Agatha's first marriage had not fully satisfied the Emperor's greed.
This time, the Emperor, coveting a new port, decided to wage war against another nation, which led to Agatha's third marriage.
At that time, the Emperor assigned her the knight, George Fortis, who was 'called' the best in the empire.
A man whose unsightly appearance was difficult to look at, and whose personality had as many problems as his formidable strength.
Ultimately, George suffered a crushing defeat in the war he ambitiously entered, and though she married and divorced him like lightning, she wasn't dealt a devastating blow.
'It was fortunate.'
The name of the commander who somehow managed to clean up the war George had lost remained in her memory.
'Enoch Aratus.'
He was a mere thirteen-year-old boy then.
His becoming a war hero seven years later, having pacified all wars, was, in a way, special news for Agatha as well.
Even if unintentional, his thorough cleanup had made her divorce smoother.
"In any case, I hear the Aratus family is in quite a difficult situation now."
"I heard. It's said that the war spoils aren't enough to sustain them?"
"The amount those relatives spent over the years must have been considerable. I heard they scraped the bottom of the barrel for money and goods, even if they couldn't touch the territories or mansions."
"Indeed, ten years can shake even a prestigious family like Aratus. Of course, Lady Agatha's Nobilis family is entirely different. Hohoho."
Agatha listened to the noblewomen's conversation with a silent smile. At that moment, her close friend, Marchioness Iris Domunia, slightly bowed her head towards her.
"Lady Agatha. You haven't secured your escort yet, have you?"
"No."
"What about the Aratus family? Their direct line consists only of the Marquis and his sister, and the remaining retainers are mostly knights who participated in the war, so they might be willing to accept."
"Hmm."
Is that so?
Indeed, Marchioness Iris's words held merit. The Marquis was young, and the family lacked elders, so he wouldn't be as difficult as other long-established families.
Prestigious families like Aratus, with their long history and noble bloodline, lived and died by their honor.
'It's a special circumstance.'
The Aratus family's current financial situation was dire. The war spoils were mostly in land, and the 10,000 gold cards received as rewards were insufficient to sustain the large family until its recovery.
At best, it would last a month?
"What do you think, Lady Agatha?"
The noblewomen and ladies, who had pretended not to listen, pricked up their ears for Agatha's answer. Agatha smiled sweetly.
"I think it's a good idea. What do you all think?"
"Aratus is fine. They were the main players in the war, so the knights' skills are guaranteed."
"Of course. What's the advantage of a prestigious knightly order? It's loyalty, isn't it?"
"The head of the family has just returned, so there must be countless expenses. Make an offer, my lady."
Opinions poured out like a flood. These were opinions that aligned with Agatha's thoughts as well.
She was starting to see the limits of borrowing help from friendly families or the security forces.
Now that her husband's protection was gone, Agatha needed to find a knightly order to protect her from kidnapping and assassination attempts until she remarried.
The noblewomen, who had suddenly fallen silent, now sparkled with interest. Agatha, having finished her thoughts, fanned herself gently.
"That sounds good. Shall we look into it?"
"That is a wise decision, my lady."
That one sentence was enough. Carried by the noblewomen around her, Agatha's words began to spread through high society.
—It is said that Agatha Nobilis is considering the Aratus Marquis family for her escort!
That rumor, combined with the triumphant general's actions upon his return to the capital, exploded.
The weight of the gold Agatha had distributed for her escort circulated, and the names of past escort knightly orders and suitors were recalled.
It was a commotion that no noble could possibly be unaware of.
Naturally, Agatha had subtly conveyed her intentions through the rumors.
That news naturally flowed into the Aratus family, who were barely hanging on to the fringes of society.
Early morning.
A man hurried across the Aratus mansion in the capital, which looked ancient and elegant on the outside.
He was Conrad Lancel, a knight who had excelled in managing supplies even on the battlefield and was appointed as an administrator for the Aratus family upon his return.
Fortunately, the person he was looking for was just ordering his knights to rest in the training yard.
"My Lord!"
The man who was called stopped and looked up.
Beneath his still rough-looking blue hair.
The man possessed an extremely handsome face.
A straight forehead. Deep-set gray eyes beneath thick lashes, a sharp nose, and well-shaped red lips.
Even his masculine, prominent jawline was perfect. His body, honed on the battlefield, was sculpted into perfect musculature that everyone admired.
The only flaw was a scar running from his right cheekbone to his left cheek.
Of course, even that did not entirely detract from the man's handsomeness.
In a way, the scar seemed to enhance the man's masculinity. Enoch Aratus, who had pushed back those around him, turned his gaze to Conrad.
"What is it, Conrad?"
"Now is not the time, my Lord. Do you know what news I've just heard?"
Conrad, who had run breathlessly, was now practically rolling his eyes.
"It is said that 'that' Agatha Nobilis wishes for our family to provide her escort!"
His near-scream was loud enough for the other knights resting in the distance to hear. Enoch, sheathing his sword, let out a short breath.
"You came running like this because of that."
"No, what could be more important than this? Now, we only have enough gold left to last perhaps two weeks at most. Considering what those guys eat, it might only last a week..."
Conrad glanced at the knights subtly eavesdropping from afar and lowered his voice, whispering earnestly.
"Listen, my Lord. I heard that the operating funds for the escort knightly order in the past all came from Lady Nobilis. If she's providing operating funds and escort fees, then it's a golden opportunity to run the knightly order for free while also improving our financial situation!"
And so on and so forth.
Though the explanation continued for a long time, the conclusion was ultimately this.
"Go to the Nobilis mansion immediately and tell her you accept, my Lord!"
