Chapter 9
Chapter 9.
“Yes. That’s right.”
How did you know?
Then again, it was too meager and limited information to be called an investigation.
Agatha pushed the teacup towards him and explained.
“There are a few things I cannot tolerate when I get married. I cannot marry someone who fits those criteria, so I look into them a little each time. Did I offend you?”
“No. If you think about it that way, I’ve also investigated you, Lady, so I believe we are in the same boat.”
“Hm?”
Agatha tilted her head for a moment, then, ah, nodded in understanding.
It was when I made the offer of escort.
“It is a natural qualification for a noble to find out about the other person before forming a deep relationship.”
He replied, lifting his teacup.
I distinctly recall you leaving for the battlefield at the age of ten.
Even after ten years had passed and he had returned to the capital, he still seemed adept at noble thinking.
Agatha smiled without realizing it.
“That’s right. I’m glad you understand. Ah, Marquis, are you perhaps busy with that matter as well? I heard that Marquis Aratus has been inundated with introduction letters for marriageable ladies of age recently.”
Agatha, who had spent days of short sleep in vain over this news, was troubled.
She had known from the moment their paths crossed that proposals for political marriages would pour in.
It was baffling why she had become even more concerned now.
Was he considering someone right now?
“I had no intention of marrying, but it is true that my thoughts have changed due to the events of the past few days.”
This was when Agatha was contemplating what events might occur in the Aratus household due to the introduction letters.
“Lady.”
“Yes.”
“Will you marry me?”
“……?”
For a moment, Agatha, unable to follow the conversation, blinked. Then, belatedly, she snapped back to attention.
“Marry? Me, with you, Marquis?”
“Yes. Honestly, when I decided I needed to marry, you were the most suitable candidate. However, I gave up because I thought there was no chance you would marry me.”
Enoch’s gaze briefly touched and then moved away from Agatha’s seventh marriage candidate list, which had been set aside.
“If you had me in mind, I would like to say you are welcome. Please consider marrying me without any pressure, Lady.”
“…….”
Her mouth almost fell open, but Agatha composed herself.
Even if it wasn’t a marriage based on emotion, Agatha would have welcomed continuing a relationship with him through a political marriage.
It was the first time. Feeling rational affection for someone.
And wasn't it a welcome thing that the person was someone who didn't gamble, didn't have complicated relationships with women, and wasn't violent?
Even Enoch desired her.
Agatha calmly set down her teacup and said with a picturesque smile,
“I like it. Will you be my seventh husband?”
This time, it was Enoch’s turn to be flustered. He paused for a moment, then calmly set down his teacup.
“Is it alright to answer so quickly?”
“Do you see this?”
“……?”
Agatha pulled the list over and pointed to his name, which was at the very top.
「Marquis Enoch Aratus」
“Being at the top of this list means you are the best husband material I can think of.”
What about lineage, wealth, status in court, or the current state of the family, etc.
The conditions that ordinary nobles would consider were not Agatha’s concern.
Enoch, who had just returned to the capital, might not know, but Agatha’s marriages were special.
She had full authority over her marriages, even if it meant making a deal with the Emperor.
The conditions she considered usually focused on whether they had a bad temper, were prone to infidelity, or harbored sinister intentions to kill her.
“Do you enjoy gambling?”
“No.”
“Do you have a hidden woman?”
“No.”
“Will you kill me if I bear children?”
“…….”
For a moment, the man’s eyes turned cold, but Agatha curved her beautiful eyes into a gentle arc.
It might sound like a joke, but she had actually met such a husband before.
“Unfortunately, my fourth ex-husband was like that.”
“…….”
“It’s a thing of the past now, though.”
Agatha, regaining her composure, quietly picked up her teacup. Her heart, which had been fluttering with joy, sank slightly as she recalled her fourth ex-husband.
However, looking at Enoch’s face again made her feel much better.
He, who had looked momentarily flustered, soon opened his taciturn lips.
“Besides the conditions I just mentioned, is there anything else you wish of me?”
It was an unexpected question, if anything.
Agatha had never been so honest before, and usually, people would readily accept a marriage proposal.
“Are you going to listen?”
“I will try. Because she is my wife.”
“…….”
It was a somewhat cheesy remark. Agatha hid her expression with her teacup and added her wish.
“I want you to protect me from my relatives.”
“That is a husband’s natural duty. And?”
“I want to live separately in a newlywed home, not in the husband’s mansion or castle. Other than that, I suppose I’d like my rights as a wife to be respected.”
“……Is that all?”
What else could there be?
Although she had been swayed by the Emperor’s hand regarding marriage since childhood, Agatha was the sole heiress of the Nobilis, one of the most prominent ducal families on the continent.
Her lineage was already perfect, her wealth was more than sufficient, and her power was such that it could even sway the will of the supreme Emperor, making her rank third in the Empire without question.
Agatha could achieve everything she desired.
Except for one thing: her married life.
“That should be enough.”
Agatha consciously avoided saying “love me.”
There was nothing more ridiculous than discussing emotions in a political marriage.
“……I don’t know what kind of married life you’ve had until now.”
“What?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
Enoch merely shook his head, as Agatha tilted hers, not hearing his faint trailing words.
It was when Agatha was about to put aside the list she was still holding.
“Lady Nobilis.”
“Yes.”
Enoch slowly extended his hand and continued speaking.
“There is only one thing I ask of you. That you do not associate with my relatives. I believe you are in a position to grant this request and will not fall for any temptation. Is that correct?”
“There is no one as clean as I am when it comes to family matters. That is a wise judgment.”
For a moment, he seemed to smile faintly.
How should I describe that moment when a change appeared on his indifferent face and his lips curved slightly?
“I promise.”
“…….”
“So, will you marry me, Lady Agatha?”
Feeling her heart pound, Agatha clasped his hand.
Enoch was clearly troubled by his relatives, just like her, but, perhaps a little apologetically, Agatha was grateful for that fact.
Otherwise, this man would never have proposed to her.
“……Gladly. Let’s live well together, Marquis.”
It was her first choice to include emotion in marriage, and her seventh marriage.
The man, who lightly kissed the ring finger of Agatha’s left hand and then pulled away, hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“First, since the execution date is only a few days away, we must obtain His Majesty’s permission.”
“Yes. But before that, I need some time to sort things out. Hmm, a few days?”
While negotiations with the Mainyucore Empire would take place after the wedding,
Before that, she needed to finalize details such as the value of Palavi Island, which would be used as a trade hub with the Eastern Continent from the Nobilis territory, the shipping routes, and the expansion of ports and cities.
Otherwise, the Emperor might subtly try to add more demands.
“Is this related to the reason His Majesty is pressuring you about your marriage?”
“Yes. Have you perhaps heard? His Majesty is interested in new trade with the Eastern Continent. Instead of refusing the marriage proposed by His Majesty, I will be offering another island as a base.”
It was high-level information, but combined with the Emperor’s recent actions and the direction of Agatha’s retainers’ investigations, whispers had already begun circulating in the court.
Was Agatha Nobilis’s marriage related to trade with the Eastern Continent?
It wasn’t wrong. If Agatha hadn't found and presented an alternative, the Emperor would have pushed for a marriage with a noble who owned territory that could serve as a base.
“I can offer a district or so from the island I own. Shall I transfer some of those rights to you as a dowry?”
“……You say such frightening things so casually. What if I were to truly covet it?”
“I am telling you because I can offer that much. Oh, and please give me the proposal you brought.”
For a fleeting moment, his ashen gaze turned towards her.
The situation had changed, so he probably intended to withdraw this debt, but
A marriage is a marriage, and the price for a life is the price for a life. Agatha had no intention of letting the debt she owed pass by, using the marriage as an excuse.
“Are you telling me to collect the price for a life from the Lady who will become my wife?”
“After we are married, yes, but this happened before the marriage, didn’t it? It’s an excellent opportunity because I can accurately learn what the current Aratus needs.”
