Chapter 8 – Introduction
The Hugo Marquisate managed to prepare for their distinguished guest in just half a day.
The dining hall, decorated with lavender from their own garden, looked elegant and refined. White narcissus flowers in porcelain vases were placed along the long table, lined with golden candlesticks.
Seated at the head of the table was Marquis Hugo, with Aracila and Damian to his left and the rest of the family to his right.
Adrian, sitting next to Iris, had finally calmed down, though his plump cheeks were still puffed in a sulky pout.
“We had to prepare in a hurry, so I ask for your understanding if anything is lacking.”
“Not at all. Everything is wonderful.”
Indeed, the dishes brought out by the attendants were flawless, despite the limited time they had to prepare.
The efficiency of a noble house with a long history shone through in moments like this.
“Sir, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
Not long after the meal began, the Marquis took a sip of wine, set his glass down, and spoke.
“Please, go ahead.”
“…Why did you decide to marry my Aracila?”
He had two daughters.
And objectively speaking, the one most nobles would have considered an ideal bride was not his second daughter, but his first.
Iris possessed delicate, refined beauty, impeccable noble etiquette, and the graceful demeanor of a future lady of high society.
From a young age, countless noble families had proposed marriage to her.
So, regardless of age, it had always been assumed that Iris would be the first of his children to marry.
That was why Aracila’s sudden engagement came as such a shock.
“I’ve heard that this isn’t a political marriage.”
Truthfully, the Marquis still struggled to believe they were genuinely in love.
But since both of them insisted on it, he had no choice but to accept it for now.
“You may already be aware, but my second daughter is… well… rather exceptional.”
The Marquis hesitated to call his own daughter peculiar, strange, or eccentric, so he settled on a more diplomatic phrase.
Damian swallowed his bite of food, took a sip of water, and then answered.
“Lady Hugo is certainly unique.”
They hadn’t known each other long, nor had they spoken much.
Yet anyone could see that Aracila Hugo was an extraordinary woman.
Oddly enough, Damian didn’t see that as a bad thing.
If she had been too naive or too simple-minded, he might have reconsidered this contract marriage entirely.
“But that’s exactly why I was drawn to her. I felt that, if we married, life would never be dull. And I don’t like being bored.”
“That’s because you haven’t lived with her yet.”
The Marchioness, who had endured years of frustration thanks to her second daughter, let out a small sigh.
“So… you decided on marriage for such a trivial reason? What if you get bored of her after marriage?”
Iris, who shared many similar features with her sister but had striking blue eyes, gazed at Damian intently.
“Marriage is the most important decision in life. You both need to think carefully.”
To be honest, neither of them seemed like the type to thrive in marriage.
That was precisely why the Marquis and Marchioness were so worried.
“You don’t need to worry, Marchioness. Lady Hugo and I have had extensive discussions before reaching this decision.”
“That’s right, Mother. And besides, if anyone should be worried about feeling trapped in marriage, it’s me.”
Aracila, looking rather smug, glanced at her mother.
She had always been a stunning child, but…
“Just imagining myself as someone’s wife already makes me feel suffocated.”
Even with her fiancé sitting right next to her, she spoke without restraint.
The Marchioness pressed a hand to her forehead.
“That’s fine. Thinking about becoming your husband is suffocating for me as well.”
“Oh dear. Looks like we should be careful not to die before the wedding.”
Despite their comedic exchange, both Damian and Aracila remained perfectly expressionless.
The Hugo family truly could not understand why these two were getting married.
Seriously, why…?
“Sir Vandermir, Aracila isn’t someone who can just sit back and support her husband like other noblewomen.”
After a long silence, the Marchioness finally spoke again, her tone heavy with meaning.
“If you expect her to fulfill duties that don’t suit her, then stopping this marriage now would be the wiser choice.”
Of everyone in the family, the Marchioness had been the most opposed to Aracila’s independence and dream of becoming Tower Master.
But once she had decided to support her, she became her strongest advocate.
“I am not so lacking that I need my wife’s support.”
Damian firmly, yet politely, dismissed her concerns.
“Whatever Lady Hugo chooses to do after marriage is up to her. I will not interfere. She will live her life, and I will live mine.”
“Does that mean you won’t stop Aracila from working at the Magic Tower after marriage?”
Iris, genuinely surprised, looked at Damian.
In noble society, most women—regardless of what they did before—were expected to give up their careers after marriage to focus solely on family and household duties.
“I have no right to stop her. Whether she continues at the Tower is entirely her decision.”
At those words, Aracila’s eyes widened slightly.
They had never discussed this particular topic.
Of course, she had always intended to keep working.
But she had no idea how he felt about it.
“For a knight, he’s surprisingly open-minded.”
The Magic Tower was known for being conservative, but the knighthood was even worse.
No female knight had ever been admitted to the Imperial Order in the empire’s entire history.
For someone like Damian Vandermir, the empire’s most revered knight, to say this without hesitation…
It was surprising.
“…I see you two really have talked things through.”
In reality, they had spoken fewer than five times, but the Marquis was now deeply moved.
“I always thought I was the only man in this world who truly understood my beloved second daughter.”
“It’s okay, Father. Sir Vandermir and I aren’t that compatible.”
And Aracila had no expectation that they ever would be.
What had just happened was pure coincidence—like a broken clock being right twice a day.
“Still, instead of worrying so much, you should just support us.”
“That’s right. Marquis, Marchioness, there’s no need for concern.”
Damian then turned to Iris and Adrian.
“The same goes for you two as well.”
Realizing there was no way to oppose the marriage any longer, the Hugo family reluctantly returned to their meal.
That was when—
“…I have a question.”
Adrian, who had been picking at his food miserably the entire time, suddenly raised his hand.
Everyone turned to him.
“What is it, Adrian?”
“Sir Vandermir, are you… affectionate?”
The ambush question nearly made Aracila spit out her water.
Even Damian, who was rarely shaken, blinked slowly in surprise.
“…Affectionate?”
“Yes. My second sister likes men who are affectionate.”
Adrian already knew he couldn’t stop the marriage.
Adrian was deeply saddened, but he finally made up his mind to accept the fact that his beloved second sister was now involved with another man.
“Please show my sister lots of affection. I’m entrusting her to you.”
“…….”
Damian stared at the boy in stunned silence as Adrian lowered his head in solemn determination.
Beside him, Aracila was desperately trying not to laugh.
“Pfft.”
“…My lady, please don’t laugh.”
Damian sighed silently.
It was difficult to say anything when his opponent was an eleven-year-old child.
“I’m not laughing… hic.”
Aracila covered her face with both hands.
The rest of the family was slightly more composed, but they were all struggling to hold in their laughter.
In the end, no one could resist.
The dining hall erupted into laughter.
After the Meal Just as Damian was about to leave, the Marquis called out to him in the entrance hall.
With his slightly wavy lavender hair and sharp yet refined features, the resemblance between father and daughter was unmistakable.
Though, technically, it was Aracila who took after her father.
“What is it, Marquis?”
“I have something to say to you.”
After clearing his throat briefly, the Marquis softened his expression and extended his hand.
“Take good care of my daughter, Sir Vandermir.”
His smile made him look even more like Aracila.
Damian hesitated for a fraction of a second before lightly shaking the offered hand and quickly letting go.
“I always hoped my daughter could live safely under my protection, chasing her dreams as she pleased. But, as expected, children never follow their parents’ wishes.”
The Marquis let out a faintly wistful smile before it quickly faded.
In the next moment, he regained his dignified composure as the head of the Hugo family.
“I trust you will keep your word from dinner—about letting Aracila live freely.”
“You have nothing to worry about. I fully intend to do so.”
The Hugo family didn’t know, but this marriage was a contract.
Damian had no interest in controlling what Aracila did after their wedding.
If anything, he preferred that she remained occupied with her own affairs—that way, she wouldn’t interfere with his.
“Good. Thank you.”
The Marquis patted Damian’s shoulder twice before heading inside.
Left alone in the entrance hall, Damian glanced at his shoulder with a somewhat odd expression.
From the start, he had noticed that the Hugo family had an exceptionally warm atmosphere, even compared to other noble households.
Even in casual conversation, their love and strong family bonds were apparent.
‘It’s the complete opposite of the Vandermir family.’
Just then, Aracila appeared in the corridor.
As she approached, Damian found himself wondering—
How would someone raised in a home like this perceive his own family?
“It seems you grew up quite loved, my lady.”
He spoke impulsively, his gaze fixed on her.
“Not just quite loved—I was very loved.”
There was not a single ounce of doubt or hesitation in her answer.
Damian let out a breath of laughter.
“That explains why you’re always so confident.”
“That’s just my personality. But I do walk a little taller knowing I have my family behind me.”
Without the unwavering support of her family, even Aracila would have hesitated at times.
No one understood that better than she did.
“I see. I suppose that eccentric personality of yours must come from being a mage.”
What nonsense.
Noticing Damian’s carriage pulling up, Aracila extended her hand for a handshake.
“You did well today. Have a safe trip back.”
“I wish you a good evening as well.”
However, once again, Damian did not take her hand.
Instead, he simply gave her a brief nod.
Aracila’s lips twitched.
“Sir, just one question. Are you deliberately refusing to shake only my hand?”
“I have never refused your handshake specifically.”
“Well, it certainly feels that way.”
She had seen him shake hands with her father earlier.
Eyes narrowing, she stared at him, but Damian remained indifferent.
“Then it must be your own misunderstanding.”
Oh, listen to him.
Her lips curled in frustration, twitching slightly in irritation.
“Is that insufferable personality of yours because you’re a knight?”
“I’d say it’s innate.”
Damian responded without missing a beat, making him even more insufferable.
Aracila scowled and waved him off in irritation.
“Forget it. Do I need to prepare for anything tomorrow?”
“Just be ready to take away a very bitter second son.”
That was likely going to require even more preparation than today.
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With a polite farewell, Damian boarded his carriage and departed.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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