“……!”
I visibly gasped, my lips parted on their own at the shockingly unexpected words.
‘What did Ludger say just now?’
About… engagement?
Did I mishear something?
But if my ears weren’t deceiving me, he spoke clearly to me about getting engaged.
I knew it would be better for me to get engaged to him.
However, my mind stalled for a moment as I struggled to make sense of my racing heart and thoughts. I eventually managed to come up with the most likely conclusion.
“Is Your Highness perhaps jesting..…?”
“I would never jest about such things in this situation.”
“But…”
For nobles, engagement wasn’t supposed to be like an easy matter at all.
To begin with, he was the heir to one of the few noble ducal families in this Empire.
Although it is known that marriages between noble families and commoners had increased in recent years, as far as I knew, there had never been a precedent for such a union within a ducal household.
“It’s not that other methods are impossible, but they aren’t ideal, considering your urgent situation.”
“…….”
“First, as you mentioned, putting pressure on them as the Duke’s family is risky, especially given that I’m not yet a Duke myself.”
“Ah…….”
Of course, if the opponent were a commoner, he would be able to threaten them using his noble status. However, if Ludger were to exert undue pressure on the opponent who is also a noble, his political enemies, who already saw him as a threat, would surely seize the opportunity to sully his reputation.
From my perspective, it was unfair that I was about to be dragged into a life I had no choice to and jumped up in protest. However, from others’ perspective, Paul Rudleman was only exercising his rights as the head of the Viscount family through legal means.
“And the next method…… there is a way to pay an amount of money that would be satisfactory to the Rudleman household without resorting to a lawsuit against them.”
“I would never consider that.”
“…… Yeah, I don’t consider that either, Captain.”
The previous Head of the Rudleman household was crazy enough to sell his own flesh and blood for money. I disliked the idea of giving them a large sum and hoping for their consideration, even if I had that kind of money.
“That’s why I concluded that the easiest solution would be for us to get engaged. According to Imperial law, an engagement that has been registered by the temple cannot be invalidated, even by the head of the household.”
“But… doesn’t that seem illogical?”
“And why is that?”
The distance between Ludger and me felt uncomfortably close. His beautiful eyes, like buds in spring, looked straight at me.
The hand touching my cheeks still hasn’t left, making the place it touched almost burning.
At that moment, the very fact that Rudger was mentioning the word ‘engagement’… felt completely unrealistic.
“Because I am a commoner…….”
“Marriages between nobles and commoners are not that rare nowadays.”
“That’s usually the case about lower nobility….! Normally, it happens when commoner families are wealthy and the marriage is mutually beneficial for both parties. However, we don’t fit into that category.”
“…….”
His face drew even closer. At a distance so close that our breaths almost met, Ludger whispered.
“You’re probably not in a situation where you can afford to be choosy right now.”
He withdrew his hands from my face and stepped back. I took a few shallow breaths to steady myself.
Until that moment, I had been so focused on the man before me that I hadn’t noticed the sounds of pedestrians and carriages passing by at the end of the alley. Now I could hear the bustle of the street and the shouts of vendors trying to attract customers.
It was only then that I realized this was reality.
“Would you mind giving me some time to think about it?”
“Certainly. The sooner you can respond, the better.”
“……Yes.”
“Then, I’ll wait for your answer.”
Ludger pressed his lips gently against the back of my hand, offered a polite farewell, and stepped aside.
After his figure disappeared down the alley, I buried my face in my hands.
“This is ridiculous…….”
What had just happened felt like a mirage in early spring.
But all of this was reality.
I had received an engagement proposal from none other than Ludger Kassen, the villain himself.
***
After that, time passed so fast as if in a blur, almost leaving me breathless.
I didn’t have the luxury to neglect my work, but if I had to put it another word, it seemed more accurate to say that I had desperately immersed myself in my work to avoid thinking about other things.
On days like this, I’d rather be doing external duties that involve moving around rather than paperwork, but today I was in charge of looking after Judy, so that wasn’t something I could do as I pleased…..
“Aren’t you going to go home, Captain?”
“Yeah. I’m just finishing up a few things before the weekend. Great work, everyone.”
After the members wrapped up their work, Lionel looked at me with concern as he spoke apologetically.
“Hey, I can’t bring you dinner today because I have plans. So don’t starve. Eat something.”
“I am not a kid. Don’t worry about me.”
“I know you’re going to starve again If you keep working like this..… I’ll check up on you on Monday. Okay?”
“Fine, just go already.”
I waved Lionel off and let out a deep sigh.
In reality, I didn’t need to work overtime today since I had been putting in much more effort than usual, but honestly speaking, I just wanted to avoid going home immediately.
If it was in the past, I would have been happy to leave early, but today I felt like even if I went home early, I would just be consumed by useless thoughts rather than having proper rest.
‘Ha……. My mind is already running. These useless thoughts.’
No, they weren’t useless; they were necessary thoughts, I knew it better.
It was just a struggle to postpone an important decision as much as possible, even for a little while.
After everyone left and I was alone, it became harder to concentrate on my work. After wasting about an hour, I gave up and put on my coat.
I stopped by the restaurant on the first floor, grabbed a quick bite, and went straight home.
As soon as I opened the door and entered, I was greeted by the fragrance of dried flowers that didn’t match the plain decor of the room. It was the bouquet of roses Ludger had given me previously.
Feeling uneasy and a waste of money to throw it away, I had kept it dried. But for some reason, today, its presence felt particularly strong.
I sat on the bed and stared at the dried flowers hanging on the wall.
‘Truth to be told, my decision is the same as before…….’
I too searched for every possible way. In the end, no matter how embarrassing it might be, pride doesn’t feed you, so I decided that asking Ludger for help would be the best option.
‘I didn’t expect it would lead to an engagement proposal…… though.’
No, I knew there was a possibility of getting engaged. I had just pushed it out of my mind because it seemed so absurd.
In the first place, the lawsuit was two months away, so there was no way I could get engaged or married in the meantime. After all, it was a huge event that could affect my life.
I never imagined that, in that situation, Ludger would suggest engagement as the easiest way forward.
‘Actually, if I think about it, this situation might be beneficial for me.’
Until now, I had avoided thinking about it because my personal circumstances were more important, but I needed to keep a close eye on Ludger because of his involvement with black magic.
Considering it that way, having more opportunities to be by Ludger’s side as his fiancée wasn’t a bad thing.
‘The only thing that’s bothering me is… ‘
The question was, what on earth was Ludger’s intention for doing this?
‘Is it just to keep an eye on me more easily?’
Last time, he even suggested that it would be easier to just pretend to be dating for the sake of monitoring me, but this time we had a strong reason for our engagement.
Was this his way of tightening his hold onto me so I couldn’t share his secrets?
Even if Ludger were to get engaged to me, it would be advantageous only to me. The famous Duke of Kassen getting engaged to a commoner knight would certainly stir up quite the commotion in high society.
‘Thinking about it again, it’s not like I’m backing out because it seems unappealing.’
The back of my neck felt cold. I needed to quickly draft a contract and sign it before Ludger changed his mind.
This engagement was merely a means to prevent immediate lawsuits and marriages, not a genuine promise of a lifetime with Ludger.
‘It can’t be dragged out for long anyway. First, I should buy some time with the engagement, then find another way to stop that brat Paul Rudelman.’
Ludger, too, likely proposed the engagement intending to break it off later.
Wouldn’t it be better to clearly outline the contract to agree on things, like the duration of the engagement and situations that might require an annulment, before proceeding?
To be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled about suddenly becoming the fiancée of the Young Duke, considering when I just wanted a peaceful life.
Still, it was undeniable fact that this was the most reasonable solution given by my current predicament.
…… I could only hope Ludger wouldn’t change his mind later.
“You’re probably not in a situation where you can afford to be choosy right now.”
Ludger was right.
‘Let’s contact him right away.’
As soon as I objectively realized it wasn’t the time to be leisurely mulling over things and should take actions, I quickly decided to write a letter.
Screw that damn Gustav and his 18 generation, the chance to keep a close watch on Ludger while doing it? I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
I quickly began writing a letter to Ludger.
***
“Your Grace, the letters have arrived. Would you like to check them right away?”
Derrek, the butler of the Kassen family, asked Ludger as soon as he arrived home, presenting a silver platter of letters. This was a routine that repeated whenever letters arrived while the Young Master was away.
“Not now….”
As he attempted to pass by indifferently as usual, Derrek added politely,
“It also includes a letter from Captain Clara Weyburn.”
“…….”
At those words, Ludger’s steps halted.
