Chapter 23
No matter how hard she tried to find a flaw in Payton, she simply couldn’t.
Unlike Clyde, he didn’t bear the burden of carrying the empire on his shoulders.
Unlike Adrian, he wasn’t someone who drew excessive attention wherever he went.
“Though it may be a bit early, may I ask if we could use informal forms of address? I would prefer to be called Payton rather than Young Master Graves.”
From one to ten—he was exactly her type. They said romance was a matter of personal taste, and here it was: her ideal man in the flesh. The original author’s preference was clearly the main male lead, Clyde, but her taste was unmistakably the sub male lead, Payton.
“Of course. Please call me Edith as well. And you don’t need to speak so formally.”
The way he smiled, teeth showing, was so dazzling that she felt like she could spend her entire life looking at that face.
Should I just stamp my seal on this man and make him my husband?
Why not? Getting close could be done step by step.
Her firm resolve—that she would never marry a man she didn’t know—wavered in that moment.
Especially since people said physical compatibility mattered greatly between spouses. Unable to take her eyes off Payton’s face and body, her filthy brain kicked into high gear, spinning appropriate and rational nighttime fantasies that required bodily effort.
“Edith….”
“Payton.”
Standing face to face, she could roughly gauge his height. Clyde, the original novel’s main male lead, was very tall—but Payton was even taller.
The difference was almost excessive; his shoulders rose far above Edith’s head. Somewhere between 190 and 200 centimeters? People usually preferred men in the 180s, but she liked them taller. Even her height preference had been perfectly sniped.
Using the fan she had splurged on just for today, she hid the way her lips were threatening to split from smiling too widely.
Payton asked after her well-being and treated her to fragrant tea. He didn’t rush things, chatting casually about their recent lives. Edith babbled about her grueling life in the Crown Prince’s palace, while Payton shared the hardships of his ventures in the New Continent.
Her mood softened so thoroughly that by the time a violin performance—prepared as a gesture of welcome—began, she was already half-dazed.
Her earlier determination to make him dislike her had vanished without a trace. She found it strange how unusually demure she looked, sipping her tea politely.
“Edith, if it wouldn’t trouble you, I’d like to see you often. Time seems to fly when I’m with someone I can converse with so comfortably.”
The reason she wondered whether that was mere politeness or sincerity was probably proof that she was already falling for him completely.
“I’d like that too, but I’m quite busy with work.”
She carefully put on an apologetic expression so it wouldn’t sound like rejection, explaining repeatedly that as the Crown Prince’s personal attendant, she couldn’t easily excuse herself.
“It may be premature to say this, but I’ve long heard glowing reports about you. I even saw you from afar at the academy’s graduation ceremony. However, there were… uncomfortable issues surrounding House Ketsmoris, so it was difficult for me to approach you recklessly.”
“Our father is a bit… like that.”
She gave a faint, bitter smile.
“Now that barrier is gone, there’s nothing to hesitate over. When I heard that you had inherited the title, I decided without delay to send you a proposal.”
“I think you’re giving me far too much credit.”
“I’m simply repeating what I’ve heard from my acquaintances. Which is why I say this…”
It seemed they were finally getting to the point. Edith listened calmly, careful not to reveal how keenly her ears were pricked.
“Edith, you are the one who leads House Ketsmoris regardless of marriage. You have value in and of yourself.”
“…….”
“So if you were to accept my proposal, I would like to omit the customary dowry.”
Proceeding with a marriage without a bride’s dowry—this was a rather radical suggestion.
In the world of the original novel, noble ladies always brought dowries, yet Payton proposed skipping it altogether. Given Edith’s family circumstances, the amount wouldn’t be large anyway, so perhaps it meant little to him.
That alone was impressive—but what followed was even more surprising.
“And if you permit it, I would like to adopt a neighboring country’s wedding custom. Upon marriage, I wish to provide financial support to House Ketsmoris.”
“Financial… support?”
“We can’t simply leave the Long Green Horn territory as it is, can we? It has enormous potential. Once the debt problem is resolved and it’s entrusted to my trading company, I’m confident I can develop it to your satisfaction.”
She had heard that in some cultures, there was something opposite to a dowry—a bride price. That seemed to be what Payton meant.
“May I ask more specifically what form this entrustment would take? It feels a bit vague.”
“I won’t touch the ownership. That land will, of course, remain yours.”
“Then…?”
“I produce sugarcane and cotton on a large scale at my farms in the New Continent. I need a base to process and sell them.”
“You mean manufacturing?”
“Yes. I plan to build an industrial complex. My territory is too far from the capital, but Long Green Horn is only a day away. It even has a port. With such conditions, there are many businesses worth pursuing beyond sugar and textiles.”
“But most of the land there is wheat fields. The yield isn’t bad.”
“It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to clear them. I hope you’ll see it as a necessary sacrifice for progress.”
It was clear he had come thoroughly prepared with marriage conditions.
Edith’s eyes sparkled as she ran calculations in her head.
If the land was hers and the buildings were his, should she collect rent? Or should they split profits by ratio? She wanted to ask more, to start throwing around numbers and examine everything meticulously right then and there.
But today was their first meeting. They were dressed nicely, merely drinking tea. It would normally take several more meetings before asset statements and accounting ledgers made an appearance.
So she set aside the detailed terms and focused only on understanding Payton’s intentions.
“If you’d planned this much, you could’ve proposed a business deal without marriage.”
“It’s risky to build my most important factories on someone else’s land without guarantees. If necessary, we could speak of business alone, but…”
Payton, who had been explaining confidently, suddenly trailed off. He hesitated briefly, looking somewhat hurt.
“Do you perhaps… dislike me?”
“Ah—no, that’s not it.”
“Of course, stable business is one advantage. But you’re beautiful, you have status, your abilities are recognized at court…”
He rattled off Edith’s virtues one by one, giving the impression that he was proposing to someone far superior to himself. Yet this was clearly a form of humility meant to keep the negotiations alive. In reality, when weighing the two houses, she was the one who fell far short.
Edith sipped a mouthful of the finest tea from a gold-rimmed cup, gazing out at the luxurious garden. The stark contrast with her own impoverished home was painfully evident.
If Payton had prepared this thoroughly, he had likely investigated her debt situation as well.
Still, she needed to confirm whether he truly understood it. Hearing the actual amount might make him withdraw immediately.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of me. But… do you happen to know how much debt I have?”
“It must be considerable.”
“Are you really all right with that…?”
As if he’d anticipated this conversation, he placed both hands on the table and spoke seriously.
“From what I’ve heard, the Long Green Horn territory has never been sold. Is that correct?”
Edith nodded calmly.
“To be honest, all tax revenue from the territory is going straight to creditors.”
“Only the tax revenue? Everything else is intact?”
“Yes. It’s just interest payments, so it never really goes down.”
Payton broke into a bright smile, visibly relieved, like a guide who knew the path ahead perfectly.
“Then we can first use my support funds to pay the interest. Once our business is established, we’ll gradually repay the principal.”
“That’s true, but I was worried this might be a burden on you.”
“I have no intention of coveting land that belongs to you. Likewise, the debt itself is difficult for me to interfere with. I will simply do my utmost to help you escape hardship as soon as possible.”
With those words of wholehearted encouragement, he released her hand.
His smile was brilliant—bright enough to light up the room and draw a smile from Edith as well.
Everything he said fit perfectly. There was nothing to nitpick.
Most of all, she liked that he didn’t make reckless offers like solving everything in one stroke or paying off her debt on her behalf.
Approved. A perfect score.
No matter how she looked at it, this marriage benefited both sides. He would gain a ducal wife and a territory he could freely utilize, while Edith would escape poverty and gain a handsome husband.
The only unsettling factor was that this was their first meeting.
She worried slightly because she didn’t yet know what kind of person he truly was. In the original story, he had been a villain—so perhaps this version of him wasn’t genuine.
But the Payton before her radiated pure positivity. It felt almost impossible that such an impression could be fabricated. His toothy smile was as dazzling as his orange-blond hair.
“Edith, are you serving as an attendant in order to enter politics? If so, I’d like to support you actively.”
“Politics…?”
Seeing her flustered response, he quickly added,
“It would also be fine if you wished to leave that position.”
He was giving her the choice.
This man—he was completely her type.
He subtly revealed his ambition to dominate both the commercial world and politics as a married couple. At the same time, he made it clear that if she didn’t want that, he would remain faithful to the current marriage terms.
“I never considered entering politics. I became an attendant simply to help support my household.”
“I see.”
“And as for marriage… I’m sorry, but I’ve never seriously thought about it yet. I accepted your invitation out of gratitude for contacting me.”
He waited anxiously for her next words.
“Thank you for everything you’ve said. But it’s all happening too quickly. Could you please give me time to think carefully?”
“So… the marriage talks can continue?”
“Of course. I want to consider it sincerely.”
She had come intending to sabotage the proposal, yet now she found herself restless, afraid Payton might change his mind.
As she glanced at him nervously, their eyes met. Payton had been cautiously watching her as well. In the awkward moment, Edith rolled her eyes helplessly.
Payton’s composed response was perfectly measured.
“I understand. Of course this must feel sudden. That’s only natural.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
He studied her quietly for a moment.
Then, crossing one leg over the other, he relaxed into a slightly less formal posture than before.
“Then how about we test how well we suit each other as husband and wife?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“I mean we should go through the stage of getting to know each other. You did say this proposal wouldn’t end here.”
