Chapter 67
How much time had passed?
With a knock on the door, Martin came in, bringing a meal with Erika.
My sister-in-law was startled when she saw me limping and made a big fuss, but only after I reassured her several times that I was fine did she finally sit down.
“How did this happen, Sister-in-law?”
I had meant to surprise Martin, but I never expected things to turn out like this.
It was all because I wanted to see Martin’s innocent smile.
“Well… it just kind of happened.”
“Was it because of my brother?”
When I shrugged, Erika shot Martin a sharp glare.
She looked like she was holding back the words, What were you doing while Sister-in-law ended up like this?
“I’m really fine, you know.”
Worried that Martin might get caught in the crossfire for no reason, I forced an awkward smile and quickly took a bite of salad to change the subject.
“Oh right—did you finish writing the letter?”
“Oh! That’s right!”
Erika immediately forgot about my injury and tapped her index finger against her chin.
She must have had a lot she wanted to tell me after half a day.
“I wrote a letter to the sponsored child I was recently connected with. Her name is Ellie.”
“Ellie?”
“Yes. She’s a girl, and her dream is to become a singer. I really want to hear Ellie sing someday. Ah! And what if we make a stage for her later?”
Clasping her hands together, Erika was practically glowing with excitement.
Even though no one had responded yet, she was completely absorbed in her own imagination.
She seemed to be picturing how fulfilling it would be to create a stage just for Ellie and help her achieve her dream.
Martin shook his head as if he couldn’t stop his sister, but he couldn’t hide the gentle smile on his face.
Just then, there was another knock, and all three of us turned toward the door.
“Ah, excuse me. A letter has arrived for Lady Erika.”
The owner of the knock was Marie.
“Oh my, a letter?”
At the word letter, Erika jumped to her feet.
Humming softly, she walked over to Marie herself and took the letter.
Then she tilted her head when she noticed the seal.
“Miss, what kind of letter is it?”
“It looks like it’s from the prince…? What could it be about?”
Erika scratched her cheek. She seemed to think there was no reason Oscar would send her a letter.
While Erika examined the envelope from every angle—
“I suppose I should say this now.”
Martin spoke suddenly, rubbing his brow, his expression stiff.
“We need to start looking for a marriage match.”
Huh? Suddenly? Did I hear that right? A marriage match?
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn, the salad I was eating nearly slipped from my mouth.
Erika’s eyes went wide as she stared at her brother, her gaze burning with betrayal.
“What…?!”
Without even discussing it, what did he mean by a marriage match?
I thought he knew about Aaron and Erika.
“A marriage match? Are you serious?”
Erika was just as flustered. She probably hadn’t even thought about marriage yet.
And for Erika, whose heart was already aligned with Aaron, it was an absurd proposal.
She pressed a hand to her forehead.
“This is ridiculous.”
“What’s ridiculous about it? I got married at your age.”
So my husband was a total old-fashioned boomer. Pulling the ‘back in my day’ card, huh?
“That was you, brother!”
Erika fumed, trying to deny the situation, but Martin’s unusually serious expression made it clear he wasn’t joking.
“You don’t understand how I feel!”
In the end, unable to accept it, Erika stormed out of the room.
“A marriage match out of nowhere… I think we need to talk about this properly.”
“The pressure from around us has increased.”
Pressure?
According to Martin, not only had the Cloud family’s business been flourishing—
But once word spread about Erika’s good deeds—despite her fearsome reputation—her image improved, and proposals started coming in from all directions.
From Martin’s perspective, the conditions of the noble sons proposing weren’t bad.
“But you know as well as I do where the young lady’s heart lies.”
There was no way Martin didn’t know what I knew.
Hadn’t Aaron and Erika’s dance on the night of the ball completely enchanted the two of us?
Of course, back then I had tried to match her with Oscar, but—
Not anymore.
Now I knew that Erika was happiest when she was with Aaron.
And I had also realized that only the person Erika wanted could lead her down a path of happiness—forcing my own will wouldn’t do.
“Honestly, the person she marries should be someone she likes, not us. Not a complete stranger.”
Even if the noble sons had excellent conditions.
I preferred natural connections. Erika was probably the same.
And if I had to guess, wasn’t there a bad example of a loveless marriage right here?
That would be Martin and Gemma.
He neither agreed nor denied it, but he couldn’t hide the slight movement of his brow.
How difficult a marriage without love had been for the two of them.
I didn’t know Gemma’s heart exactly, but she must have felt empty.
If her extravagance was an attempt to fill that emptiness, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Though I had no intention of using that as an excuse or a shield.
“Still, if she meets them, Erika’s feelings might change. Just like mine did.”
Martin spoke with emphasis.
“It’s an undeniable fact that Erika is reaching marriageable age.”
“……”
“So it’s difficult to reject proposals without a proper reason.”
It might be best not to offend the nobles, but—
If rejecting proposals without reason wasn’t an option…
My eyes met Martin’s. His gaze gleamed as if he had found a justification.
“Are you saying you’ll create a reason?”
“As expected, my wife can read my moves. Announcing that she already has a fiancé would be the most certain justification.”
Martin’s true intention was to appoint a fiancé in order to refuse the proposals.
“What do you think, my lady?”
Nothing had been decided about who Erika’s fiancé would be.
To set up another fiancé just to avoid marrying noble sons…
The person who came to mind was Aaron.
“Then the fiancé who would stand by her side would be…”
“……”
“…Aaron, I suppose.”
On the seat Erika had left, a letter addressed to Oscar had fallen.
Noticing where my gaze went, Martin picked it up and handed it to me.
“Would you like to read it?”
Had the news of all the marriage proposals even reached Oscar?
—
I will visit soon, without delay, Lady Erika. Please wait just a little longer, even if you are bored.
—
Oscar’s letter was polite, but there was an unmistakable sense of urgency beneath it.
Where was all of this heading?
Overwhelmed, I closed my eyes.
No matter what, he was still a prince.
I couldn’t outright refuse his insistence on visiting.
If Oscar’s feelings were directed at Erika, then that was also something Erika herself would have to reject.
And I didn’t have the bandwidth to worry about that.
The letter I had sent to the Earl of Harold’s family should have arrived by now, yet there was still no reply.
I had sent it on the same day as the invitation to Count and Countess Mellion, too.
“Well, it’s not like we’re close enough to expect a reply anyway.”
I hadn’t replied to Lady Harold’s letter either.
That was why she had come storming directly to the ducal residence in a rage.
“Then I guess today, I’ll have to go myself.”
I hurriedly prepared to go out. Marie, not knowing where I was headed, focused intently on dressing me up.
“This seems perfect for today’s outfit—how about this?”
I’d noticed this before, but Marie really liked large accessories.
I remembered secretly removing the pin she’d put in my hair on the day of Baron Gilbert’s exhibition.
“Hmm…”
I really should tell her. With a sharp look and a solemn voice.
“Marie. Today, I’m going to fight.”
“F-fight?”
“Yes. So I won’t need accessories like this, right?”
I thought saying that would make Marie restrain herself from large accessories.
But somehow, it seemed to ignite Marie’s competitive spirit instead.
Judging by the way she clenched her fist.
“My lady, forgive me for saying this, but…”
“But…?”
“This is how one fights.”
Marie held up a ring set with an enormous diamond.
Even the sparkling diamond seemed powerless in the face of Marie’s boldness.
“My lady, surely you’re not thinking this is underhanded?”
“J-just a little?”
“That can’t be helped. You’ll be able to subdue most lunatics with this.”
Saying that carrying weapons was best, Marie slipped the rings onto my fingers one by one.
I hadn’t realized before putting them on.
“Why does it feel like my combat power just went up?”
Marie smiled, her eyebrows lifting.
“You must win!”
Watching Marie clench both fists in determination on my behalf made me straighten unconsciously.
Didn’t I say it was just a war of words?
As she saw me off, Marie added one last comment.
“In the past, I never could have imagined you like this, my lady. You’ve grown so strong. Truly.”
I simply smiled in silence.
Honestly, even I thought I’d grown stronger.
Who would have thought I’d willingly go to the Harold estate myself?
“Don’t let your guard down.”
I resolved as I stroked the rings Marie had given me.
“Then, please return safely!”
With Marie’s farewell, I boarded the carriage.
On the way to the Earl of Harold’s estate, I pondered what to say first.
What I wanted to ask was why they were running such a suspicious business under the Cloud family’s seal—and what kind of contract they had made with Martin.
I didn’t have the confidence to ask Martin directly.
He seemed to trust me, but it might cause things to revert to how they were before.
“And if it’s Harold, he’d be furious.”
The Harold family didn’t appear in the original story.
If so, wasn’t it possible that something I had overlooked was involved?
Then, suddenly—
After the royal vote, the fleeting image of Lady Harold meeting Sir Arnold Stuart in the corridor crossed my mind.
If the weakness Lady Harold held was my relationship with Martin—
Then perhaps the weakness I should hold over her was Sir Stuart.
