Chapter : 143
The moment he arrived, he didn’t say, “Let’s date!” or “Entrust your life to me!”—which made it clear he was probably Viola’s lover.
‘Sein was worried that my sister might get married and leave.’
It seemed he was even more concerned upon realizing that she already had someone she was seeing.
Both Viola’s future and his own.
Still, did he really need to show up unannounced and propose like this…?
“Jo, yes!”
Had they dated before because their personalities matched?
Jade made his decision just as quickly as Viola.
└[So bold]
└[Flamboyant!]
I had followed them cluelessly and ended up witnessing not just a couple forming, but the birth of a married couple.
“Good. Then take this too.”
Viola handed a bouquet to Jade and even gave him a ring she seemed to have prepared in advance.
Caught off guard by Viola’s sudden visit and with nothing ready, Jade hesitated for a moment before taking off the necklace he was wearing around his neck.
“I’ll give you this as a token.”
It seemed to be something he cherished, and Viola accepted it with a moved expression.
After hugging her lover tightly, she returned to the carriage with the same hurried pace she had when she first arrived.
“Uh, where are you going?”
“To get my parents’ permission! I’ll send the formal proposal later!”
To keep up with the quick-moving Viola, I hurriedly got into the carriage with her.
Viola’s lover, Jade, was the eldest son of a marquis family.
His parents wanted to form ties with the Linward family as well, but since primogeniture was the norm, they also wanted their eldest son to inherit the family.
However, bringing Viola in as a daughter-in-law was complicated because of the difference in scale between the wealthy Linwards and their marquis family.
‘Especially if Claire becomes the head of the family, it would mean bringing in the only direct heir.’
Viola’s sudden proposal happened while they were stuck in this dilemma.
Though the families were flustered, they had no intention to oppose it, so they agreed to proceed with the engagement.
Of course, Jade would enter the Linward family as a son-in-law.
The position Jade was supposed to inherit in his own marquis family would naturally pass to his second son.
└[All the women in this family are basically like mothers]
└[Even the father would have become a son-in-law if he hadn’t been head of the royal knights lol]
└[No, he probably refused because he had to serve the emperor]
└[No, the emperor probably opposed it to keep him nearby]
Somehow, I could imagine all of it…
Since the youngest, Hestina, wasn’t aiming for the baron title and didn’t intend to bring a husband into the family, it was a meaningless thought experiment.
└[Rose is now the only heir, shouldn’t she bring in a son-in-law?]
└[Oh, that’s true]
└[She came here to observe and learn]
‘I’ve never thought about marriage.’
Even without an heir of my own, could I just pass the Barony of Evnil to the Linward descendants?
It was a vague thought for the future, something I could brush off, but the comment section was buzzing with imagination.
└[Could the crown prince become a son-in-law?]
└[Is it possible?]
‘Why are we suddenly dragging in a well-off crown prince?’
└[Did you check if he’s doing well?!]
└[With the empress and the second prince in the house, he might want to escape]
└[Leon is a minor duke too, what then]
└[Bring in someone else]
└[Rose seems like she can handle herself alone]
└[No, make a romance happen]
Having just settled in the Evnil barony recently, I didn’t want to start worrying about the next generation yet.
Between Linward and Evnil, and even the vacation spot of the Holten marquisate, Hestina and I had stayed longer than expected while traveling between estates, so it was time to prepare to return.
“I’ll come again. Grandfather, Father, Mother.”
“Rose. Next time, tell us what kind of mansion you want. Or send a letter—we’ll prepare it in advance.”
“Yes… I will. If I remember.”
The Linward marquis still hoped I would settle here, but I wasn’t likely to fulfill that wish.
Instead, I conveyed my regards to Gardin for our next meeting.
“I’ll visit again soon. I’ll write a letter too.”
“Good. When you send the letter, draw the room you want. We’ll decorate it and wait.”
└[Like father, like daughter lol]
└[But Rose still needs her own room, yes]
The mansion seemed a bit much, but having my own room in Evnil manor would be fine.
“Yes. Perfect!”
I nodded firmly, gave one hug, and climbed into the carriage.
Hestina, looking out the window at the receding marquis mansion, turned to me with a smile.
“The feeling is quite different from when we arrived. Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes! I’m glad I came. Everyone was so kind.”
While traveling for several days in the carriage, I had worried about being turned away at the door or how to handle awkward situations, but Hestina’s family was refreshingly straightforward. My worries melted away.
└[What about that uncle?]
└[Oh right, Sein’s dad lol totally forgot]
└[Happy world except for that uncle]
As for Vantra… I vaguely remember hearing a protesting voice from outside when we were in the marquis mansion’s annex, but Hestina said it didn’t concern us and shut the window.
So I don’t know how it was resolved. Anything involving the head of the family would be discussed and settled within the family.
‘I can’t interfere. I belong to Evnil.’
└[She keeps saying she’s Evnil and pretending not to know lol]
└[Rose isn’t interfering, just cheering on her cousins]
└[Let the uncle handle it]
Right. If the head of the family can’t be appointed without the support of a twelve-year-old, then that’s all he is.
Returning to the duchy would take several more days.
Feeling at ease, I closed my eyes to catch some sleep.
After visiting the marquis and baron estates, there was immediately another schedule.
“Lady Serenia is waiting in her room.”
Next was the Frente Temple visit.
A young cleric led me down a familiar path and said this.
Normally, a saint’s development is assessed until they reach 15—the point where their divine power plateaus—but Serenia had been in the temple for six years already.
Having been there since childhood, and with no other saint candidates capable of embodying a deity, the temple considered whether to announce the new saint sooner.
‘In other words, my days of enjoying freedom as a cleric might be shorter.’
Even ordinary clerics had to follow the temple’s rules, so they were never truly freer than normal people.
Since Serenia spent her childhood here, she was given exceptional free time to experience life as a child.
That’s why, like today, I—Serenia’s friend—was periodically invited to the temple.
└[Does Serenia have other friends?]
└[Originally a loner, but now everyone is popular, so it’s forgotten]
└[But this is really blood relatives…]
└[The family story continues]
To the clerics, Serenia was someone they would serve in the future.
Even with trainee clerics her age around, it was hard to become a close friend.
At Serenia’s door, the cleric knocked, and footsteps came from inside before the door swung open.
“Rose!”
Same age, same orange hair. Though others didn’t know, we shared the same maternal bloodline.
Watching us grow at the same pace, clerics often whispered:
-
Aren’t those two… alike?
-
Did you notice too? I thought they were real sisters at first.
Ironically…
-
Ulien, the deputy, has orange hair too. Maybe all orange-haired people look similar.
Thanks to Ulien, such whispers were neutralized.
As the one who actually inherited his hair color, I couldn’t help feeling a little stung.
Watching Serenia’s orange hair, now longer than when it was short as a child, I was lost in thought when she pulled me inside.
Before the cleric could turn away, she slammed the door.
“Serenia, what’s going on?”
“You said we couldn’t meet outside because I have a schedule tomorrow. How long could it take?”
With a rebellious glance, she muttered,
“Ha… if you restrict me from freedom like this, I might really go wild.”
└[Ah, this is truly adolescence lol]
└[More like middle school syndrome]
└[Hey hey~ Ignore me at your own risk!]
└[Wearing a “cleric uniform” as a “prisoner” in the “temple” for the “crime” of being a saint…]
