There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Marriage Proposal (2)

—

Master,

I hope you are in good health.

It has been quite some time since late winter arrived. The chill seems to be easing, and it feels like the eastern continent is already preparing for spring.

It has been quite some time since I arrived at the Rochester family in the north, and I think I will be returning to Ebelstein soon.

As a magic teacher, I feel I have grown a bit, but as a mercenary, I feel my instincts have dulled, which worries me. I should maintain my skills by engaging in more practical combat whenever I have time.

The reason I have taken out my quill to write this letter is because…

…I am getting married.

However… I have no partner.

.

.

—-

The mansion of the Marquis of Elvester, known as the headquarters of the eastern continent’s social circles.

An elderly woman, sitting in a corner of the grand and luxurious garden, shuddered as she read the letter sent by her long-time disciple.

She had only read the beginning, but it already seemed unusual.

Her disciple, who rarely contacted her unless it was something important, had sent a letter first, and she was already bewildered.

The woman put the letter down for a moment, pressed her temples, and looked up at the sky.

How many years had it been since she parted with her short disciple in Ebelstein…

She couldn’t fathom what kind of tumultuous life her only beloved disciple was living.

*

To receive a title, one needs to belong to a family.

In this era, it was a natural thing, but Derrick, who was an orphan from the slums, hadn’t thought that far.

Watching the carriage prepared to head to Ebelstein, Derrick scratched his head and sat down next to the fireplace in the main hall.

Before Lady Siern officially debuted in the social circles, she planned to visit Ebelstein to observe the atmosphere.

In the meantime, Derrick and Aiselin also had the opportunity to set foot on their homeland after a long time.

—

—

It was a relief to escape this desolate snowy region and finally be able to enjoy the food of Ebelstein. Aiselin, who was holding a bundle of cash given by Melverot, must have felt satisfied as well.

However, Derek could only hold his head in his hands.

‘I have three options.’

Either be adopted into an existing family, find a trustworthy person to marry and create a family, or give up the title conferment.

Since a title is essential to reach the 4-star level, the last option is out.

That left only two options.

“Derek… you seem to be deep in thought…”

Aiselin, who had somehow come to the opposite side of the fireplace, sat down hesitantly.

She had just finished all the lessons prepared for Siern today and seemed to be preparing to return to Ebelstein.

Despite the excitement of returning to the Duplain mansion and seeing familiar faces, Aiselin was looking at Derek’s expression with even more tension.

Derek was now facing the choice of a lifetime.

“…Yes. I never imagined that I would have to think about a partner so suddenly.”

“The title conferment is indeed strict. It considers not only the existence of a family but also magical skills, character, merit, and trustworthiness…”

“I believe I am not lacking in magical skills, and Sir Melverot will speak well of the other aspects…”

Derek sighed deeply, brushing his bangs back.

Indeed, the existence of a partner was an unexpected variable. He thought about grabbing a woman and getting married, but then he remembered that it wasn’t a problem that could be solved so easily.

“You don’t necessarily have to find a partner… There is the option of being adopted into an existing family, isn’t there? Who in the world would refuse to adopt someone who is to receive a baron title…!”

“Then I would need someone to officially become my parent. It’s not easy to grant recognition and authority as a parent to someone you don’t even know.”

Derek was not satisfied with just the baron title; he aspired to become a higher-level magician.

As Derek’s authority increased, so would the authority of the person who would become his parent. He didn’t want to leave such unnecessary variables.

“You just need to find a trustworthy person. Like Mr. Drest, who already has a baron title…”

“Master Drest is so fond of wandering that it’s impossible to find him. No one on this continent can locate a 6-star exploration magician who has decided to distance himself from the world…”

“Then… yes. You mentioned you had another master before. Although they have almost fallen, they were originally from a noble family, weren’t they?”

“Master Katia is from the Flame Heart Viscount family.”

“…”

There is always a reason for a fallen family.

The Flame Heart Viscount family had rebelled against the empire and was greatly ruined.

Starting anew with a title, there was no benefit in using the name of a rebellious family.

“…Is there no one else?”

“Well, there are people like Uncle Jayden or other elders in the shopping district… but honestly, it’s not easy to ask people with their own families for such a favor.”

—

—

From noble mtl dot com

“Th-Then… Then…”

“There must be a reason why Sir Melverot told me to find a partner. Rather than belonging to another family, it would be much more efficient for me to create a family myself. I can make all the decisions on my own.”

Even so, the need for a partner to build a family together remained unchanged.

It might be much easier than finding parents, but still, a trustworthy person was needed.

Aiselin fidgeted with her knees.

She had a lot to say, but it was hard to speak up here.

“Then, will you marry me?” She wasn’t brave enough to say that, and even if it were possible, it didn’t make sense for the young lady of the Duplain family to marry an orphan with no background.

Even if it was a fallen family, a duke’s family was still a duke’s family.

It was too unrealistic for the young lady of a duke’s family to casually throw out her marriage proposal just to help someone get a barony. Even if Aiselin was okay with it, the retainers and family members would never leave it alone.

Aiselin’s marriage proposal was one of the strongest weapons the Duplain family had.

Derrick knew this well, so he pressed his brow without paying much attention to Aiselin.

“The best thing would be to meet a woman who deeply resonates with me, shares my values, matches my ideals, and to beautifully fall in love, confess, and build a lovely family together, but…”

“Huh…”

“I have to return to Ebelstein by the end of this week, so where is the time for that? It’s not very realistic…”

“Isn’t that right?!”

Derrick flinched in surprise at Aiselin’s suddenly raised tone.

When he turned to Aiselin, she was also surprised and kept apologizing with her mouth covered.

“…So, the best thing at this point is to find a woman who can understand my situation and cooperate.”

“C-Cooperate?”

“Yes. Find someone who can appropriately pose as my partner in public… and appropriately compensate her.”

It was a bleak situation, but Derrick seemed serious.

Derrick, who usually had no interest in anything other than magic, was now looking for a marriage partner, so in a way, this was a natural conclusion.

Even if they were at the bottom, a noble was still a noble. There would be plenty of women on the streets who wanted to act as the lady of a baron’s family.

The problem was that most of them were untrustworthy.

Marriage was ultimately a matter of being bound by the will of heaven. Once united, it wouldn’t be easy to separate.

If so, after a formal marriage, she might suddenly flip her hand and start wielding her rights as the lady. That would be another headache.

In the end, all problems boiled down to one thing: Is there a trustworthy person?

“Derrick…”

“Yes?”

“No matter how you look at it… Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime serious matter for a woman… Will there be someone who can easily cooperate with that?”

—

—

“That’s true. In the first place, if you ask me if I can take responsibility for the rest of my life, I can’t really be sure…”

It’s the times.

It was an era where divorced women and widows were despised wherever they went.

If she recklessly accepted Derek’s proposal, she might have to wander for the rest of her life. There weren’t many women who would go to such lengths for Derek.

“So, I mean… how about considering other ways to solve the problem instead of insisting on finding a partner?”

Aiselin felt as if she was subtly being led by him.

Derek, who was subtly aware of Aiselin’s feelings, broke into a cold sweat at her unusual reaction.

In any case, it was impossible to bring the only flower of the Duplain family and marry her.

Women belonging to families above the rank of baron would all shake their heads at the thought of marrying Derek. Why would they go against their family’s opposition and marry down?

A woman who is trustworthy, won’t go back on her word later, isn’t obsessed with the authority and power of the noble family, cooperates with Derek willingly, and can provide appropriate compensation.

Even after going through the list of all the people Derek had met in his life, such a person was not common.

However… it wasn’t that there were none at all.

A person who has no other intentions towards Derek, can at least pretend to be his partner on the surface, and can provide appropriate compensation.

“…There is one… person…”

“What…?!?!”

Aiselin looked at Derek with a shocked expression.

Derek himself seemed unaware, but the news that he had taken someone as a partner would cause a great stir in the Roséa Salon.

Even if it was just a formal act to grant a title, there were more than a few people who would pay attention to who the partner was.

*

– Thud!

Should it be called the return of the king? Derek’s presence was already being talked about like a hero in the Veldern Mercenary Corps.

Derek was already known for his reliable work since his mercenary days.

There wasn’t an employer who didn’t seek Derek, and on days when Derek wasn’t there, they started entrusting work to other mercenaries, so there was no shortage of work.

Thus, ‘Tears of Veldern’, run by Jayden, was always full of clients and tavern guests. There wasn’t a single day that wasn’t busy.

Although the owner had lost an arm while exploring the labyrinth of the White Zone, his always candid and cheerful demeanor never disappeared.

Rather, he was able to focus more on the tavern work and running the mercenary corps, so before long, the tavern was always bustling with business.

So, when Derek, the start of this virtuous cycle, opened the tavern door after a few months, he couldn’t help but be welcomed.

“Oh, Derek…!”

Jayden, who was counting money behind the tavern counter, greeted the boy who had returned after a long time with a bright face.

“Hello, Uncle Jayden.”

—

—

“These days, I heard you were wandering around the north, but you’ve returned to Ebelstein. It’s good to see you. The tavern street hasn’t changed, right? Want to have a drink?”

Jaden, who greeted Derek warmly and stood up from his seat, suddenly stiffened his expression.

He had quite a few people accompanying him. Well-dressed butlers and servants were lined up in front of the tavern door.

They didn’t follow Derek into the tavern, but the two people they were escorting were different.

The girl who was holding onto Derek’s collar and glancing around was Siern Aleina Rochester, the young lady of the Rochester duchy.

And the girl who was sticking close to her was Aiselin Eleanor Duplain, the young lady of the Duplain duchy.

It was unheard of for noble young ladies, who looked so noble at a glance, to come into a tavern street filled with the scent of life.

Moreover, there were two of them, not just one. The smile on Jaden’s face completely disappeared.

“This is Miss Aiselin of the Duplain family. And this is Miss Siern from the northern Rochester family.”

“…I heard you were working as a teacher in the north, but you bring along big shots without a care.”

Jaden, leaning on the counter-cum-bar table, bowed his head politely and greeted them.

“I’m Jaden.”

“Oh, it’s been a while. You haven’t changed.”

“Yes. I’m glad to see that Miss Aiselin looks healthy as well. I heard about the misfortune. I can only offer my deepest condolences.”

While Aiselin was exchanging formal greetings, Siern was hiding behind Derek, continuously looking around. Everything felt unfamiliar to Siern, and she seemed somewhat scared.

The once lively and noisy tavern had suddenly become quiet. The tavern’s patrons could only swallow their dry saliva and observe the atmosphere due to the arrival of the three people.

Staying here any longer would only create a sense of incongruity. Derek, who keenly felt this, quickly looked around.

And at one corner of the bar table, he found a girl who was drunk and sprawled out.

Her hair, neatly tied up behind her, looked tidy, and a large bow was tied below it.

She was the companion Derek had spent the most time with while working as a mercenary on this tavern street.

Derek strode over to her and quickly shook her shoulder to wake her up.

“Ugh… Ugh… When did I fall asleep…”

“Feline. Wake up, Feline.”

“Huh? What, what… Derek? Derek? When did you return to Ebelstein?”

Still not fully grasping the situation, she opened her drowsy eyes and laughed with a blush from the drunkenness. Just looking at her made Derek feel drained.

Derek nodded and quickly spoke as he sat down next to her.

“Feline… Listen without misunderstanding.”

“Huh? What? Suddenly appearing like a comet, what are you talking about? While you weren’t coming to the tavern street, where were you and what were you doing…”

“Let’s get married.”

“…”

—

—

*Hicc* A hiccup escaped her lips, and soon, Felinne’s expression hardened.

The rosy flush that had risen thanks to the pleasant intoxication faded away, and soon, the color completely drained from her face.

“Derek, you went to the North and came back with boring jokes.”

“I’m serious. Marry me.”

“…Did you eat something wrong?”

Derek even felt grateful for Felinne’s reaction, which seemed to be one of genuine disgust.

Felinne was Derek’s long-time colleague, but she didn’t see him as a man in the slightest. She considered him more like family or a close friend, so it was only natural for her to be appalled by such a sudden proposal.

She was a person who not only had no interest in aristocratic authority but was utterly disillusioned with the nobility itself.

Having known her for a long time, Derek trusted her, could offer appropriate compensation, and since she was also an orphan with no ties, there wouldn’t be any major complications.

Where could he find someone more perfect than her? Derek looked at Felinne with serious eyes.

He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, unsure of where to start or how to explain.

“…”

Felinne felt the intoxication rapidly dissipate and finally began to look around.

Even at a glance, two women dressed in luxurious dresses had entered the tavern. Anyone could tell they were noble ladies from prestigious families.

Even Jayden, who was watching them, had a hardened expression. It wasn’t easy to see that veteran mercenary, who had always worn a sly smile even when his arm was cut off, looking so shocked.

Two noble ladies, who commanded the era, had appeared together, and then they declared that they would take a third woman and make her their own.

A man should have the ambition to embrace the world, but this scale was not easy to achieve. He had the ladies of Duplain and Rochester on either side of him.

And the third woman he chose was just a mercenary wandering the tavern streets… What kind of story and background were intertwined here? Who in the world could resist this curiosity?

Meanwhile, the two women didn’t even show signs of anger, just glancing sideways awkwardly. It was a situation where they should have been angry, making the atmosphere even more peculiar.

Who knows what had happened in the North, but the diligent young man who only knew magic had turned into such a beast── Jayden finally managed to speak.

“Derek… You… Your ambition as a man has grown tremendously since I last saw you…”

“…”

Derek realized that he was being misunderstood.

It was time to move to a place where there were no prying eyes.