There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Marriage Proposal (3)

“A baron? Becoming a baron? Does that mean Derek is becoming a noble? Did I hear that right?”

When Derek nodded, Felinne stepped back, pressing her temples as if she felt dizzy. The place was a dark alley deeper behind the tavern ‘Tears of Beldern.’

After causing a commotion inside the tavern, Derek had brought her out, thinking that staying there would only lead to more terrible misunderstandings.

Leaving Aiseline and Siern with the escort, he busily wagged his tongue to quickly finish his business with Felinne.

—

—

“I need a title. Felinne, as you know, I want to become a higher-level magician. At this point, to elevate my magical prowess without any repercussions, I need to raise my status and prestige.”

“You went all the way to the north to work… and this is what you were planning?”

“It wasn’t so much that I intended it, but rather the opportunity came, and I just seized it.”

Felinne, leaning against the gloomy alley wall, stroked her chin and spoke with a hardened expression.

“You know well that my hometown, Radel Village, was completely wiped out by those damned nobles. I absolutely detest mingling with those pretentious aristocrats.”

“Don’t worry. Just give me the pretext. Who else but you, Felinne, could I ask for such a favor?”

“No… you’re asking me to play house with Derek…?”

Felinne tapped her thigh as if imagining something, then spoke with a pale face.

“Derek… it’s physically difficult for me…”

“Do you think I want to do this… I’m struggling too… I’ll be lucky if I don’t throw up…”

“…The way you say it makes me feel strangely uncomfortable.”

“Do you think I feel good about this?”

Derek and Felinne stared at each other for a while.

To an outsider, it might seem odd why they were so repulsed, but Derek and Felinne had been wandering the mercenary boards together since their childhood, sharing a bond closer to family than lovers.

Of course, they didn’t act as affectionately as real family… but at least they had a certain level of trust that neither would betray the other.

Felinne, folding her arms, finally spoke with a serious tone.

“Sorry, Derek. I have no intention of living a married life that isn’t in my destiny. I just want to scrape by, bickering with Uncle Jayden or the mercenary members.”

“Really, is there no way, no matter what?”

“Derek.”

Felinne stood up from leaning against the wall, smoothing her hair tied back, and spoke decisively.

“No matter what you say, it’s not happening. Derek, I’m willing to do most things you ask, but this is too much.”

“…I’ll give you money.”

“Sigh… No matter how much of a miser I am, there are things I can and can’t do. Even if I made some money mingling with those aristocrats, how could you think of buying a woman’s marriage proposal with money…! I’m a woman too, Derek!”

“…I’ll give you a lot. I know your hard work well, so I’ll make sure you’re well compensated. And once I get the title and things get better, I’ll give you a lot of reward money and make you free again… I promise. It will be a substantial amount.”

“How can you say such a thing! I like money, but I know well that not everything in the world can be solved with money!”

Derek approached her with long strides and slowly whispered the specific amount in Felinne’s ear.

“…”

Hearing that, Felinne shuddered.

“……”

Finally, Felinne spoke with wide eyes.

—

—

“Please take care of me…!!! My lord!!!”

“…”

…There was no such thing as absolute in this world.

Pellin was a highly skilled mercenary archer.

She wore a reddish-brown leather blouse with wooden light armor over it, and an old flared skirt with two or three leather belts wrapped around it. There were many pockets and pouches attached to it.

Her wrists were covered with black bandages or leather gloves, and she had potion holders on her thighs. The weapons strapped to her back looked quite grim, but she always covered them with a reddish-brown hooded cloak.

Her platinum blonde hair was tied up, giving her a sharp impression.

It was clear at a glance that she had been killing monsters since she was young. If it weren’t for Derek, she would have been the promising star of the Veldern Mercenary Corps.

Such a person had let her hair down, dressed in a plain linen dress, and wore a straw hat as she entered the tavern.

She had carefully chosen an outfit that didn’t look too luxurious, just like a baron’s wife from a rural area.

“…”

Seeing her, Jayden commented.

“It looks like a gorilla is wearing a dress.”

“Jayden, sir…”

“…I apologize.”

The tavern had already finished its business and was closed.

Most of the customers had gone home, and only Derek, Aislin, and Siern were sitting at the bar table in the center.

“I instructed them to pick the most modest-looking clothes from my mansion in the noble district. This should… not stand out too much.”

Aislin looked at the two with a troubled expression.

Pellin looked somewhat dejected and soulless, while Derek, watching her, clenched his jaw and maintained a poker face.

To a stranger, she might look like any common woman, but to those who knew Pellin well, it was a scene that evoked an indescribable sense of discomfort.

One should not be deceived by her frail appearance.

Pellin was a girl who could dismember four or five goblins at once with a single dagger.

There was a reason Derek always took her along to slightly dangerous places.

“Derek… Right now… I’m feeling disillusioned with my entire life…”

“Pellin. Don’t think so pessimistically… The clothes suit you well…”

“Look me in the eyes and say that.”

“Damn… There’s dust in my eyes…”

Derek, who desperately needed Pellin’s help, tried to cheer her up.

Meanwhile, Aislin, watching the two, felt a strange sense of relief rising within her.

—

—

In reality, Derek and Feline didn’t see each other as romantic partners even in the slightest.

When you spend your entire life working as a mercenary, living day by day, the romance of relationships tends to die out at some point.

Dreaming of a prince on a white horse or a handsome northern duke who is warm only to you is a privilege of those who live comfortably in a greenhouse.

As for Aiseline, she had grown up in the unique aristocratic environment of Duplain since childhood, so she did harbor some romantic notions.

However, Feline was a practical person. She would touch the loose linen dress and point out its impractical parts, saying things like, “I can’t even run in this.”

“Derek… I’m… sleepy…”

Siern was sipping the honey drink that Jayden had given her, and she was dozing off in Aiseline’s arms.

And there was Feline, frowning as she watched, and Derek, who was planning what to do next…

Jayden watched them quietly from the side and thought.

“I don’t know what happened in the north, but it’s a total mess.”

There wasn’t a single part that didn’t feel uneasy. He wondered if they could really receive the baron’s title like this.

*

“Derek… getting married…?”

The news of the marriage of Derek, a magic teacher active in the southwest of Ebelstein, spread after the next week’s meeting at the Rosea Salon.

“Yes…”

“Oh, no… it’s a bit sudden…”

It was the day Aiseline, who had gone to the north to earn money, finally returned to the Rosea Salon.

No longer part of the three great families, Aiseline, who was running around as a fallen noblewoman, must have looked pitiful.

Most of her followers had left to find their own way, and those who remained only felt pity for her.

Therefore, Elente and Drenis wanted to ask about her well-being at this meeting out of old affection.

Although the tension between the three great families had been intense, Aiseline had handled herself maturely and wisely in such difficult relationships.

Elente and Drenis couldn’t feel entirely pleased about Aiseline’s downfall.

However, what Aiseline said in private after the meeting was so shocking that they momentarily forgot their pity.

From noble mtl dot com

“She met a woman named Feline from the Veldern Mercenary Corps, and they are going to build a lovely home and a nest of love…”

Aiseline didn’t mention that it was part of a desperate struggle to receive the title. She didn’t want to add unnecessary words and cause trouble later.

As a result, Elente and Drenis’s expressions hardened.

In fact, if you asked if they saw Derek as a romantic partner, they didn’t.

He was a good teacher, a trustworthy person, and someone they would like to hire if the opportunity arose… that was all. At least, that’s what they thought.

However, the news of Derek’s marriage was so shocking that they were at a loss for words.

Elente put down the teacup she was about to sip from and, sweating slightly, asked Aiseline.

—

—

“R-Really..? That woman named P-Pelline… When did you start seeing her for the news of your marriage to come so suddenly…?”

“I heard she has been working as a mercenary with him since childhood… They met once on the way back to Ebelstein, and she was definitely a strong-willed and skilled person.”

“…Really?”

“She was an archer with platinum hair tied back. Her skills were almost perfect, and many mercenary groups were trying to recruit her.”

Upon hearing those words, Ellente suddenly recalled the image of a woman buried in her memory.

It was the very archer Derek had brought in to help with the escort when they were struggling through the labyrinth during his lessons.

She seemed to be around Ellente’s age but was already accustomed to the blood-splattered battlefield.

‘Indeed, Derek would be more attracted to a comrade with extensive battlefield experience than a noble lady who knows nothing of the world…’

Ellente thought as she caressed the edge of her teacup. It was only natural.

While she was lost in deep thought, Denice, who was drinking tea on the opposite side, had already finished her thoughts.

‘──Lady Aisellin is lying.’

Denice was a quick thinker.

She was a bit surprised when she first heard the news, but after taking a sip of tea and calmly organizing her thoughts, she quickly grasped the situation.

Before Aisellin left for the north, Denice had already noticed that Aisellin harbored unusual feelings for Derek.

If Aisellin had heard the news of Derek’s marriage proposal, she wouldn’t be calmly informing those around her like this.

If Derek’s marriage proposal were true, Aisellin would be greatly distressed or flustered.

She was not the type of person to have a leisurely conversation. Aisellin was smart and adept at socializing, but she was clearly inexperienced in this area.

‘Recently, a letter about Derek’s barony conferment arrived. Since having no family is a disqualification, it seems they are planning to arrange a forced marriage to meet the qualification requirements.’

Denice’s intuition and insight were unmatched within the Rozea Salon.

If Derek were to receive the barony, the territory he would manage would be the Rodelen region, adjacent to the Beltus Duchy.

In a way, it felt like becoming neighbors with the Beltus family. The physical distance would be immense, but they might see each other often if entangled in tariff agreements or trade route disputes.

‘It’s a barony in the remote areas that everyone avoids, so if he meets the qualification requirements, he might really become a noble. His magical skills are not lacking either… Should I treat him with the courtesy of a noble the next time we meet?’

Thinking that, the image of the man who was only focused on magic suddenly came to mind.

‘He really… aims to reach the level of a 4-star or higher.’

His magical achievements were hard to believe even when seen with one’s own eyes.

Being a 3-star at this age meant that he might truly reach the level of 4-star or 5-star in the future.

If he were to reach the 4-star level at a young age… the entire continent would not leave him alone.

Among the well-known figures who reached the 4-star level at a young age, there were only two: Melverot and Kalimford. Both of them had reached the level of 6-star magic.

At this point, he was already beyond the level of a mere magic teacher who could teach magic well.

‘The old fogies of the imperial capital wouldn’t know. They wouldn’t even think about what would happen the moment Derek receives the barony and enters the ranks of the nobility.’

—

—

Denise quietly thought with her crescent-shaped eyes open.

It seemed that she had an unimaginably great person as her teacher.

“Oh my, isn’t it Lady Aiseline?”

It was at that moment when Denise was pondering about the power dynamics among the nobility.

In the midst of a lively conversation about Derek’s partner, a girl dressed in a beautiful, luxurious dress interrupted them from behind.

The girl, who was smiling while placing a dessert tray full of floral decorations on the table, was Lady Trisha of the Renouel Viscount family.

Although her smiling face looked lively, her true intentions were obvious.

She was a person who coveted the position of the three great families that the Duplain family had vacated.

‘…’

Denise forcibly suppressed her frowning eyebrows. In the Ebelstein social circle, which was like a thin ice sheet, the skill of managing one’s expressions was fundamental.

“Oh my, Lady Trisha. It’s been a while.”

Aiseline greeted the smiling Trisha warmly.

Trisha just kept giving Aiseline a meaningful smile while staring at her intently.

Denise almost clicked her tongue.

It was obvious why Lady Trisha had come to this casual gathering.

The declining Duplain and the rising Renouel.

She wanted to clearly show the gap and somehow seize the real power of the Rosea Salon.

The sinister and gloomy power struggles among the noble ladies were something both Ellente and Denise had experienced to the point of nausea. However, it never became familiar.

She had come to crush Aiseline.