GRE 3

Chapter 3

“Regina, do you know how much this worthless father’s heart broke… when you played with a chipped dagger instead of a teddy bear the moment you learned to walk?”

“…”

“I’m sorry enough that I had to let you be born on a battlefield, but I can’t let you live your whole life amidst the smell of blood. I want you to live normally, safely, and peacefully like everyone else, even now. That is our wish.”

It was a clumsy, heartfelt truth.

The desperate wish of a father who had spent his entire life on the battlefield, hoping that his daughter, at least, would live a life different from his own.

After a moment of silence, I let out a small sigh and nodded.

“Understood.”

“Huh?”

“If Father and Heinrich want it that much, I’ll get married. And I’ll retire, too.”

“Ooh! Well thought out, Regina!”

Overcome with emotion, Father pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

From that day on, the Eisenbach estate became bustling with the “Operation: Find a Groom.”

Father and Heinrich searched far and wide to set up matchmaking meetings for me.

But the results were disastrous.

“You want me to handle the household management? Oh, please. Household management is obviously a woman’s job, does that even make sense?”

The first man shuddered in disgust when I told him I would earn the money while he took care of the house.

“I’m curious about the exact amount of the battle bounty… and whether it will be treated as joint marital property.”

The second man overtly cared only about my wealth.

“W-Well, my ideal type is a woman who stimulates my protective instincts…”

“I see. Then you can carry the luggage for both of us.”

“…”

The third man went home crying.

Ten times, twenty times—the matchmaking meetings kept falling apart.

The men of the capital were far too faint-hearted to handle my reputation as the “Black Reaper.”

“At this rate, our youngest is really going to live alone for the rest of her life,” Father groaned, clutching his head as he looked at the towering stack of “Matchmaking Failure Reports.”

There were hardly any candidates left.

We were no longer in a position to be picky about conditions.

Just then, Heinrich pulled a single sheet of paper from the very bottom of the document pile.

“Father, there is one last application that came in, though…”

“Let’s see it.”

Father snatched the document.

A moment later, however, his brow furrowed deeply.

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

“Right? I doubted my own eyes when I saw it, too.”

At their reactions, I asked,

“What is it? Is he some kind of scumbag?”

“No, a scumbag would actually be better. We could just educate him,” Heinrich said, clicking his tongue as he handed over the document.

“They say he’s the second son of a rural viscount, but he doesn’t have a damn thing to his name. No, it’s not just that he has nothing—he’s in the negative.”

“They say his debts are a mountain. Plus, his health is frail, so he’s come to the capital to recuperate… We can’t possibly bring such a withered stick of a man into the Eisenbach family as our in-law.”

Father shook his head and tried to crumple the paper.

I subtly snatched the document from his hand.

To be sure, looking only at the conditions, it was the worst.

However, a different part caught my eye.

“Frail health.”

If that was the case, he wouldn’t be terrified of me or try to overpower me with strength.

And if he had a lot of debt, wouldn’t he be obedient to my words if I paid it off?

Above all… this was my last chance to end this agonizing matchmaking war.

“I’ll go meet him anyway.”

“What? Regina, are you serious?”

“Yes. We don’t have any candidates left anyway. The debts I can pay off, and if his health is frail, I can protect him.”

I stood up and added,

“I’ll be right back, then. To check out what kind of ‘withered stick’ he is.”

Thus, I decided upon the fateful matchmaking meeting that would upend my life—and shake the destiny of the empire.

Habits are a frightening thing.

When I opened my eyes, the sun hadn’t yet risen outside, leaving only a bluish dawn light lingering.

I got out of bed and reached under my pillow.

Failing to grasp the cold hilt of a dagger, it finally hit me that I was in a capital estate, not a battlefield tent.

“…Haah.”

I let out a short sigh and pushed myself up.

The sensation of the fluffy duck-down duvet and silk sheets was still unfamiliar.

It made me think that a hard army cot would at least be kinder to my lower back.

I headed to the bathroom.

There are no maids in my room.

There were two reasons I didn’t hire a maid.

First, I hated anyone touching my body.

Second, the maids freaked out.

When I first came to the capital, I did hire a maid like a normal lady.

However, while helping me dress, that maid caught sight of the scars covering my back and screamed in terror, visibly fearing me.

Ever since that day, I dismissed all attendants.

Being alone was more comfortable.

I had picked out today’s outfit the day before:

A white silk blouse, dark black tailored trousers, and comfortable, practical long leather boots.

When I first started going to matchmaking meetings, I actually wore dresses.

But I gradually realized that outfits didn’t matter.

A man who wants to run away will run away no matter what.

Realizing that, I started wearing comfortable clothes from then on.

(Besides, if the date turns out to be rude, pants are much easier to kick in than a skirt.)

Thinking practically, I looked in the mirror.

The jet-black hair I had cropped short on the battlefield had grown out enough now to be called a bob.

My skin, pale enough to look translucent, contrasted sharply with my pitch-black hair, making me look even more chilling.

…Even to my own eyes, my appearance was a bit intimidating.

When I went down to the dining room, Father and Heinrich, who were waiting for me, gave me thumbs-up.

“That’s it! You look very spirited and wonderful! Go and don’t let yourself be intimidated!”

Father gripped a fork like a dagger as he delivered his passionate speech.

“If a guy can’t handle our daughter, he’s automatically disqualified to begin with. Understand?”

“That’s right, Regina. If you meet him and figure out he’s really nothing special, just walk right out. There’s absolutely no need to force the relationship to continue.”

Heinrich also chimed in, habitually checking the edge of his dining knife.

Leaving behind the passionate cheers of Father and Heinrich, I left the mansion.

The meeting place was the famous café in the center of the capital.

I thought about taking a carriage, but since I had plenty of time, I decided to walk.

I slowly strolled through the streets of the capital, looking around.

“Really… how unfamiliar.”

The capital was a fascinating place.

Instead of the pungent smell of rotting corpses, the scent of freshly baked bread and sweet perfume filled the streets.

Instead of the screams of soldiers and the clashing of steel, I heard the calls of street vendors and the laughter of children.

Instead of mud, people walked elegantly and dressed brilliantly over well-paved sidewalks.

Not far away, a flower-selling girl ran past, and lovers strolled arm-in-arm, gazing at the shop windows.

Not a single person was worrying about death.

On the battlefield, a single minor mistake cost you your head.

But this was a place where even a mistake could be brushed off with a smile.

Unable to blend into that peaceful scenery, I felt like an outsider or a ghost.

“Is this what it means to live normally?”

A corner of my chest ached dully.

I could finally understand a little why Father and Heinrich had tried so desperately to pull me away from the battlefield, and why they tried to force me into marriage.

If I lived mixed into this kind of tranquility, would the unerasable smell of blood on my hands ever fade away someday?

“Hoo.”

I caught my breath and steeled my resolve.

“Alright. Let’s do well on today’s meeting. I, too… can become normal.”

Café was as luxurious as its reputation suggested.

A high-end coffee bean aroma drifted right from the entrance.

Guided by an employee, I entered the private room reserved at the very back of the first floor.

Thick velvet curtains and plush sofas came into view.

I sat down and mentally reviewed the partner’s personal details one more time.

“His name is Kain Brosel. The second son of Viscount Brosel.”