MDCHC 07

Chapter :〈007〉

“No particular reason.”

It was a simple answer. And also a rather awkward one.

“Still, you must have some expectations for what kind of wedding you’d like to have, right?”

“Not really.”

Even when I asked again, Lord Winchester’s answer was the same. Honestly, I had somewhat expected this. A man who could propose without a hint of expression probably didn’t care much about weddings either.

“Then what kind of wedding ring would you like? Do you have any preference?”

I carefully took out a catalog. At least for the ring he himself would wear, I planned to do exactly as Lord Winchester wished. In exchange, I intended to haggle down the cost of everything else as much as possible.

“In the Winchester family, the head of the household traditionally uses the head’s signet ring as their wedding ring. It signifies that he is both the head of the family and the household.”

He showed me the ring he was already wearing. To put it nicely, it had a sense of tradition. Honestly, though, it was rather gaudy—a huge red gemstone embedded in it. Since Lord Winchester had large, rough hands, it somewhat suited him, but on a frail-looking man it would be so big you’d worry it might break his finger.

Still, the fact that we didn’t need to buy a new ring made the corners of my mouth twitch upward.

“And in fact, I already have a ring I’d like you, Miss Naeri, to wear.”

He opened a drawer and took out a small jewelry box. He had taken out the marriage proposal document from there last time too. What on earth did he keep in that drawer?

“Is it something like a ring passed down from the previous Countess of Winchester?”

In novels, there were often scenes where a man proposed with his mother’s or grandmother’s wedding ring. I had always thought that was romantic—an engagement that carried on a legacy, making you feel like you were truly becoming part of the family.

‘The first romantic element to appear in this marriage…’

“There’s nothing like that.”

At his cold reply, that faint spark of romance was instantly snuffed out.

“My mother was a rather greedy woman. When she died, she asked for all her jewelry to be buried with her.”

“…That’s a new kind of burial sacrifice.”

It was a shame about the gems, but at least it was a peaceful sacrifice since they were inanimate objects.

“If they had buried them, that is.”

“They didn’t?”

“No.”

His answer confused me. If they hadn’t been buried with her, and there was no family heirloom ring, then where had the late Countess’s jewels gone?

“Since I confirmed there was no need to preserve them for future generations, I sold them off.”

Sensing my puzzled look, Lord Winchester answered without me even asking. I couldn’t decide if he was an unfilial son or simply a pragmatic realist.

“Then did you buy a new ring?”

I swallowed the words ‘for me’. No need to be that blunt.

“It’s just something I already owned.”

As if telling me to stop with the questions, he pushed the jewelry box toward me again. It was his way of saying, Hurry up and open it. I took it and carefully lifted the lid.

“Oh my!”

The moment I saw the ring, an exclamation slipped out. At first glance, it seemed like a fairly simple ring set with a large, clear gemstone. But the detail wasn’t ordinary—tiny jewels were set close together to form a small crown shape on top of the main stone.

It was cute if you saw it that way, elegant if you looked from another angle. One thing was certain—it was unique and beautiful. I had never seen anything like it, not even in the catalog.

“Try it on. If the size doesn’t fit, it’ll have to be altered.”

Leaning back in his chair, Lord Winchester spoke. I wasn’t sure what to comment on first—that even if we weren’t in the middle of the wedding ceremony, it felt odd to put the ring on my own finger, or that one didn’t say “alter” for fine jewelry.

“Mmm… It fits perfectly.”

But I decided not to comment at all. I simply did as he said and slipped the ring onto my finger myself. Truthfully, it felt a little tight, but the ring was so pretty I wanted to overlook it. I didn’t want the perfect mood to be ruined by talking about resizing.

“Ah, then what about the wedding dress? Have you picked out a tuxedo?”

I had been staring at my hand, entranced by how the ring made it look even prettier, when it hit me that this wasn’t the time to be dazing off. I quickly pretended not to be so taken by it and moved on to the next topic.

“I don’t know anything about dresses, so please choose whatever you like.”

It was an indifferent answer, but that worked perfectly for me. It was far better than him choosing an overly expensive gown or one that didn’t match my taste.

“Anything else?”

His tone suggested that if there was more, I should get it over with quickly. Right—he’d said he was squeezing this in between busy duties with the Knights.

“There’s one more thing…”

I spoke carefully. This was actually the most important part.

“…”

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it easily. Talking about money was always hard. And asking for a reduction on money that hadn’t even been lent felt awkward and strange.

“…”

When I hesitated for too long, I could feel his gaze urging me to speak. I knew I couldn’t stall forever.

“By any chance,”

I wet my lips with my tongue before finally speaking.

“How much were you thinking for the bride’s dowry?”

Ah, I’d said it.

“Zero pard.”

…Huh?

While I had struggled to get the words out, his answer came instantly. And it was shockingly unconventional.

From what my mother and sister had told me, a noblewoman’s dowry typically started at thirty million pard. For the bride’s family, it was a way of showing how precious their daughter was, and for the groom’s family, it was an honor to have a member of a distinguished lineage. The higher the title, the greater the dowry.

Even commoners usually needed a few million pard. If they were desperately poor, at least a few sacks of wheat or boxes of potatoes.

And yet the Count of Winchester’s bride dowry was… zero pard?

“Is something wrong?”

When I was too shocked to speak, Lord Winchester asked as if wondering what the problem was.

“Are you sure that’s fine?”

“As I’ve told you before, I have no intention of doing business through marriage.”

Even when I pressed again, his answer didn’t change. Honestly, I was a little touched that he refused to participate in putting a price on a person.

And a little puzzled. If Lord Winchester had such proper ideas about marriage, why had he—in the novel—essentially married Daniel off as if selling him for a dowry?

From today’s conversation, he seemed upright and moral. Not someone who would neglect or mistreat a child.

“In that case, since we’ve settled everything, I’ll take my leave. Thank you for making time for me, Lord Winchester.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t there still something important left?”

“Something important?”

What was left? I’d be living here, we’d hold the wedding here, no need for gifts, I’d pick my own dress, guests could be handled individually, and the most important dowry issue was settled. Wasn’t that everything?

“When do you plan to hold the wedding?”

“Ah!”

Only then did I realize what I’d forgotten. I had been so focused on the money matter that it slipped my mind.

“When would be good for you?”

I sat back down and asked.

“Next week won’t work. The delegation from the Duchy of Batro is arriving in fifteen days, and I have to prepare for the parade. Next month I’ll be away for about ten days inspecting the garrison in the northeast. On the 5th of each month, we have combined Knight Order training, so that’s no good. These days here, here, and here I have to tutor His Highness the Crown Prince, so those won’t work either.”

He showed me his schedule, which had almost no empty days. Just hearing it made me tired.

“Then what’s left is…”

Like a puzzle, I searched for the blanks.

“How about this date?”

I pointed to a rare empty day next month.

“Let’s do that.”

He picked up a quill pen and neatly marked a “V” on the spot I had indicated.

“Then I’ll really be going now.”

I rose, gave him a small bow, and bent my knees slightly. He also inclined his head politely in return. It was a plain farewell—no one would think we were soon to be married.

Why is he even marrying me?

The wedding, the gifts—none of it seemed important to him. He’d scheduled the date just to avoid interfering with his work. It was obvious this wasn’t a love match for him, nor was it something he was particularly eager about.

Of course, it was the same for me. But I had my own goal in this marriage.

“Oh, Lord Winchester?”

I turned back just before leaving the room.

My small, cute little Daniel!

For the sake of that goal…