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Chapter 7
This is getting rather troublesome.
Trying my best to act as if nothing was wrong, I picked up my teacup and swallowed nervously.
Of all people, why did she have to beat up that man?
There was a reason I found the Valentine siblings so unpleasant.
First of all, Sylvia, the eldest.
My relationship with her had gone bad back at the academy.
More precisely, it started when I refused to join her faction.
As the daughter of a count, she always wanted to be at the center of high society. And I, as the daughter of a marquis, was an eyesore to her.
So I think she planned to deal with me by bringing me into her group instead.
Unfortunately for her, I had never been interested in socializing, even back then.
When I refused, she started bullying me… Though, to be fair, her bullying mostly consisted of excluding me.
Since I preferred being alone and keeping to myself anyway, it actually made it easier for me to concentrate on my studies.
So I ignored her.
And because I ignored her, the bullying continued even more.
She suddenly changed her attitude toward me after I inherited the marquis title.
“Don’t you think you should start looking for a marriage partner soon, too, Marchioness? Everyone around us already has a fiancé or a lover.”
“I don’t really have any interest in that.”
“Oh, don’t be like that. That’s why I’ve decided to personally help you, Marchioness.”
And what she suddenly pushed in front of me was none other than her younger brother.
That potato sitting over there.
Jerold Valentine.
He was four years younger than me and was famous in high society for having a terrible reputation.
And she had actually tried to offer him as a potential husband for me.
Her intentions were painfully obvious.
She was clearly after my position as Marchioness and the wealth of the House of Zaherete.
The Valentine family, Sylvia’s family, wasn’t particularly wealthy.
If her younger brother, who couldn’t inherit the family title, married me and took over the position of Marquis, their family would gain financial support from the Zaheretes as well as a powerful ally in the form of a marquis house.
That’s why I rejected him.
But the siblings didn’t know when to give up.
I had heard that not only Sylvia but Jerold himself had been going around behind my back as if he were actually my lover.
On top of that, he kept sending me ridiculous love letters and would relentlessly bother me whenever we happened to meet.
I’d been reaching the point where I thought enough was enough.
But she really beat him up good.
Honestly, I couldn’t help feeling a little satisfied.
“I am absolutely furious! Even if he isn’t exceptionally handsome, he has a perfectly decent face that doesn’t lose out to anyone, and she ruined it like this!”
Sylvia shouted excitedly, looking as though she might faint from anger.
Beside her, I looked at the young man who was still snorting furiously.
Maybe it was because I’d recently met a man who looked like an actual angel.
That is supposed to be handsome…?
Even if I put aside my saliva and tried my best to be generous, there was no way I could call him handsome.
Of course, I knew I wasn’t exactly qualified to judge someone’s appearance.
Still.
He was about a handspan shorter than me, yet he looked as though he was three times wider.
His body type was such that I could imagine him simply rolling away if a strong wind blew.
And his face was practically overflowing with spite.
And that’s not even all. He’s famous for having terrible relationships with women, and there are endless rumors that he spends his time drinking and gambling behind everyone’s backs. Does she really not know any of this?
There were plenty of reasons why I couldn’t accept this marriage proposal.
But there was one reason that mattered more than all the others.
He was Sylvia Valentine’s younger brother.
“Haa… Erna, I’ll speak casually from now on.”
Sylvia, who had been breathing heavily with anger, took a deep breath and continued in what she apparently thought was a gentle voice.
“I know Jerold isn’t exactly your ideal man. But that doesn’t mean you can treat someone like this. And as I told you before, marriage isn’t something you can decide entirely on your own. So I hope you won’t be so stubborn about it.”
I took a moment to steady my breathing before raising my head and calmly replying.
“First of all, I would like to apologize to Young Master Valentine. It seems there was a misunderstanding in how we viewed the situation. In any case, now that I’ve seen him again today, I admit that my response was excessive.”
Then I turned my gaze toward Sylvia.
“And I’ll speak casually with you too, Sylvia. My marriage is my decision. I would appreciate it if you stopped involving yourself in this matter.”
“‘My decision’? What do you think you can actually do? Even after taking that position, all you’ve done is run a single business.”
Sylvia’s tone was gradually becoming more irritated.
“Since we’re talking about it, I still remember what you said on graduation day at the academy. You declared in front of everyone who was worried about your future that you had no intention of ever getting married, didn’t you?”
Sylvia sighed softly, placed one hand over her chest, and shook her head.
“The academy is a major marriage market, you know. Do you remember how much everyone talked about you behind your back? Of course, I understood why you made that decision. Your father, the previous Marquis, died unexpectedly in battle, so there was no adult left to arrange a marriage for you. It wasn’t your fault.”
“…”
“But Erna, things are different now from when you had just inherited the title of Marquis and weren’t prepared for it. Your family is stable again, and your businesses are doing fairly well, aren’t they? It’s about time you found someone to spend the rest of your life with. Marriage is an important duty for nobles because it ensures the continuation of the family line. As the top student you were at the academy, you should understand that better than anyone.”
Sylvia suddenly grabbed my hand with a worried expression.
“You’re my precious friend. I’m truly worried that you’ll grow old all alone in some corner of your room…”
“Thank you for worrying about me. But this really is my business. I’ll say it again. I’ll make my own choices.”
I quickly pulled my hand free.
Sorry, but I was reaching my limit.
I know exactly what you’re like.
Even after all these years, Sylvia hadn’t changed much from her days at the academy.
She was the kind of person who always pushed her will through other people, and whenever a situation turned against her, she would pretend to be sad or concerned and use that act to escape.
There was no way someone like me, who had watched her do that up close and had even been on the receiving end of it, would fall for it again.
Besides, I’m a Marchioness. My situation is different from that of ordinary young ladies.
In my case, I had the right to decide whom I married.
“You’ll miss your chance to marry if you keep going like this. Then you might end up having to marry some older man who already has children. Would you really prefer that? If that’s the case, you might as well marry Jerol—”
“Yes. Even so, I won’t marry your brother. So please stop coming here with this kind of proposal, and stop all the schemes behind my back.”
“What? What do you mean, ‘schemes’?”
“I have ears too. I know that you and your brother have been quietly spreading rumors about me behind my back.”
Sylvia flinched as if I’d hit the exact spot.
Her expression seemed to say, How did this dull girl figure it out?
Sorry, but I have two eyes and two ears too. Maybe even better ones than you do.
There was a reason I’d ignored the strange rumors spreading behind my back.
Because it was annoying.
I might not have been famous for my beauty, but I was the daughter of a prestigious family and had plenty of money, so quite a few men pursued me.
It wasn’t that I had never received romantic confessions.
Marriage proposals had been coming in nonstop even before I graduated from the academy.
Of course, I rejected every single one.
But rejecting marriage proposals was surprisingly troublesome.
In that sense, the schemes of the Valentine siblings, who were after the Zaherete family, had actually been somewhat useful.
It was just that they’d gradually gone too far.
I straightened my posture and spoke firmly.
“Even if, as you said, I remain unmarried until I become a hunched old grandmother, I will never marry your son.”
“Ugh…”
At my clear rejection, Sylvia bit her red lips.
She looked as though she hadn’t expected me to reject her brother so coldly.
I suppose she thought that if all my other marriage proposals disappeared, I’d eventually have no choice but to marry him.
She trembled with anger so intensely that anyone might have thought she was the one who had been rejected.
Her confident gaze had now turned cold.
“I was trying to help you. You’re the one who rejected my kindness. Just wait and see. I’m sure you’ll regret what you did today.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best to deal with whatever comes. Countess Oscar.”
“I’m not saying this casually. You’d better remember this, Your Excellency. I’ll make sure you deeply regret what you’ve done and understand exactly what you’ve messed with.”
I told you, I wasn’t the one who started anything.
I was minding my own business when you suddenly came running to me demanding that I marry your brother.
I only rejected you.
But Sylvia clearly had no intention of listening to anything I said.
She was already preparing to leave.
Just as I was hoping she’d leave quickly—
“Come to think of it, Your Excellency. You’re not wearing your ring today, are you? The ring you always used to wear.”
Huh?
