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Chapter : 25
“…To Freya—what came from where?”
At Selene’s urging, Marquis Baltz hurried out of the bathroom. Hearing her words, he stopped rubbing his still-damp hair.
“An engagement letter, dear. The Duke of Betelheim sent Freya an engagement proposal.”
“The Duke of Betelheim… an engagement letter?”
Why would that family send such a thing to Freya? Could the letter that was said to be coming from the ducal house earlier be this?
Still doubtful, Marquis Baltz looked at Selene with an incredulous expression. At his glance, she showed him the letter she was holding.
After carefully examining the red envelope and the contents of the engagement letter, he exclaimed in surprise.
“Ha! You’re telling me this is real?”
“Yes. The seal on the envelope is definitely that of the Betelheim ducal house. And Freya herself… confirmed it too.”
“Freya?”
Marquis Baltz’s suspicious gaze landed on Freya. Seeing her standing there with an indifferent expression, he twitched his eyebrows and asked,
“What on earth is going on? Why would the Duke of Betelheim send you an engagement proposal?”
“Well. It seems His Grace has feelings for me.”
“…The duke, for you?”
How could that be? What charm could such a paltry daughter possibly have?
Marquis Baltz slowly swept his eyes over Freya.
There was no vitality in her face, and her manner of speaking was stiff and unfriendly, unlike other young ladies.
True, she was fairly intelligent and quick in action, holding an important post in the imperial palace—but that was of no use at all for a noblewoman.
She had already passed marriageable age, her value on the marriage market had hit rock bottom, and she even stubbornly insisted on remaining single, which had been giving him headaches.
If only this matter went well, I was planning to use Frederic’s connections to marry her off to a suitable family—what is this…
When he heard that Astella was returning, he thought it was an opportunity. Since she was about Freya’s age, he judged it would be easier for her to approach her than the wary young nobles.
And just as Marquis Baltz had expected, Astella followed Freya very well and adapted to noble society faster than anticipated.
Frederic was also satisfied with the results Freya had produced, so Baltz thought that soon he could make Frederic owe him a favor and get what he wanted.
But at the very end she ruins everything, and now suddenly a marriage proposal comes from the Betelheim ducal house?
Unable to understand at all, Marquis Baltz narrowed his eyes and continued,
“I truly don’t understand how such a proposal could come to you.”
Placing the letter on the table, he looked sharply at Freya.
“Even if the Duke of Betelheim truly has feelings for you, how could the duchess allow this marriage proposal? No matter what past connection you may have had with her, does this make any sense?”
“I suppose I was more acceptable as daughter-in-law material than you thought, Father.”
“Watch your tone with your father.”
At Freya’s cold reply, Marquis Baltz frowned. She went on in an indifferent voice.
“Is there any reason for me to be polite to you right now? More importantly, what will you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“My blind date. Are you going to proceed with it? Ah, which family’s son did you say it was, Mother? My prospective match.”
“Well, that is…”
Selene hesitated. Naturally. No matter which family’s son was named here, with an engagement letter from the Betelheim ducal house, it wouldn’t satisfy Marquis Baltz.
Left with no choice, Selene answered,
“The eldest son of the Nezri marquisate.”
“Hm…”
Hearing the name, Marquis Baltz’s expression hardened. It wasn’t a bad family, but compared to the Betelheim ducal house, its prestige and power were far inferior.
To think something like this would happen…
He truly couldn’t understand it. Why on earth would the Duke and Duchess of Betelheim choose his daughter?
He took pride in being from the Baltz marquisate, but still couldn’t believe they would pick his daughter.
With Betelheim, they could easily marry a ducal daughter or even an imperial princess—why a mere marquis’s daughter like Freya?
And I don’t even know why they chose our family instead of Duke Binok’s or some other house.
The Betelheim ducal house was neutral, and politically they weren’t on good terms with the Baltz marquisate.
Partly because Duke Binok was hostile to Betelheim, but also because Marquis Baltz often clashed most with Raiden during policy meetings.
No matter how kindly one tried to frame it, they weren’t on good terms—so how could they become in-laws? He couldn’t grasp the meaning of this proposal at all.
“……”
“Dear…”
The more he thought about the incomprehensible choice of the duke and duchess, the deeper Marquis Baltz sank into thought. Regardless, Freya picked up the engagement letter and said,
“For now, I’ll cancel my blind date. Since an engagement proposal has arrived, it would be rude to meet another family and go on a blind date.”
“…All right.”
Reluctantly, Marquis Baltz nodded.
“So what will you do? Will you accept the Betelheim ducal house’s proposal?”
“……”
“Mother, you must be pleased. You’ve wanted to marry me off so badly. And Father, you must be facing a happy dilemma.”
“……”
At Freya’s words, neither of them answered. Marquis Baltz frowned, lost in deep thought, while Selene bit her nails, unable to hide her confusion.
It was enough to give them pause. No matter how much the Baltz marquisate sided with the emperor and followed Duke Binok, they couldn’t easily reject a proposal from the Betelheim ducal house.
Especially Father.
For a long time, Marquis Baltz had harbored a deep inferiority complex toward his younger brother, Duke Binok, regarding status and power.
Being born of a concubine, when his younger brother Frederic became a duke, he remained only a marquis. And with two grown sons and even a long-lost daughter found, all attention was focused on the already prominent Binok ducal house.
Marquis Baltz, who had secretly been wary that Astella might become the crown princess, saw this proposal from Betelheim as a huge opportunity.
But he can’t accept it so easily either. Duke Binok would take issue with it.
If he accepted Betelheim’s proposal, he would have to be prepared to break relations with Duke Binok and his house, and also endure the scrutiny of the emperor’s faction of nobles.
If things went wrong, he might even have to leave the faction. Would he really accept such a proposal while bearing all that risk?
Whatever happened, Freya was pleased to see her father’s deeply troubled expression for the first time in a long while. Holding the engagement letter, a deep smile curved on her lips.
The news that the Betelheim ducal house had proposed to the Baltz marquisate spread extremely fast.
Somehow word leaked out, and before even half a day had passed since Freya received the letter, most nobles already knew.
In high society, the topic dominated conversation day after day.
“Have you heard the news? It’s truly astonishing.”
“Indeed. I can’t understand how this happened. Wasn’t Duke Betelheim supposed to marry the young lady of Duke Binok’s house?”
“I heard that too, but if the ducal house officially sent an engagement letter…”
People focused on the fact that Raiden himself had sent the proposal first, and began questioning the previously rumored relationship with Astella.
“Then what about his relationship with Duke Binok’s daughter? Weren’t they lovers?”
“But there were so many rumors about them, and even witnesses.”
Because the rumors about Astella and Raiden had spread so widely, this new proposal shook high society all the more.
“But I think there’s something we may have overlooked.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“The relationship between Duke Binok’s daughter and Duke Betelheim. The young lady kept saying they were lovers and would marry, but His Grace never said anything himself, did he?”
“Ah…”
“That’s right. The Betelheim ducal house never officially acknowledged their relationship, nor announced a marriage. And the same goes for the Binok house.”
A few young ladies who thought there was a flaw in the Astella–Raiden story stepped forward to point it out.
