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Chapter : 7
“I still think this is excessive. An interest-free loan and help from the guild should be more than enough.”
“Is my life really not worth even one hundred thousand kar in gold?”
“……”
At the mention of such an enormous sum, his aide inhaled sharply. Yet both the person concerned, Enoch, and Agatha simply looked at each other calmly.
‘Well, I suppose only one of them is truly calm.’
Agatha lowered her faintly trembling eyes.
“……That amount is also the penalty set for canceling after I was the one who first requested it, making it impossible to hire Your Excellency and the Aratus Order as my escort.”
After a brief moment of thought, the man finally placed the document on the table.
“So you no longer need an escort?”
“Yes. I think I’ll be getting married soon.”
It was a little bitter, but—
Agatha quickly accepted the situation. Refusing to marry wouldn’t solve anything, and now that it had come to this, finding a husband might not be such a bad idea.
At the same time, she was gauging the odds that this man might become her seventh marriage partner.
He was already the head of a noble house, with only a younger sister as family.
He himself was a capable knight and commanded a strong order of knights.
He had just arrived in the capital, so she couldn’t be certain yet, but she’d never even heard rumors of him having wandering hands.
‘He’ll surely be on the list my retainers prepare.’
Would she be the one to propose marriage to this man next?
‘I hear he’s only twenty.’
Agatha, who had always been the one choosing and had never once found herself in a position to be chosen, fell into unfamiliar contemplation.
That was when—
“The Sun of the Roxbard Empire, His Majesty Emperor Warmillai II, enters!”
For a split second Agatha frowned, but when her gaze met Enoch’s, she reflexively smiled.
It was a somewhat early arrival, but who could predict an emperor’s movements but the emperor himself?
“We greet the Sun of the Empire.”
The emperor, entering through the garden, spotted Enoch, paused briefly, then quickly approached and took a seat.
“Rise. I came to see Agatha, but the Marquis of Aratus is here as well?”
“Yes. I was invited by the young lady and was partaking in some refreshments.”
“The tea is good. Agatha, may I stay for a moment as well?”
“Of course. It would be an honor for me, Your Majesty.”
While new refreshments were being prepared, the emperor asked after Agatha’s health.
He was greedy, but at heart, it wasn’t that he had no affection for Agatha.
Whether that was for her as his eldest daughter, or for the sole heiress of the Nobilis family, was unclear.
“But what brings you all the way here despite your busy schedule?”
“As for business—those behind the ones who dared lay hands on my eldest daughter are being tracked down well. I stopped by to discuss what comes next.”
“Ah.”
It was an unexpectedly early visit, but Agatha took it as a sign that the emperor’s plans were proceeding smoothly.
She had already heard through the nobles that the hideouts of the attackers had been crushed and that, based on the evidence found there, the families behind them were being hunted down.
With this, several branches of relatives who had fiercely sought her life would disappear.
And once the emperor had firmly established the authority of the throne, there would be only one thing left to concern himself with.
The emperor openly leaned toward Agatha.
“Agatha. You’ve heard the news, haven’t you? The culprits have all been executed, and as for the nobles who ordered the attack, I am arresting every last one of them.”
“Of course. I’m sincerely grateful to you, Your Majesty.”
“So, Agatha.”
It was coming. The emperor’s blue eyes—so much like Antoni’s—flashed.
“Shouldn’t you start thinking about your next marriage? After something like this, I can’t help but worry about your safety.”
“Isn’t it too soon?”
“Too soon? It’s been two months since your divorce. Given your situation, that’s more than enough to be considered proper.”
Agatha didn’t turn around out of deference to the emperor, but she was keenly aware of Enoch beside her.
Among nobles, one could remarry even the day after a spouse died.
Still, she hadn’t wanted to show something so blatant.
Yet part of her also wanted to show her current circumstances without hiding them. Agatha smiled gently.
“Do you already have someone in mind?”
“Of course! I’ve already found a few candidates. If you like them, I can arrange a meeting right away.”
She had expected as much. If he was coveting the tax revenue from trade, then of course he must already have someone in mind.
Before long, Antoni would probably come with a precise list of candidates.
Agatha lowered her gaze sadly.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“You promised that once I came of age, you would give me freedom in marriage.”
“I did, yes. But given the circumstances, don’t you think you must marry? If you have a knight order at your side, you’ll be safe even if attacked again, and it will be easier to threaten your relatives by putting your husband forward as a proxy…”
The emperor’s words all made sense. That was why Agatha had married up to now.
But from here on, she had to choose all her marriage partners herself. If she let herself be swayed by the emperor even once, it would continue.
More than anything, the men the emperor chose never matched what she considered suitable husband material.
Agatha tilted her head without consciously looking to the side. For some reason, her cheek felt hot.
“I understand that, but wouldn’t it be better not to rush?”
“……”
“I will marry. I won’t forget your consideration, Your Majesty. But I might be able to find someone better and propose him to you myself, so I hope you’ll wait just a little.”
‘I’ll marry, and if you give me the right to choose, I may even bring you greater benefits.’
As always, the emperor must have been waiting for those words.
After pretending to ponder for a moment, he lowered his voice slightly.
“Agatha. You mean it?”
“Of course. I’ve always been sincere.”
“Very well. If that is truly your will, it can’t be helped. Then do as you wish until I finish executing all those behind this affair. However, if the person you bring does not satisfy me, you will have to marry the one I choose. Understood?”
“I’ll do my best, Your Majesty.”
Once again, Agatha didn’t give a firm promise. If her prepared proposal or man didn’t suit the emperor’s tastes, she planned to find another way.
Checking the time, the emperor stood up.
“Very well, then I’ll be on my way. Take good care of yourself.”
“Safe travels, Your Majesty. I’ll come to see you soon.”
“Mm. Ah, Marquis of Aratus. It was good to see you. Let’s dine together sometime.”
With Enoch giving a slight bow, the emperor hurried away. Considering he had carved time out of his schedule, he had stayed quite a while.
Letting out a breath, Agatha pulled back the proposal she had set aside.
“Shall we continue our discussion now?”
“……”
She tried to sit again, but there was no response from the man. Agatha looked up at him in puzzlement.
“My lord Marquis?”
Enoch blinked slowly. A woman who had seemed delicate at first, then bold, and today had even shown the astonishing sight of steering the emperor himself—she felt new to him all over again.
And yet, she was still overexerting herself.
After the tense exchange with the emperor, he noticed how visibly pale her skin had become. Remaining standing, he picked up the proposal.
“I will take this with me and review it again.”
“You’re leaving already?”
For Agatha, stopping someone was truly rare.
The man who had been staring at her raised his hand slowly and lightly tapped her cheek.
“Your complexion isn’t good. Please go inside and rest now, my lady.”
“……!”
Agatha stood there blankly, only reacting after he turned away.
“Thank you for your consideration. I’ll send another invitation in a few days.”
The man gave a light nod and, together with his aide, disappeared beyond the garden.
Only then did Agatha place a hand over her cheek, now burning hot.
With such indifferent eyes—
Just like when he had fastened her cloak, that casual, offhand kindness felt strangely sweet, enough to make her chest ache.
“……I think he’s nice.”
It seemed she had fallen for him completely.
Seeing as she was already looking forward to their next meeting.
Returning to the Aratus residence in the capital, Enoch Aratus immediately ordered his retainers to be summoned.
Entering his office, he sank into his chair, looking deep in thought.
The butler who followed quietly prepared tea.
John, his aide, hesitated as he was about to place the proposal on the desk.
The desk, which had been completely clear that morning, was now piled high again with an enormous number of letters.
As the fragrant scent of tea spread, Enoch lifted his head and frowned.
“I hope my guess is wrong.”
“Your guess is correct. These are introductions that arrived today.”
Agatha Nobilis wasn’t the only special one. For the past few days, he too had been inundated with letters of introduction from young ladies of marriageable age.
“Don’t worry, my lord. There are also introductions from young masters. They’re addressed to Miss Isabel.”
“……”
Without a word, Enoch reached for the teacup the butler, Ben, had set down.
The battlefield had never been easy, but these days, thinking about how things were going, there were moments when he felt that taking up a sword had been simpler.
He had only just begun to restore his family to its proper place, and yet it was already like this—how busy must Agatha Nobilis be, standing at the center of power?
