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Chapter : 9
“Yes. That’s right.”
How did he know?
Well, to call it an investigation would be too much—it was scant and limited information at best.
Agatha pushed a teacup toward him and explained.
“There are a few things I absolutely can’t tolerate when it comes to marriage. I can’t marry someone who falls under those categories, so whenever the occasion arises, I look into them a little. Did that offend you?”
“No. If that’s the case, I’ve also looked into you, miss, so I’d say we’re even.”
“Huh?”
Agatha tilted her head for a moment, then went, “Ah,” in understanding.
It must have been when he made the offer to become her escort.
“Before forming a deep relationship, it’s only natural for nobles to find out what the other person is like.”
He replied as he lifted his teacup.
She clearly remembered hearing that he had gone off to the battlefield at the age of ten.
Yet even after returning to the capital ten years later, he still seemed thoroughly accustomed to thinking like a noble.
Agatha smiled without realizing it.
“That’s true. I’m glad you understand. Ah, Marquis, are you also busy with that matter these days? I heard that letters introducing marriageable young ladies have been pouring into House Aratus lately.”
Agatha, who had wasted several days on little sleep after hearing that news, was troubled.
She had known that political marriage proposals had been flooding in ever since she’d become connected with him.
But she couldn’t understand why it had only started to bother her more now.
Was there already someone he had in mind?
“I had no intention of marrying, but it’s true that the incidents of the past few days have changed my mind.”
Just as Agatha was wondering what sort of incident might befall House Aratus because of those letters—
“Miss.”
“Yes.”
“Will you marry me?”
“…?”
For a moment, Agatha couldn’t follow the conversation and blinked. Then she snapped back to her senses.
“Marriage? You mean, me and you, Marquis?”
“Yes. When I thought I should marry, you were the one who best fit the conditions. But I set the idea aside, since I didn’t think there was any chance you would agree to marry me.”
Enoch’s gaze briefly touched Agatha’s list of seventh marriage candidates, lying to the side, then moved away.
“If you were considering me, I’d like to say that I welcome it. Please think about marrying me without burden, miss.”
“……”
Agatha almost let her mouth fall open, but she composed herself.
Even if it wasn’t a marriage tied to emotions, being able to maintain a relationship with him through a political marriage was more than welcome for her.
It was the first time she had ever felt a rational attraction to someone of the opposite sex.
And wasn’t it a blessing that the man in question didn’t gamble, didn’t have complicated relationships with women, and wasn’t violent?
On top of that, Enoch wanted her too.
Agatha calmly set down her teacup and, with a picture-perfect smile, said,
“I’m fine with it. Will you become my seventh husband?”
This time, it was Enoch’s turn to be flustered. After hesitating for a moment, he carefully put down his teacup.
“Is it really all right for you to answer so quickly?”
“Do you see this?”
“…?”
Agatha pulled the list toward her and poked the name written at the very top.
‘Marquis Enoch Aratus’
“Being on the very first line here means you’re the best husband candidate in my eyes.”
What about lineage? Wealth? Standing at court? The current state of the family?
Those were the usual conditions nobles considered, but they weren’t what Agatha cared about.
Enoch, having just returned to the capital, might not know, but Agatha’s marriages were special.
Even if she had to strike a deal with the Emperor, she held full authority over her own marriage.
The conditions she considered focused on things like: does he have sticky fingers, is he a womanizer, or does he harbor some sinister intent to kill her?
“Do you enjoy gambling?”
“No.”
“Do you have a woman hidden away?”
“No.”
“If I bear a child, will you kill me?”
“…….”
For an instant, the man’s eyes sank coldly, but Agatha curved her gentle eyes into a smile.
It might sound like a joke, but she had actually met a husband like that before.
“Unfortunately, my fourth ex-husband was that kind of person.”
“…….”
“It’s all in the past now, though.”
Having regained her composure, Agatha quietly lifted her teacup. Her heart, which had been fluttering with joy, settled a little at the memory of her fourth ex-husband.
But looking at Enoch’s face again made her feel much better.
He, who had looked momentarily taken aback, soon opened his taciturn lips.
“Is there anything else you want from me besides what you just said?”
It was an unexpected question.
She had never been this honest before, and usually when she suggested marriage, people accepted it at once.
“You’re willing to listen?”
“I’ll try. It’s what my wife wants.”
“……”
It was oddly embarrassing. Agatha hid her expression behind her teacup and added her wishes.
“I want you to protect me from my relatives.”
“That’s only natural as a husband. And?”
“I’d like us to live in a separate newlywed home instead of in your mansion or castle. Other than that… I suppose I just want you to respect your wife’s rights.”
“……Is that all?”
What more could there be?
Though she had been toyed with by the Emperor over marriage since she was young, Agatha was the sole heir of House Nobilis, one of the most prestigious ducal families on the continent.
Her bloodline was perfect, her wealth more than abundant, and her power so great that she could rival even the Emperor’s will—ranking third in the Empire would hardly do her justice.
Agatha could obtain anything she wanted.
Everything, except a happy married life.
“I think that’s enough.”
She consciously refrained from saying that she wanted to be loved.
Nothing was more laughable than talking about emotions in a political marriage.
“……I wonder what kind of married life you’ve had until now.”
“Huh?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Agatha tilted her head, having not caught his quiet murmur, but Enoch only shook his head.
Just as Agatha moved the list she still held to the side—
“Miss Nobilis.”
“Yes.”
Enoch slowly extended his hand and continued.
“There’s just one thing I ask of you. That you will not associate with my relatives. You’re in a position high enough to honor this request, and I believe you won’t be swayed by any temptation. Is that correct?”
“When it comes to cutting ties with relatives, there’s no one cleaner than me. A wise judgment.”
For a moment, it seemed like he smiled faintly.
How should one describe that instant when change came over his indifferent face and the corners of his lips curved just slightly?
“I promise.”
“…….”
“So, will you marry me, Miss Agatha?”
Feeling her heart pound, Agatha took his hand.
Like her, Enoch was clearly troubled by issues with his relatives, and though she felt a little guilty, Agatha was grateful for that fact.
If not, this man would never have proposed to her.
“…Gladly. Let’s live well together, Marquis.”
It was her first choice that involved emotion in marriage—and her seventh marriage.
The man lightly kissed the ring finger of her left hand, then pulled away. After a moment of thought, he said,
“There are only a few days left until the execution, so first we must obtain His Majesty’s permission.”
“Yes. But before that, there are some things I need to settle, so I’ll need a little time. Um, a few days or so?”
Negotiations with the Maynucor Empire would take place after the wedding itself, but—
Before that, she had to organize matters such as the value of Palavi Island in Nobilis territory, which would be used as a trade hub with the Eastern Continent, the sea routes, and the expansion of the port and city.
Otherwise, the Emperor might subtly try to add a little more to the bargain.
“Is it related to the reason His Majesty has been pressuring you to marry?”
“Yes. Have you perhaps heard? His Majesty is interested in opening new trade with the Eastern Continent. In exchange for refusing the marriage he proposed, I’ll be offering another island as a base.”
It was high-level information, but combined with the Emperor’s recent movements and the direction of the investigations conducted by Agatha’s retainers, rumors had been quietly circulating at court.
That Agatha Nobilis’s marriage might be connected to Eastern Continent trade.
It wasn’t wrong. If she couldn’t present another alternative, the Emperor would have pushed for her to marry a noble who owned territory suitable as a base.
“It’s an island I own, so I can give up a district or so. Should I hand over some rights there as part of my dowry?”
“…You say terrifying things so casually. What if I really got greedy for it?”
“I’m saying it because I can afford to give that much. Oh, and please hand me the proposal you brought.”
For a split second, his ash-gray eyes turned toward her in surprise.
The situation had changed, so he seemed to have intended to demand repayment of that debt.
But marriage was marriage, and a life debt was a life debt. Agatha had no intention of letting the price she owed be swept away under the excuse of marriage.
“You’re telling me to collect a life debt from the woman who will become my wife?”
“After we’re married, that’ll be true, but this happened before the marriage, didn’t it? Besides, I think it’s a very good opportunity to learn exactly what House Aratus needs right now.”
