Chapter 141 : Chapter 141

Chapter 141. That Came On a Bit Strong (2)

Marianne was happy.

‘Hoo hoo hoo, this is what victory feels like, right?’

Envious gazes poured down on her as she danced with Patrick.

Glancing around, she saw young ladies biting their handkerchiefs to shreds.

Foolish things.

This was why early investment was crucial.

Was it not she who had formed a bond and continued her love(?) with Patrick since his days as a rural baron from the East, even before he made a name for himself?

And now, Patrick had become the most coveted man in the Kingdom of Atronia.

She held that man in her grasp.

Proudly raising a trophy and shouting victory was not a privilege reserved for men.

In this moment, she was enjoying all the gazes pouring down on her.

“……anne…. Lady?”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo….”

“Lady Marianne?”

“Ah, yes? What is it, Patrick?”

“The music has ended.”

“Ah… so it has.”

The next piece was a lively waltz.

It was not quite to her taste, so she did not wish to remain in the dance hall.

“Shall we rest for a bit?”

“Let’s do that.”

Following the etiquette for escorting a lady, Patrick took her hand protectively and matched his pace with hers as they left the dance hall.

Anyone could see that he was the very picture of a well-educated scion from a noble family.

‘This is why it’s useful to learn everything. Thank you, Butler Lawrence.’

Leaving the dance hall, Patrick received two glasses of champagne from a passing servant and gave one to Marianne.

“Oh my, thank you.”

“It’s nothing…. By the way, Senior….”

“I told you it’s alright to just call me Marianne.”

“I could not possibly do that. How could I be rude to an Academy senior, even if our departments are different?”

The nerve of a guy who beat up his seniors all the time.

“Oh my, oh my….”

Unaware of this, Marianne blushed and acted shy.

If he was this considerate, he would be easy to handle after marriage.

But then…

“Are you Sir Patrick Schneider?”

“Yes. But… I don’t believe we’ve met. Who might you be?”

Patrick looked at the noble who had spoken to him.

The gray-haired, middle-aged man with a handsome beard was a dashing gentleman who must have made many women weep in his youth.

But somehow…

‘What is it? His face looks familiar.’

Patrick’s question was answered right away.

“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Graham Rowensky.”

“Ah, then you must be Senior Alex’s….”

“I heard my foolish son has been greatly indebted to you.”

‘That’s true.’

The words lingered on Patrick’s lips, but he simply smiled politely and spoke.

“On the contrary, I have learned a lot from my senior.”

“Hahaha. You are a well-mannered young man. There is no need to save my son’s face with such empty words.”

‘Yes. They are empty words.’

Even so, he was not foolish enough to give a blunt assessment of a son in front of his parent.

Just then, Marquis Rowensky cleared his throat and spoke.

“Come here, Leila.”

“Yes, Father.”

At his call, a beauty with soft, light brown hair and a calm demeanor approached with a graceful gait.

‘Oh, she has the look of a first daughter-in-law.’

A calm, gentle smile and a virtuous impression that suggested she would never do anything wrong in the world.

The perfect image of a good wife and wise mother that men desired was right here.

“This is my daughter, Leila. Have you heard of her?”

“My apologies. This is the first I’ve heard of her.”

“Hahaha. A wholesome young man who focuses only on the sword without ever setting foot in high society.”

Yes, thank you for looking upon me so favorably.

From the way he spoke, it seemed the lady named Leila was quite popular in high society.

Just as Patrick predicted…

“It’s a bit much for me to say this myself, but my daughter is known as the finest flower in the kingdom’s social circles. Among the flood of marriage proposals, there are even many from foreign nobles.”

“I believe she is a lady who certainly deserves it.”

“Do you think so?”

Strictly speaking, she had the kind of face that would be explosive in popularity with the parents of young men rather than the young men themselves.

“Hahaha. To be honest, I have cherished her so much that I haven't sent her to anyone yet, but I thought it might be time to start looking for a trustworthy young man.”

“Ah. I see.”

Run. Run. Run.

A red alert blared in Patrick’s head.

It was obvious what would come next.

Fortunately…

“Oh my, is that so.”

There was someone next to Patrick who could not stand by and watch Marquis Rowensky’s ambition unfold.

Marianne spoke with what anyone could tell was a forced smile.

“So that was the reason. The Marquis cherished her so much that Lady Leila has not married, even at the age of ‘twenty-seven’.”

For a noble lady to be unmarried at twenty-seven, she was an old maid of a high level, even among old maids.

Marquis Rowensky frowned and spoke to Marianne.

“And who are you?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marquis. I am Marianne Parmas, daughter of the Parmas County family in the East.”

As Marianne greeted her gracefully, Marquis Rowensky spoke with a stiff expression.

“Ah… right. The East’s….”

“Yes. I’m from the same region as Patrick.”

Marianne linked arms with Patrick and pressed close to him as she spoke.

‘What a fox.’

The East and the central government had been on bad terms for a long time.

Normally, he would have wanted to say something like, ‘Where does a country bumpkin from the East think she’s mouthing off,’ but he couldn't when she acted so affectionately while pointing out that Patrick was also from the East.

“Ahem…. You two seem quite close.”

“Hohoho. Since our fiefs are close, we saw each other often since we were young?”

When did we?

A memory that did not exist was being fabricated in Patrick’s mind.

‘This impudent wench….’

‘So what if you’re a Marquis? How dare you push an old maid on my man?’

Invisible sparks flew between the two.

To make matters worse…

“It has been a long time, Marquis Rowensky.”

“Oh, indeed. I did not expect to see you here, as you rarely come to the capital.”

Count Parmas had now joined the fray.

He stood behind his daughter, stroking his mustache as he spoke.

“Did not a talent from our East accomplish a great feat? Of course, I, the Margrave of the East, must come and see.”

“Hoho, is that so?”

“Yes. And I don’t know if you’re aware, but am I not Sir Schneider’s guardian? It was I who applied for his mid-term transfer to the Academy. I recall there were many in the capital who opposed it at the time. Do you perhaps remember?”

“Ahem, I have not heard of such a thing.”

“Hahaha. Back then, no one recognized Sir Schneider’s true worth. Perhaps only I and my daughter recognized it?”

“Is it true that your daughter has known Sir Patrick since childhood?”

“…Of course. It was quite a pleasant sight to see them playing together since they were young.”

What is this?

Did this father-daughter duo have a memory problem?

Wow, so this is how people in power act.

You have to have this much thick skin to live as a noble.

‘I’m learning something new again.’

Patrick thus gained another realization about power.

But then, Marquis Rowensky’s counterattack followed.

“But this is strange. I heard from my son that he has never heard of Sir Schneider having a fiancée or a lady he is courting.”

“Ahem. Is there really a need to go around talking about every little thing?”

“No, he said he asked him directly.”

“Oh, really? He asks about all sorts of things.”

“Is it not because my son is so close to Sir Schneider?”

“……”

“He said that when he asked, he firmly stated that he had no courting lady or fiancée.”

“……”

“Hahaha, now that I think about it, it’s quite remarkable. That a young man and woman could know each other for so long and not see each other as a member of the opposite sex…. Hoho, is this not a wonderful ‘friendship’? The camaraderie of the East is truly strong, isn't it.”

“……”

‘This old geezer…’

‘What, you punk? What?’

The head of the eastern part of the Kingdom of Atronia and a heavyweight of the central political circle clashed fiercely.

In the midst of it all, Patrick stealthily backed away and retreated.

‘It would be easier to just fight with swords.’

This was not the Radiant Dragon Great Master’s specialty.

* * *

“Ugh…. They say nothing in this world is easy.”

You shall become my son-in-law.

Unable to endure the nobles who were pushing him relentlessly, Patrick stealthily escaped to the terrace.

Being surrounded by pretty young ladies was more than welcome, but if the result was marriage, he had to give it some thought.

‘I can’t just get married rashly. If I get married now, it’ll be another burden in developing the family.’

In Patrick’s life plan, marriage was still a long, long way down the list.

Developing the fiefdom to make life a little better for the people around him came first.

He was thinking about marriage only after that.

Of course, after that…

“Hoo hoo hoo, I will achieve the man’s dream I couldn’t in my past life, to have three wives and four concubines.”

You ask why I couldn’t do that in my past life?

Marrying a daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan meant eating the food she prepared for the rest of your life.

A meal prepared by a wife who was quite the poison expert.

People who haven’t experienced it don’t know how terrifying it is.

Just then, the door to the terrace where Patrick was opened, and a man entered.

He was a man of sturdy build with a sword scar running vertically through his right eye.

At his appearance, Patrick frowned in displeasure.

‘Isn’t this improper?’

When someone goes out to the terrace from a banquet hall, it meant they were taking a short break.

At times like this, it was rude to enter without permission.

“Who are you?”

When Patrick spoke brusquely, the other person answered.

“I am Marquis Derek Nicola.”

“I see.”

Patrick replied curtly.

The other person was rather surprised by his words, which seemed to imply he had expected it to some extent.

“Did you know?”

“One should know just by looking.”

Marquis Derek Nicola.

The kingdom’s only 7-star knight.

Until a short while ago, that is.

Born a low-ranking noble, he was a self-made man who rose to the rank of marquis.

A close aide to the king and a staunch guardian of the royal family.

Although Marquis Panola was the captain of the Royal Knights, his presence could not dare compare to Marquis Nicola’s.

At his appearance, Patrick spoke as if he were tired of it.

“I have no thoughts of marriage yet.”

“Why are you telling me that?”

“…Huh? Wasn’t that why you came?”

“I have no daughters.”

Ah, I see.

I hadn’t considered that possibility.

Marquis Nicola shrugged and said.

“I have one granddaughter, but she is only two years old.”

“……”

“Perhaps, are you interested?”

“Is that how you challenge people to a duel these days?”

At Patrick’s bold words, Marquis Nicola smiled and said.

“I would be delighted to cross swords with you, but that is not my purpose today.”

“Then, what is it?”

“His Majesty the King summons you.”

“Ah…”

Come to think of it, we were supposed to meet.

“Follow me.”

“Understood.”

* * *

Marquis Nicola.

He was also famous as the king’s loyal dog.

He had been with the current king since his days as a prince, and it was said that the current king had discovered him, the son of a low-ranking noble, and supported him until now.

In fact, the current king was evaluated as a mediocre king, neither particularly competent nor incompetent.

The reason his royal authority was so firm was that the kingdom’s only 7-star knight had sworn absolute loyalty to him.

‘Well, he’s not the only one anymore.’

Still, he was a remarkable man.

As I followed him, I carefully observed his back, and his presence felt calm yet sharp.

He was at the 7-star level, having surpassed maturity and reached a considerably high level.

‘Professor Leyte will have to work hard.’

If they fought, he would be beaten with a probability of 9 to 1.

“It’s here.”

The place they arrived at was the grand hall where he usually gathered with his subjects to attend to state affairs.

There, the king was waiting on his throne, accompanied by his knights, and next to him was…

‘Senior Isabella?’

Dressed in a gown instead of her usual Academy uniform and even wearing makeup, she was far more beautiful than usual.

But the important thing was why she was here.

‘This feels a bit off.’

“Ahem…”

As Patrick was assessing the situation, Marquis Nicola cleared his throat to give him a hint.

‘Tsk, these old-timers…’

Patrick clicked his tongue but did what he had to do.

He knelt on one knee and bowed his head, greeting him politely.

“The rightful and sole ruler of the Kingdom of Atronia….”

“Enough. The formalities are done, raise your head.”

“Thank you.”

Patrick grumbled that he should have said so sooner and raised his head.

And the king spoke.

“So. How do you feel?”

“What do you mean, how do I feel?”

“I mean, how does it feel to be the golden deer in the hunting ground of high society?”

“It was annoying.”

“Hahaha. It is a bit, isn’t it.”

The king laughed as if he found it amusing.

And he said to Patrick.

“I understand how you feel. I too was pestered to no end whenever I went to a banquet hall in my youth.”

“Is that so?”

“I wasn’t a hero who proved his own skill like you or Marquis Nicola, but I was the heir to the throne.”

Come to think of it, that made sense.

The king spoke to the nodding Patrick.

“So? Were there any families or young ladies you liked?”

“None.”

“Hooo….”

When Patrick cut him off, the king reacted with a hint of surprise.

To be so composed while surrounded by beautiful young ladies at such a young age, when it would be natural to feel dissolute.

‘He really is different.’

Patrick spoke calmly to the king.

“If possible, I would like to postpone marriage as much as I can.”

“The reason?”

“Because I have not yet achieved the goal I am aiming for. I have no thoughts of marriage before then.”

“Hmm, you mean to say that even pioneering the 7-star realm is not enough?”

The king nodded.

‘He is only sixteen…’

A strong man who has achieved the 7-star realm at that age.

If so, his passion and tenacity for the sword must also be extraordinary.

Perhaps he might really reach the 8-star realm in the future.

The king had already made one such person his own.

Marquis Derek Nicola, standing proudly by his side.

He too was a man who knew nothing but the sword in his youth.

To bring such a man to his side, the king had carefully invested a long time.

That experience was about to pay off now.

“I understand that you wish to purely devote yourself to the path of the sword.”

“Ah. Yes….”

I don’t really have such thoughts.

The path of the sword, my foot…

I need to take care of my family and make them comfortable first, then that might be possible.

Unaware of Patrick’s feelings, the king nodded and said.

“That must be what youth and passion are.”

“……”

“Alright. I will take care of all those who are bothering you.”

“Really?”

This was something to be thankful for.

He smiled warmly at the delighted king and said.

“Are you pleased?”

“Of course. I am nothing but grateful.”

“Good. Then it’s simple. Isabella.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Marry this young man.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Huh?

Wait a minute?

That came in way too fast.

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