I Became the Fiancé of a Crazy Heroine - Chapter 2

Residence of the Duke of Adelaira, Office Room.

The Duke of Adelaira had similar concerns to those of the Marquis of Laird.

They had already reached an agreement, and had promised each other an answer within three days.

But there were no guarantees, and if things went wrong, he would have to look at other noble houses.

“It’s been two days already, why haven’t we heard anything?”

“There’s still a day left, we’ll see.”

Robbins Adelaira, patriarch and lord of House Adelaira, replied calmly.

He spoke in his usual manner, but inside he was quite nervous and anxious.

If the Marquess of Laird did not accept the betrothal, he would have to find a less desirable Marquis or Earl of lesser rank.

“I heard you made generous terms?”

“Generous terms, indeed. I promised that if any harm came to your son, I would annul the marriage immediately, and I would pay a large sum of money in compensation.”

“…Do you think Hanette would agree to an engagement?”

Yenid Adelaira, the first wife of Robbins, asked, looking worried.

Yenid didn’t want to marry her daughter in this way.

But she was reluctantly forced to take the extraordinary step because, at some point, because of her daughter’s drinking and gambling.

“She may drink and gamble, but she’s never hit or killed anyone, and I wouldn’t have forgiven her if she’d let a man near her… but she didn’t, she knows her limits.”

“But when she drinks too much, she gets wild, and if she lays a hand on him…”

“There will be maids and knights, and they won’t be sleeping together until the wedding.”

“I’m sure he won’t be too happy if Hanette stays out too much.”

“She won’t do anything stupid. She’s always got an escort, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Robbins didn’t like what his eldest daughter was doing, but he couldn’t turn a blind eye.

She was his blood, and she was a means of extending the family’s influence.

Although she might be called a Crazy, she hadn’t done any evil deeds, and she had been surprisingly quiet in the manor.

“Have you considered other families?”

“…Of the marquises, the Lairds are the best of the lot, the others are either pompous or lacking in dignity.”

Robbins had chosen carefully, given the prestige of the Duke.

The mere rejection was a blow to his pride, and the very idea of proposing an engagement for such a Crazed young lady was laughable.

He wanted to ensure his eldest daughter’s hand in marriage at once, so he approached the Marquess first.

“What do you think of an earl?”

“He won’t give us a decent one, even if it’s from a good family. There would be allegations of selling her to an earl to get rid of a nuisance, and they might not be able to handle her.”

Rumors were widespread in the capital of the Kingdom of Alaine concerning the eldest daughter of the Duke of Adelaira.

A drunken, gambling woman, a beautiful but wilted flower, a noble who abandoned dignity for beauty, a duke’s spoilt brat.

Though generally unfavorable, her looks alone had drawn the attention of a few noblemen.

“So that’s why you chose the Marquis of Laird.”

“He offered his youngest son as a betrothed. He may not be as good as his brothers, but that’s not a problem. He’s a Marquis, and he’s from the right family, so he won’t be abandoned.”

“They say it’s normal, but you don’t realise it until you live it.”

Things weren’t always what they seemed like.

Rumours are often full of lies, and people don’t reveal their true feelings easily.

I wasn’t sure the Marquis’ youngest son would be any different.

“The Marquis isn’t that stupid, and there’s nothing good about putting troubled people together.”

“It’s possible that the Marquis is trying to use you.”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing, too. Both parties have something to gain from the marriage. If there’s a quarrel between the two, our side has the advantage, and that’s what being a duke is all about.”

Yenid considers for a moment, then nods.

Titles are inherited by blood, but they require wealth and prestige to maintain their power.

If a family’s power waned over time, it would naturally fall.

Eventually, they would be squeezed out by other nobles, and even their titles and family names would become worthless.

“How has our family managed to survive so far? We’ve kept the king happy, we’ve kept the nobles together, and we’ve kept the commoners fed and tossed a few crumbs of bread. If you can’t keep the basics, you can’t go beyond that.”

“…How far does your lordship see this engagement going?”

“Not far ahead. Just a little bit of greed. An engagement doesn’t lead to marriage.”

“But you are looking forward to marriage.”

“Good for me and good for you. I’ll have a suitable son-in-law once I hand over Hanette, and neither of us will have to worry about her anymore.”

As the head of the family, there were many things to consider.

He had to put the interests of the family before his personal desires, and the future of the family before the wishes of his family.

Only by elevating the family name would he be successful and his family would have more.

“Even if she doesn’t care, it still breaks my heart. She may be selfish, but she’s still my child.”

“I wish I could let her marry to someone she wants. But what can I do? if they’re my children, they have to do as I say, just like you and I did.”

Most marriages between nobles are arranged by both parents.

The children’s opinions are not taken into account, and the relationship is made solely for the benefit of the family.

As a result, some children would run away from the house and seek a life of their own, which rarely turned out well.

However, many young ones are well aware of this, which is why they don’t dare to disobey their parents’ wishes.

“If I don’t do this, It won’t be easy to find her man, and while we might get a marquise now, no one will accept her later.”

“…That may be so; I, too, think it is necessary to have her married fast.”

“Perhaps things will change when she gets married and starts a family. She’s always out on her own, with no real plans in her head.”

“Well, for that, the other person would have to be someone kind.”

“That’s why we need their youngest son. If he’s too good, he’ll get carried away, and if he’s not, there’s nothing he can do. But if he’s average, he’ll be a good balance.”

Yenid has her doubts, but she reluctantly agrees.

It sounded both plausible and strange.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to marry her to someone who doesn’t have a good reputation?

“Perhaps there will be a letter tomorrow, about lunch or dinner; I’ll wait till then and think it over.”

━─━─━━─━「₪」━━─━─━─━

The Marquess of Laird’s mansion, private dining room.

Fred finished his meal and did not speak until tea was served.

None of the family members left their seats, just glanced at each other.

They were waiting in silence for him to speak to them all.

“… It’s sudden, but we have a wedding.”

“What?”

“Uh…”

Lianne didn’t even show any sign of surprise, as she knew the whole story.

The eldest and middle sons were slightly flustered, but Sion still wore a nonchalant expression.

Instinctively, he knew the moment had arrived.

‘Ah, I’m finally being sold.’

Sion lifted his teacup and sipped slowly.

If he followed the original plan, he would surely be betrothed to the Crazed young lady.

Furthermore, the betrothal is not broken until the end of the story, and even then, she never leaves the protagonist’s side.

In other words, Sion Laird is a victim of an arranged marriage and a loser who is compared to the protagonist.

“Who is the one who is matched?”

“Sion.”

“Phew…”

Karlz Laird, the second son of the Laird family, sipped his tea with great relief.

For a marriage to be arranged in such a hurry, there had to be a reason.

Perhaps there was something wrong with the other party, or perhaps Sion had committed a grave mistake.

“Who will be Sion’s partner?”

“The eldest daughter of the Duke of Adelaira.”

“?”

Barchen Laird, eldest son of House Laird, swallows hard and turns his gaze to Sion.

He had a vague understanding of Fred’s intentions in arranging the marriage.

He must have wanted to take advantage of Sion’s presence somehow.

“Sion. I apologise for not consulting you, but… accept it, that’s all I can say.”

Fred looked at Sion with a solemn expression on his face.

Sion, on the other hand, simply sipped his tea in a relaxed manner.

“So… I… when is the wedding?”

“The wedding is later. We decided to have an engagement ceremony first.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Karlz replies cautiously, then realizes what he means about the engagement.

He knows about the crazy young lady, and he’s just checking to make sure.

If it’s all right, they’ll go ahead with the wedding, and if there’s a problem, they’ll get an immediate annulment.

“Father, for Sion’s sake, why don’t you reconsider the marriage?”

Barchen said politely, with a serious look in his eyes.

It was not unusual for a marriage to take place without a person concerned, but this seemed a bit wrong.

If anything, he would have been less disappointed if he had chosen the Earl’s young lady as his mate.

“I understand your concern for your brother. But the decision has already been made.”

“I may not understand what your thoughts are, but I ask that you reconsider the marriage of Sion.”

“…”

Fred was inwardly satisfied, but his expression did not change.

Even Lianne remained still, but his eldest son was taking the initiative to break his will.

His reasoning was sound, and he had raised the objection out of concern for Sion.

He was overly upright, but in time he would learn to compromise with reality.

“There is no going back. I have already sent a letter to the Duke of Adelaira.”

“…I see.”

“Kaltz, do you think the same as your brother?”

“We must do as you suggest, but I fear it will be a little difficult for Sion.”

“Then will you go in his stead?”

“Uh… that’s a bit…”

Sion has been listening, and he covers his mouth in laughter.

His brothers had been voicing their own objections.

But in the end, they couldn’t help but be reluctant to go through with the engagement on his behalf.

“Sion, you need not be afraid. Everyone has to have a family one day. It may not be the one you want, but it doesn’t matter where they come from or what they look like. You’ll get used to it once you start building a family.”

Even as he speaks to Sion, he feels somehow strange.

Sion doesn’t even show any signs of being disturbed by this.

Instead, he sipped his teacup calmly, as if he had expected it all.

“…Father, if you can grant my request, I will do as you say.”

——

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