“Her name is Claisey, and she is the youngest daughter of the Kalasi family. The fifth child. The family is quite respectable. They are well-established in Greengall City, located in Heshin. They possess a Demonic bloodline, and it’s said that Count Kalasi and his wife have been working as diplomats for several decades now.”
The Marchioness of Gosville felt relieved, as the conditions were considerably better than she had feared.
“Being the youngest daughter, she must have been raised with plenty of love. I like young ladies like that; they have such a warm perspective on the world.”
“…….”
The Grand Duchess’s expression turned strange. Seeing that she did not look in agreement, the Marchioness of Gosville quickly corrected herself.
“Well, of course, personalities vary, though.”
The Grand Duchess shook her head.
“You say you want a warm daughter-in-law, so I don’t know what to say. According to the rumors, she wasn’t a warm young lady at all.”
“!”
The Marchioness of Gosville’s eyelids trembled at the blunt implication that she was now in deep trouble.
“What kind of rumors? I’ve never heard of any.”
“Miss Claisey moved to the Capital about four months ago. She brought a nephew with her. Until then, the whole family had only been in Greengall City, so it’s no wonder you haven’t heard the rumors.”
The Marchioness of Gosville felt a knot of discomfort in her throat. What on earth was she trying to say? If she was going to talk, she wished she would just say it all and be done with it.
“What kind of rumors, exactly?”
“They say Miss Claisey killed her eldest sister.”
“Pardon? Why? Surely not. Was she after the title…? But even if the eldest sister died, wouldn’t the succession order be even further away if she’s the youngest daughter?”
“Things like that don’t happen just out of greed. Perhaps she did it in a fit of rage during an argument. They say they were traveling by carriage together, and she pushed her off a cliff.”
The Marchioness of Gosville covered her mouth with her hand and remained speechless for a long time.
She recalled the beautiful woman she had seen from afar. Thinking it over, she remembered that the woman’s demeanor had been a bit cold and sharp. Since her son was the same way, it had actually seemed like they were well-suited.
“The rumors might be false.”
The Marchioness of Gosville muttered, hoping that was the case.
What is the main reason parents and children clash? It is love, dreams, and money. She didn’t want a daughter-in-law who was a murderer, nor did she want her happy family to be shattered.
The Grand Duchess shrugged.
“Of course, that could be the case. I heard she is hometown friends with Madam Emul, and she stays close to that lady. If her reputation were truly that bad, Madam Emul wouldn’t associate with her.”
The Marchioness of Gosville was slightly relieved.
“I know that young lady, too. Her husband works as a noble administrator at the palace. She is a sensible person, and her conduct has always been impeccable. She doesn’t seem like someone who would associate with a scandalous friend.”
* * *
Even after Grand Duchess Siwil delivered a few more pieces of news and left, the Marchioness of Gosville could not pull herself together.
The head maid, who had overheard the story, looked worried and dared not offer comfort.
“My Lady. Should we inform the Marquis about this?”
It was only after a long silence that the Marchioness of Gosville shook her head.
“It might be a baseless rumor. If it is, why bother passing such talk on? It’s not exactly pleasant news.”
“But it is such a terrible accusation.”
“For now… I must verify these rumors with the nephew she brought along and with Madam Emul.”
* * *
After accepting that the horrific rumors about herself would not easily disappear, and having witnessed countless times how people in high society would force smiles to her face only to whisper behind her back, Claisey drew a realistic picture of her future.
It didn’t matter who it was, as long as the man belonged to a family her parents would approve of. The goal was not a happy marriage, but to secure an inheritance that could support her for the rest of her life.
If the person she married turned out to be a terrible man, she could just divorce him after three years.
Since inheritance assets could not be touched by either spouse, if she just held out for those three years, Claisey could live comfortably for the rest of her life on her own inheritance.
However, even this modest goal had not been easy due to Merran’s interference. Things took a strange turn, and she ended up marrying a very handsome man.
Furthermore, she felt like she might actually love that man a little. Is this a dream?
Claisey walked toward the Magic Bureau in a daze.
Normally, she would use carrier birds or letters instead of the expensive urgent dispatch service. But right now, she wanted to inform her parents abroad of this news as quickly as possible.
Only then would her parents return quickly and allow her marriage to proceed.
‘My parents definitely won’t object. They are gaining a son-in-law as handsome as Sir Kishin, so of course they won’t object.’
The inside of the Magic Bureau was quiet. Three customers were scattered about, frowning and holding papers.
As Claisey walked to an empty spot, an employee handed her paper and a pen.
“It is 1 gold coin per magic orb, and you can send up to 20 characters. If you want to add even one more character, you must purchase an additional magic orb.”
– The youngest daughter has caught a good son-in-law. If you don’t come soon, you’ll miss it.
Claisey wrote the message to fit exactly twenty characters, then placed 1 gold coin on top and handed it over.
The employee took the money and was about to take the paper when he saw what Claisey had written and blinked rapidly.
“There are circumstances.”
Claisey muttered, feeling embarrassed.
* * *
As soon as Claisey returned home, Anna threw off her apron and ran over.
“Anna, you’ll fall!”
Claisey shouted in surprise, but Anna did not stop. She approached, her face flushed red, and asked.
“Earlier, Ledon returned pulling the carriage loaded with your luggage, my lady. I was so surprised. My lady’s luggage returned so soon after you left, and you weren’t even seen! So when I pressed Ledon for what happened, he said this! That you were proposed to by a very, very handsome red-haired palace guard! Is that true?!”
Anna’s speaking speed was twice as fast as usual, showing how excited she was. While she was firing off questions without even taking a breath, the other maids and the butler sneaked toward them.
Claisey smiled proudly and held out the back of her hand.
The butler, who had rushed over, saw Claisey’s fourth finger and exclaimed in a moved voice.
“My lady! You’ve caught him!”
“Caught him!”
Anna poked his side urgently, and the gathered maids burst into laughter.
Claisey smiled, showing everyone her outstretched hand.
“Sir Kishin asked me to marry him. So I came back right away to prepare for the wedding. Ledon came back first because I went to the Magic Bureau to send an urgent dispatch to my parents.”
“The ring is truly beautiful!”
“It’s faintly glowing, my lady.”
“It looks simple, but it doesn’t look like an ordinary ring, does it?”
Claisey smiled proudly. Whether or not it was an ordinary ring, Claisey didn’t know. What was important to her was that she had caught Kishin, not the price or rarity of the ring.
“Oh my, our lady can’t stop smiling!”
As Anna exclaimed, the maids burst into laughter once again.
Claisey laughed along with them. The time she had suffered was too long to be shy after being proposed to. Now, she just wanted to be happy.
* * *
After that, Claisey waited for her parents’ reply until her eyes grew tired. She sent a messenger to the Magic Bureau three times a day, and even though it was midwinter, she paced in front of her house waiting to see if anyone from the Magic Bureau would arrive.
However, no matter how long she waited, the reply did not come.
On the last day of the year, Claisey was crouched on the porch steps, waiting even as the sun set and the sky turned red.
“Oh my, my lady. You’ll catch a cold like this. And you’re someone with a weak constitution!”
Anna nagged her while bringing her freshly brewed, steaming black tea, but Claisey did not want to go into her room at all.
“I have nothing to do anyway. Florence went to the palace banquet for the New Year’s festival, and Sir Kishin went there too… but I wasn’t invited.”
Anna smiled as if she understood.
“You’re lonely because Miss Merran isn’t here, aren’t you?”
“Merran is probably still traveling.”
“You should have just brought Miss Merran along with you…”
“I’m upset just thinking about how you couldn’t even rest during the holiday and had to stay in the carriage.”
“As if he’d listen to me.”
Besides, Merran was on his way to see Dernic right now; he wouldn’t come just because I called for him.
Claisey held the warm teacup with both hands and blew on the rising steam.
“By next year or the year after, perhaps Lord Kishin will be by your side, Miss?”
Anna offered some comforting words, likely trying to cheer her up, and Claisey chuckled before whispering back.
“I hope so.”
She blew on the steam again, and through the wisps, she saw the main gate opening. Claisey set down the teacup she was holding.
As her vision, momentarily blurred by the steam, cleared, she saw the gate indeed standing half-open. Someone was entering. It was an official from the Magic Bureau.
*Did my parents send a reply?* Claisey stood up, filled with joy, but then froze in surprise. The official wasn’t alone. An unexpected person was walking beside him.