After seeing Jared Murphy off, with a promise to meet again, the Duke Alway, confirming he was unobserved, let out a sigh, unsure how many times he’d done so.
He hadn’t expected Emilia to barge in. While he knew his daughter was selfish, he was ashamed as a father that she would speak so freely to a guest like Jared.
More than anything, he couldn’t forgive her for speaking ill of Olivier.
This was because he knew Emilia was the source of most of the bad rumors about Olivier.
The Duke Alway was no fool. He wouldn’t have failed to put surveillance on his problematic children. Of course, continuous surveillance was difficult, and his daughter, though short-sighted, was not foolish enough to go unnoticed. Therefore, parts of her life, like at the academy, were not under constant watch.
“I apologize for the trouble Emilia caused.”
A voice spoke from behind the sighing Duke.
“… Cornelia?”
The woman called Cornelia approached the Duke, her refined smile unwavering. She was a consort, Emilia’s birth mother, adorned in a luxurious dress and showcasing her well-maintained, beautiful blonde hair. Since Hannelore, the main wife, lived in a separate residence, Cornelia was effectively treated as the main wife and managed the mansion. Normally, other consorts might erupt in complaints about Cornelia’s treatment, but as she was a childhood friend of Duke Alway and Hannelore, no one dared voice their displeasure openly.
“I heard Emilia has caused trouble again, so I came to apologize. I would have liked to apologize to Jared Murphy-dono as well, but it seems he has already left.”
“There is no need for him to involve himself. Tell Emilia to be firm with her as well.”
The Duke’s true desire was to keep Jared as far away from the situation as possible. He was already indebted to Jared for protecting his precious Hannelore and Olivier, and the thought of him being burdened by a selfish daughter like Emilia was painful.
“Yes, but she seems to be quite taken with Murphy-dono.”
“Is that so?”
The Duke, who had assumed Emilia’s interest was mere curiosity or a way to harass Olivier, was slightly surprised by Cornelia’s words.
“Murphy-dono is apparently famous at the academy, so she’s been interested in him for a while. However, now that he’s Olivier’s fiancé, she probably doesn’t find it amusing, in her typically selfish way.”
“Perhaps.”
“I would be happy if the promising Murphy-dono were to become Emilia’s son-in-law?”
“That is impossible. Jared is Olivier’s fiancé. Gratefully, he has accepted Olivier, who has always been problematic, without complaint. Olivier herself seems to like Jared, so I have no intention of ruining their relationship.”
The Duke’s firm declaration caused Cornelia’s expression to shift slightly, tinged with dissatisfaction.
“However, considering their age, Emilia would be a better match for Murphy-dono. If the ducal family desires the blood of a magician, we already have Conrad, so there is no need to force Olivier’s engagement…”
“Did you not reject every fiancé I proposed for Emilia, citing reasons like poor lineage or low aristocratic title? Why are you so fixated on Jared?”
The Duke interrupted Cornelia and questioned her with a glare. She grinned, as if she had been waiting for this question.
“That is, of course, because Jared Murphy-dono is worthy of my daughter. His skill, enough to be chosen as a Court Mage Candidate—that alone makes him an excellent son-in-law, but in his case, his lineage is also impeccable.”
“I understand the desire to bring in the blood of a magician, but lineage? He is Baron Daum’s grandson, but his mother, Liz Murphy, while a former Court Mage, is a commoner. Did you not have a tantrum even when I brought you the talented second son of the Count Family for Emilia?”
Even as a daughter of the ducal family, Emilia was the daughter of a consort and not the heir. It was customary for her to marry and move to her husband’s family, but at Cornelia’s request, they had planned for a son-in-law to help manage the territory. However, the Duke was so exasperated by Cornelia’s refusal to accept even the talented second son of the Count Family that he temporarily suspended the search for Emilia’s husband, taking her minority into consideration.
Emilia herself did not care about aristocratic titles, but due to her self-centered nature, she judged potential partners not by their suitability as a good husband, but solely by whether she liked them or not. However, she was of marriageable age, so it was somewhat understandable. The problem, however, was her mother, Cornelia. The Duke could not comprehend Cornelia’s criteria for choosing Emilia’s husband.
To think that Cornelia would now want to take Jared, from a baronial family—and one with commoner blood—as her son-in-law, was astonishing.
Indeed, if one considered bringing a talented magician into the family, Jared would be an excellent prospect. Not only was he a magician capable of being chosen as a Court Mage Candidate, but his mother was also a former Court Mage. While magic power and talent were not everything, if they were hereditary, he was undoubtedly a desirable candidate to integrate into the family.
—But that was all.
The Duke also wished to bring Jared into the family. However, he didn’t believe there was a need to force it.
He had heard that Jared was naturally growing closer to Olivier and was on good terms with his grandfather, Baron Daum, so there was no need for extreme actions.
Fundamentally, the Duke believed that love and compatibility were essential for marriage and did not wish to force anyone into a marriage. He did not want his beloved family to enter into a marriage of convenience, becoming a couple in name only. Of course, he understood there were situations where this was unavoidable and had personally been forced to marry a consort he didn’t desire, so he was willing to fulfill the necessary duties as a noble.
Still, he did not want to draw Jared, the grandson of his benefactor Baron Daum and a benefactor to Olivier and the others, into the family solely for personal gain.
“It is natural for a parent to want a suitable husband for their beloved daughter.”
“I would like to know the reason why you deem him suitable.”
“You must know. You know the background of Martha Daum, Baroness Daum.”
“—!”
Cornelia’s words delivered a great shock to the Duke.
“H-how do you know that? No, where did you learn it?”
With a trembling voice, the Duke glared at Cornelia as if to pierce her, but she showed no signs of being fazed and remained composed. In fact, she even seemed to be enjoying herself.
“Martha Daum was originally from the Alway Ducal Family. It seems she was the child of a low-ranking consort, but even so, she carries the blood of the Alway Ducal Family. Is she not your much older half-sister?”
“How do you know that? Answer me, Cornelia!”
“Please do not raise your voice so much. I did not investigate specifically. Those who knew of that time are still around, and I had heard it as rumors. However, your reaction confirmed its truth. Do you not think, after all, that Jared is more suited to Emilia than to Olivier?”
Cornelia was clearly evading the question and had no intention of telling the truth. However, her desire to have Jared as her son-in-law seemed genuine, as she persistently repeated her question with an unpleasant tenacity.
However, the Duke desired Jared as Olivier’s fiancé. It was because of him that Olivier had placed her trust in him. He could not and would not take Jared away from his daughter.
Moreover, the Duke suspected Cornelia as the mastermind targeting Hannelore.
He wondered why his childhood friend would do such a thing, but the conditions that Pfeil had revealed to Jared matched only Cornelia and one other person.
The Duke’s answer was decided, regardless of what motivated Cornelia and Emilia to seek Jared.
“Do not make me repeat myself. Jared Murphy is Olivier’s fiancé. That will not change. If Emilia truly loves Jared, then it is a different story, but if she is plotting something, then as I told you, do not approach him from now on.”
The Duke’s quiet, irrefutable statement silenced Cornelia. Although her smile had not faded, the Duke, who had known her for a long time, could see the suppressed anger beneath it. She would likely have a tantrum in her room later.
“Then, I will simply tell Emilia to do her best as a mother. If Emilia wins Jared from Olivier, please approve of it.”
“Very well. However, if anything concerning Baroness Daum reaches anyone’s ears in the future, you will be punished, even if you are not the cause. Prepare yourself for that. If you dislike that, then forget about her. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Seeing Jared’s reaction to his daughter earlier, the Duke knew he would not be swayed by his daughter and thus dismissed Cornelia’s words. He then reiterated his warning not to disclose anything about Martha Daum.
Cornelia replied curtly and turned her back to the Duke, returning to the mansion.
The Duke watched Cornelia’s retreating back and sighed. He found it regretful that she had changed so much from the girl he had known since childhood.
Cornelia had always looked up to him as an older brother and Hannelore as an older sister. Even after Hannelore became the main wife and Cornelia became a consort, their relationship had not changed, and he thought they were getting along well.
“Why did you change so much?”
Knowing that he would receive no answer, the Duke could not help but ask. His voice was filled with sadness and an overwhelming weakness.
The Duke’s questioning voice, carried away by the wind, never reached Cornelia.
