Please Marry My Son (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
“What is all this?”
Eric frowned in exasperation as gifts kept pouring endlessly into Earl Russell’s residence.
“My lady sent them. She said to take them as gifts.”
“All of this?”
“Yes.”
Eric finally covered his face with his hands in embarrassment.
He’d known it, of course—but once again, his parents’ grandiosity far exceeded his imagination.
“Good heavens! My lady has gone to such great trouble. Hey, be careful with those! Do you have any idea how esteemed the recipient is!”
Oblivious to Eric’s inner turmoil, the butler beamed cheerfully, anxiously watching over the gifts lest anything be damaged.
After staring at the butler in disbelief for a moment, Eric silently trudged off toward his room.
“Ugh… How did I get dragged into this mess?”
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt—as if the whole world had conspired against him, leaving him the only one out of the loop.
He recalled the moment just a few days ago when he’d received the invitation from the Countess of Lancaster and felt his vision go dark.
‘Why exactly is this invitation in my hand right now? Mother must have intervened. But what could she possibly have said to make the Countess of Lancaster send this?’
Just vaguely imagining it made his face burn so fiercely he thought he’d die of shame.
‘Why did I have to go and get all emotional back then?’
He let out an involuntary sigh.
‘I’ve already been rejected—no, that sounds too harsh—let’s say I’m respecting their wishes—ah, whatever, does it even matter?’
He was furious with himself for letting pride get him into this situation—and for still not having his wits about him.
Pride be damned—if he’d just been honest from the start, it would’ve ended right then and there.
“Aaargh!”
He clutched his head and rolled around on the bed.
They say your greatest enemy is your past self—and sure enough, there wasn’t a single false word among the old sayings.
[This is the timeline separator]As the carriage gradually approached the Lancaster estate, Eric began to feel increasingly nervous.
He hadn’t even been this tense the first time he stood before countless knights as captain of the order.
“Hmm?”
Upon entering the mansion, the view through the window presented an atmosphere somewhat different from what he’d expected.
It was certainly antique—but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The front yard truly felt like it belonged to another era.
There were no decorative flowers or small ornamental trees to enrich the garden—nothing of that sort at all.
Only vast, ancient-looking trees whose age was impossible to guess, along with neatly trimmed grass. Scattered here and there were old yet well-maintained statues.
Even when he’d stepped down from the carriage and looked up at the mansion, he’d felt the same way.
Just as the Duchess of Gloucester had said—it was antique, yet somehow felt different.
‘It seems a bit worn-down.’
It was undeniably well-kept.
It certainly looked historic and genuinely antique—but the impression of age was strong.
At the entrance, a man who appeared to be the Lancaster family’s butler bowed politely in greeting.
“Welcome, Earl Russell. We’ve been expecting you.”
“Thank you.”
Following the elderly butler’s courteous guidance, Eric stepped inside the mansion.
‘For a household of this size, there don’t seem to be many servants.’
“Welcome.”
As he looked around the unfamiliar interior, a familiar voice called out—it was Alicia.
Though too embarrassed to meet her eyes directly, he managed a strained smile and handed her the bouquet he’d carefully placed in the carriage so it wouldn’t get crushed.
“Thank you.”
She smiled brightly, but to Eric, it still looked awkward.
‘She’s probably not happy to see me.’
Thinking it was only natural, he gave a bitter smile.
“Welcome, Earl Russell.”
Unlike Alicia, the Countess of Lancaster greeted him with a radiant smile.
“You really didn’t need to come out personally—thank you.”
He grinned and offered her a large bouquet as well, which she accepted happily and brought to her nose to smell.
“Oh my! They’re absolutely lovely. Thank you. Shall we go inside?”
[This is the timeline separator]“You must have been surprised when I suddenly asked you to come, right?”
“Oh—no, not at all.”
Seeing him smile awkwardly, the Countess of Lancaster responded with gentle warmth.
Eric tilted his head slightly at her expression.
The Countess of Lancaster certainly gave off a kind and delicate impression—but there was something oddly formidable about her presence.
“How is the Duchess doing these days?”
“Oh, yes—she’s doing wonderfully.”
‘She must be doing so well I’ve never even seen her once.’
Muttering inwardly, he lifted his teacup—only to lock eyes with the Countess of Lancaster and force another awkward smile.
He’d used up ten years’ worth of smiles all at once recently, to the point his face felt sore.
“Please help yourself. I prepared fruit instead of sweet desserts, thinking you might not prefer them—hope that’s alright.”
“Yes, of course.”
Truthfully, he didn’t feel like eating anything, but he politely took a piece of fruit anyway.
“My parents have caused you considerable trouble in many ways.”
“Oh dear, not at all! I actually enjoyed it very much.”
She waved her hand gently and smiled kindly.
“Because of my condition, I rarely go out—but I was so delighted when you came to visit.”
“Are you unwell?”
“I had a bit of an accident some time ago.”
“Oh—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Oh, no, it’s quite alright. It happened a long time ago.”
Alicia stared at her mother in surprise—she’d brought up the accident herself.
She didn’t know why, but her mother had been favorably inclined toward Eric from the very beginning.
She was naturally kind—but even more so than usual.
“Oh, that reminds me—if it’s alright, I’d like to introduce my son as well.”
“You have a son?”
“Didn’t you mention anything like that when you first met?”
When the Countess of Lancaster asked Alicia, she realized they’d never had the chance to discuss it.
Both of them exchanged an awkward, embarrassed smile.
Just then, a knock sounded, and a young boy entered.
“Hello.”
The boy stepped in, stiff with nervous tension.
Eric was surprised to see such a young boy—barely into his teens.
“Oh—hello. I’m Eric Russell Gloucester.”
Wondering if he’d ever spoken to a boy this young before, he extended his hand for an awkward handshake.
“Edward Lancaster.”
Still rigid with nerves and visibly awkward, Edward nonetheless shook Eric’s hand politely.
But the boy’s eyes sparkled with such intensity it was almost overwhelming.
“Our Edward wants to become a knight—that’s why he was so eager to meet Earl Russell.”
“I see.”
Eric finally nodded and studied Edward carefully.
Though his features were a bit more masculine, he looked so much like Alicia must have as a child.
“Wow—I really, really wanted to meet you!”
His eyes shone with pure admiration, his attitude brimming with passionate respect.
“Thank you.”
Perhaps because of Eric’s fearsome reputation, no one had ever dared approach him so openly before—this was the first time anyone had expressed such direct admiration.
It felt awkward and embarrassing—but not unpleasant.
“So—you want to become a knight?”
“Yes!”
“Then you’ll be attending the military academy, I suppose?”
“Yes!”
Generally, there were two paths to becoming an official imperial knight.
One was to graduate from the military academy and be commissioned directly as an officer, like Eric. The other was to pass the knight order’s examination and join that way—though nobles usually chose the academy route.
“Work hard. If there’s anything I can help you with, just let me know.”
“Really? Then… would a sparring match be okay too?”
“A sparring match?”
Eric had only meant he could write a letter of recommendation for academy admission.
But a sparring match? That was a bit tricky—he probably wouldn’t see the boy again after today.
Yet Edward’s eyes sparkled so brightly that Eric couldn’t bring himself to refuse outright.
“Edward—that would be impolite.”
“Oh…”
Sensing Eric’s discomfort, Alicia quietly chided him, and Edward immediately offered an apology with a visibly disappointed expression.
“I’m sorry—I got too excited and was rude.”
His apology was surprisingly mature. Eric glanced briefly at Alicia, then gently patted Edward’s shoulder and met his eyes.
“?”
“If it’s just once, it’s fine—but only if your sister doesn’t find out.”
“Really?”
Following Eric’s lead, Edward whispered in a small voice, and both of them simultaneously glanced toward Alicia.
“?”
Curious about their whispering, she looked over—only for Eric and Edward to immediately turn their heads away. Then Edward grinned brightly and whispered something again.
Watching this, the Countess of Lancaster chuckled and called to Edward.
“Well then—how about we leave you two to talk? Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Edward looked back at Eric once more before following the Countess out.
Even as he walked away with his mother, he turned his head—and when his eyes met Eric’s, he beamed brightly before finally scurrying out of the room at a quick pace.
“What were you two talking about?”
“Nothing much.”
“Hmm?”
“Just… something Edward wanted to hear.”
Though he spoke casually, it was clear he’d considered Edward’s feelings.
“How thoughtful of you.”
“……”
He’d never heard those words before in his life—and was utterly flustered.
Wanting to shake off this strange feeling quickly, he finally brought up what he needed to say.
“Um… I’m sorry for putting you in an awkward position.”
“?”
“I fully understand my stance on this matter and intended to speak properly with my parents—but they were so full of expectations that I couldn’t find a good opportunity to talk.”
She was the kind of person who’d come all the way here just to create a chance after briefly seeing him in the dressmaker’s shop.
Alicia could easily imagine how uncomfortable Eric must have felt—and nodded understandingly.
“You must care deeply for your parents.”
“……”
Of all the things he’d heard in his life—this was unexpected. Lately, the most common thing his parents said to him was that he was unfilial.
Wanting to escape this odd feeling once more, he opened his mouth again to emphasize what needed to be said.
“This will be resolved soon—until then, I hope you’ll kindly bear with it. I won’t cause you any further worry.”
“Thank you for saying that. Honestly, I was quite flustered.”
“I imagine you were.”
“Then I’ll take your word for it.”
Alicia nodded in agreement at Eric’s respectful demeanor.
“You’ve been put through quite a lot by getting tangled up in this.”
“No—it’s you who’s had the hard time, Countess.”
“I never expected things to escalate this far.”
Though, admittedly, her own past impulsiveness had played a large part.
“Your parents must really want you to marry into the Lancaster family.”
“Sigh…”
At those words, Eric let out an involuntary sigh.
“There have been countless times I’ve been caught off guard because they push things forward without regard for my wishes. This is no different. I never imagined they’d arrange a meeting like this—even though the Lancaster family had absolutely no prior connection to us. Honestly, their drive is almost admirable…”
He suddenly clamped his mouth shut, embarrassed by how flustered he’d become, and covered his face with one hand.
Ever since getting entangled with Alicia, why did so many awkward situations keep happening?
‘She’s suffering because of her parents too, huh.’
Seeing Eric’s expression, Alicia felt a sense of kinship and unconsciously nodded in agreement.
But Alicia also had something she absolutely needed to tell Eric.
Perhaps today would be their last meeting—so despite her hesitation, she opened her mouth to speak.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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I love how they interact with each other. They feel at ease together.
Hahaha. The butler’s perfect timing. And Erik hiding his face.
Maybe I’m really wrong about it, but I think Alicia has something to do with what happened ten years ago and maybe her father is the leader of that group.