Arasila put down the document and spoke calmly.

“Duchess, I think your demands are too excessive.”

Unless she was thinking of selling her son for a profit, this couldn’t be happening. Especially since it wasn’t even a marriage where the Hugo Marquis family was starting at a disadvantage.

Meeting the demands of the Vandermir Ducal family would drain Arasila’s entire fortune.

“Why on earth do you need a new mansion in the capital…?”

“Didn’t you agree to move into the mansion where Demian currently lives after the marriage?”

“Yes.”

The two had agreed not to get a new home for newlyweds. This was because they didn’t know when they might divorce, and Demian had strongly insisted on his own house.

“That house originally belonged to our family, so you must compensate us accordingly.”

“…”

But at this moment, Arasila wished she had just used her own money to get a separate newlywed home.

Rather than unfairly buying someone else’s house, it would be much better to buy my own house with my own money.

“Duchess, why don’t we find a reasonable middle ground through mutual agreement?”

“There’s no room for negotiation, my lady. If you want to take someone else’s precious son, of course you should do this much. Did you think you could just take him for free?”

The Duchess elegantly raised her teacup while saying things that would appall the very son in question if he heard them.

She was determined to make Arasila call off the marriage herself by any means necessary.

“One must have a conscience. Besides, while you’re just an ordinary mage tower magician, Demian is the commander leading the knights.”

“Madam, I apologize, but I’m also a magician with a significant position in the mage tower.”

Arasila’s smile cracked as she couldn’t tolerate the dismissal of her own career, if nothing else.

To call her just an ordinary magician was insulting.

“So what? Demian is also a Sword Master. It’s all thanks to our family sending him to study abroad, so you should repay that benefit through the dowry since you’ll be reaping the rewards.”

Arasila became curious about what kind of thoughts one must live with daily to have such a compensation mentality towards a stepson.

Moreover, it didn’t seem like they had raised Demian as preciously as she claimed.

‘Who sends their 14-year-old child to study abroad alone?’

It wasn’t for nothing that Demian had the nickname of the stubborn knight. It was because he had become a Sword Master after struggling in harsh conditions and returned.

Listening to the Duchess now, it sounded as if he had followed an elite course like a hothouse flower.

“I have no intention of compromising on this, so if you can’t do it, cancel the marriage.”

The Duchess finally revealed her true intentions as she curled up the corners of her mouth. Arasila once again scanned the document with the unconscionable amount written on it.

The moment she refused to pay, the Ducal family would use this as an excuse to postpone the marriage.

They might even break off the engagement entirely and push for a marriage between Iris and Oscar.

‘At least this is a problem that can be solved just by paying money, so it’s not too bad…’

Iris’s life was more precious than any amount of money, so Arasila could bear it even if her entire fortune was drained.

“It’s difficult to prepare the dowry right away, so please give me some time, Duchess.”

“Alright. But if you’re going to give it, it must be within two weeks. You’re the one who set the wedding a month from now.”

“I will. Do you have anything else to say?”

The Duchess put down her teacup and stared at Arasila. Just looking at her elegant face, she seemed like an exemplary lady who had been well-educated in a noble family.

She decided to give some advice to the young and foolish noble lady who was trying to marry her eyesore of a second son out of goodwill.

“My lady, listen well because I’m saying this as if you were my daughter.”

“Yes, madam.”

“There’s nothing good that will come from marrying Demian. My son will inherit the family, and you’ll just be the wife of a mere knight. Is that how you want to live your life as the daughter of a noble family?”

Even the Duchess herself was born as the daughter of an unremarkable viscount family and rose to the position of Duchess Vandermir.

It was the reward for rejecting proposals from ordinary men and enduring as the Duke’s mistress for several years.

‘Usually, women want to climb to a higher position through marriage. This lady should be no different.’

The Duchess smiled as she watched Arasila keeping her mouth shut, seemingly lost in thought. It was clear that she was reconsidering after hearing such words.

However, what she overlooked was that while Arasila did have ambitions to rise, she wanted to achieve them on her own rather than through others.

After listening to the Duchess’s words until the end, Arasila opened her mouth in a clear voice.

“Isn’t Lord Vandermir also your son, madam?”

“…!”

The Duchess’s expression hardened at the unexpected retort. Arasila continued calmly.

“And earlier you were boasting about him being the knight commander and a Sword Master, but now you call him a mere knight. Wouldn’t such a dowry be unnecessary for a mere knight?”

Arasila shrugged her shoulders while waving the document. The Duchess let out a scoffing laugh.

If this was the response she got after showing goodwill, the conclusion was clear without needing to hear more.

“…Lady Hugo, I’ve felt this before, but it seems we have trouble communicating.”

“I’m also confused about which tune I should dance to. Is he a son to be proud of, or just a mere knight?”

Arasila wrinkled her nose and smiled slyly. It goes without saying how annoying that face was to the Duchess.

The Duchess glared at Arasila with cold eyes and stood up abruptly without replying.

“Take care on your way back, Duchess.”

Arasila didn’t forget to give a farewell greeting to her elder as she addressed the coldly retreating back.

Of course, there was no reply, but she didn’t mind and carefully gathered up the documents.

I can’t keep this to myself. I need to go show it to my future husband right away.

As the commander’s marriage was officially confirmed, the Red Hawk Knights were in turmoil these days.

A knight marrying the representative magician of the mage tower.

Moreover, it was a love marriage, so public interest was very high. While everyone hoped for a special romance, the atmosphere inside the knight order was different.

“Commander, please reconsider the marriage one more time.”

“Considering the Ritterson incident, you should be careful too, Commander!”

“How do you know she’s not a woman with dark intentions like that witch?!”

The grim-faced knights followed Demian around, clamoring.

What was this Ritterson incident they spoke of?

It referred to the murder of Jonathan Ritterson, once a renowned Sword Master and Imperial Knight Commander, who was killed after marrying a magician.

This infamous murder case played a significant role in the poor relationship between magicians and knights in the Setron Empire.

His wife, Lexi Ritterson, confessed after her arrest that she had intentionally approached and married him.

‘If Jonathan Ritterson had been left alone, an era where stupid knights with nothing but strength would have flourished. I simply prevented such a misfortune from occurring.’

Her motive for the crime turned the empire’s entire knighthood upside down. A magician had killed the greatest knight of the time to check the growing power of the knights.

As a result, there were still many negative views towards magicians, especially female magicians, within knight circles.

“Commander, please don’t marry a magician!”

“Shut up. Don’t question my decision.”

Demian frowned, tired of being constantly pestered by his subordinates.

But his devoted followers who loved him passionately continued to pursue him relentlessly.

“Isn’t she known as a strange woman even within the mage tower? If that witch were to harm you, Commander…”

“Could that witch possibly be me?”

A clear voice suddenly cut in. The knights turned around and screamed in surprise.

It was because Arasila was standing there with her curly hair draped over her face like a curtained window, her eyes wide and white.

“Ahhh!”

“G-ghost?!”

Some of the knights whose hearts had dropped even collapsed as their legs gave out.

Demian looked back and forth between his subordinates and the ghost-like Arasila with an incredulous expression.

“What are you doing, my lady? Are you imitating a ghost or something?”

“Yes, I thought I’d try imitating one since you’re treating me like a witch.”

Arasila flipped her hair back and smiled coldly. Audrey, who was standing behind her, quickly tidied up her hair.

“You all seem to have no filter when talking about someone who will soon be your superior’s wife. Is it part of the chivalric code to gossip about women behind their backs?”

The knights flinched and avoided her gaze. They had been freely calling Arasila a witch until just now, but faced with her in person, they couldn’t even look at her properly.

Clicking her tongue at their pathetic behavior, Arasila’s gaze fell on Demian.

“Or is it that the superior can’t maintain proper discipline? What do you think, Lord Vandermir?”

She was pointing out that Demian had been silently listening to his subordinates’ words.

“I apologize, my lady. It was my mistake.”

Demian apologized politely and then ordered his subordinates with a stern face.

“Everyone, apologize to Lady Hugo and then run 30 laps around the training ground.”

“No, make it 100 laps each.”

“Yes! We’re sorry!”

Guilty of their transgressions, the knights couldn’t protest and bowed in apology before running off to the training ground.

After they disappeared, Demian turned and said.

“We should…”

“Aren’t you going too?”

Arasila cut off Demian’s words and smiled brightly. Demian hesitated after observing her expression.

“…Should I go as well?”

“Well, aren’t you going?”

Not stopping them and listening was also a form of complicity. Arasila smiled as she raised her hand to point towards the training ground.

It was the first time in Demian’s life that he was being punished by running laps around the training ground. However, he too was guilty and couldn’t protest.

“I’ll go.”

“Alright, we have things to discuss, so you can specially just run 10 laps and come back. Aren’t I generous?”

Arasila specially showed mercy. Look how kind I am.

“…Should I be grateful?”

“Would you prefer to run 100 laps?”

Demian bowed his head and wordlessly turned to go to the training ground.

Sitting in the office leisurely eating dessert, Arasila narrowed her eyes as she watched Demian come in after running 10 laps.

“Did you really run? How come you don’t have a single drop of sweat?”

“That much doesn’t make me sweat. I have a regular training regimen.”

“You should have said so earlier. Then I would have just told you to run 100 laps.”

Demian sat down across from her with a slightly incredulous look. He ran his hand over his face and sighed softly before asking.

“So, why did you come without any notice?”

“I met with the Duchess today. She gave this to me, you should take a look too.”

Arasila handed Demian the Duchess’s documents. Demian’s expression grew more distorted as he checked the contents inside.

“This is outrageous.”

“Right? How do you think I felt when I suddenly received that? She told me to prepare it within two weeks.”

Demian’s hand holding the paper tensed. It was a dowry of such scale that even a prestigious family couldn’t help but feel burdened.

It was clear that the Ducal family had deliberately made excessive demands to interfere with the marriage, but the problem was that Arasila might really want to call off the wedding.

Originally, the starting point of conflict in all marriages is the dowry and wedding gifts.

‘If this marriage falls through, I’ll be the one who loses more.’

Demian had the Duke title at stake in this marriage. On the other hand, it was unclear what benefits Arasila would gain from the marriage.

The reason of preventing her sister’s marriage to Oscar didn’t seem that desperate from Demian’s perspective.

So he felt anxious, thinking she might change her mind at any time.

“If you want to cancel the wedding because of the dowry…”