“Demian Vandermir, you weak bastard!”

A sharp voice echoed inside the carriage entering the capital.

The speaker was the Duchess Vandermir. She was hurriedly heading to the capital with her family due to her second son’s sudden marriage announcement.

Anxiously fanning herself, she sharply turned her head towards her husband.

“How could he marry Lady Hugo! Doesn’t that child know about political marriages?!”

“I wouldn’t know. Someone might have leaked information. Oscar, have you ever slipped up in front of your brother?”

Duke Vandermir looked at his eldest son sitting across from him with suspicious eyes.

Though he inherited the duke’s silver hair and brown eyes, his overall features were the spitting image of the duchess.

Oscar, who had been staring out the window with a bored expression, shook his head.

“It’s been over a year since I last saw that bastard, Father. The little rat must have planted a spy in the duchy.”

“How could he be so vicious! Truly ungrateful and despicable to the extreme.”

Though it was pure speculation, the duchess immediately concluded that Demian had planted a spy in the family home and flew into a rage.

“Darling, go and teach Demian a harsh lesson. He never listens to me because I’m his stepmother, or to Oscar because he’s his half-brother.”

The duchess clung to her husband’s arm and pleaded with a pitiful expression.

Having remarried the duke 17 years ago, she had no blood relation to Demian. Demian was the son of the first wife, while she had given birth to Oscar with the duke.

The reason she became the stepmother despite being the birth mother of the eldest son was simple. The two had an affair while the former duchess was still alive.

Not only did she give birth to the eldest son instead of the original wife, but she also took her place after she died.

“He’s already making such cowardly moves behind our backs, what would he do if he became the heir? We must stop him at all costs!”

“I know that too. The problem is that it was the daughter of the Hugo Marquis family who announced the marriage.”

Duke Vandermir massaged his temples with a troubled expression.

The Hugo Marquis family would insist on the current marriage, as their daughter could be humiliated if it fell through.

Even though Vandermir had the power and justification to override the Hugo family’s wishes and force a political marriage, he couldn’t manipulate them at will.

After all, the Hugo Marquis family was also one of the most prestigious in the empire.

‘Unlike your foolish mother who lived and died, you’re quite cunning, Demian.’

The duke ground his teeth softly. Due to the affair, he had a poor relationship with his former wife, which naturally led to an uncomfortable relationship with his second son.

It might have been worse because Demian had reproached him when he was young.

‘Father, you are a coward who hides behind women.’

After saying those words, Demian left to study abroad, and the duke avoided his son for a long time.

People tend to feel uncomfortable around those who stimulate their guilt.

“Somehow we need to persuade the Marquis family to call off the marriage with Demian.”

“Should we try bribing them? Or perhaps intimidate that daughter into giving up?”

“Both sound good.”

The duke’s face, which smiled slyly, was handsome and fair like a meticulously carved statue. Even his fine wrinkles added depth to his appearance as a charming feature.

The duchess blushed slightly and nodded her head.

“I understand. I’ll give it a try, darling.”

“Alright, I’m counting on you.”

“Oscar, you must help your mother too.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Oscar answered halfheartedly. The carriage carrying them headed towards the Vandermir family’s town house where Demian was staying.

Demian Vandermir stood in front of the arched door carved from pure gold.

With his hands in his pockets and his chin slightly raised, he watched the Vandermir family’s carriage enter the mansion.

“Commander, Lady Hugo has departed,” Colin reported quietly, approaching from behind. Demian moved his head slightly.

As the duke’s family, who had gotten out of the carriage, drew closer, he took his hands out of his pockets and put on a cool smile.

“You must be tired from the long journey, Father. Duchess. And Brother.”

“Well, my son certainly causes me a lot of trouble.”

The duke responded coldly. Yawning widely next to Oscar, the duchess opened her fan and chimed in with a displeased face.

“How do you always manage to pick things that upset your father? You make our innocent family suffer.”

“I guess being a Sword Master can’t hide your abnormal tendencies. Wonder who you take after.”

Oscar mocked, placing his interlocked hands behind his head. A chilly atmosphere flowed between them, meeting for the first time since the duke’s birthday last year.

Demian looked over his family, who treated him worse than strangers, and smirked.

“Well, Brother, I’ve been told so often that I take after Father.”

“What? Who are you…!”

“Let’s go inside first. I’ve prepared lunch. Lady Hugo is on her way as well.”

He turned around, cutting off the duchess who was about to flare up.

When the duke’s family, pretending to be calm while suppressing their anger, came down to the dining hall after unpacking, Arasila had also arrived at the mansion.

“Young master, Miss Arasila has arrived.”

“I’ll be back shortly to escort Lady Hugo.”

As Demian left with the butler, Oscar, who had been keeping his mouth shut, opened it.

“By the way, I heard the woman marrying that bastard is an outcast in the capital’s social circles and a strange person?”

“What noble daughter in her right mind would declare herself a spinster and work as a mage? I can tell she’s ignorant and uncultured without even seeing her.”

Mother and son thoroughly slandered Arasila based solely on public rumors. The duke, who was looking around the lavishly decorated hall with displeasure, chimed in.

“At least the Marquis’s eldest daughter is said to be normal, so we should marry her to Oscar.”

While they were arbitrarily arranging a marriage between Iris and Oscar, there was a gentle knock.

Knock knock. As the door opened with a light sound, Demian and his bride-to-be appeared.

Those who had been focusing their hostile gazes were suddenly taken aback. The woman entering alongside Demian was an extraordinary beauty.

She didn’t look strange or ignorant at all.

Rather, she was so beautiful and dignified that the three were momentarily dumbfounded.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Arasila Hugo of the Hugo Marquis family.”

Holding the skirt of her lovely light pink dress with small flower patterns, Arasila greeted them politely.

From head to toe, she exuded refinement as she smiled brightly.

“Thank you for inviting me here today. It is a great honor to meet Lord Vandermir’s family.”

The duke’s family came to their senses when the words ‘Lord Vandermir’s family’ flowed from Arasila’s lips.

Arasila was treating them not as the great Vandermir ducal family, but as the family of the man she was about to marry.

Receiving piercing gazes once again, Arasila sat down across from Demian and the duchess.

Oscar persistently followed her with his eyes. He seemed unable to believe that such a beautiful woman would become Demian’s wife.

“You’re marrying Demian, Lady?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“As far as I know, Lady was a spinster, so what sudden intention made you decide to marry?”

The duchess, who had cut in sharply, quickly added with a kind smile.

“There have been so many ladies who intentionally approached our sons. You must understand our position of being suspicious of your motives.”

“Yes, Duchess. Of course I understand.”

Despite the somewhat unpleasant remarks, Arasila nodded obediently without showing any signs of offense.

Is she of a rather docile nature?

As the duchess harbored such doubts, Arasila opened her mouth again.

“I decided to marry after seeing Lord Vandermir’s face.”

“Cough―.”

Demian, who had been quietly drinking water beside her, coughed. He quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at Arasila.

She was boldly looking straight at the duchess and smiling brightly.

“It’s rare to find someone with looks worthy of my face. So I decided not to miss this opportunity.”

There was a moment of silence at the unexpected answer that no one had anticipated. The duchess spoke with an incredulous expression.

“Lady Hugo, marriage is not a game.”

“I’m well aware of that, Duchess.”

“I’ll be frank. I don’t like you as a match for our Demian.”

She tried to act motherly by affectionately calling Demian’s name. Demian’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Demian is a knight, and you’re a mage, Lady. I want to welcome an ordinary noble lady into the family.”

“Ah, yes.”

Arasila responded indifferently and cut her meat to put it in her mouth.

At that bewildering response, the duchess’s lips quivered.

“Did you not understand what I said?”

“No, I understood. But grown adults can’t be prevented from marrying just because their parents object, can they?”

According to the laws of the Setron Empire, for adults to marry, they each only needed to prepare one guarantor.

Usually family members provided that guarantee, but it didn’t matter if it was a friend or a third party.

“If we love each other passionately, we just need to stamp the marriage registration and submit it to the temple. It’s fortunate we came to greet you like this.”

“Lady Hugo! Do you not feel ashamed to make such unchaste remarks as a noble lady?”

“No, because love is nothing to be ashamed of.”

The duchess’s face grew redder and redder as she watched Arasila speak quite shamelessly and shrug her shoulders.

It was because she found her so hateful and irritating.

“How dare you talk back so impudently…!”

“You asked, so I answered, but if you speak like that, I’ll be hurt.”

Arasila cut off the duchess who was about to burst out shouting, and lowered her eyes dejectedly.

Due to her gorgeous yet pure-looking appearance, a pitiful atmosphere suddenly flowed.

Oscar, who had been staring blankly as if about to drool, regained his senses when his mother stepped on his foot under the table.

“Then from now on, I won’t answer. Why don’t you ask the Lord if you have any questions?”

Arasila raised her eyes boldly again and turned her head towards Demian.

“I’ll ask first, Lord. The Duchess says she doesn’t like me, but what about you? Do you not like me?”

Demian hesitated for a moment at her blue and transparent eyes that reminded him of a summer lakeside, then shook his head.

“I like Lady Hugo.”

He answered quietly, then spoke coldly towards the duchess.

“So stop finding fault with Lady Hugo. I don’t mind that she’s a mage.”

“Demian, what kind of language is that towards your mother! Finding fault?! Apologize this instant!”

The duke flew into a rage at those trivial words. Demian’s expression hardened at the word ‘mother’.

Arasila glanced at him and raised her hand to mediate between father and son.

“Calm down, Your Grace. I don’t think the Lord’s choice of words was particularly wrong. Usually, the opinion of the person who heard it matters in these cases, right?”

While the duke’s family was once again collectively at a loss for words, Arasila exaggeratedly sighed and wiped her eyes with her hand.

For the record, not a single tear had formed.

“But it hurts my heart. One way or another, the Lord and I will get married, so if you dislike me this much, you’ll cut ties with us after the wedding.”

“No, who said…”

“Although this will be our first and last meal together, I’ll try to eat as cheerfully as I can.”

Arasila deliberately raised her voice to pretend she hadn’t heard the duchess and resumed eating.

Clatter, clatter.

Watching her stubbornly continue her meal alone, Demian sensed it.

Perhaps marriage to this woman would be the wisest decision of his life.