“Let me in, sis.”

S-Sis?

“…Sis?”

“I’m younger than you.”

That’s true, but…

“We’re going to get married anyway, so let’s speak comfortably.”

Riley awkwardly smiled at Givnen’s words.

“How could I speak casually to Your Grace? We’re not close enough to be calling each other sister and brother.”

“If you think about it, we’re closer than siblings.”

“…”

“We spent the night together, so we’re more like ‘honey’ and ‘darling’ if you really think about it.”

What’s this?

Riley’s mind went blank at the unexpected words that hit her. Could it be that this absurd situation was because of what happened last night?

“How long are you planning to keep me standing here?”

“P-Please come in…”

Although he said to speak comfortably, with such a clear difference in status, Riley couldn’t easily speak casually and ended up politely making way.

“Are you planning to keep standing there?”

“…Why are you here?”

“Obviously because we have a lot to talk about as a couple.”

The atmosphere is quite different from earlier.

Whether it’s because the other party is acting overly friendly like an old friend, or because she realized he’s younger after hearing the word “sis,” she’s not sure.

In any case, he made himself comfortable as if he owned the room. Clearly, the roles of host and guest were reversed, and Riley, at a loss for words, sat down across from him.

He stared at the pale-faced Riley and smiled.

“You look surprised.”

“Wouldn’t anyone be surprised if someone suddenly barged in and proposed?”

“I guess I was surprised too.”

“What exactly are you up to?”

Givnen chuckled at Riley’s question and folded his arms.

“What do you mean, what am I up to? When a man and woman spend the night together, shouldn’t they take responsibility for each other?”

“That’s not very convincing coming from someone who’s always in the gossip columns for scandals.”

“You seem to know a lot about me.”

“…I’ve heard a lot of talk.”

Riley had often heard the maids, Claire, and her aunt talking about him.

Apart from being a capable man who became a Tower Master at a young age, he was also famous as the main figure in numerous scandals, with his name appearing in gossip columns with countless women.

How could she not know? The man famous just by his name was known for living as he pleased, as if he intended to sweep up all the fame in the world.

Yet, the reason why the marriage proposals to the Lianster family never decreased was simple. He was a man with qualities attractive enough to offset all of that and more.

“By the way… What exactly is going on? Why are you doing this? Is the proposal sincere?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be sincere?”

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t understand. I don’t know what benefit someone like you would gain from marrying me.”

“Do we need to approach it from that angle? I might have simply fallen in love with you at first sight and decided to get married.”

Annoyed by his continued wordplay, Riley snapped at him.

“Even a passing dog wouldn’t believe such nonsense.”

“You’re not very romantic.”

“If you were truly romantic, I don’t think you would have suddenly come here and thrust a marriage proposal at me. If you were the type of man to take responsibility for just spending one night together, you wouldn’t have been involved in so many scandals until now.”

Was it because her emotions were running high? She naturally spoke casually. She flinched after saying it, but fortunately, Givnen, who had earlier encouraged her to speak comfortably, didn’t seem to mind at all.

Riley decided to continue speaking casually.

“Oh, when you put it that way, it makes me sound like such a scoundrel.”

“Don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying you’re bad. I just want a proper explanation for this ridiculous situation.”

Riley, feeling she might have been too harsh, lowered her eyes and fidgeted with her fingers out of shyness. Givnen smiled at her behavior of acting cautious after saying everything she wanted to say.

“Why are you being so cautious after saying everything you wanted to?”

“…”

“No need to be so timid. I didn’t come here to eat you up, and if you think about it, I came to help you.”

“…Help? With what?”

“First, this.”

Givnen took something out from his chest and held it out to Riley. It was an old scroll tied with a green string.

Riley untied the string and unrolled the paper. Even before reading the contents, her body stiffened.

“This is Father’s handwriting… How do you have this?”

“Your father left it with my master.”

Shocked, Riley began to read the contents.

「Dear Yung, I trust you haven’t forgotten your vow to protect my daughter if something were to happen to me? If this letter has reached you, it means I’m no longer in this world. Please take care of my daughter – Ryston Eadalin -」

“And the reason I have this letter is because my master left it to me just before he died.”

“…”

“I heard that my master couldn’t take you in due to certain circumstances. It seems he regretted that until the end, as he even left this for me.”

“…This can’t be.”

Father died in a carriage accident. It was a sudden accident. So he left without even leaving a will.

But it was news to her that he had left a separate letter with someone else. Moreover, judging by the content, doesn’t it seem like he knew he was going to die?

And ‘Dear Yung’?

It didn’t make sense that her father, who was just a mountain keeper, would be on familiar terms with the former Tower Master of Horizon and a great magician.

‘But it’s clearly Father’s handwriting…’

“Anyway, I need to honor the last wishes my master left me just before he died.”

“…But why marriage specifically?”

“At first, I was preparing to become your legal guardian, but as you know, the situation got a bit complicated.”

“…You didn’t help me that night knowing who I was?”

“I didn’t know. I only found out this morning, after you ran away from my bed. That the woman I spent the night with was Riley Eadalin. We didn’t even introduce ourselves properly in the first place.”

“…”

“Just then the scandal broke, and I thought it was perfect timing.”

“…”

“It would be complicated in many ways to take the guardianship qualification from Baron Ryan, and I don’t think that suspicious and greedy man would easily cooperate with me. Seeing how he initially declined even the marriage proposal I made boldly, I think the guardianship procedure would be even more complicated and annoying.”

That’s not wrong. Ryan was a greedy and sharp man. If a man of the Horizon Tower Master’s stature suddenly volunteered to be a guardian, he would become suspicious and try to dig into everything.

He would probably adamantly oppose it if he volunteered to be a guardian, or try to squeeze out as much as he could from the situation.

“And even if it’s not Count Ermeints, I think the Baron would try to sell you off somewhere. That would complicate things even more. It’s better to act quickly. I hate complications.”

“You seem to know my uncle very well.”

“Of course I do, I’ve dealt with plenty of that type of person.”

“…”

“In that sense, don’t you think marriage is the best option for now? The night we spent together is essentially just an excuse, this is a choice for our mutual convenience.”

Once again, the cold atmosphere I felt when I first saw him returned. A feeling of clearly drawing a line in the relationship.

His words, stating without emotion that he wanted to use marriage as a means for mutual convenience, seemed quite heartless but also realistic and honest, which I actually appreciated.

“I think it’s a proposal that’s not bad for either of us.”

“…”

“If you’re going to be sold off to someone anyway, isn’t it better to be with a young, capable, handsome, and vigorous man like me rather than some perverted old man?”

The fact that he specifically pointed out that I was going to be sold off anyway shows that he has a talent for saying things in a particularly unpleasant way.

Moreover, he shamelessly emphasized his own good points. That he was handsome, capable, rich, and young.

His nonchalant way of appealing to his own merits might seem annoying, but it was so factual that there was nothing to refute, and it actually made me laugh.

It seems the saying that attractive people are entertaining no matter what they say or do because their face itself is amusing isn’t wrong.

The venomous words he spat out weren’t funny, but his radiant face was amusing no matter how many times I looked at it.

‘Certainly, there’s no reason for me to reject this proposal. If we get married… I’ll be relatively free from Uncle’s control. I’ll be able to live more freely.’

But what about you?

“Are you okay with this?”

“With what?”

“Marrying a daughter… an adopted daughter from a humble family. After all, marriage is a major life event, isn’t it? You could marry a daughter from a better family. Making such an important life decision just based on your master’s last wishes…”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t know how it is for you, but for me, marriage isn’t a big deal. Marriage is something you do if you want to, and don’t if you don’t want to. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides…”

Besides?

“It was quite satisfactory.”

“What was?”

“Yesterday.”

Riley’s face turned red as she realized he was referring to what happened in bed.

“Rather, if your father knew you were marrying me, he’d welcome it with open arms.”

“…Why?”

“Because your father, Ryston Eadalin, was not only my master’s friend but also my father’s friend.”

“…Ah.”

What exactly was Father’s identity?

Why did he have such an incredible network of connections? And why did he hide it all this time?

“Of course, the decision to accept the proposal is yours. If you refuse, I’ll consider going through the guardianship procedure. What’s not a big deal for me might be a burden for you.”

Is there any need to refuse? It’s a condition with nothing to lose. I was planning to accept immediately as there was no need to think about it further.

At that moment, Givnen added one more thing.

“Ah, and one more thing. Although we’re getting married for mutual benefit, I have no intention of having a marriage in name only. Apart from marriage not being a big deal, I believe we should fulfill our marital duties properly.”

“…What do you mean?”

“It means that if we become husband and wife, we should fulfill our duties and obligations as a couple.”

“…”

“This includes having children to continue the lineage.”

In summary, he’s saying we need to fulfill our marital duties.

I suppose that includes the obligation to regularly share a bed to continue the lineage. From Riley’s perspective, having already shared a bed with him once, there was no need to feel much resistance.

After all… no matter who I marry, I’d have to fulfill marital duties. Rather, it might be better with this man who I’ve had at least one experience with, rather than a complete stranger.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

“You’re accepting quite readily without much consideration.”

“As you said, if I’m going to be sold off anyway, I think you’d be better. And…”

“And?”

“…This seems like the only thing where I’ve been given a choice. Until now, my life has been decided by others’ choices. I never had any choices.”

Until now, Riley’s life had been absolutely dictated by Ryan’s will.

Although bound by the fence of family, she was treated worse than livestock, not really family. She lived a life without any right to make her own decisions.

In contrast, this time the decision was handed over to her. She had no intention of wasting this decision-making power to choose between marriage and guardianship.

There’s no disagreement that it’s a much better choice for him to take care of her as a husband rather than as a guardian.

There are more benefits to be gained when becoming a couple, and above all, by becoming a couple, she can escape from the nauseating family register of Ryan Eadalin.

Moreover, the legal effect of a family relationship is much stronger than that of a guardian. If by any chance she were to be married off to another family, her position would inevitably become awkward.

“Besides, who would turn down an opportunity for social advancement? But I have one request.”

“Say it.”

“I’ll faithfully fulfill my marital duties, but if someday I find someone I truly love or feel like ending this marriage, promise me you’ll allow divorce without any conditions.”

“We’re not even married yet, and you’re already thinking about divorce?”

“Because we never know what the future holds.”

“You’re very cautious.”

“Even blood relatives are like this, so how could I trust you 100% when you’re a complete stranger?”

“Alright, I promise.”

“…Thank you.”

“Ah, and Baron Ryan hasn’t given a definite answer yet.”

“…”

Staring at Riley whose face had darkened, he shrugged and said,

“But there’s no need to worry too much.”

“…?”

“If Baron Ryan shows opposition to the proposal, the next step is to respond with threats rather than persuasion. I’m more of an expert in threats than persuasion.”

Guys with skeletons in their closets are fun to play with.

Givnen’s following words were full of mischief, but they didn’t seem like a simple joke. Probably serious.

It became clear that despite his young age, he wasn’t someone to be trifled with. To treat that terrifying uncle like a toy…

“Well then, take care until our next meeting.”

As he was about to leave, he reached out his hand to Riley. His extended hand touched Riley’s swollen cheek.

The moment his hand touched her cheek, a faint light appeared, and a warm sensation seeped in, gradually reducing the swelling.

As the swelling on her cheek subsided, he then touched around her split lip. New skin began to grow over the scab.

“Don’t go around getting beaten up.”

“…”

“Running away once is enough, so don’t do anything unnecessary even if you change your mind.”

He chuckled and waved his hand.

“See you next time, sis.”

Then he left without looking back.

He knows how to threaten with a very kind voice.

“He’s really unpredictable, but meticulous. In such a short time… to have finished all calculations and pull this off…”

His sending an invitation to the Eadalan family was intentionally planned.

However, meeting him at the top of the tower was a coincidence. Spending the night together was also a coincidence.

Throughout the reception, he was busy greeting guests. As he was also the main character of the reception, he must have planned to contact the Eadalan family when he had a chance after calling them to the capital.

But things got complicated, and in that short time, he came up with an answer to solve the complicated situation. A rather plausible marriage game act that would be satisfactory to both parties.

He quickly stirred up people and situations and then disappeared. The aftermath hit her belatedly, making her dizzy. It was draining, completely draining.

‘By the way, Father… To think he was particularly close to the great magician Yung.’

The shock still hadn’t subsided.

I thought I knew everything about Father… but he had been hiding such an incredible fact.

It’s certainly disconcerting that the man who happened to spend a night with me is the one who came with Father’s last will left to the world… but still, it’s probably a better choice than marrying a sick old man.

In any case, it was because of Father’s last will that the Tower Master of Horizon came all the way here, and even employed marriage as a means to take me in.

He will protect me from Uncle.

Of course, I don’t expect to become a real family. Even blood relatives are like this, so it would be appropriate not to expect a complete stranger like him to become a perfect family.

Still, he’s clearly someone who will immediately take me out of this suffocating prison called Eadalin…

This is enough. This was sufficient reason to accept his proposal.