Chapter 27

After driving Falco away, Lamirio groaned as he received the letter.

"…This time it's Lucretia's father."

The seal with the crest was familiar. The handwriting was undoubtedly from the man himself.

And inside, it contained nonsense.

"The situation has changed, so I will not marry off Lucretia."

"I will come to your territory soon to take my daughter back."

—After sending her off without even properly arranging the engagement, now he wants to call it off?

Lamirio, who initially sympathized with her situation and planned to send her back after a period of convalescence, found his thoughts increasingly dominated by the suspicion that her father was not a good parent.

Lamirio was convinced that there must be a reason for this sudden change of heart. Perhaps he was in financial trouble and had already made a verbal agreement to marry her off to someone else. Or maybe he was trying to extort money from Lamirio.

"…Should I send back a message saying, 'What a joke'?"

"I would advise against it."

"Why? He said he would 'give' his daughter. I have the letter as proof. I can take him to court if necessary."

"According to Illuminati law, nobles under thirty cannot marry without their parents' consent. Without a factual marriage, any dispute will be invalid."

Lamirio couldn't accept this reasoning.

He was angry.

—What do they think of Lucretia?

She was surrounded by people who only thought of using her, and it made him feel sorry for her.

"Fine. If a factual marriage is needed, then so be it?"

Bosco was taken aback.

"That's true, but what do you intend to do…?"

"Before her father arrives, we'll get married quickly. We can have a simple ceremony in front of a priest and a small reception. It can be done quickly."

Bosco turned pale and shook his head.

"No! You must consider how much women value their weddings! It's not something to be taken lightly!"

"We can have a grand party later."

Bosco narrowed his eyes as if to say, "There's no point in doing this."

"…I don't care if she rejects me."

Lamirio was at a loss for words. Indeed, he had a slight feeling of pity for her somewhere in his heart.

"As long as she doesn't reject me. I need to explain the situation and get her to agree… before her father shows up."

He fell silent again.

—If I tell her, she might just go back obediently.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

If her real father told her, "The marriage is off. Come back," a well-bred lady would most likely do as she was told. The father's word was absolute. According to the Divina faith, a daughter should be under her father's protection.

No matter how much Lamirio said, "I think your father is terrible," she might not understand. Once a belief is deeply ingrained, it's hard to change.

She had come obediently even when ordered to marry a repulsive duke. She might say, "I'm happy to serve my father," and offer herself as collateral for a debt.

Lamirio decided to modify his plan.

—He would keep the matter about her father secret and hurry the marriage along.

It felt like deception, but it was for her own good.

Lamirio decided to be ruthless.

—If a messenger has been sent, the father should arrive within a few days.

He needed to delay the handover and get Lucretia to agree.

—With that decided, he would propose to her immediately…

He froze.

—Propose… that means…

He would have to kneel and ask her to marry him.

And he had to do it within a few days.

Lamirio had never been aggressive with women. The reason was simple: he was afraid of being rejected.

Even when arranging an engagement, he waited until he was asked, "Please take my daughter." He didn't want to be turned down.

For Lamirio, a sudden proposal was too difficult.

He didn't know what to do.

He took a pointless bath, shaved his beard, and accidentally cut his cheek.

He put on a new outfit and styled his hair carefully, but overdid it, making it shiny with hair wax.

Feeling restless, Lamirio turned around, sensing a gaze, but only saw Bosco writing diligently, not looking at him.

—Damn. Why am I so flustered?

"…I'm going to see Lucretia. Take care of things here."

"Understood. Please take your time."

Bosco sent him off with unusual kindness, which was both appreciated and annoying.

***

On the terrace of the mansion.

Lucretia held a new diary and was deep in thought.

The new leather-bound book was filled with smooth white pages. She had been admiring its feel and beauty.

—What should I write?

She thought about writing about the trinkets she bought yesterday but decided against it.

Writing about how she spent her allowance on the first page would be boring. If someone found the diary years later, they might just pass it by without reading it.

—A worthy event to start the first page…

Lamirio appeared just then.

A shadow fell on the diary, and she looked up to see Lamirio with his hair slicked back.

"Hello, Lucretia. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Oh, my lord."

Lamirio's nervousness made Lucretia smile with a gloomy look, which was her usual expression but made Lamirio freeze.

—To make my lord flinch, I must be a hopeless woman.

She deepened her smile, feeling sad.

Lamirio turned away, his cheeks tinged pink, perhaps from fear. His skin was pale due to medication, making even slight changes in color noticeable.

"Please don't misunderstand, my lord. My face is like this by nature."

"Oh… well, I think you're cute by nature."

"Excuse me? No, my eyes look like those of a dead fish."

"Huh?"

"They've always been like this. Since childhood, I've had a lack of expression. Even when something joyful happens, people say I look unwell."

"I see…?"

Lamirio glanced at Lucretia hesitantly and quickly looked away.

"…I always thought you looked like Yuno."

"Yuno…?"

Lucretia thought for a moment, remembered that Yuno was a beautiful and virtuous household guardian deity, and promptly forgot it.

—A goddess can't have such a gloomy look.

Suddenly, Lamirio made a strange face.

"…Wait. Who said you looked unwell?"

"My father."

"…"

Lamirio narrowed his eyes.

Lucretia continued, wondering what was wrong.

"Also, my stepmother and sister. They said my gloomy look made them feel uncomfortable… and that I should avoid parties when I look unwell and go home early."

"Your family…?"

Lamirio muttered and fell silent.

—What about my family?

She looked at Lamirio's handsome face, puzzled.

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