Chapter 1

“Get married.”

Graham Norman Hayworth, the eighth head of the

Duke of Sutherwick, one of the three great

meritorious houses of the empire, and a veteran

who made great strides in the Al Salvador War,

declared.

Cedric Hayworth, the eldest grandson, who was

called to present before Graham and had to listen to

the story silently, raised an eyebrow stiffly.

“..Does delirium come with old age?”

“There’s nothing this guy can’t say to his

grandfather.”

“You say that when you’re the one who called for

someone who is dead tire, but how else aml

Supposed to take it.”

Cedric rubbed the back of his nose with a tired hand.

He was orn his way back after receiving a report on a

large scale fire at the textile factory in Auden.

ldentifying factory workers’ casualties and

compensation plans, determining the loss of

machinery and fabrics, reconstructing plans of

factories, and routing connections to secure supplies

until nornmal business recovery. He could not even

sleep and had to clean up all night.

There were dozens of reports signed overnight, and

dozens of reports needed to be dealt with in the

future.

From Cedric Roden Hayworth’s stance, it really was

not the time to discuss a major event like marriage.

“Get married. I cannot stand the sight of my

successor, who is in his late twenties, still single.”

“It’s unfortunate, Katarina has been celibated.”

Cedric replied indifferently. Katarina Rossim was the

name of the former Countess he was currently

dating

After her first husband’s bereavement and her

second husband’s extravagant divorce, Catarina put

up a sign that there would be no more marriage in

her life again.

The thirty-year-old beauty, with countless lovers,

was proudly reigning as the social queen bee.

Countless meaning that Cedric was not the only

lover of Katarina.

He wasnt even her first. The two of them were far

from the typical loving lovers who would whisper

sweet words to each other.

Besides, if Cedric was to raise the wedding marches

right now, it would most likely be Katarina who

opposes against him.

It was very clear this lady would burst into laughter

as soon as he proposes, kick the ring box, and Cedric

as well.

She will do that while making a remark ‘In the end,

were you such an obvious man?

“There were many stories about Kate.”

Graham naturally called her by nickname.

High society was broad, yet at the same time,

confined. It was natural for Katarina to be

acquainted with Graham.

He was worried that from the ambiguous

relationship she would show up as the Duchess of

Sutherwick.

“Then who, when, where, and how do you want me

to marry.”

Graham frowned at the blunt and rude remark.

He tried to spit out a word but Cedric, who gave a

shrug, was a step faster.

“It would make sense for you to kindly give me an

explanation, your Grace.

“In any case, I don’t think I’ll lose the argument.”

Even so, it’s adorable. Graham swallowed a laugh

inwardly, pretending to be upset. Amongst the seven

grandchildren, Cedric resembled Graham the most.

He had a tall stature and ravishing good looks. There

was also a resemblance in the very handsome face.

It was only natural for women to follow them like

ants chasing after aphids, trying to bite their tails.

Graham, who had made his name as a prominent

aristocrat, was satisfied.

Not only that, it was natural to be clever, but it was

not enough to say he was even competent. The

talented gathers around him.

He knows how to choose the best of the best from

amongst the quick tongued that parents kept

shoving to him, ones who were just empty carts with

loud whistles

Before one’s eyes, Graham knew from experience,

this was a great sort of talent.

If he was to choose someone amongst his

grandchildren to marry Lyla’s granddaughter, the

most natural choice would be Cedric. Graham

concealed his thoughts to himself and spoke out

solemnly.

“Do you know of Viscount Langton House?”

“I know. It is a long-established family. Grandfather

was a long-time friend with the deceased

predecessor.”

It’s also a family that’s ruined. Cedric did not bother

to add. What does it matter if it has history and

tradition?

Viscount Langton’s family had never prospered. At

least not within his memory.

There were two main indicators that measured the

capability of aristocrats. It was legitimacy and

wealth.

The former was based on the generation of keeping

the blood pure, while the latter literally depended on

the amount of wealth accumulated.

In terms of legitimacy, Viscount Langton did not have

any direct family lineage heir to follow, and it was

also not enough to say he was also lacking in terms

of wealth.

This was not the result of luxurious spending. It was

a wish of his to have a frugal and simple life.

The problem was luck. Viscount Langton’s luck in

fortune was the worst. The Langton household,

which had a strong aristocratic pride and did not

care much about commerce, was extremely

vulnerable to disasters.

Meanwhile, Viscount Langton would use his own

wealth to compensate the tenants by paying

personal expenses whenever damages were

accrued.

Noblesse oblige.

He would straighten his back and acted as if he

would not lose his pride.

Even when income decreased due to a year of bad

harvest, the profit would decrease with tenant

farming fee being lowered; tenant fee would not be

raised. Regardless of the deficit, he did not stop his

charitable work.

Honor was the only thing that can be peeled from

Langton’s skin.

When blood vessels are stabbed, only blue blood can

Come out.

There was nothing to eat even at the cost of

hatching one’s bones.

It was a sarcastic remark on the inflexible foolishness

of the Langton household. Such that, it was a talk

that reached the family’s ears. Viscount Langton’s

household.

“Yes. There’s a daughter of the Langton household

that has passed the marriageable age. Accordingly,

her name is Haley Langton. This year… let’s see,

she must be about twenty-four.”

As Graham stroked his beard, he recalled a young girl

he had seen decades ago.

Dazzling platinum hair. She was a child closely

resembling Lyla, bright like the sunshine of spring.

“Marry the child.”

T’m sure there are many better options for a

political marriage.”

Cedric responded nonchalantly.

Langton lacks too many things for it to stand beside

the Sutherwick.

Seigniory, not so good.

Power, don’t have.

Wealth, don’t have.

Honor. Oh, that does exist.

However, it was of no use for the Ducal Family of

Sutherwick. There were many achievements attained

by the Ducal household.

He could have been slapped with a medal from the

royal family. It will just be a few more label added

onto his family’s reputation.

“If it’s a marriage, regardless of my will, please find a

suitable partn er that is more appropriate. Next time,

also attach the other person’s personal statement,

self-introduction, and portrait. These days I will be

too busy to make time for each and every

matchmaking arranged by the elder. Truly.”

He had to deal with the aftermath of the fire and

inspect the estate. Recently, the looting of

mercenaries scattered on the western outskirts had

been rampant. It was necessary for him to inspect in

person.

He could also bet on his wrist that a number of

mercenary group’s success was the work of a small

minded uncle. He was sick and tired of having to take

care of his cousins and uncles.

After speaking, Cedric slowly rose from his seat. The

old master’s hoarse voice caught him.

“Your lily is not pure white.”

Cedric halt his stance.

Lily is the family crest of the Sutherwick family. A lily

grasped by a hawk’s claw. His lineage was being

compared to the white of the flower.

More precisely, that of his mother’s origin. The

muscles of Cedric’s jawline stood out fully. The ducal

heir, gritted his teeth, looked back at his grandfather

with cold eyes.

“Why? Are you going to turn the table upside down

again?”

“l am not a fifteen-year-old kid; I’m done drawing.’

Grinds. At the sound of molar buckling, the old

master pulled his mouth and laughed. Even if he

pretended to be cold, in the eyes of the old hawk,

the clumsy side of the young heir in his twenties still

stood out.

Rascal. No matter how proud he pretended, he was

still in the old man’s palms. Graham hid his smile as

he brushed down his beard.

“Sit down. The story is not over yet.”

‘If you wanfibtållq about my mother’s story, please

stop

1am not blaming you nor your mother. It’s only

that, lately in vain, your uncles and some of your

cousins have been making a lot of fuss.”

Cedric’s mother, Yvette, was a former theatrical

actress. Naturally, she was a commoner, she wasn’t

even an imperial citizen, but an outsider.

She was a woman of exquisite beauty, with blood

that cannot even be distinguished as from where she

was from, how much of a percentage of mixed blood

is unknown.

It will eventually fall into his hands. Grandfather

Graham will personally hand over the Duke’s

position to him.

“But it can’t be easy for me either when the other

children kept bringing up legitimacy. It’s a

headache.”

Graham scrunched up his forehead.

Half of it was his fault. As a sensible duke in the past,

he firmly opposed the marriage of his eldest son

Alexander.

In the end, he lost to his son’s stubbornness, but it

was after Yvette’s stomach had already been full for

quite some time.

Alexander’s only son, Cedric, was born only two

months after the couple had their wedding

ceremony.

They were hit with gossips and rumors. There were

whispers that the duchess’s blood was of mixed

blood.

As it just so happened, Cedric, with the exception to

his blue eyes like his father, had a stronger

resemblance to his mother. The chilling blue eyes

were the characteristics of the Ducal Family of

Sutherwick, but it was not as though Alexander was

the only man with them?

Cedric’s father, of course, denied the allegations

with a single stroke and affirmed he would not sit by

and watch such rude conduct of the yellow

journalism.

However, just because it had faded in public, it did

not mean the shady rumors had disappeared

forever

The controversy over his mother’s infidelity was

venom in the molar, a skeleton in the closet, and

perhaps a tag that would probably follow him for life.

“So Langton is a suitable one, not another family.

You are only lacking in one thing.”

Even the mockery of the Viscount Langtorn

household bore the word honor. The Langton

household was presently in its 13th generation, and

had kepta long tradition of keeping their family

name.

It was extremely difficult for a family to go over 13

generations of passing the lineage into direct hands.

Even the royal family’s blood was turned over; it had

been 5 generations ago since it was last turned over.

The 8th generation Duke of Sutherwick was also

considered established. As for the Viscount Langton

household, even the spouses of the former Viscount

Langton had always been aristocrats.

In terms of the concentration of blood, it was even

more pure than the duke. Therefore, there was no

better method for proof of ancestry than to marry a

member of the Langton family.

Cedric heaved a sigh. Facing the growing strife of his

relatives was the only thing that gave him a

headache. It was also true that the grumbling behind

the scenes was gradually increasing. There was

nothing wrong with what Graham said.

“..I thought I was doing considerably well.”

“You’re doing exceptionally well, you are.

However, the ducal household was one of the pillars

of the nation. It was a family that was considered to

be more powerful than the king.

They were on the receiving end of the media’s

attention and the eyes of the public. It was a position

where even the slightest anxiety had to be

completely suppressed.

“Even the Viscount household is insinuating their

willingness to hold accountability for us. I told you

not to regard it as a debt. I believe his pride won’t

allow him to do so.

Graham clicked his tongue. Graham Hayworth, Duke

of Sutherwick, was close friends with Morgan

Langton, a predecessor of Langton.

The two were in such a relationship where there

were several financial support between them.

It was only after Viscount Langton vowed to repay

back the favor, did he accepted Sutherwick’s help.

If the Sutherwick’s desired method of help was a

merge between the two families, the Langton would

surely respond to Sutherwick’s request.

“1 got it. 6 | shall propose, right.”

Cedric, briefly immersed in his thoughts, nodded his

head.

“Really?”

Graham responded with a glow on his tace.

“Yes.”

“That’s very good. Then be sure to pay a visit to the

Viscount family as soon as possible.”

The old duke put his hands together and gave a dull

clap. Thankfully, his grandchild accepted the

marriage more smoothly than he had thought.

It was better to know how terrifying the nature of his

stubbornness was.

“I do have one question to add. Grandfather.”

“What question?”

Graham knitted his eyebrows at his grandchild’s

impudent tone.

“Is it just for that reason ?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The sacrament of this marriage that you desire..

Are you sure you don’t have any particular reason

for that?”

“Are you out of your mind? Why are you speaking

nonsense?”

“Well, grandmother said.

Graham’s nerves stood up at Cedric’s voice that

slowly dragged at the end of the sentence.

“… whatever it is your grandmother said.”

“Lyla Langton, the deceased predecessor

Viscountess Langton, was said to be a peerless

beauty during one’s youth.

Cedric’s raised his smooth mouth and gave a

picturesque smile.

“As a result, a man so foolish, who wouldn’t take any

medicine, was so enamored with her to the point of

a severe case of lovesickness that he would go on

meal strikes.”

Cedric eloquently continued his speech, as Graham

clenched his mouth shut. His beard trembled.

“But, Lyla already hada deeply affectionate fiancé.

Of all things, her fiancé was best friends and rivals

with this foolish man who could not express how he

felt and could only suffer a heartbreak.”

As though thinking of how pathetic it was, Cedric

lightly shook his head. Graham’s shoulder flinched

slightly.

“That was not all; on the day of Viscount Langton’s

wedding, there wasa grown man secretly bawling

his eyes out as though it was someone’s funeral.”

Cedric let out an exaggerated sigh this time.

Graham’s head sank ever so slightly.

“It was a vain attempt to try to beat his back to have

him return back to his senses. She would never do it

a second time, and would rather live alone. So she

had told me. Grandmother did.”

“This…. Damn it..

As the nonchalant words continued, the duke’s

mouth finally groaned out a curse.

Nevertheless, the face of the grandson before him

was excessively indifferent.

“By chance, does grandfather know where this

sniveling coward lives”

“Okay, that idiot is me. You little bastard! What are

you going to do?l”

A thunderous roar of anger echoed out in the room.

The Duke of Sutherwick breathed roughly with a

haggard face. He glared at Cedric fiercelylike a tiger.

Even so, being at the end of one’s glare, the ducal

heir’s face was undisturbed.

Cedric pulled up a smile on one side of his mouth.

“As expected. My esteemed grandfather never

disappoints me.”

Clap clap. The sound of insincere applause followed.