Chapter 5

Cerian proposed to me, but I'm glad I didn't accept right away.

If I had given an answer then, I would probably be escorted by Cerian and be greatly hated by Charlotte by now.

But I must have had some lingering attachment to the idea of a married life with someone I knew well. I ended up getting closer to Charlotte.

"Oh, that day will come someday. I want to get you... I want to be able to do as I please with you."

I heard the poem, and feeling a chill, I hurriedly moved away.

I shouldn't get close to Cerian in the context of marriage. She is terrifyingly possessive and very scary!

I need to write a letter to Cerian to warn her. If she doesn't keep her distance from Charlotte, Cerian herself might end up unable to marry a suitable person.

"If Cerian thought she was fine... would I lose a friend?"

It seems that no matter which way it goes, my connection with Cerian might be destined to fade...

Feeling a bit disappointed, I moved to a place away from Cerian and Charlotte in the venue.

"Rivia. There you are."

When I turned at the call, I saw my father and an unfamiliar elderly man.

Oh, this is bad.

I realized it the moment I saw him.

Father mentioned something about marriage to an elderly noble. This must be the man he was referring to. Could it be that, because I seemed reluctant, he decided to take the initiative, like the other ladies who ran away?

As if confirming my suspicions, Father introduced me to the elderly man with a broad smile.

"This is my daughter Rivia, Lord Margret. I may be biased as a parent, but I think she looks quite nice when dressed up. She has grown into a very gentle and kind girl..."

"Is that so?"

Lord Margret briefly replied to Father and stared at me intently.

...I'm being evaluated.

Even without hearing the inner voice like in the poem, anyone can tell from the look. This old lord is assessing whether I would be a suitable ornament for his household.

The possibility that he likes my personality is gone.

He's probably more concerned with whether my appearance is not too inferior, and whether I am truly docile and won't get in his way. That's what he's prioritizing.

"..."

Being treated like a commodity is not a good feeling.

But the tone Father is using suggests that he has already pitched me to the old lord.

If I were to refuse now... it would likely cause problems for our territory's business.

At least, if Lord Margret were to say he doesn't like me. That would be nice.

If he were to reject me, it wouldn't cause any issues.

But that wish vanished like a bubble.

"Very well. She doesn't seem flighty, and she appears to be obedient."

At Lord Margret's words, I almost sighed but bit my lip to hold it back.

If I did that now, it would ruin Father's position.

So I tried to think of any good points about marrying this man.

But for now, the only good points are that I won't be hated by Charlotte any more than I already am, and that I can remain friends with Cerian?

In any case, in order to save face for Father, I will have to attend a few parties where Lord Margret will be present and pay a visit to his house.

But if I want Lord Margret to lose interest, I might have to pretend to be a loose woman during the engagement period?

There's already a rumor that my engagement was broken off due to Charlotte, so maybe I can use that to my advantage?

But Father's reputation, and mine, would likely suffer even more, and marriage to other noble heirs would become even more distant.

If I had more time to think of a strategy, I might have come up with a better plan...

No, there's still some time before the formal engagement.

I'll think about it calmly when I get home. That's what I was thinking when—

"Would you care to dance one song with my daughter?"

Father, rubbing his hands together, said such a thing.

What!?

If I do that, not only Lord Margret and Father, but also I will be seen as having some connection, and it might be inferred that we are discussing an engagement.

After all, we weren't even friends.

I glared at Father, but he wasn't looking at me at all.

As for Lord Margret... oh, he's giving a creepy smile, a sly one.

"Very well. We will be seen together in various places soon, so I will take this opportunity to observe her."