Chapter 3

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The morning after meeting the young lady Edith Aringham, the Viscount's daughter.

I went to the castle as usual and was called out by a few of my colleagues from the guard on my way to the palace where Lord Shawn resided.

Some of them teased me about dancing with the young lady last night, while others congratulated Riley on his late spring, but most of them said, "You were lucky."

The fact that I danced with a noble young lady, and one of a higher rank at that, and was even proposed to, was still hard for me to believe even after a night's sleep.

It was all due to the young lady's approach from start to finish.

I couldn't help but wonder if it had all been a dream.

However, as soon as I entered Lord Shawn's palace, I was immediately summoned by my master.

When he handed me a stack of documents, I reflexively took them.

"These are the investigation reports on Miss Edith Aringham," Lord Shawn said lightly, and I couldn't help but look down at the documents in my hands.

"You investigated her?"

"Yes, of course. You are an important knight trusted by the royal family, a hero who protects this country from the threat of monsters, and a favorite of the second prince. It's only natural to investigate the character and relationships of the person you're going to marry to determine if they will be harmful to you or the royal family," Lord Shawn explained.

"You should read through them as well," he encouraged, and I began to read the documents with a mix of guilt and curiosity about the woman who proposed to someone like me.

Miss Edith Aringham is eighteen years old.

She is the daughter of the current Viscount Aringham and the previous Viscountess, who was also a viscount's daughter and died of illness ten years ago. The report also mentioned her parents' characteristics, but it seems that she resembles her mother in both hair and eye color.

Her parents' marriage was a political one, and there was little affection or familial bond between them.

The Viscount openly took lovers, and the Viscountess and her daughter were largely neglected.

As soon as the previous Viscountess died ten years ago, a commoner lover was brought into the house.

This lover, who became the current Viscountess, had a daughter, Felice Aringham, who was one year younger than Miss Edith. Felice was the daughter of the Viscount and his lover, making her Edith's half-sister.

The current Viscountess, who was once a commoner, resented the previous Viscountess's daughter, Edith.

One reason was that the eight-year-old Edith, who had just lost her mother, rejected her new mother and sister, but the Viscountess was also unhappy that her own daughter, who had a commoner mother, could not inherit the viscount's title as long as Edith, who had noble parents, was around.

Most of all, Edith's childhood portraits showed a glimpse of her mother, who was famous for her beauty in society.

With slightly darker platinum blonde hair, snow-white skin, and beautiful violet eyes framed by lashes of the same color, Edith and her mother looked like a living replica of each other in the portraits.

The current Viscountess made Edith live in a separate house, with only a minimal number of servants, and provided her with clothes and food of a quality similar to that of a commoner. There were also days when she withheld food due to a bad mood. When the young Edith, unable to bear the hunger, came to the main house, she was even beaten.

Growing up seeing her mother's behavior, Felice Aringham, Edith's half-sister, grew up to be just like her mother.

Possessing the beauty that had won over the Viscount, Felice treated her half-sister like a slave, sometimes even joining her mother in violence, and took valuable mementos from the previous Viscountess.

Edith's slender build was likely due to a lack of nutrition during her growth period.

On days when even maids did not come, she had to take care of herself.

Despite this, she received thorough lady education, and even though her appearance was often mocked and belittled by her teachers, she struggled to learn. If she failed, she was beaten by her teachers as well.

Eventually, on her thirteenth birthday, she became engaged to a man chosen by her father for political reasons.

His name was Richard Oldcastle, the second son of an earl. It was expected that Richard would eventually become a son-in-law and that the Aringham viscountcy would be inherited by Edith and this man.

However, Richard disliked his fiancée, Edith.

Although she was dressed in a plain and unattractive dress when they met, Edith, who was malnourished, thin, and poorly groomed, did not meet Richard's standards.

Instead, Richard became infatuated with his half-sister, Felice Aringham, who was loved by her parents and grew up without any worries.

Under the pretext of visiting his fiancée, Richard spent five years secretly meeting with his half-sister, ignoring his fiancée, giving her gifts, and saying cruel things to her.

Even after her debut in society, Edith was not given enough dresses or accessories, was not allowed to wear makeup by her stepmother and half-sister, and was left alone at balls, becoming a wallflower.

While the overt violence had stopped, she still occasionally suffered beatings and was subjected to verbal abuse from her stepmother, half-sister, and fiancé every day. The young lady, who should have had a proper lineage, spent her days quietly in a small annex, hiding her breath. Her real father was indifferent and did nothing to help her. Edith endured for ten years.

As a result, she grew up to be a quiet and obedient girl with little expression.

However, her fiancé, Richard, and her half-sister, Felice Aringham, crossed the line, and Felice became pregnant. The two families secretly met and annulled the engagement, ignoring Edith.

The Viscount Aringham apparently planned to send Edith to a convent at this opportunity.

And last night, Edith was humiliated at the ball when her engagement was annulled.

Riley frowned deeply after finishing the documents.

This was treatment far too harsh for a noble young lady to endure.

Recalling Edith from last night, Riley realized there were things he understood and things he did not.

One was the plain dress and lack of makeup. This was because her stepmother and half-sister did not allow her to live or dress like a viscount's daughter. Upon closer inspection, she had not worn any accessories.

And the other was—…

"Last night's Edith did not seem to match the personality described here."

Despite being jilted, she had been composed.

Even in a plain dress, without makeup, and with a thin frame, Edith had faced forward with a resolute attitude. It was hard to say that she was submissive to men, even without speaking much.

In fact, she had passionately argued to the second prince, Lord Shawn, about how wonderful Riley was.

...No one else would call such a large and intimidating man "cute."

Riley's master nodded at his words.

"Yes, that's the mystery. Until yesterday, she was a listless girl who couldn't even rebel, but when she met you and me, she was completely different. What changed her?"

"Perhaps it was the annulment of her engagement?"

"Yes, that's the only thing that comes to mind, but does a typical young lady become more cheerful after her engagement is broken? Isn't that the opposite? Or did something click for her in her own way?"

Riley tilted his head, mirroring his master's confusion.

"Well, we'll have to observe her more. But other than that, she's a girl who won't be much of a help or hindrance. If you don't want to, you can refuse, but since she's so eager, it might be fine to marry her. She doesn't seem to have any ambitions, and while her loyalty to the royal family is questionable, she does seem to respect the second prince. Age-wise, it's not a huge mismatch. ...What do you think?"

Riley looked down at the documents in his hands and sighed softly.

"There's no way I could refuse after reading this."

A young lady weaker than himself had been mistreated, and if he took her in, it would end. At the very least, she could live a more decent life with the husband she desired.

However, as the wife of a cursed knight, she might be isolated from society.

She must be a strange young lady to want to marry a cursed man right after her engagement was broken. He couldn't understand what she was thinking.

Still, he couldn't refuse. Feeling pity for her upbringing, he thought he could treat her better even under his cursed circumstances.

He was sure that his master had anticipated this and had him read the documents.

Resigning himself, Riley returned the documents, and his master took them back.

"Then, let's prepare to welcome your very interesting future wife."

"Thank you, I appreciate your help."

"Sure, sure, if your marriage goes well and you have children, it will satisfy my intellectual curiosity as a magician," his master said with a grin, reducing the documents to ashes with a fire spell.

Riley knew that when his master made that face, he would push things in the direction he wanted, so he only needed to focus on his role. They discussed a few more details on the spot.

The king and the crown prince had already been informed of Riley's situation last night, and a letter with the royal seal had been sent to the Viscount Aringham. It should have instructed him to come to the castle with Miss Edith Aringham that afternoon.

The documents for the annulment of the engagement between Miss Edith Aringham and Richard Oldcastle had already been approved by the king this morning. If they agreed, their engagement or marriage would be annulled.

However, the engagement between Richard Oldcastle and Felice Aringham had not been approved yet.

"Normally, a man who cheats on his fiancée with her sister and a woman who steals her sister's fiancé are not needed in this country. But I've asked the king to extend the approval period as much as possible. As the pregnant woman's belly grows and the engagement is still not approved, both families and the couple will be in a panic," his master said with a refreshing smile.

You won't have time to bother with you two, will you?

His master's smile was almost refreshing.