The duty of a married couple… No matter how good his liege was, he was not someone who would diligently take care of such things. Shaun’s expression underwent a subtle change, but Valia did not see it. The High Priest just looked at her still. Soon he replied with a sigh.
“Okay. Let’s forget about this blessing.”
Valia felt sorry and grateful at the same time. Regardless of his intentions or the circumstances, the High Priest was the person who wanted to bless her in the first place.
“But milady, as a High Priest, it is also disrespectful to God to stop the blessings that I have promised, so I’d like to give you another blessing.”
“What kind of blessing is it?”
“A blessing to wish you happiness. I promise.”
Priests could not cast a blessing different from what they have promised. It was a kind of constraint. Valia nodded. The High Priest stood up. His warm hand touched her forehead.
“Congratulations on your marriage. Please be happy.”
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
“She lost her father early.”
“Yes, Your Grace. She has no other relatives either.”
“That’s understandable.”
Schuden was flipping through the documents. Since he had decided to get married, he was getting to know Valia by doing background checks and collecting relevant information. Since they got married through unordinary ways, the way they got to know each other was also unordinary.
There was no particular information available about Valia. She was a very ordinary noble lady from a declining family. However, there was something noticeable. It was about the one who raised her.
“A mercenary raised her?”
“That’s right. He’s a commoner mercenary without a surname. They were acquainted when he saved Lady Valia’s father when he was young.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s a mercenary in the Kingdom.”
“Is there any sign of contact with the temple or Imperial family?”
“No, but I think I will have to look into it more closely to find out.”
“Order someone to keep an eye on him. If anything happens to him, report it right away.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
His subordinate bowed his head and went out with a careful step. Schuden, who was left alone in his office, flipped through the documents. A noble lady who was raised by a mercenary. An impressive point, as if a red dot was tapped on achromatic paper.
‘It’s such a refreshing background in many ways.’
In fact, being raised by a mercenary would be something that could make most nobles pass out. However, Schuden did not belong to most of them. Rather, he was thinking positively about the influence that a mercenary caregiver would have had. At least, she would not be weak-minded.
In addition, Schuden originally did not like the feeble and frail beauty. They always tried to solve their loneliness with him. Schuden was not a friendly person so he could not meet those expectations. In the end, they would cry and make a fuss.
Schuden was fed up with that situation. Conclusively, the accountability of one’s loneliness was one’s own self. At first, he did not even want to have a deep relationship. The moment you tried to let other people handle your loneliness, the relationship would quickly break down. The determination in Valia’s silvery-gray eyes was a factor in his decision to marry her.
‘That’s not bad at all.’
After considering all conditions one by one, she really seemed like a good potential bride. When Schuden was reading the documents a few more times, he heard knocks and the door was opened. It was the butler.
“Milord, Marquess Logan sent a man.”
“Tell him I’m heading out.”
After responding in a simple manner, Schuden put the documents in the drawer.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Schuden arrived at a luxury bar located in the urban district of the capital. The newly opened bar for nobles was owned by Marquess Logan, who was also Schuden’s business partner. Having benefited greatly from overseas trade, he even came to visit Schuden in person. They see each other often because of their business after all, there was no need for him to ruin the mood when Marquess Logan asked him to come.
“Isn’t that Marquess Garth?”
“How have you been?”
The nobles who recognized Schuden hurriedly pretended to know him. Shortly after entering, he quickly became the center of attention. Schuden greeted the bar owner, Marquess Logan, and held a high-quality wine glass in one hand. Topics of chatter in such a place were boring. Even though he was not interested in conversation, there were many nobles who tried hard to talk to him. Schuden entertained them moderately and looked around.
As a place made for young nobles, the interior was very different from the public ball. It was more decadent. The dark marble walls gleamed and the winery was full of fine wines.
Above all, the presence of card tables was a noticeable feature. It seemed like the theme was simple card games that were enjoyed by the nobles to pass the time. As a result, it became less formal, and naturally, there were many drunk nobles. They were more focused on stories than games.
“Did you hear Count Bruce’s wedding will be held in three months?”
“Of course I heard that. I heard that the bride is the daughter of Viscount Ben.”
“Viscount Ben adopted her, but she was originally the daughter of a knight.”
“The count will get married with a mere daughter of a knight?”
Rumors had also prevailed in high society that Count Bruce’s marriage partner was actually the daughter of a knight. While there were nobles praising them for being romantic, there were also a considerable number of nobles who found fault within them.
“The bride is certainly taking a rise in her status. From the daughter of a countryside knight to a countess.”
“Word is that Count Bruce is really into his future bride.”
“But then again, if he isn’t, he wouldn’t have pushed forward with the marriage and even asked the viscount to adopt his bride-to-be.”
“By the way, if she grew up in the countryside, it would be hard to adapt to living in the capital. What will happen then?”
At least, these kinds of gossip were still bearable, but sometimes there were things that were embarrassing to hear. Most were from the nobles who sat in a group and became drunk early.
“Isn’t it embarrassing to say that the daughter of a knight is actually a noble? How can you know? She did not even grow up in the capital. Maybe she had used her body here and there, unlike the ladies these days.”
‘Daughter of a knight?’
Schuden’s expression looked quite calm, but he was not seen in the eyes of the young nobles who were making loud noises.
“I heard they did hymen inspection in ancient times. Maybe the Gel Empire should also conduct such an inspection.”
“Hahaha! Then, there will be more than one bride who will be deserted by their husbands.”
The nobles who formed consensus with vulgar jokes giggled. Schuden took a sip of the liquor. The bitter taste of the wine lingered on the tip of his tongue. He swirled the wine slightly. With red wine splashing in his glass, he opened his mouth.
“I heard you want to do a hymen inspection.”
People’s attention was on Schuden. The graceful red eyes looked at the posse who were giggling one by one. For a moment, the men felt powerless, as if they were overwhelmed by the lord of predators.
“Why aren’t you talking about the sympathetic inspection?”
“Ha, haha… Your Grace, there’s no such inspection…”
“I heard you were talking about something absurd, so I also said the same thing. Is there any problem?”
Schuden smiled coldly.
“It would be perfect for you to be deserted by your wives on your first night.”
The men’s face flushed up. Schuden’s threatening aura was too scary for them to be angry. Above all, he was Marquess Garth, the one who made a frightening achievement in the war not too long ago and was even rumored to have been promoted to a duke. Schuden’s status, reputation, and skills were like a high wall for them to endure.
“What cheap conversation you’re having. It doesn’t suit this luxury bar at all.”
“He’s right. Choose your words carefully.”
“No matter how drunk you are, this is a place for nobles. Behave with dignity…”
Criticism poured out on the young nobles who made the man in power uncomfortable. The men slowly escaped to the corner while reading the room.
The atmosphere quickly recovered. Schuden talked to the high-ranking nobles, including Marquess Logan for a while before leaving the bar to go home.
“Are you here, master?”
The carriage was already waiting for Schuden. After Schuden hopped in, the coachman asked him.
“Shall we go back to the manor?”
“Yes.”
The coachman skillfully drove the horse. Schuden’s red eyes looked indifferently out the window.
He was not a saint. He could not completely control his emotions nor could he repress them into nothingness. There was no need for that. He could certainly feel anger, though it was only because there were a few people who made him feel so. The emotion he felt earlier was clearly anger. But what was the reason? He was not emotional enough of a man to feel angry just because of that vulgar talk.
[Isn’t it embarrassing to say that the daughter of a knight is actually a noble?]
I should have beaten him.
Schuden let out an annoyed sigh. He ruffled his hair. His reddish-blonde hair was scattered over the back of his hand.
“Change the destination. Go to the Second Temple.”
“Yes, master.”
The carriage adorned with the dignified emblem of Marquess Garth turned around
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Contrary to somebody’s worries, Valia was doing well. In fact, she had never lived such a luxurious life. As the official guest of the High Priest, she occupied the guest room with plenty of sunlight and spent a leisurely time alone. Due to the nature of the temple, there were no luxurious meals and no maids to take care of her. Even so, it was the most relaxing time of her life.
After enjoying the meal prepared today, she went out for a walk. Her radius of action was just within the temple. She did not even think about going outside, because Valia originally preferred staying still in one place. In addition, the Second Temple, one of the largest temples on the continent after the Great Temple and the First Temple, was so large that she could not look around everything even after a few days of walking around.
“There are a lot of people today.”
There were many people today in the temple, which was always quiet. They were all in elegant outfits, so it was pleasing to the eye. Shaun, who was following Valia, opened his mouth.
“It is said that, on this day, royal families from all over the world will be visiting the temple. Coincidentally, today is also the day when nobles will come to pray. It seems that there are many people because the dates overlap.”
“Really?”
The duty of a married couple… No matter how good his liege was, he was not someone who would diligently take care of such things. Shaun’s expression underwent a subtle change, but Valia did not see it. The High Priest just looked at her still. Soon he replied with a sigh.
“Okay. Let’s forget about this blessing.”
Valia felt sorry and grateful at the same time. Regardless of his intentions or the circumstances, the High Priest was the person who wanted to bless her in the first place.
“But milady, as a High Priest, it is also disrespectful to God to stop the blessings that I have promised, so I’d like to give you another blessing.”
“What kind of blessing is it?”
“A blessing to wish you happiness. I promise.”
Priests could not cast a blessing different from what they have promised. It was a kind of constraint. Valia nodded. The High Priest stood up. His warm hand touched her forehead.
“Congratulations on your marriage. Please be happy.”
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
“She lost her father early.”
“Yes, Your Grace. She has no other relatives either.”
“That’s understandable.”
Schuden was flipping through the documents. Since he had decided to get married, he was getting to know Valia by doing background checks and collecting relevant information. Since they got married through unordinary ways, the way they got to know each other was also unordinary.
There was no particular information available about Valia. She was a very ordinary noble lady from a declining family. However, there was something noticeable. It was about the one who raised her.
“A mercenary raised her?”
“That’s right. He’s a commoner mercenary without a surname. They were acquainted when he saved Lady Valia’s father when he was young.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s a mercenary in the Kingdom.”
“Is there any sign of contact with the temple or Imperial family?”
“No, but I think I will have to look into it more closely to find out.”
“Order someone to keep an eye on him. If anything happens to him, report it right away.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
His subordinate bowed his head and went out with a careful step. Schuden, who was left alone in his office, flipped through the documents. A noble lady who was raised by a mercenary. An impressive point, as if a red dot was tapped on achromatic paper.
‘It’s such a refreshing background in many ways.’
In fact, being raised by a mercenary would be something that could make most nobles pass out. However, Schuden did not belong to most of them. Rather, he was thinking positively about the influence that a mercenary caregiver would have had. At least, she would not be weak-minded.
In addition, Schuden originally did not like the feeble and frail beauty. They always tried to solve their loneliness with him. Schuden was not a friendly person so he could not meet those expectations. In the end, they would cry and make a fuss.
Schuden was fed up with that situation. Conclusively, the accountability of one’s loneliness was one’s own self. At first, he did not even want to have a deep relationship. The moment you tried to let other people handle your loneliness, the relationship would quickly break down. The determination in Valia’s silvery-gray eyes was a factor in his decision to marry her.
‘That’s not bad at all.’
After considering all conditions one by one, she really seemed like a good potential bride. When Schuden was reading the documents a few more times, he heard knocks and the door was opened. It was the butler.
“Milord, Marquess Logan sent a man.”
“Tell him I’m heading out.”
After responding in a simple manner, Schuden put the documents in the drawer.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Schuden arrived at a luxury bar located in the urban district of the capital. The newly opened bar for nobles was owned by Marquess Logan, who was also Schuden’s business partner. Having benefited greatly from overseas trade, he even came to visit Schuden in person. They see each other often because of their business after all, there was no need for him to ruin the mood when Marquess Logan asked him to come.
“Isn’t that Marquess Garth?”
“How have you been?”
The nobles who recognized Schuden hurriedly pretended to know him. Shortly after entering, he quickly became the center of attention. Schuden greeted the bar owner, Marquess Logan, and held a high-quality wine glass in one hand. Topics of chatter in such a place were boring. Even though he was not interested in conversation, there were many nobles who tried hard to talk to him. Schuden entertained them moderately and looked around.
As a place made for young nobles, the interior was very different from the public ball. It was more decadent. The dark marble walls gleamed and the winery was full of fine wines.
Above all, the presence of card tables was a noticeable feature. It seemed like the theme was simple card games that were enjoyed by the nobles to pass the time. As a result, it became less formal, and naturally, there were many drunk nobles. They were more focused on stories than games.
“Did you hear Count Bruce’s wedding will be held in three months?”
“Of course I heard that. I heard that the bride is the daughter of Viscount Ben.”
“Viscount Ben adopted her, but she was originally the daughter of a knight.”
“The count will get married with a mere daughter of a knight?”
Rumors had also prevailed in high society that Count Bruce’s marriage partner was actually the daughter of a knight. While there were nobles praising them for being romantic, there were also a considerable number of nobles who found fault within them.
“The bride is certainly taking a rise in her status. From the daughter of a countryside knight to a countess.”
“Word is that Count Bruce is really into his future bride.”
“But then again, if he isn’t, he wouldn’t have pushed forward with the marriage and even asked the viscount to adopt his bride-to-be.”
“By the way, if she grew up in the countryside, it would be hard to adapt to living in the capital. What will happen then?”
At least, these kinds of gossip were still bearable, but sometimes there were things that were embarrassing to hear. Most were from the nobles who sat in a group and became drunk early.
“Isn’t it embarrassing to say that the daughter of a knight is actually a noble? How can you know? She did not even grow up in the capital. Maybe she had used her body here and there, unlike the ladies these days.”
‘Daughter of a knight?’
Schuden’s expression looked quite calm, but he was not seen in the eyes of the young nobles who were making loud noises.
“I heard they did hymen inspection in ancient times. Maybe the Gel Empire should also conduct such an inspection.”
“Hahaha! Then, there will be more than one bride who will be deserted by their husbands.”
The nobles who formed consensus with vulgar jokes giggled. Schuden took a sip of the liquor. The bitter taste of the wine lingered on the tip of his tongue. He swirled the wine slightly. With red wine splashing in his glass, he opened his mouth.
“I heard you want to do a hymen inspection.”
People’s attention was on Schuden. The graceful red eyes looked at the posse who were giggling one by one. For a moment, the men felt powerless, as if they were overwhelmed by the lord of predators.
“Why aren’t you talking about the sympathetic inspection?”
“Ha, haha… Your Grace, there’s no such inspection…”
“I heard you were talking about something absurd, so I also said the same thing. Is there any problem?”
Schuden smiled coldly.
“It would be perfect for you to be deserted by your wives on your first night.”
The men’s face flushed up. Schuden’s threatening aura was too scary for them to be angry. Above all, he was Marquess Garth, the one who made a frightening achievement in the war not too long ago and was even rumored to have been promoted to a duke. Schuden’s status, reputation, and skills were like a high wall for them to endure.
“What cheap conversation you’re having. It doesn’t suit this luxury bar at all.”
“He’s right. Choose your words carefully.”
“No matter how drunk you are, this is a place for nobles. Behave with dignity…”
Criticism poured out on the young nobles who made the man in power uncomfortable. The men slowly escaped to the corner while reading the room.
The atmosphere quickly recovered. Schuden talked to the high-ranking nobles, including Marquess Logan for a while before leaving the bar to go home.
“Are you here, master?”
The carriage was already waiting for Schuden. After Schuden hopped in, the coachman asked him.
“Shall we go back to the manor?”
“Yes.”
The coachman skillfully drove the horse. Schuden’s red eyes looked indifferently out the window.
He was not a saint. He could not completely control his emotions nor could he repress them into nothingness. There was no need for that. He could certainly feel anger, though it was only because there were a few people who made him feel so. The emotion he felt earlier was clearly anger. But what was the reason? He was not emotional enough of a man to feel angry just because of that vulgar talk.
[Isn’t it embarrassing to say that the daughter of a knight is actually a noble?]
I should have beaten him.
Schuden let out an annoyed sigh. He ruffled his hair. His reddish-blonde hair was scattered over the back of his hand.
“Change the destination. Go to the Second Temple.”
“Yes, master.”
The carriage adorned with the dignified emblem of Marquess Garth turned around
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Contrary to somebody’s worries, Valia was doing well. In fact, she had never lived such a luxurious life. As the official guest of the High Priest, she occupied the guest room with plenty of sunlight and spent a leisurely time alone. Due to the nature of the temple, there were no luxurious meals and no maids to take care of her. Even so, it was the most relaxing time of her life.
After enjoying the meal prepared today, she went out for a walk. Her radius of action was just within the temple. She did not even think about going outside, because Valia originally preferred staying still in one place. In addition, the Second Temple, one of the largest temples on the continent after the Great Temple and the First Temple, was so large that she could not look around everything even after a few days of walking around.
“There are a lot of people today.”
There were many people today in the temple, which was always quiet. They were all in elegant outfits, so it was pleasing to the eye. Shaun, who was following Valia, opened his mouth.
“It is said that, on this day, royal families from all over the world will be visiting the temple. Coincidentally, today is also the day when nobles will come to pray. It seems that there are many people because the dates overlap.”
“Really?”
