Chapter 6

That night, Lider spent the time in bed, restless. She felt nothing but unease about this marriage.

Unable to sleep, she went out into the hallway and noticed light leaking from the salon. Was someone still awake? As she approached, she heard voices.

It seemed her uncle and aunt, as well as her cousin, were still up.

"Why is that girl marrying the Marquis? I was supposed to marry into a viscount's family. I've only seen him once at a ball. He's very handsome, but he's never shown interest in any young lady. Why Lider? I'm more beautiful."

"That one, you should avoid."

Her uncle's unusual voice of caution could be heard.

"Why?"

"There are rumors that he keeps a courtesan as a lover, and some even say he has no interest in women and prefers men. It's common in the military."

"But still, he has money. Wouldn't it be better if I went?"

"Lider was chosen by the Marquis himself."

"Huh, why?"

Ibonne exclaimed in surprise.

"You are not recognized as a legitimate member of the Dromore family."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"When your parents passed away, I inherited the family. You were originally commoners. That's why I was refused. In this house, only I, my late wife's son Kurt, and Lider are recognized as nobles."

"That's ridiculous! We are legitimate nobles!"

"Don't be so harsh just because I'm my mother's stepdaughter!"

Minerva and Ibonne protested.

"According to the customs of this country, you are not recognized as nobles."

"But we are invited to balls, and the gentlemen treat us as ladies."

"That's the same for the daughters of large trading companies and actresses. Besides, Ibonne, didn't you take Gilbert from Lider because you liked him?"

"That's... I just passed the time with him. Gilbert got infatuated with me on his own and left Lider. Men always misunderstand when I'm just being friendly."

Otto sighed upon hearing this.

"Lider will be a decorative wife, and I hear that the Marquis's territory is sealed by snow and ice in winter. It's a great effort just to come to the capital. It's not suitable for you. You should avoid it."

"But, I'll be the wife of a Marquis. Besides, he is revered as a war god by the people after the last war. They say that as long as he is in this country, we won't be threatened by other nations. He has status, honor, and wealth, so I can live a luxurious life. Are you going to let Lider have all that?"

"You are being misled by the position of general and the status of a Marquis. He is frugal, dislikes ostentatiousness, and is quite eccentric, just a warlord. Moreover, his territory is said to be extremely cold. Even if you marry him, you can't expect a glamorous life."

"But, I can just stay in the townhouse in the capital, can't I?"

Ibonne said as if it were obvious.

"That's not possible."

Her uncle growled.

"Perhaps it would have been better to arrange a marriage with the elderly marquis who proposed earlier. It's outrageous that that girl will be a Marquise!"

Her aunt said resentfully.

"There's no help for it. The Marquis's family offered much better terms. This is all because of the family's debt."

Just because she was bored, she entertained Gilbert?

Eavesdropping is a despicable act, but Lider's feet were rooted to the spot. She was so angry she could hardly stand it. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

Moreover, Lider had been sold to the highest bidder between the marquis and the earl.

The Marquis is cold-blooded and calls marriage a contract. If she could, she would give it to Ibonne anytime.

He chose Lider, who has inherited the blood of generations of nobles, partly to warn his relatives who are considered presumptuous.

◇◇◇

Less than half a month after the Marquis of Weller visited, Lider was to leave for the capital in a grand carriage sent by the Marquis's family.

She was to marry the Marquis. Friedrich was busy, so the butler of the Weller family came to fetch her.

"I didn't expect such a sudden proposal."

She thought that high-ranking noble marriages usually required more preparation and a longer engagement period.

"Yes, my lord is eager to get married. Our Northweller territory experiences winter earlier and more severely than the capital, so we must prepare for winter before the social season ends."

"Prepare for winter?"

The Northweller territory, governed by the Weller family, is located in the northern part of the kingdom, and it takes more than five days to reach the capital. The Dromore family's territory, though small, is only a two-day journey to the capital.

"There are many things that need to be done in advance, such as gathering firewood, preserving food, and reinforcing buildings. If we miss this period, the marriage will have to be postponed until next year or later."

Lider didn't quite understand, but it seemed the Marquis's family had their reasons.

Without a dowry, the wedding dress and all decorations were to be provided by the Marquis's family. Lider was to marry into the Weller family with nothing but herself. Moreover, they would even take on the Dromore family's debt. This marriage was a godsend for her uncle's family.

As she gazed out the window of the carriage, she felt no sentimentality about the territory she would never return to. This land, without her parents, no longer felt like her homeland.

She felt that the place she cherished had been defiled by her uncle's family. With a slight sense of liberation, Lider left the territory where she had grown up.