The front gate of the Rahardt imperial residence.
Carriages engraved with the emblem of Ferbache were lined up in a row.
In front of them stood the servants and managers working at the Rahardt estate, along with Yohan and Francia, all waiting respectfully for his arrival.
Clatter.
The wheels of a carriage rolled forward.
A silver carriage passed by, larger than the others and bearing the emblem of Ferbache more prominently.
It carried carefully chosen congratulatory gifts and northern specialties, selected personally by him.
As the door of the silver carriage opened, a man with an unbelievably youthful appearance for his forties stepped down.
He was the Duke of Ferbache, who had regained his composure with the passing of winter.
“Welcome, Father-in-law.”
Yohan greeted the Duke with a bright smile. The Duke slowly nodded before extending his hand.
“It’s been a while, my son-in-law.”
“Haha…”
Hearing the words “my son-in-law” Yohan let out an awkward laugh as he shook the Duke’s hand. For some reason, he had a strong feeling that this very hand might soon strike his cheek.
“Father!”
Francia, beaming, quickly stepped up beside Yohan. Her excitement as a daughter and her graceful demeanor as a future duchess coexisted in perfect harmony.
“Haha. Have you been well, Francia?”
“Of course! I’ve always been doing well.”
After a light embrace, the Duke and Francia exchanged warm smiles.
“Aren’t you tired from the journey?”
“These days, if anything, I have energy to spare, so I’m fine.”
“Hehe, but still, the trip must have been tiring. Let’s go inside.”
“Very well.”
After their brief exchange of pleasantries, father and daughter turned toward the mansion.
“Let’s go inside, my son-in-law.”
“Yes…”
With an odd mix of guilt, discomfort, and unease, Yohan stepped into the mansion.
* * *
The dining hall of the Rahardt imperial residence.
After finishing his meal, the Duke wiped his mouth with satisfaction.
“This was truly delicious. It’s a shame that seafood is so difficult to come by in the North.”
The meal prepared for him was a selection of court cuisine, primarily seafood-based dishes.
Since seafood was not readily available in the North and the estate’s head chef was originally hired for their expertise in seafood, this was undoubtedly the best choice.
“I’m glad it suited your taste.”
Yohan smiled slightly.
His plate had also been completely cleared.
“Yes. I haven’t had much seafood before, but I should enjoy it more often. It’s similar to meat, but lighter and tender, so it feels easier on the stomach.”
Seafood is a dish that heavily depends on personal taste, but for those who enjoy it, there is nothing better. It’s low in fat, easy to digest, and delicious truly the right way to cook.
“By the way, you brought quite a lot of gifts. Are they wedding presents?”
Francia asked, touching her fingertips together.
“Haha, as if I would give only this much as a wedding present. When the time comes, I’ll have to bring gold and jewels.”
Yohan discreetly studied the Duke’s expression. Judging by his face, it didn’t seem like he was speaking figuratively.
“Francia, I’ve brought elixirs and various health tonics for you and Yohan. Since the Rahardt estate is likely still being arranged, I also brought paintings and crafts to decorate the walls.”
Gifts related to art, such as paintings and crafts, were considered the utmost gesture of sincerity among nobles.
“Thank you, Father-in-law.”
“No need for thanks. You both must have gone through a lot, and it pains me that I could only do this much due to my busy schedule.”
“Haha, gifts are all about the thought behind them, aren’t they? Your consideration is more than enough.”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard.”
The Duke of Ferbache closed his eyes and nodded slowly.
Francia truly had an exceptional eye for men she must have inherited that from her mother.
“Now, let’s talk about the wedding.”
“Yes.”
“I plan to hold the ceremony in the Rahardt estate.”
“…Wasn’t it supposed to be in the North?”
Yohan tilted his head as he asked. The Duke lifted the teacup that had been prepared by a servant and answered.
“You’re a Duke now, after all. Since you can’t enter as a son-in-law, it makes sense for the wedding to be held in the Rahardt estate. From now on, Francia will also carry the name of Rahardt, not Ferbache.”
Francia Rahardt.
There was something about the name it had a strange resonance.
Was it the romance of a wife taking her husband’s name? His heart tingled at the thought.
“And now, about the matter of succession…”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
At last, the most important issue was brought up.
“Francia was originally meant to inherit Ferbache and become the next Duke after my retirement. If you had entered as my son-in-law, you would have become the Duke instead.”
Yohan listened intently, focusing his gaze on the Duke.
“But that’s no longer possible. Even when you were a Count, it would have been questionable, but bringing in a full-fledged Duke as a son-in-law is simply out of the question.”
Rahardt’s history was only just beginning, but as a rising power with a promising future, merging with Ferbache in the North would create a formidable force. It would be a waste not to take advantage of that.
“So, I’ve decided to delay my retirement and have your child inherit the title.”
“You intend to keep the direct bloodline.”
“Of course. I’ve protected Ferbache so that I could pass it on to Francia.”
The situation would become significantly more complicated, but if maintaining the direct lineage was the priority, there was no other choice.
Of course, the Duke of Ferbache likely wasn’t making this decision for purely strategic reasons his love for Francia surely played a part.
“I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good.”
Clink.
The Duke set down his teacup.
“Now then, let me ask the two of you when would you like to hold the wedding?”
Francia responded immediately.
“Once my service period is over and the affairs of the Rahardt estate are settled, I think we should proceed right away.”
“Hmm, then it will take quite some time.”
“No, the affairs of the Rahardt estate will be settled quickly. Once my service period is over, we can hold the ceremony right away.”
“How can that be possible? You both still need to learn how to manage your duties. There’s no need to rush.”
Yohan had learned the basics at the academy, but even he knew things would not go smoothly. The work was too complex. Fortunately, there was someone who specialized in handling such matters Rudella.
The real issue was how to bring this up…
“Well, about that…”
Yohan spoke cautiously.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
How was he supposed to say this? His mind went blank.
The Duke was pleased enough to call him son-in-law, and now he had to tell him about having a concubine?
Still, it had to be said.
If not, the problem would never be resolved.
“The truth is, there is someone who can handle estate management very well.”
“The family’s affairs? That is something a member of the family must handle personally.”
“Well… she is a member of Rahardt.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
The Duke frowned in confusion.
He had no idea what Yohan was talking about. The Rahardt family had only just been established who else could possibly be considered a member?
Yohan forced himself to speak.
“The truth is… I have a second wife.”
“…What?”
The Duke’s face hardened immediately.
“I can explain.”
Before the tension could escalate further, Francia stepped in.
“In order to bring down the Crown Prince who was targeting me, this was a necessary measure.”
“…Explain in detail.”
“Well—”
Francia leaned forward, locking eyes with her father.
“You know that we uncovered the Crown Prince’s treason, right? We told you in the letter.”
“…That’s right.”
“The person who brought us that evidence was Yohan’s second wife. If it weren’t for her, things would have gotten quite complicated.”
“…”
“Anyway… In exchange for presenting that evidence, she wanted to become Yohan’s second wife. After much deliberation, Yohan and I accepted.”
The Duke of Ferbache tightly closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. His head ached.
Whenever he thought of Francia, his fury surged uncontrollably, but he couldn’t afford to lash out recklessly.
Wasn’t he the one who had failed to deal with the Crown Prince?
There had been no way to do so given the circumstances, but still he hadn’t been able to eliminate that cunning man who had set his sights on his daughter.
The two of them had taken care of that man. As a duke, he should have been praising them.
“You mean to tell me that you dared to take another woman while Francia was there?”
Taking a second wife while his daughter was involved was something he could never tolerate.
As a duke, he could accept it.
As a father, he could not.
“No matter the reason, how could you do this to Francia—?!”
“Father!”
“Francia, stay out of this!”
The duke’s fury continued.
“I won’t push you too hard since I couldn’t help you myself. But if you spoke as if you would devote yourself to just one woman, shouldn’t you have honored that?”
“You’re absolutely right…”
“And now you’re part of the Four Great Houses! What is this polygamy nonsense? I—!”
The duke’s furious rebuke continued.
Yohan simply lowered his head and listened.
His daughter’s fiancé was taking in a concubine before they were even married?
Honestly, if he were in the duke’s shoes, he would have been furious too. What kind of lunatic does such a thing?
But that lunatic was himself.
All Yohan could do was listen and apologize.
After about ten minutes, the duke finally seemed to calm down. He took a sip of cold water and let out a sigh.
“Haa… Fine. I’ll acknowledge it. Given the circumstances, you probably had no other choice. It is what it is.”
“However… there’s actually one more thing I need to tell you…”
“…There’s more?”
“Well, the second wife… she’s pregnant first…”
“You sly bastard…!”
The duke, who had just barely cooled down, felt his temper flare up once more.
Only after over an hour of reprimands and criticisms did the duke finally manage to settle his anger again.
During that time, Yohan answered every question without leaving anything out, summarizing exactly how everything had happened.
“Haa… So, not only is the second wife pregnant first, but now you’re considering taking a third wife?”
“…That’s correct.”
Yohan nodded. The general story had been laid out, and the duke had regained his composure.
But the sarcasm didn’t stop.
“Amazing. At this rate, by the time you actually hold the wedding ceremony, you might have six wives.”
“No… There won’t be any more beyond this…”
“How am I supposed to believe that from a man who already has three wives?”
“I have no excuse…”
“You damn sly fox…”
The duke wiped his face with both hands and let out another deep sigh.
“Well, what’s done is done, and it can’t be undone. Just don’t take any more wives.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“And you won’t neglect Francia, will you?”
“Of course not. That will never happen.”
“…Fine. If that’s the case, then that’s that. Polygamy isn’t exactly unheard of.”
As the duke’s anger finally subsided, Yohan let out a breath of relief.
Thinking this way felt a little wrong, but still securing forgiveness was easier than securing permission.
* * *
The Magic Tower.
Having completed all his morning duties, the Tower Master, Rain Adriche, enjoyed a moment of leisure with a cup of tea, gazing out the window.
His eyes were fixed on the north.
“The Duke of Ferbache has headed to the Imperial Capital?”
At Rain’s question, his aide responded.
“Yes, that’s correct. He has gone to the Rahardt estate in the capital.”
“Hmm… I thought it wasn’t time yet, but there won’t be a better opportunity than this.”
Deep within Rain Adriche’s eyes, a strange magic circle flickered.
“It’s about time to begin.”
To kill the man who had plagued him with nightmares, and to claim the Obsidian Saintess as his own.