Chapter 5
It was a rushed operation, designed to minimize all formalities.
“Heh.”
Michalis let out a hollow laugh at his father’s latest scheme.
Sending their daughter to a notorious pervert, a man over seventy? That family had to be completely insane.
“Ha! This… this is absurd.”
Even Michalis, hardened by his father’s tyranny, felt a tinge of pity for the unknown young lady caught in this madness.
“Cancel it.”
“She’ll be glad when she finds out it’s you, not me.”
“That’s deception.”
“Cough, cough! You think I found this match easily?”
To the Duke, this was a precious opportunity hard-won.
Thanks to Michalis’s damned habit of ‘personally delivering polite rejections’, nearly every noble house in the South had closed their doors.
He had to find someone far away, remote—somewhere Michalis couldn’t easily reach.
“I know.”
“And you still—!”
Trying to reason with his son, the Duke felt his blood pressure spike, worse than his chronic illness.
“Is this… because of your mother?”
The Duke stiffened, forcing himself upright despite his bent, aging back.
“Not just her.”
Michalis clenched his jaw.
This man probably didn’t even remember her name, and to hear him invoke her… it was revolting.
“What are you trying to say?”
“My mother… and three other women are dead. Isn’t that the same number as those who didn’t choose divorce?”
Michalis spoke through clenched teeth, fury simmering beneath every word.
“I didn’t kill them. They were all… ill.”
Four wives dead, three divorced. The Duke shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to face his tarnished legacy.
“I refuse to become like you.”
Michalis spoke flatly.
His father was a hero to the Empire, but to him—he was a symbol of everything vile.
“You insolent—! Cough! Cough!”
The Duke’s face turned red with rage, veins bulging in his temple as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Cough, cough! As your father…”
More blood, gushing violently now.
“This is… my last request…”
Clutching a blood-soaked handkerchief, the Duke realized his time was almost up.
“Cough! Cough! Now…”
He collapsed, his cane clattering to the ground. His head struck the floor with a sickening thud.
“Father!”
As the old man’s eyes fluttered shut, he saw his unfilial son finally rise, knocking over his chair in alarm.
He’d just wanted to see a daughter-in-law, perhaps a grandchild, before he died.
Now, even that wish seemed impossible.
A few days later, the hero of war, both revered and reviled, was quietly buried under the excuse of “state secrecy.”
A funeral like a thief in the night.
Three weeks remained until the wedding.
News of the late Duke’s death filled the front pages of every newspaper, and wedding invitations were sent to the Imperial family, major noble houses, and royal courts of neighboring nations.
The invitations, bearing the seal of ‘Duke Michalis Ascher’, caused a sensation.
The debut of a young Duke, his first public appearance since coming of age, and his sudden marriage sent the continent into a frenzy.
The entire Duchy of Ascher was abuzz with excitement.
He was the Supreme Commander of the Southern Navy, head of the Empire’s most prestigious house.
‘Dream.’
[Yes, I’m listening. Please select a function.]
‘Update me on the system recovery.’
[No response from the developer.]
‘Still nothing? What on earth is the developer doing?’
Another morning began like the rest—with Eliana checking on the system’s recovery.
“Yawn… Guess it’s time to get moving.”
Though a bit busy with wedding preparations, Eliana’s days were peaceful, thanks to a Duke who had no interest whatsoever in his bride-to-be.
The servants were kind, the food was great, and she enjoyed noble privileges with no responsibility.
If not for the looming uncertainty of being unable to log out, it was like living in a dream.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Stretching lazily, Eliana straightened up at the soft knock.
“You’re awake, my lady?”
“Mhm.”
Amy, carrying water for washing, opened the curtains wide.
“My lady, the Baron and Baroness arrived at the castle early this morning.”
Amy glanced at Eliana, speaking carefully.
“Did they now?”
Eliana’s face hardened at the unexpected news.
The same parents who sold their daughter to a known pervert in his seventies had arrived early for the wedding.
“They wish to see you today… What should I tell them?”
“Amy, it’s lovely weather today. Ask the staff to set up a tea table in the garden.”
“Yes, my lady.”
There was no avoiding them.
Better to meet them now—and see what kind of people they really were.
“She’s truly stunning…”
“Agreed. Just looking at her feels… cleansing.”
After finishing personal training, Michalis passed the garden and overheard young trainee knights resting in the shade.
They were around fifteen to eighteen, mere chicks—at the age where they giggled about maids and girls.
“Are all northern women that beautiful?”
“I’ve heard there are many beauties in the north.”
He paid it no mind at first. Such chatter was common. But then, he heard something that made him pause mid-step.
“Sigh… To marry a woman like that, His Grace is truly blessed.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
Unaware that their terrifying superior was behind them, the five trainees chatted while staring at one corner of the garden.
“But… don’t you think her outfit’s a bit plain?”
“Indeed. I thought the same. Doesn’t it look… stifling?”
“Do northerners not feel the heat?”
“What exactly are you all doing here?”
Before they realized it, Michalis had approached—close enough to hear every word.
“Y-Your Grace!”
“……”
Two seconds of stunned silence.
“Y-Your Grace! Honor to the Commander!”
The young trainee knights finally snapped out of it, scrambling to attention with a salute.
To them, Michalis was an untouchable figure, someone they wouldn’t dare approach within fifty meters under normal circumstances.
“Get your heads down.”
There was no need for further explanation.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Pale-faced, they immediately lined up, pressing their heads to the ground.
To talk about the Supreme Commander like that—and get caught by him—meant they were as good as dead.
‘How irritating.’
Michalis gave them a glare sharp enough to cut stone, then turned his gaze in the direction they had been staring.
‘So that’s them.’
Seated at a tea table under a tree in the garden were Eliana and a middle-aged couple.
He had already been informed that her family had arrived that morning.
Before any formal introductions, it seemed they were enjoying a private family meeting.
“Run 100 laps around Training Grounds No. 3.”
Michalis issued the order coldly, after confirming who they had been watching.
“Understood, sir!”
The terrified trainees bolted at full speed, grateful beyond measure that it ended with only punishment drills.
‘Why…?’
Without even realizing, Michalis’s feet carried him toward her.
It wasn’t a short distance, but even from where he stood, he could see Eliana’s face clearly.
A reunion with one’s parents should be filled with joy—but why did she look like that?
“……”
As the baron and baroness approached the tea table, Eliana immediately understood.
‘So they didn’t come early to help with the wedding…
They came for a vacation?’
The baroness’s extravagant hat, with its large, garish flower, felt like an eyesore.
The baron’s Hawaiian-patterned cravat, a trendy item among southern nobles, only added to the tacky display.
‘Unbelievable. They’re the real deal.’
Eliana was speechless at their blatant, shameless behavior.
Arriving three weeks before the wedding, they clearly intended to enjoy free lodging, free meals, and a comfortable tour of the South at the duke’s expense.
“Oh my, Elia! What’s going on here?”
Still reeling from the overwhelming stench of shamelessness, Eliana barely reacted before the baroness dramatically gasped.
“Oh my, oh my! You’re not marrying the old Duke?!”
They had left in such haste that the invitation had missed them.
Only upon arriving had they learned that their daughter’s fiancé had changed—and now, they couldn’t contain their excitement.
“How is the young Duke? Does he like you?”
Every time the baroness moved, her pink pearl necklace clattered loudly around her neck.
“It’s been a while, Mother.”
Eliana kept her eyes on the noisy necklace, forcing a calm expression.
“Ahem, well, this is quite the turn of events.”
The baron cleared his throat as he sat down, trying to appear composed.
But his flushed face betrayed his excitement.
“Elia! If this happened, you should’ve written to us! How could you keep this from us?”
Taking her seat next to him, the baroness frowned with mock offense.
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
“You must’ve been busy preparing for the wedding. I’ll forgive you this once.”
For the first time in Eliana’s memories, the normally strict baron looked surprisingly lenient.
“Is brother not joining us?”
Eliana recalled the one sibling in her memories.
If they were here for the wedding, he should be too.
“Elbaut is busy with his business ventures.”
Noticing her glance at the empty seat, the baroness chirped brightly.
“Business?”
‘He’s not coming to his only sister’s wedding?’
Eliana had suspected they wouldn’t be pleasant, but with every word, her mood darkened.
“He’s considering fur or jewelry. A lucrative business, you know.”
The baroness beamed, pleased at the thought of her son’s business, funded by the gifts from the Duke.
“Speaking of your brother…”
The baron, who had silently watched his wife chatter, finally spoke.
“Yes?”
Now fully wary, Eliana met his gaze.
“Do you think you could… help him out?”
