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I haven't had a proper conversation with the Iron-Blooded Duke since the incident in the Room of Truth. It wasn’t because he was avoiding me, though. I simply hadn’t had the time to stay at the castle as I was busy touring Wulken with Marghetta as my guide.

Then, I received a summons from the Iron-blooded Duke after spending three days enjoying the sights of the duchy. It seemed that he was finally ready to let me leave the castle.

However, this call didn’t make me feel particularly anxious.

"You’ve come."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"I don’t mind being addressed formally during work, but call me father-in-law in private."

"Understood, father-in-law."

That was because the anger he felt from having his youngest daughter taken from him had been soothed by her affectionate nature.

"But, you know, he might like it if you thank him or tell him that you love him."

I made that suggestion to lessen the Iron-blooded Duke’s lingering anger. Fortunately, Marghetta took it to heart. She ran to the Duke and told him she loved him.

Thanks to that, the Duke’s gaze toward me was surprisingly calm. It wasn't exactly warm, but at least there was no hostility. I could be content with that.

“There’s no need for an engagement ceremony. Once Marghetta graduates, you’ll marry immediately. There’s no point in inconveniencing the guests with an unnecessary event.”

The Duke muttered as he shuffled through some papers.

"That makes perfect sense."

Skipping the engagement ceremony—it was a surprising statement coming from the Iron-blooded Duke, who doted on his daughter, but it was a practical one.

Engagement ceremonies were usually modest compared to the main event, the wedding. After all, an engagement was just a promise. It wasn’t uncommon for the engaged couple to be in their early teens, or even younger.

It was rare for someone like me, who was over twenty years old, to have an engagement. Besides, with the wedding planned for next year, there was no need to make a big deal out of the engagement.

"Take this."

Nodding at my response, the Iron-blooded Duke handed over the documents he had been holding.

"This is the dowry I’ve prepared for Marghetta."

"...Pardon?"

I couldn't help but ask. Why was he giving the dowry now? Wasn’t that supposed to be exchanged closer to the wedding?

Despite my confusion, the Duke simply motioned for me to check the contents.

Wow.

The six-page document held more than I could have imagined.

Is this… a dowry?

I had to blink in disbelief. The dowries I was familiar with usually included furniture and in grander cases, maybe a house. That was my understanding before I was reborn into this world.

But what the Iron-blooded Duke had prepared went far beyond that. There were several buildings in prime locations in the capital and a barony’s worth of land near the capital.

And this land—if my memory served me correctly—included an iron mine. Was the Iron-blooded Duke, who was building a military industry empire, really giving away an iron mine?

Is this the life of a noble?

I felt a bit overwhelmed. The words carriages, ships, jewels, and gold coins in the document barely registered after seeing that. Such extravagant dowries were given when a Duke doted on his daughter.

“I’ve already married off four daughters, so what’s left for Marghetta is relatively smaller.”

‘Smaller…’

I instinctively scanned the documents again. If this was considered small, then how much did he give his eldest daughter? Did he hand her entire counties?

"Do you need more?"

"No, father-in-law. This is more than enough."

"Then take it."

I quietly gathered the papers as the Iron-blooded Duke spoke indifferently.

I wanted to say that it was too early to receive a dowry since we weren't even married yet, but the look in his eyes made me swallow those words. His gaze clearly said, ‘Don’t make this difficult and just accept it.’

“You’re going to get married anyway, so what’s the problem? Or were you planning to get engaged and then back out of the wedding?”

And it was obvious what would happen if I refused. The Iron-Blooded Duke, whom I’d finally managed to placate, could easily revert to hostility.

"The current servants are quite capable. You can keep them on or replace them with someone you prefer."

"I’ll keep them as they are."

It was a generous offer, not just of material things, but of people too. Thus, I accepted it without hesitation.

If the Duke trusted them, then they must be exceptional; I'd be a fool not to take them. Besides, I didn’t have anyone else in mind for the job.

“You can go now. If you're heading back to the capital, you should do so."

"Yes, Your Grace. I’ll see you again at the New Year’s Ball."

With nothing more to say, I bowed several times and withdrew as he dismissed me.

I was prepared to face the worst when I first came to Wulken, but now I was leaving with my hands full of gifts.

Thank you...

Though the Iron-blooded Duke wouldn’t hear it, I offered him my deepest gratitude in my heart. I was honestly already grateful to be alive, but to be given so much on top of that…

This dowry belonged to Marghetta, so I should leave it in her hands. After all, she would manage the territory as my wife once I became a count, so this would be good practice for her.

***We headed back to the capital with my in-laws bidding me farewell—naturally, with the help of a teleportation mage.

Thanks to that, we arrived in the capital much sooner than expected. If we hadn’t visited Wulken, we would have taken a carriage from the academy to the capital, and we’d still be on the road. Teleportation was truly the best.

"Now, let’s take a breath."

I patted Louise and Irina on the shoulders as soon as we arrived. Honestly, I wasn’t the biggest victim of this trip to Wulken—it was these two.

I wasn’t at ease either, so imagine how these innocent students must have felt. To have an unplanned audience with the Iron-blooded Duke, who also happened to be the father of my first wife... It wouldn’t have been surprising if they had felt terrified of being told to leave.

And we shouldn’t forget that the reason we were dragged to Wulken was to formalize my relationship with Marghetta. In such a situation, it would have been rude to Marghetta if my other prospective brides had made themselves too visible. So, these two had to keep a low profile during our stay in Wulken.

They managed to relax a bit during the tour of the duchy, but they had to return to the castle for lodging each evening. What was the point of unwinding if they couldn’t sleep comfortably?

“Staying in Wulken must have been boring, right? I’m sorry. You really went through a lot.”

Marghetta knew this too, so she gently hugged Louise and Irina. She probably felt bad that her juniors had to suffer because of her.

"Hehe, it’s fine. When else would we get to see Wulken?"

"I agree. Don’t worry about us."

Fortunately, the two angels smiled brightly, comforting Marghetta.

Still, Marghetta’s expression didn’t fully lighten, so Irina subtly added.

"Next time, you should come to our territory. The tulip gardens in Flanbell are beautiful."

"I will. I’d love to visit."

Marghetta finally seemed to relax at that, her smile returning.

I couldn’t help but admire Irina’s natural invitation to a duke’s daughter. She definitely had a knack for business—just like a true Yorun.

"Oh, you should visit our territory, too! Artini is a great place to travel to!"

"Really? What is Artini known for?"

Marghetta chuckled softly as Louise proudly made her pitch.

"We catch a lot of eels!"

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that bold declaration. Talking about tourism and then mentioning local delicacies—what a combination.

"...Eels?"

However, Marghetta's meaningful voice made me glance around.

Then, I was met with serious, piercing gazes not just from Marghetta, but from Irina as well.

Why were they looking at me like that? Weren't we just having a nice conversation about traveling? Everything seemed fine just five seconds ago.

"Let’s save the travel talk for later and rest for now. Everyone must be tired, right?"

I quickly changed the subject. My instincts told me that the conversation might take an awkward turn if we didn’t end it now.

"Yes, you both must be exhausted. Let’s head in and rest."

Marghetta, who had shown the most alarming signs, thankfully went along with the change in topic.

Yes, the priority now was to let these two rest since they must be mentally exhausted. Marghetta wasn’t someone who would lose sight of what was important.

"We can talk about the trip at our leisure later."

"Haha, that sounds good."

I forced an awkward smile in response to Marghetta’s words. It seemed that a tour of the territories might be coming up sooner than I’d like.

...A tour of the territories?

However, a vague sense of unease crept in as soon as the thought crossed my mind. I felt like I was forgetting something, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.

Well, I’ll probably remember it when the time comes.

***The end of the year was when the Imperial Council wrapped up its activities for the year and planned for the next. It was also the time when the activities of the county were reviewed.

So, the end of the year tended to be busy. Fortunately, most of the work involved paperwork, so it wasn’t too overwhelming, but—

"Your Grace the Iron-Blooded Duke?"

— It’s been a while, Count Tailglehen.

The relatively smooth end of the year was abruptly disrupted by an unexpected call from the Iron-Blooded Duke.

This was strange. I’ve had little interaction with the Iron-blooded Duke, especially since he delegated most of his authority to his heir. Thus, our contact was usually limited to formalities at the New Year’s Ball.

"I hope you’ve been well."

— What would an old man who’s just resting comfortably have complaints about? I’m doing well.

I offered a greeting out of courtesy, and the Duke nodded in acknowledgment. Since he initiated the contact, he would surely get to the point soon.

— Besides, I’ve recently had a significant concern lifted off my shoulders.

Sure enough, his next words made me sit up straighter. It seemed that this was what he wanted to talk about.

I unconsciously tightened my grip. For the Duke, who I had little connection with, to reach out directly rather than through an aide—it couldn’t be anything trivial. Right before the New Year’s Ball, something troublesome must be brewing—

— Actually, I contacted you because I thought it was appropriate to have a word with you as a future in-law. I hope I’m not interrupting your busy schedule.

?

In-law?

I became momentarily speechless. In-laws? Me, in-laws with the Iron-Blooded Duke?

— Count?

However, I couldn’t stay silent. The Iron-blooded Duke was still in front of me, after all.

First off, this couldn’t be a joke. The Iron-blooded Duke, especially one as family-oriented as him, wouldn’t make such a prank.

And there were signs if I thought about it. Marghetta and Carl had grown quite close, and my wife was also fond of Marghetta. Even the rumors circulating in the social circles had taken their union as a given.

The only question was when it would happen and whether she would become the first wife over the Mage Duchess.

"Yes, in-law. It’s a term I’m not very familiar with, so I was caught off guard."

— I understand. I felt the same way when I married my son off. This is just an engagement so it’s different from marriage, but it’s only a matter of time.

I spoke up quickly, and it was fortunately the right response. I narrowly avoided becoming a head of the family who knew nothing about his child’s engagement.

Well, I really didn’t know.

Regrettably, I truly didn’t.

But what could I do? I left the matter of marriage in Carl’s hands entirely without interfering. So unless Carl told me directly, my knowledge was limited to the rumors circulating in society.

I thought that would be enough. With the network I’ve built, I prided myself on being able to pick up on most rumors quickly.

I never expected an engagement to happen without any warning. This was the first time I had encountered such an unexpected engagement.

***I quickly reached out to my wife after ending the call with the Iron-Blooded Duke.

I needed to find out if she had heard anything from Carl. If not, then I had to explain the situation before she started getting questions about the engagement from others.