Thunk. And then, plop.

Without so much as a knock, someone entered the office of the head of the Vendel family and unceremoniously plopped down in the chair across from him. As if that weren’t enough, they leaned the chair back at a cocky angle.

One might expect them to say something like, *Hey, get me your strongest drink.*

"…"

A deep sigh escaped from the head of the Vendel family, Idoor Vendel. That was the full extent of his response to the insolence.

"I heard you’d returned about two weeks ago, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen your face, Roera."

Idoor Vendel immediately set aside his work to face his daughter.

"I'm not exactly the type of person you'd be thrilled to see, am I?" 

Roera, fiddling with her nails, replied in a disinterested tone. One might question whether her behavior was becoming of the daughter of such a prestigious family, but Idoor merely gave a bitter smile.

That was the kind of father he was.

When it came to his sharp-tongued youngest daughter, he always became incredibly soft, even pitiful—especially since she had brought honor to the family name in the public eye.

"I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately. It seems like your work is going well over there?"

Roera’s response was vague. She raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"…I see. Well, I’m glad it seems to suit you."

Silence fell between them. It lasted until Idoor's desire to have a pleasant conversation with his daughter after such a long time was extinguished.

"May I ask a favor?"

"A favor? From you to me? That’s rare."

Idoor tried to remember the last time his daughter had asked him for anything. It had been so long that he couldn't recall.

"This marriage between someone from our family and the Dintal family—let me be the one to marry into that family."

"…That’s your request?"

Idoor looked as though he'd just seen a ghost.

The Roera he knew was not the type to ever be imagined getting married. She was someone who found the social norms and expectations placed on her absolutely unbearable. She had distanced herself from the family long ago, choosing to roam freely outside its bounds. The family had, in turn, given up on her, content as long as she didn't stray too far and continued to make a name for herself with her sword.

But this? Interest in family matters? And an arranged marriage, no less?

"It’s not that difficult of a request, is it? Honestly, it’s better for both sides."

Roera spoke like a mercenary negotiating with a merchant, pressing Idoor.

"Seriously, does it make any sense? Marrying off Lisir to the second daughter of Dintal? Even if he’s just a son-in-law, the Dintal family will use it as an excuse to meddle and exert influence."

"…Hmm."

Idoor was well aware of the points Roera was raising. He wasn’t blind—he was the head of the family, after all. There was indeed a significant risk in sending Lisir to the Dintal family as a son-in-law. Even so, Idoor had accepted the arranged marriage for one reason:

"Even considering that risk, there’s more to gain."

Vendel wasn’t some insignificant minor noble family. There were limits to how much the Dintal family could wield influence under the guise of propriety. Dintal would likely demand certain rights due to taking in a bastard as a son-in-law, and Vendel would have to meet some of those demands. However, should they overstep or show any signs of doing so, the advantage would shift to Vendel. Vendel had the power to leverage that advantage.

"Politics is complicated."

That’s how it usually is. But there was one way to make the situation less complicated—Roera’s suggestion that she marry into the Dintal family instead of Lisir.

Roera was the legitimate heir of the Vendel family. Her status carried far more weight than that of a bastard, and even more than that of the legitimate heir of the Dintal family. If Roera became Dintal’s daughter-in-law, Vendel could exert influence over Dintal in many ways.

And most of all—

This was about Roera.

Idoor had long given up hope of her getting married or doing anything for the family. But now she wanted to marry under the family name?

It seemed a shame to send someone like Roera to the Dintal family, but given the circumstances, hoping for more would be greedy.

As head of the Vendel family, it was an offer Idoor couldn’t refuse. But as her father, he couldn’t help but wonder why his daughter was acting so out of character.

"You’ve never shown any interest in family matters before. Am I wrong, Roera?"

Roera didn’t respond. She merely shrugged.

"So why the sudden interest in this arranged marriage?"

"It’s nothing. I just happened to meet the young master of that family, and he’s my type."

Her tone was far too dry to be that of someone who had fallen in love at first sight, but Idoor didn’t pick up on it.

"Hmm…"

A man who suited her tastes? It seemed like a simple enough reason. But in matters of romance, sometimes the simplest reasons were the most important.

"I can’t really tell, but there are rumors among the noble ladies. I suppose their taste in men must be accurate, then. Still, I never imagined you’d take an interest in men."

"What, did you think I’d take an interest in women instead?"

"That’s not what I meant—but it doesn’t matter. Like you said, it’s about time you took an interest in men."

"…So, does that mean it’s settled?"

"But here’s the thing."

Idoor finally revealed the true nature of the arranged marriage.

"This marriage was actually proposed by the Dintal family’s daughter."

Roera frowned, tilting her head in confusion. It didn’t make sense.

The same logic Roera had applied to Lisir could just as easily be applied here. Lisir was handsome, even to the point of rivaling the famous young master of the Dintal family. But he was still a bastard. In a society that valued bloodlines above all else, that was a significant disadvantage.

"…Why?"

"I don’t know, but it seems she has a personal interest in Lisir."

"Ha."

Roera let out a derisive laugh.

"Strange girl. What does she even know about him?"

"?"

"Anyway, just to be clear, the discussion is over, right?"

After a brief pause, Idoor nodded.

"I’ll approach the Dintal family and propose this arrangement positively."

"Good. This was a productive conversation."

With the answer she wanted, Roera left the room, looking satisfied.

---

"Phew…"

Once outside, Roera took a deep breath of fresh air. The suffocating feeling she’d had was alleviated—just a little.

Yeah, just a little.

"Marriage…"

Until recently, Roera hadn’t had the slightest interest in marriage.

Honestly, she still didn’t.

She still had no interest in marriage. The supposedly handsome man from the Dintal family was no different.

He was probably just as annoying as any other noble.

And on top of that, he was apparently handsome?

"Damn it."

Just imagining a life spent ingratiating herself with other nobles was enough to make her feel suffocated.

She was content with her current life. She wasn’t bound by her family or her status, and she didn’t have to care about other people’s opinions. If possible, she wanted to continue living this way.

Yet, she chose marriage. Not because anyone forced her, but purely by her own choice.

Was she regretting it? Yeah, she was.

She wanted to take it back, to undo the decision.

But she wouldn’t.

"…This is the right thing."

She didn’t want to watch her father dictate Lisir’s life anymore.

She wanted him to find his own path in life.

And she was the only one who could help him do that.

She knew.

She knew that Lisir had never once asked her for help.

In fact, he might not even want it.

So, in the end, all of this was just for her own satisfaction.

"…"

She was atoning for her past mistake, hoping that maybe, just maybe, her efforts would change things.

Suddenly, she wondered if it wouldn’t have been better just to apologize honestly.

"…Ugh."

Roera scratched her arm, disgusted by the thought. It gave her goosebumps.

It was meaningless from the start. Things had already gone too far.

She remembered the expression on young Lisir’s face as he emotionlessly tore up her letter.

For a long time, she had thought about that moment.

How could she get him to accept her apology?

How could she earn his forgiveness?

She had pondered over it countless times, but she never found an answer.

If a simple apology could have solved everything, they wouldn’t have come this far.

‘Come to think of it, what’s he been up to lately? He’s been wandering around a lot.’

Suddenly, she became curious.

If Lisir knew about the sacrifices she was making for him, how would he react?

Would he be surprised and reconsider his view of her?

No way.

He would probably just dismiss it as none of his business. Or maybe he’d be furious, thinking she’d stolen his chance to get on Father’s good side.

"Ugh, damn it."

Come to think of it, that did seem like a pretty realistic

 possibility.

Roera imagined Lisir misinterpreting her intentions and lashing out at her.

That image came to her mind almost too easily.

"…"

But something felt off.

The image didn’t come to her as clearly as it usually did.

-…In the end, you really are the only one who cares about me, Roera.

Instead, her mind wandered to the conversation she’d had with Lisir earlier.

The strangely changed Lisir from recent days.

She knew it was nonsense. He probably meant it as a sarcastic jab.

"At least he knows… that I’m the only one."

Yet, despite herself, Roera couldn’t stop a smile from tugging at her lips.

---

"And so, Master, I might actually be getting married."

The next morning, I met with my master again behind the library.

The first topic I brought up was the arranged marriage I had suddenly learned about the day before.

"Lisir, getting married?"

Master muttered, looking utterly shocked.