"It’s annoying..."

[The evil god, 'Kali,' suggests that if it’s so bothersome, why not just kick everyone out?]

That can’t be done. While it’s true I have no intention of marrying any of them, the powerful families are practically sending me love calls to join their ranks. If I were to shut the door on them, I would be turning all factions against me, excluding the Emperor’s faction.

So, to avoid any fallout, I must politely decline as much as possible...

"Sniff, sniff! I’m Iris Marso, the third daughter of Count Marso. I apologize for visiting so abruptly to discuss the marriage proposal we spoke of earlier… hic!" "…."

The parties involved aren’t being polite at all. Even while introducing herself, she’s sobbing uncontrollably. If you were to look at this scene, it would seem like a family defeated by the Demon King’s army had offered up their daughter as a hostage.

It should be a time to feel quite displeased, yet strangely, I wasn’t upset at all.

'Right. This means I won’t have to refuse them outright. That way, I won’t risk souring relations with these influential families, nor do I have to worry about bizarre rumors that I’m impotent.'

In fact, it’s rather advantageous. Ignoring a flood of marriage proposals at my prime would likely lead to rumors of impotence spreading. But sending back women who are crying and saying they don’t want to marry would likely improve my reputation rather than harm it.

"Don’t cry. Let’s make eye contact and talk." "Sniff!" "Iris." "Sniff!" "Iris, dear." "Ugh!" "Ah! How long are you going to cry?" "Waaah!" "I’m going to lose my mind."

When she looked into my eyes, she was startled, hiccuping. Surely, it shouldn't be that extreme? I don’t think I’d get this reaction even when facing a monster.

Thinking back, Charlotte and Yulia were somewhat similar at first. But now, my good reputation has spread throughout the nation, so there shouldn’t be any trace of notoriety left. It’s frustrating.

Finally, the woman stopped crying.

Seeing that she looked a bit calmer, I decided to ask again.

"How old are you?" "I’m twenty-one this year..." "I’ll ask you directly. You don’t want to marry me, do you?" "Y-Yes!? No…! I… I… like it…" "…."

The woman began to stutter heavily. It seems she was too scared to speak the truth.

"You can answer honestly. I value my partner’s feelings the most." "I-I’ve never thought I didn’t want to marry! Oh, I mean... I really want to marry you…"

Soon, her face went pale, and she started avoiding my gaze. It seems she thinks I’m conducting some sort of test. She’s forcing herself to say things she doesn’t mean, which drives me insane.

"Do you think I won’t see through a lie? It would be better for your own sake to speak honestly." "I-I actually don’t want to marry...!"

As soon as I came off a bit authoritative, she quickly began to tear up and reveal the truth. I now had a lead. As a civilized person who places great importance on the other party’s will, the moment she expressed her dislike, the marriage proposal would be off. It’s unfortunate, but it’s unavoidable.

"Okay. Very well. Shall we prepare a statement to confirm this? It’s nothing serious; it’s just a document proving that you firmly expressed your refusal of the marriage. Just sign here and put your thumbprint. Yes, good. You can leave now." "I can go…?" "Yes. Don’t forget to get a parking ticket from my escort knight when you leave." "Really, is it okay not to get married? Th-Then…!"

After firmly completing the paperwork to ensure there would be no further talk later, I informed her she could go. At that moment, her tear-streaked face lit up with joy.

I thought I shouldn’t show too much happiness seeing her so delighted, but she startled and quickly stiffened her expression again.

Then, she dashed out without looking back, as if someone were chasing her, disappearing from my sight in a hurry.

That took one minute to handle.

"Number 2, noble lady. Please come in."

As soon as I wrapped that up, the thought of relaxing with Charlotte’s massage filled me with energy.

"I can go!? No second-guessing…!"

I sent the second noble lady back through the same process.

"Thank you so, so much! You have at least some conscience!" "…."

The same happened with numbers three, four, and five, all sent back in quick succession.

At this rate, I could send them all away in just an hour. The unexpectedly low level of affection the noble ladies had for me made this possible.

"Lord, you seem to be in a pretty good mood. Have you finally lost it due to a serious emotional wound…?" "Are you the one who has lost it? There are things one can say and things one cannot. His Majesty has been treating Vermont specially, and we’re close to the Emperor, so I can’t form alliances with other factions." "Yes. I understand that marriage at this point is a dangerous balancing act… But I thought you’d be dispirited after seeing how the eligible young ladies perceive you." "Why should I be dispirited? If a stray dog passes by and suddenly says, ‘You’re not my type,’ would that hurt you?" "Oh. I completely understand the Lord’s mindset…"

[The evil god, 'Kali,' is greatly impressed by you.]

Expectations are what lead to disappointments. From the start, I’m not looking at these noble ladies as potential marriage partners, so even if their perception of me worsens, it only mildly affects my mood.

But if Charlotte or Yulia were to genuinely scorn me, ah... just imagining it makes my heart ache.

"Stop dawdling and let in the next number quickly. At this rate, it’ll be meal time soon. I don’t want to waste a meal on them." "Yes. I’ll hurry things along."

I can’t let my pleasant dining time with Charlotte and Yulia be interrupted. Sylvia, having grasped my intentions, began to move swiftly, and the noble ladies came and went quickly, with statements of refusal piling up in one corner of the desk.

"My name is Louis Marso." "Nice to meet you." "Just sign here, right?" "Thumbprint too. Yes. It’s done." "Goodbye."

Eventually, the process became much simpler, taking less than thirty seconds per person.

I was aiming to wrap this up quickly. What number were we on again? It was around the mid-numbers when it happened.

"It’s an honor to meet you, Earl. I’m..." "Yes. Nice to meet you. Just sign here and you can go." "What is this...?" "It’s a statement confirming that you do not wish to marry me. Once this is signed, we can end the marriage proposal and you can go home." "Puheh. No way I would come all the way here to discuss marriage and then want to end it myself."

"…?"

[The evil god, 'Kali,' is astonished by the fact that there exists a woman who wants to marry you.]

The woman covered her mouth and chuckled softly. I was just as surprised by her completely unexpected reaction as Kali was.

This could be problematic, couldn’t it?

Come to think of it, this woman isn’t avoiding my gaze. She doesn’t seem to fear me at all.

This was a completely different reaction from all the others.

"What’s your height and age?" "Uh? I’m 151 centimeters tall and seventeen years old this year…" "Oh. I misspoke. What’s your name?" "Let me finish my introduction from earlier. I’m Emilia Tales. I formally propose a marriage contract to you, my lord… no, I am proposing to you."

"…!?"

The woman placed her hand on her chest and bowed politely. Upon hearing that unexpected surname, my eyes widened involuntarily. Tales. A family I’m familiar with even after just one chapter.

Of course, the Tales family was once crushed by Irene Vermont and has since become her puppet.

While they outwardly express hatred towards Irene Vermont and seem to be sharpening their blades for revenge, in reality, the head of the Tales family and the entire council of elders are in a compromised state, unable to resist her.

So, her coming to propose to me likely reflects Irene’s wishes.

"I didn’t receive any letter from you." "I thought it was a great disrespect to discuss a marriage proposal through letters with someone whose face I’ve never seen. While marriage is indeed a union of families, the feelings of the parties involved are the most important. Wouldn’t it be better to meet in person and talk face to face?" "…."

The woman smiled brightly, her demeanor suggesting she had charmed many men.

But I would not fall for her beauty. I knew all too well that beneath that smile lay Irene’s schemes.

"I never expected you to propose a marriage without going through your father. You’re quite a rare, proactive woman nowadays. I find it intriguing. Shall we discuss this in detail?" "Yes. That sounds good."

I need to find out what Irene intends by having this woman approach me. This might be the perfect opportunity to discover Irene’s weaknesses through a spy she’s trying to plant in me. I can’t let this opportunity go to waste.

'Perhaps this woman also possesses a secret weapon like Laura's eyes that Irene has. I mustn’t let my guard down.'

I must never let Irene discover that I need Neodymium. I won’t give anything on my side, but I need to extract as much information as possible from her. I can’t afford to make even a slight mistake in my actions.

While I continued the conversation with utmost caution,

"…Is that so? How impressive. How did you come up with such an idea?" "…." "Earl?" "Oh. I’m sorry. Please continue."

As the door cracked slightly, I began to feel eyes on me.

In a huddle, four pairs of eyes seemed to peek through the door.

These guys...