Chapter 58: Behind The Marriage Story

Oh my. We were quite blatantly shown the power of the Holy Knights, weren't we? When we went to the government office to report, a splendid four-horse carriage was prepared in no time. During that time, I called Comba and contacted Eilia, and the team was assembled. Carrie is currently exploring the dungeon with the Auris Squad. She'll probably complain when she gets back, but the timing couldn't be helped. By the way, Eilia's younger brother, Carlisle, has reluctantly returned to camp after exploring the shrine.

I apologized to Misha for the inconvenience, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. When Zeigt asked her, she blushed and agreed without hesitation. The real troublemaker was Tuck, who insisted on coming along with us. Nevertheless, we managed to depart before the sun went down. It was only when we were about to leave that I realized there was no "goodbye" kiss from Tiana. I felt a little disappointed.

Between Norn and Reckenberg, there's a long Gondor Lake stretching from east to west. Regardless of which side you go around, you need to backtrack upstream to cross the flowing river, which takes quite a few days. The western side, in particular, is infamous for its proximity to Marlburg, and the road is getting more deserted. The eastern side has relatively more traffic but takes even more time.

The large tunnel we're planning to use this time pierces the lake bottom from the lakeside near the capital city of Cambium to the lakeside near Reckenberg. It's a remarkable shortcut, reducing a journey that would otherwise take about ten days to just one day. However, the main passage of the tunnel is known for having countless openings, from which powerful monsters are known to emerge.

If we're lucky and don't encounter any monsters, it will significantly reduce our travel time. However, due to the numerous travelers vanishing after encountering powerful monsters, sturdy doors have been installed and locked on both sides. I'm not foolish enough to risk my life on a low-odds bet, so I've never seen inside.

As soon as we left Norn, we left the road and headed through the fields towards Gondor Lake. There are seven of us on this journey: me, Zeigt, Comba, Eilia, Gina, Tiana, and the goofy dog Nix. Tiana was ecstatic about riding in the carriage for the first time.

"It feels like I've become a princess."

It's almost safe until we reach Gondor Lake. Despite its elegant appearance, the carriage is robust and has spells to mitigate the effects of magic. So, for now, three women are riding inside the carriage. Finally, I had a chance to talk with Zeigt.

"You're quite the persistent one. So, what's the deal with this matter?"

When I looked up at Zeigt on his horse, he pursed his lips like a clam. It seems he doesn't want to talk right now, so I'll have to initiate the conversation.

"Could it be that your upcoming marriage next year is related to this?"

His cheek twitched slightly. Bingo!

"But why would you become the king's son-in-law? Who is this Lady Eleora?"

"Who did you hear this from?"

"Well, from a little bird."

"You're really an untrustworthy guy."

"It's not that bad. So, how did you end up accepting the troublesome position of being a son-in-law?"

"Well, there are various circumstances. In fact, before I heard about the marriage arrangement, I visited Sir Sandalmiya's residence."

"Is there any connection between that visit and this situation? The rumor is that you're not very close."

"Not close is a good way to put it. But we do have a certain connection. I can't remember the exact reason, but there was some formal occasion I couldn't avoid attending."

"Isn't Sandalmiya's wife is also the king's daughter?"

"Yes, the second daughter, Lady Josephine."

"I see. I get it now. So, at that event, you had to witness Sandalmiya being pushed around by his wife and being quite submissive."

Zeigt exclaimed in surprise.

"You... You didn't understand that, right? You weren't there at the event, were you?"

"Of course not. Sneaking into a noble's house is something only a fool would do. Think about it. Just like you. Not very close, or to be frank, someone who doesn't like you. They probably want to get rid of you if they could. Sir Sandalmiya seems to be quite hungry to power, too."

"So, what's the point?"

"Zeigt, you're not lacking when it comes to women. I imagined that a man like you would never want to be subservient to a woman. So, if you show the king's daughter's arrogance, you'd have a good reason to politely decline the marriage arrangement."

Zeigt looks surprised but amused.

"If you refused, the plan was to use that as an opportunity to blow doubts about your loyalty to the king. I heard that there was a pull-out operation from some random foreign country. And you read that, too, so you had to take it. Right?"

"You read it correctly. My adjutant figured out this scheme. Hoffman, who takes care of all the administrative work, had a similar opinion. He strongly urged me to accept the talk. 'My future is intertwined with His Excellency's. Make a wise choice.'"

"Well, becoming important is quite a hassle. So, what's the princess like? She doesn't come up in public discussions much."

"Ah, well, in a word, she's interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Her mother isn't the queen, you see. She was a former maidservant. So there were some circumstances, and they only met two years ago. Before that, she lived in the commoner's district."

Zeigt smiled broadly.

"Well, she's not much like a princess. And she's intelligent."

"More importantly, how does she look?"

Zeigt let out a deep sigh.

"You really don't get it. The most important thing in a woman to marry is her intelligence. Beauty is secondary. And speaking of that, it's about time you settled down, isn't it? The surroundings have become quite glamorous compared to before."

"I have no such intentions."

"Don't say that. Well, if I could, I'd recommend Gina. I mean, I'd choose her."