Chapter 11: An Unwanted Engagement
Several days passed, and Rose was just about to leave the castle to continue with his many self-imposed responsibilities when, suddenly, his father's voice called out to him.
"Rose, would you mind speaking with me in the study for a few minutes?"
Rose wasn't entirely sure what his father wanted to discuss, but knowing he couldn't refuse, he simply nodded and headed to the study. After all, he had only planned to visit Gunther so the man could help him spread the idea of the four-field system among the farmers. Important, yes, but not a matter of life or death.
When he entered the study, he sat in the chair across from his father's desk—only to notice an expression on Sieghard's face that was… unsettling, to say the least.
He knew that look far too well. His original father used it whenever he felt one of his sons needed a partner or— in Kenjaku's case —a bit of sunlight.
And he couldn't protest—or dive out a window to escape yet another uncomfortable conversation—because Sieghard let out a sigh so deep it reminded him of the ones his father used to give right before scolding him for some childhood mischief.
"My son, you're twenty years old now, and you're still not married," Sieghard began.
Rose shuddered. He was definitely not going to enjoy this conversation.
"I understand your reasons," his father continued, "but each day you've been recovering your health. It seems that everything you've been doing has done you good, and now that your illness appears to be fading, it's time to start thinking about finding a wife."
Rose had to think fast. He'd escaped this exact conversation a thousand times during the First Era, but Sieghard wasn't like his true father—who hated work so much he could be distracted by practically anything.
He wasn't ready to get married. Not emotionally, not practically. He had far too much to do, and courting a woman would steal precious time he needed for his projects. And he couldn't explain any of that to his father… for far too many reasons, most of which would be seen as insults toward both the baron and whichever noblewoman was chosen for him.
"…Who did you have in mind?" he finally asked. Smart. He could buy time while "courting" the chosen lady. And no—his long-standing sexual frustration was not the reason he chose not to argue.
…Well, okay, maybe it was one of the reasons, but not the main one.
A small smile tugged at Sieghard's lips upon hearing that his son wasn't resisting the idea of marriage.
"You remember your cousin Adela, don't you? My sister's third daughter, the daughter of the Count of Estria."
No, he absolutely did not remember her. But nothing a quick scan through his predecessor's memories couldn't fix. And, in truth, while he wasn't fond of the idea of marrying a first cousin—and the notion twisted something inside him—he supposed he could tolerate it as long as they didn't have children.
So he kept his composure.
"Little Adela… I haven't seen her in ages. Isn't she around fifteen?"
At least the age gap wasn't massive. He would have stabbed his father in his sleep if the man tried to marry him off to a child. Actually, screw that—he would have strangled him right there.
"She'll be turning fifteen this year. I've heard she's becoming quite a stunning young lady," Sieghard replied.
Rose managed not to frown. It was a year more than he had expected, but still not too bad.
However… the more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea became.
Not because he was the type to court adolescents—he wasn't—but because this would give him about four full years to push several of his projects into motion before marriage became unavoidable.
Ideally, the engagement would exist only on paper for a while, and with luck, he might even find a way to slip out of the arrangement before the girl turned seventeen and he was forced to wed.
"I would have to meet her first and see what kind of woman she's becoming," Rose said calmly.
His response left Sieghard visibly conflicted.
On one hand, he was pleased that Rose hadn't rejected the idea outright.
On the other, he seemed disappointed that his son hadn't fully embraced the prospect either.
But since Rose hadn't refused, Sieghard assumed the boy was simply uncomfortable with the topic.
Without pursuing the matter further, Sieghard nodded, rose from his seat, and escorted Rose to the door.
"I'll send a letter to your uncle informing him of your request. We should have an answer in about fifteen days."
Rose merely nodded.
At the very least, this potential engagement bought him the time he desperately needed.
He likely wouldn't meet the girl for another three months, and by then he was absolutely certain his soul would have fully reshaped this frail body—and his strength would have returned.
Which, conveniently, meant he'd look far better.
Not that he disliked his current appearance…
But courting someone while looking like a sack of bones wasn't his ideal scenario.
"I'll leave it in your hands, Father," Rose replied, giving the matter no further weight.
With that resolved, he finally left the castle and reunited with Gunther to check on the progress of the fields.
To his satisfaction, the young man was working tirelessly—not just tending to the land, but also spreading the idea of the four-field rotation system among the villagers.
Thanks to him, three of his friends had already agreed to implement it in their own farms.
It seemed Rose wouldn't need to do much to spread the system—Gunther was doing the work for him.
Which meant he could simply sit back and let his competent subordinates handle the spread of industrial and agricultural innovations while he merely put things into motion.
So, for the rest of the month, he dedicated his energy to improving his physical condition and building stronger relationships with the locals.
Before nightfall, he returned to the castle to continue his nightly rituals: a bath, perhaps a couple hours refining his plans, and then rest.
However, before he could do any of that—as had become routine lately—Henrietta ran straight toward him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Big brother, where did you go this time?" she asked so quickly he barely caught the words.
Still, the slight worry on her face didn't escape him. He gently patted her head.
"I went to visit the town and speak with the locals. A lord must know the conditions his people live in, of course," Rose said calmly.
Henrietta couldn't help but smile at the gentle touch on her head.
But then she suddenly remembered something important, pulled away, and let go of him entirely.
"You finally made it in time for dinner! Come on, let's eat!" she exclaimed, skipping toward the dining hall.
Rose chuckled softly and followed—at least until he felt that same strange presence he'd noticed for some time now.
Once again, he chose to ignore it.
No one would try to kill him inside the castle.
If they hadn't done it while he was at his weakest, they certainly wouldn't try now.
When they arrived at the dining hall, the family was already seated.
They weren't expecting him home this early, given how busy he had been lately, and seeing him return in time brought obvious joy to his parents.
Lambert, of course, was the exception.
Not that Rose cared.
He simply took his seat without sparing Lambert so much as a glance, turning his attention to the plate in front of him…
At least until he heard his mother's affectionate voice.
"So, my dear, I heard that you're finally engaged?"
It was a completely innocent question—he knew that.
And yet, he almost fell out of his chair.
Instead, he looked at his father with a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and what could only be described as a very poorly concealed homicidal impulse.
After all, it hadn't even been twelve hours since their conversation…
And he hadn't even agreed to the engagement to begin with.
So… how the hell was this already a done deal?
His father had trapped him from the very beginning, and he had walked right into it without noticing.
Damn it— the old man had probably negotiated the engagement long before that conversation even took place.
He would never admit it aloud, but a part of him was genuinely proud of his father for a move like that.
The other part wanted to strangle him.
While Rose battled internally between pride and homicidal impulse, Henrietta dropped her fork upon hearing the news, staring at her brother with utter shock. She had never imagined her older brother would get married. For noble standards, he was already considered quite old to still be unmarried—yet she was incredibly happy that he had finally found someone to spend his future with.
"Who is she? Is she pretty? Do I know her?" the girl blurted out, releasing a barrage of questions so fast Rose couldn't have understood half of them even if he had been paying attention.
But Rose was still trying to process what was happening. Even if he had listened carefully, he wouldn't have been able to keep up.
Lambert, meanwhile, sat frozen. He never believed any noble in the region would be remotely interested in arranging a marriage with his older brother. He had done everything he could to sabotage such possibilities.
That left only one troubling question in his mind:
Who the hell was acting without consulting him?
To Lambert, it was incomprehensible that the count gave no importance whatsoever to the second son of a baron. All his efforts to isolate his brother within the county meant absolutely nothing. Therefore, the count did nothing at all to prevent another noble from taking the initiative with the baron's heir.
Eventually, Rose managed to pull himself out of his daze. He turned toward his father with a glare so dangerous it could have made entire armies step back. It took everything in him not to mentally call Desmos and shove it up the baron's—
He knew very well that, if the Spear of Destiny were in his hand, all his strength would return immediately.
"Father! What did you do?!" Rose finally demanded, after calming himself enough not to curse in the divine tongue.
Sieghard met his gaze without flinching. He had allowed his son's idle behavior for far too long, and the simple fact that Rose had shown the slightest interest in the proposal was reason enough to proceed.
He was still the baron, after all, and his word ruled the territory.
Besides, he was convinced the pair would make a lovely couple.
"You seemed interested, so I sped up the process by accepting the count's terms," Sieghard replied with a calmness that bordered on insolence.
Rose wasn't exactly furious.
Indignant, annoyed, surprised, and a bit proud for having been outmaneuvered by his father… yes.
Furious? No.
But learning that the engagement was already official—because his father interpreted his words as acceptance—was…
Well.
He had no idea how to react or what to feel.
"Uriel, help me…" he groaned, letting his forehead fall onto the table with a dull thud.
If the Archangel of Fire—whom he got along with best—couldn't advise him, no one could.
"I think you're asking advice from the wrong archangel," his father commented with a barely contained laugh. "You should call upon Chamuel. After all, you need to make a good impression on little Adela."
Rose let out a growl that would have made a lesser demon retreat.
End of Chapter.