What About an Arranged Marriage?

Near the end of the year, Tauro, who had returned home briefly from school, had no time to relax as he was suddenly taken by Farza to pay a visit to Count Sugoella.

Ryu was disappointed because he wanted to accompany his father, Farza, this time to observe the count’s town.

It turns out that Count Sugoella, who had seen Tauro's outstanding academic performance as the top student all year, wanted to meet him again.

Certainly, it was understandable that they wanted to ensure they had a capable heir in line to inherit the Landmark family.

Maybe they hadn't paid much attention to it before.

Well, this also concerned the future of the Landmark family, so it was acceptable.

But Ryu still wanted to go!

Setting aside Ryu's disappointment, Farza and Tauro set out.

While the two were away, several days passed without any incident, and Farza and Tauro returned from Count Sugoella's place.

The family was hastily summoned and, once assembled, Farza made a grave announcement.

"A few marriage proposals have come up for Tauro."

　That seemed to be the case.

It seemed that at a party hosted by Count Sugoella, other influential figures from neighboring territories, who were vassals of the count, gathered to establish good relations due to the Landmark family's recent momentum. Some had daughters they wanted to introduce.

Among the attendees, there were daughters who were much older than Tauro, and there were even some as young as five years old.

Even if the younger children were willing to wait until they reached adulthood for a possible engagement, the older daughters could potentially cause disputes when Tauro inherited the Landmark family.

It was a matter of succession, requiring diplomacy, and with the significant age difference, they might have a say in governing the family, which could be challenging.

Ryu shuddered when he imagined it.

He thought, ‘I'm glad I'm the third son...’

However, he couldn't help but feel sorry for his older brother, Tauro.

Tauro was not enthusiastic about meeting prospective partners at the moment, as he wanted to focus on his studies. But he couldn't disregard the importance of maintaining good relations with the vassals of Count Sugoella.

"For now, there's no avoiding meeting them. Afterward, Tauro can make his own decision."

Amidst the family's dilemma in this unprecedented situation, their mother, Cecile, provided a sensible perspective.

Their grandmother, Kay, agreed.

"You never know how opportunities arise. Tauro might like one of the girls, right?"

Indeed, that was a possibility.

Even though Ryu hadn't met them yet, there might be a girl among them who would catch Tauro's interest.

Ultimately, it was about creating an opportunity, so maybe the arranged marriage wasn't such a bad idea.

However, Ryu couldn't shake off his uneasiness about the hidden agendas of the prospective partners' parents...

Setting aside Ryu's thoughts, a few days before Tauro's school started, a group of people who wanted to arrange a blind date for Tauro gathered at the Landmark family estate.

What surprised the group was the well-maintained roads within the territory, almost as good as the main roads.

They knew that the Landmark family had been gaining momentum; they had heard the rumors.

But the extent of it...

The group couldn't help but admire the well-kept roads. While they were traveling in carriages, they could hear parents encouraging their daughters everywhere.

However, when they arrived at the estate, the group was once again taken aback, but for a different reason.

The Landmark residence was no grander than their own.

The separate toilet building was a solid brick structure, making the modesty of the estate stand out.

"It seems Lord Landmark has changed how he uses his money."

There were also people who secretly shared their thoughts.

If it were them, they might have considered rebuilding the estate first.

"No, it feels like we can see Lord Landmark-dono's feelings for his territory and people."

One of them praised him.

Despite having become independent from Count Sugoella, the emerging Count Bridge was still associated with the Count Sugoella faction.

Initially, this count had not been part of the discussions for the arranged marriage. However, when it was decided that a group arranged meeting would be held, Count Bridge swiftly applied to participate.

When Ryu checked the guest list, he noticed that the girl accompanying Count Bridge was his second daughter and that she was in the same grade as Tauro at school.

Perhaps the daughter had expressed her desire to participate.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, a knightly house and a count's house were so distinctly different in status that they wouldn't usually consider participating.

Ryu's personal opinion was that among the attendees, this scenario seemed highly unlikely, yet the motive appeared to be the pures, he thought it would be best if she ended up with Tauro.

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