The Heroines Are After My Fortune

16 – Let’s Not Get Married – 3 (Edited)

“Are you, by chance, mad?”

The Marquis unleashed waves of killing intent at me. Had I been a mere commoner, I’d have been utterly overwhelmed, unable to even stammer a reply, but I’ve endured training under Caesar, even with his killing intent, and emerged unscathed. I was confident I could somehow hold out for at least five minutes. I bowed to him, trying my best to act unaffected.

“I was perhaps a bit hasty. I apologize for speaking in a way that could be misinterpreted.”

“Misinterpreted? What’s there to misinterpret? It remains fact that you do not wish to wed my daughter, does it not?”

“That is not so. When I said I didn’t wish to, I was speaking of marriage ‘right now’.”

“Are you trying to play word games with me now?”

*Bang!*

‘Ugh, what a fright.’

The sudden desk slam made me flinch. I steadied my startled heart and spoke calmly.

“That is absolutely not my intention. If it is not inconvenient, may I share a tale of my childhood?”

“…Do tell.”

The Marquis’s consent made me gaze upwards, as if yearning for someone, then I began to speak, my voice thick with a dampness.

“Until recently, when my late father passed, I lived without knowing I carried noble blood. My mother, without the financial support of my father, raised my sibling and me through back-breaking toil. ”

“Hm, and so?”

“My mother, while still young, left a will. She asked that I marry a woman that I can love, a woman who can become a beacon in the world she had left behind. I only wish to uphold the last words my mother left behind.”

Of course, he never said those exact words. But I’ve heard things, you know, like don’t marry a woman who looks like she’ll run off with your money. After I finished my story, the Marquis asked me back, like I’d said something absurd.

“…I don’t know why I’m even listening to this. In the end, nothing’s changed, is it? You’re saying you can’t marry because you don’t love our Renee?”

“No, sir, the process is just going to take a little longer, but the result is still the same—I will marry Miss Renee. But, we’ve only just met. There hasn’t been enough time for me to fall in love. I’m asking for your generosity, to grant me the time to fall in love with her.”

“Love, love…! It’s tiresome. Can’t you cultivate that love after marriage? Are you, by any chance, dragging your feet because you don’t want to get married?”

That’s why I hate those who catch on quick.

Trying to calm my beating heart, I gently placated him.

“Drag my feet? What could I possibly do against the mighty Este family? What advantage would that be to me?”

“…Hmm, that’s true enough.”

“Miss Renee and I are bound to see each other for the rest of our lives. If a little leniency on your part can make our marriage stronger and bring us a happier life together, then that would certainly be due to your great benevolence, and I will be forever grateful to you, Marquis.”

“Hmm, I still don’t really get it. You’re saying that just by putting it off for a bit, love will suddenly burst forth from nowhere?”

“I don’t know who she is yet. I plan to find that out over time.”

“…Be specific.”

“Being engaged and actually being married are worlds apart. I believe there are feelings and experiences you can only have in the unmarried state. I’m going to take her to wonderful places, eat delicious food together. As we spend time together, I’m sure I will fall deeply in love with Miss Renee. After all, her beauty is as devastating as befits your bloodline, sir, she’s known throughout the Empire.”

“Hmm, our Renee is beautiful, that’s true.”

He puffed up his shoulders a little as I flattered him by praising Renee, subtly praising him at the same time. Figuring the mood wasn’t bad, I even tossed out a joke.

“I might get so carried away that you’ll hear about the second generation right after we become husband and wife. Ha ha—!”

“…………!!”

Renee jumped back, her hands flying up to cover her chest. Her face was turning bright red as she glared at me. Honestly, she was cute.

“Puhaha—! Don’t scare my daughter so much. If that’s the reason, I suppose I understand why you want to postpone the marriage. But….”

“………?”

“Why should I do that for you?”

‘What the hell?’

His sudden change of tack left me no choice but to be bewildered. I’d felt like I was making headway, but it seems that was purely my delusion. After that, things took a gloomier turn, with the Marquis’s one-sided offensive flipping the entire situation.

“Do you realize you’re not in a position to demand anything from me? Your father, though a Baron, was so highly regarded that I was willing to give him my precious daughter, only to discover he had a hidden son—you—a secret he kept while appearing to be a bachelor.

How much of a laughingstock do you think I became amongst the nobility, almost marrying my daughter to a man with a b*stard child near her own age?”

Hmm, I hadn’t considered that.

Whether it was true or not, the premise he’d set forth was so disadvantageous for me that I couldn’t offer any rebuttal.

“The fact that I’m letting you marry René, without even bringing that up, shows an enormous amount of patience on my part.

And now you suddenly ask to postpone the wedding? How much longer should I tolerate this? Your mother’s last will? Don’t use your personal history to beg for my sympathy. Aren’t you a noble now?”

I couldn’t find any immediate flaw in the logic the Marquis was throwing at me.

Though it was unavoidable at the time, I never expected Yul’s decision to make me his “hidden child” and heir would come back to trip me up like this. It was time I stopped being cautious. I had to pull out my best card.

“I am not begging.”

“Hm…?

“I know I’m being unreasonable, but surely there must be something in return for you granting my request, Marquis? I’m not so ill-mannered as to expect something for nothing.”

“…I’m listening.”

“Before my father passed, he left me a warehouse. It’s filled to the brim with all sorts of valuables.”

The Marquis’s eyes widened at those words.

He must have been certain that whatever he desired was contained within that warehouse.

“Later, if it suits you, how about we go together? I would be happy to give you anything you desire as a gift.”

“…………!”

No need for tricks to get it, I’ll just give it to you.

That devil contract, you crave it like a mad dog, don’t you?

“If it’s for my esteemed father-in-law, what wouldn’t I give?”

“Ho, this is truly a dilemma….”

The Marquis, eyes closed, strokes his sleek jaw.

“It’s a mere trinket, I could have it or not, but I can’t very well refuse a wedding anniversary gift from my son-in-law….”

He paces the room as if troubled.

We all know he wants it more than anyone, but his act of affected propriety is a sight to behold.

“Daughter, do you agree with this fellow’s words?”

“I shall follow whatever decision Father makes.”

Rene, politely refraining from expressing any personal opinion. This was the result of our agreement for her to not agree with my words beforehand. It wouldn’t do for them to discover that we were in league.

“Ha ha! A new era is dawning. I cannot hinder the ways of love of my young charges. Very well, how much time do you require?”

The Marquis, finally inclined to listen, I presented him with the bare minimum I had considered.

“How about 6 months? I will meet her at least three times a week.”

“100 days. I’ll grant you exactly 100 days, after which you will marry Rene immediately.”

*This damn b*stard?*

The curse flew from my lips instantly, internally of course. He said he wouldn’t interfere with the ways of young love, yet he’s immediately throwing a wrench in the gears like some kind of masterpiece. A devilish man….

The time frame is far shorter than I’d expected, meaning my days will be quite hectic, but when the absolute power of the Marquis demands something, I have no choice but to comply.

“Yes, I shall.”

Still, I can say that I have obtained a degree of success.

Time presses, yes, but it’s enough to try.

###

‘It’s done, I did it…!’

Aiden, after a tug-of-war with the bloodless, tearless Marquis Raphael, had managed to postpone the wedding.

A belief bloomed too – that this man, perhaps, held the power to grant her freedom.

But that belief shattered without much delay.

“So, what are the plans moving forward?”

Rene, in a private room of a notoriously hard-to-book restaurant, smiled a fresh smile while slicing her steak as she questioned Aiden. Surely, she expected something grand, an idea that would inspire immediate admiration. But,

“I’ll have to start thinking about it now.”

“…Pardon?”

Rene couldn’t trust her ears.

“Wait a minute, you mean you stirred this all up without a single plan?”

“These things, you just go for it first. I didn’t want the wedding either, and you didn’t either, young lady?”

“Yes, but still, shouldn’t you have at least thought of something?”

“I’ll tell you later when something comes to me.”

Truth was, Aiden was too bothered and it was hard to explain here, so he was trying to skirt past it. But,

“………………..Ha.”

The emotions that rose within Rene, who had, for the first time in her life, rebelled against her family because she believed in this man, were different. She felt utterly fooled, the anger was unbearable. And so she said-

“…You, do you want to die?”

*Clatter!*

She reversed her grip on the knife she held, then brought it down hard on the steak plate. *Crack*, the plate split in two.

“…!?”

Aiden, who knew nothing of swordsmanship, was nonetheless struck with a pressure comparable to the Marquis’s killing intent, emanating from the woman’s gaze, akin to that of a wild beast. He’d never imagined that a meal could lead to this, just for not discussing work.

“Uh, uh…? Miss… please calm down a bit-“

“Do I *look* like I’m in a state to calm down?”

Rene, with a murderous smile, stared him down.

After all, she was widely acknowledged as the original’s greatest villainess. Trying to smoothly sidestep an issue in front of her seemed utterly hopeless.

“I do have a plan…!”

“Spit it out, and make it quick.”

‘Oh, shit, this is a tough place to explain.’

Aiden, sensing a crisis of life and death, finally opened his mouth after much deliberation.

“My plan is—”