Chapter 78
“Magic Tower master, it’s time to eat.”
Franz opened his eyes at Arian’s voice.
He had only planned to lie down for a moment, but it seemed he had fallen asleep.
Then again, even though they had taken breaks along the way, he had driven for quite a long time, so it was understandable that he was tired.
“Are you very tired?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Arian asked with a worried look, but Franz shook his head and raised his body from the bed.
Even if he was tired, he couldn’t put off the things he had to do.
Especially since all the things he had to do were important.
Before leaving the room, Franz looked in the mirror one last time to check his appearance.
“Nothing particularly wrong…”
Just as he was thinking that, Arian approached from behind.
“Hold on a moment. Your collar is a little messy.”
Arian reached out and straightened Franz’s collar.
She had a faint smile on her lips, but Franz, who couldn’t see behind him, had no way of knowing that.
After finishing his grooming, the two immediately left the room.
And not long after, they arrived at the dining area.
“As expected of a ducal house…?”
Franz inwardly exclaimed in admiration.
It was because the food placed on the table was so luxurious.
It was truly a meal befitting the title of a ducal house.
“Has the Magic Tower lord ever been to the North?”
As Franz sat down, the head of the household, Ballak, asked.
“No. This is my first time.”
“Then it must also be your first time trying the food of the North. I prepared this and that, so I hope it suits your taste.”
“I’ve always wanted to try it someday, so I’m really looking forward to this.”
The conversation between Ballak and Franz ended with that.
The meal naturally began, starting with Ballak picking up his spoon.
For Franz, who was born as the youngest of a baronial house, to receive such utmost hospitality at a ducal house was something he couldn’t have even dreamed of if he weren’t the Magic Tower lord.
Thinking about it the other way around, it meant Franz’s current status was that high.
To the point where no one in the empire could ignore him.
Even if it were the emperor.
“It’s excellent. To the point where I’d want to come and eat it again someday.”
While eating, Franz voiced his impressions of the food.
If he had his way, he would have liked to speak about it in more detail, but he was a layman in this area, so he couldn’t.
In the first place, wasn’t the only impression an ordinary person could leave just whether it was delicious or not?
Franz was at exactly that level.
“I’m glad it was to your liking. It makes preparing it worthwhile.”
“Thanks to you, I’ve had a good experience.”
The meal continued for quite a while after that.
Even though there wasn’t any particular conversation going back and forth.
A meal among nobles was bound to take a long time due to the emphasis on etiquette.
Having finished the entire meal with dessert, Franz spoke to Ballak right before getting up from his seat.
“Grand Duke, could you spare a moment of your time?”
“Then let us move to another location.”
Ballak nodded and said.
It seemed he had noticed that it wasn’t a topic to be brought up lightly.
Soon, the two sat facing each other again with a small table between them in the office.
On the table sat a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“This is our family’s pride, our wine. I brought an excellent one, so please try it.”
Saying so, Ballak poured the wine into the empty glasses.
Red wine filled the glasses that had been holding the cold air of the North.
“Alcohol…”
Wasn’t Franz the one who had caused a huge accident after drinking alcohol not too long ago?
He didn’t particularly want to drink, but given the setting, it was hard to refuse.
It also seemed better to accept it in order to smoothly resolve the matters that would follow.
Taking a sip of the wine with dignity according to the etiquette he had thoroughly learned, Franz carefully set the glass down and voiced his thoughts.
“It is indeed excellent. I can safely say it is by far the best among the wines I have drunk so far.”
To be honest, he didn’t really know. If it were ale or mead, he could go on about it in great detail, but wine was completely outside his area of interest.
However, voicing such thoughts would be rude to the person who had gone out of their way to prepare it, so he praised it for now.
“I am glad it is to your liking.”
Saying that, he elegantly took a sip of the wine.
Then, setting the glass down without making a sound, he continued speaking.
“By the way, what was it you wanted to say…?”
It was finally time to move on to the main point.
Naturally, what Franz had to say was:
“I heard that the Duke Phrygia is planning an arranged marriage for Arian, but could you perhaps postpone it?”
“…You must have heard from Marcel.”
He spoke in a much more subdued voice, holding his wine glass and slowly swirling it.
The sight of the wine swaying inside the transparent glass seemed to represent his state of mind.
“It is as you said. The family is preparing for Arian’s arranged marriage. If I had my way, I would like to just leave her be, but doesn’t the Magic Tower master also know that it isn’t that simple?”
Franz had certainly thought the same thing.
That if Arian didn’t get married, it wouldn’t be helpful to either the family or herself.
But hearing it from Ballak made him feel the weight of it anew.
The heart of a family head wanting to protect his family and a father wanting to protect his daughter’s honor was that heavy.
“Before I give you an answer, I would like to ask you one thing. Why did you have such a thought?”
His wish for a friend to be happy, and his wish as a Magic Tower lord not to lose a competent talent.
In truth, those were all personal reasons, so it felt a bit awkward to say them out loud.
And they weren’t all that important either.
There was only one answer Franz could give.
“Because Arian does not want it.”
“Of course, I also want to do as Arian wishes. I am her father, after all. But my other daughters are just as precious as Arian. It means my thoughts will not change, even if not strictly as the head of the family.”
He couldn’t fully understand what kind of feelings Ballak must have had after making that decision, but he could guess to some extent.
It must have been quite agonizing not to be able to wish for his daughter’s happiness.
But Franz couldn’t back down either.
He had confidently declared to Arian and Marcel that he would do something about it, after all.
“I would like you to give me some time, even if it’s just a few months. If I cannot resolve it within that time, I will take responsibility no matter what.”
A subtle change appeared on Ballak’s face.
Whether it was because a few months was shorter than he thought, or because his mind had changed at the word 'responsibility', Franz didn’t know, but either way, it wasn’t a bad sign.
“Let us hear what you have to say first. That is, exactly how you intend to take responsibility.”
“If I cannot find a marriage partner for Arian within the designated period, I will…”
Even as he spoke, Franz thought about it dozens of times in his head.
Whether it was really right to say such a thing out loud.
But now that he had come this far, it was impossible to beat around the bush.
Because he wouldn’t be able to convince Ballak if he didn’t present a concrete plan.
“…I will marry Arian.”
In the end, Franz ended up saying those words.
At that, naturally, Ballak put on a confused expression.
However, Franz was just as confused.
It wasn’t like a casual pact made in youth, 'Let’s marry if we’re both unwed by a certain age - ', but saying he would marry her if he couldn’t find a suitable marriage partner was truly absurd.
“Then doesn’t that just mean the Magic Tower lord will be acting as her arranged marriage partner…?”
“But it will buy us time. We just need to find a partner who suits Arian’s heart in the meantime.”
“If you cannot find that partner, the Magic Tower lord will have to marry Arian. Are you okay with that?”
It was a truly difficult question to answer.
If he said he was okay with it, it meant he had feelings for Arian, and if he said he didn’t want to, it meant Arian was lacking as a marriage partner.
‘Honestly, it’s not bad.’
She has a good family background, a pretty face, and her personality is… let’s leave that aside for now.
As an arranged marriage partner, her conditions were absolutely not bad.
Not that it meant he wanted to marry Arian, though.
“At this rate, I might wake up one day and find myself married to Arian.”
It felt like a tale where one moment you’re here, and the next you’re suddenly at the altar.
For some reason, it felt very similar to his own situation.
Silence flowed for a while after that.
It was because both Ballak and Franz had a lot on their minds in many ways.
Eventually, Ballak, who boldly tossed back his wine in one gulp, broke the silence and spoke.
“I am sorry, but I do not think I can accept that.”
“Please reconsider just one more time…”
“I will just pretend Arian’s arranged marriage never happened.”
“Pardon…?”
What was he talking about now?
It was certainly welcome news, but it was just as surprising.
“Seeing the Magic Tower lord willing to sacrifice yourself for Arian made me realize something. That, in fact, it is what I, as her father, should be doing.”
“But then the family and the customs of the nobility will…”
“It is fine. Overcoming such things is what it means to be a father and the head of the family, is it not?”
Franz inwardly admired his firm resolve.
Nobles usually considered their own families to be the most important thing.
Whether it was their children or parents, it was normal for them to think of them as nothing more than members who maintained the family.
But Ballak had decided to risk bringing a stigma upon the family for the sake of his daughter’s happiness.
For that alone, he was a person fully deserving of respect.
“I will support that decision of yours, Grand Duke. Please let me know whenever you need help. I will help you as much as you need.”
“Then would you keep me company in enjoying this wine right now? It seems it will be a somewhat exhausting night, you see.”
“Yes, I will keep you company.”
Saying so, Franz filled his glass with wine.
After enjoying the wine for a long time accompanied by their conversation, Franz was only able to come outside late into the night.
Feeling the cool air of the corridor, it seemed the effects of the alcohol were fading a bit.
“Magic Tower master…?”
As he was walking down the corridor to return to his room, Arian appeared in front of him.
She had already changed into comfortable clothes at some point.
“Arian, can we talk for a moment?”
Franz intended to tell her the conversation he had with Ballak right away.