94 – A Sudden Proposal
Among the rituals handed down to the Loveheim family, there is something called an oath of subordination.
It sounds like a kind of stigma to keep a slave under his command, but in reality it refers to a more sublime and noble act.
This is also a ritual handed down from the first head of the Loveheim family, and it is known that there was a knight who devoted his whole life to his side.
And those around them, who were not happy with the existence of the knight, separated the two, and the knight entered into a contract with the first Lord of Loveheim, the owner, to prove his loyalty.
This is the oath of subordination.
This oath, made with blood and blood, magic and magic, boasts an absolute bond that cannot be broken by any magic.
In addition, unlike other master-servant relationships, obligations are not unilaterally imposed only on the servant, but also on the master to a certain degree of coercion.
It is so because in the first place, each other cannot hurt each other carelessly, and it is an oath made to make the relationship more sticky.
This is also an essential requirement for each family head.
This oath of subordination was not only meant to tie the relationship between two people, but also because it had the effect of giving more power to those who were bound by the oath.
Therefore, each generation of the head of the Loveheim family had to make this oath with a seed that could be kept by their side for the rest of their lives, and the selection process was famous for being difficult.
Of course, Yulken, the current head of the Robeheim family, also made an oath of vassalage with a reliable subordinate.
It’s already been over ten years, but it’s still a fairly vivid memory in his head.
‘I don’t know what to do with Ariel.’
In the middle of the day, Yulken, who was moving his pen alone in the office, fell into contemplation for a while.
His daughter, Ariel, will also soon have a coming-of-age ceremony and someday have to sign an oath of subordination, but the problem was that there were no talents around that suited her.
Ariel wasn’t very close to the people around her since childhood.
This is due to Yulken’s mistake, and the fact that she has been almost confined to the castle is large, but her personality also plays a role.
Basically, she is the kind of personality that is hard to get close to.
It shows an unexpected side to those who get close to it, to the point where you wonder if it had this side, but otherwise, it was because it always exudes an aura that pushes away people around you.
Of course, it was a big thing that she didn’t trust others easily.
‘Does the narrowness of human relationships hurt the bone at times like this?’
For Ariel, the only reliable people around her were her childhood friend and lover Edgar, Sylvia, Shuri, and all of her family.
Other than that, although there were some people in the castle, Yulken guessed that they would be unsuitable to be seen as people Ariel trusted, even though they would talk openly.
‘It’s difficult, it’s difficult.’
There was no need to rush, but even if it went on like this, it didn’t seem like a sharp number would come out.
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Like that, Yulken thought hard about whether someone suitable for Ariel’s throne would appear.
Thanks to that, I couldn’t reduce the pile of papers in front of me by half.
* * * * * * *
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Lately, Edgar has been putting more effort into training than before.
It’s because of Vincent and Lux’s plot the other day, he got to know his position a little more calmly.
He knew very well that it was impossible to increase the prestige of the family even if he suddenly made an effort.
That’s why the only thing that could be raised was strength, and I wanted to somehow add bone-breaking efforts to this end.
To him, Creed said that he had nothing more to teach him, and if he insisted on gaining more enlightenment, Edgar himself would have no choice but to find out from now on.
That was also the reason why Edgar often went to the gym alone.
“You worked hard. young master.”
“Well? What is it, Shuri?”
An unexpected guest came to him while he was swinging his sword and sitting on the floor wet with sweat.
Shuri, who carefully greeted him with a dry towel, said that Ariel wanted to call him and conveyed it on her behalf.
“Are you busy?”
“Yes, actually, Your Highness and the hostess are coming soon… … .”
“… You should have said that beforehand.”
I guessed that Ariel simply called it because he was bored, but it seems that it is a much more serious matter than he expected.
Without even time to catch his breath, he quickly got up and took a brisk step, drinking from the canteen Shuri handed him.
“Bocchan, here… … .”
“Ah, thank you.”
First of all, I couldn’t head straight to the sweaty state, so I decided to dress up briefly.
However, Edgar gets the perfume that he didn’t even apply because he didn’t have the time to wash it, and gets it from Shuri and sprays it.
“Ugh, that’s really strange.”
“is that so? I think it is fragrant.”
“Ariel said that too. I’m not sure.”
No matter how many times he smelled it, he couldn’t get used to the scent, so he frowned.
The problem was that Ariel liked this scent and often wanted him to wear it.
Edgar wondered if the reason was that the scent was something women would like, so it didn’t suit his nose as a man.
Or maybe it’s simply that he doesn’t like perfume very much.
“You always make trouble for me.”
Nominally, Shuri is Ariel’s exclusive maid.
Aside from having come to call Ariel on orders, helping her to dress up like this is a job she doesn’t have to do.
This was most likely due to Edgar not having a son or a seed, so he was always sorry.
Due to Shuri’s personality, she wouldn’t take it kindly, but it was right to cause trouble anyway.
“I’m OK. Of course, I recommend that the Bocchan bring in at least one servant.”
“So it is. Even though Madame Helene told me… Because I don’t like it.”
Edgar basically prefers to go alone.
This was also a big factor in why I didn’t have a separate employee even when I was at my parents’ house.
Besides, there are things that I didn’t really like to ask others to do.
His theory was that he himself had hands and feet, so what was the need to be waited upon?
The problem is, in the end, there are times when you have to borrow someone’s hand, but at that time, there would come a moment when you desperately needed the existence of the seeds you kept by your side.
Helene knew this too, so she had asked it insinuatingly, and Edgar expressed his extreme pitch specifications every time.
However, now it seems that it has become quite distant.
“Let’s think about that later, let’s go in first.”
“Yes, Bocchan.”
Shuri immediately knocked on the parlor door and waited for permission.
Soon after hearing Yulken’s voice from inside, Shuri pressed open the huge door that seemed to be twice her size.
When Edgar entered, Yulken, with a smile on his face, welcomed him first.
“I’m sorry for bothering you because of us. I have something urgent to tell you.”
“No, Your Highness. The schedule was just over.”
Edgar bowed his head to Yulken, who was sitting in the seat of honor, and Helen, who was sitting next to him, and went to his seat.
The position was across from Ariel, and when he didn’t sit next to her, she turned her head away with a sullen expression.
“You can sit next to my daughter.”
“Because you said you have something to tell me… When the story is over, we will move.”
From his point of view, it seemed like a serious story, so he moved his seat to avoid flirting with Ariel.
Yulken nodded his head in satisfaction at the meticulous mindset, and immediately got to the point.
Procrastinating the story with an introduction didn’t suit his temper.
“yes. It’s no different that I called you, isn’t there a coming-of-age ceremony for your daughter soon next year?”
“Yes.”
coming-of-age ceremony.
It was an event that heirs of aristocratic families would normally go through in their lifetime, but it was more valuable if the name of the grand duke was on their back.
It is not just a coming-of-age ceremony, but also a place to officially announce to the world who will inherit the family business of the grand duke.
It was also the issue that Edgar had the most in mind at the moment.
“It’s not a confirmed issue yet, but I’m thinking of handing over my seat to my daughter within the next year after the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“The word handed down… Are you saying that Ariel will become the owner of the Loveheim family?”
“right.”
Edgar’s eyes widened at the unexpected fact.
It’s not that I’m disparaging Ariel’s ability, it’s because the position of the owner of the grand duke’s family isn’t that easy.
However, if Yulken made this decision, there must be a reason.
So, rather than rushing out, it was Edgar who was waiting for his words to follow.
“Because of your personality, you must be worried. But it’s nothing strange. Even I inherited this family at the age of 20.”
“tradition… Are they the same?”
“It is tradition. Hmm, not wrong, but a little different. For now, the detailed reason will be heard from my daughter later.”
When Edgar moved his gaze to Ariel across from him, she tilted her head slightly as if to wait and stared at Yulken again.
Judging by the scene, Edgar could see that this decision wasn’t just Yulken’s arbitrary decision, but also Ariel’s will.
Although I was relieved that it was not something like family pressure, the anxiety did not go away easily.
“For now, Ariel will be the nominal owner of the family, but I plan to help with most of the public affairs behind the scenes. I was like that when I inherited the family.”
Not everyone in the Loveheim family was like that, but in most cases, quickly deciding on a successor and handing over authority was a great way to quickly establish the position of the successor.
There may be some who see it as just a name, but being in the position of an heir and really being the owner of a family are different from the weight.
The reason why the Loveheim family passed down the generations quickly was to awaken their awareness and to make the vessel as the owner of the grand duke’s family more quickly.
Therefore, hasty choices were not allowed.
Currently, Ariel is the only successor, and her ability is at a level that Yulken can also acknowledge, so she made a bold choice, but things didn’t always go this well.
Even if you look at the ancestors alone, there were some who could not quickly inherit power due to the succession struggle, and there were also those who could not stand firm and faltered despite becoming the owner of the grand ducal family due to this process.
In other words, it can be seen as a benefit granted only to those who are fit to be reborn as the true owner of the Loveheim family.
It also meant that Yulken cared for and acknowledged my daughter.
After taking a sip of the tea in front of him and quenching his thirst for a while, Yulken continued his conversation.
To tell you the most important reason for calling Edgar to this place today.
“So I would like to make a request to you. It’s a pretty burdensome request, so don’t worry, I won’t mind if you refuse.”
“Yes, please tell me.”
Edgar wondered what the reason was for such a delay.
If you’re simply going to talk about engagement or marriage, it wouldn’t even be appropriate to say that you’re burdened.
In other words, it was right to assume that Edgar would make an offer that would be difficult for him to readily accept.
“Although you are my daughter’s lover… If possible, would you be able to stay by this child’s side even during public affairs?”
“… Does that mean you want me to take the same position as Lord Elfeld?”
“I guess so.”
It was only then that Edgar seemed to know why he had been thinking so hard before bringing up these words.
Since something like that happened not too long ago, Yulken must have been concerned that when he said this, Edgar might misunderstand it as meaning that Edgar would not accept himself as the seat next to her.
However, even taking that into account, the fact that she made such a request meant that there were not enough talented people to help Ariel by her side.
Aside from being simply talented, there is no such trustworthy person that Ariel could entrust her right arm with peace of mind.
This was also a part that Edgar was very sympathetic to.
‘Well, Ariel has a narrow relationship.’
Even he thought it was a weakness that would be revealed someday, but it seems that the time has come quite early.
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Like it or not, those in high places need to establish some level of broader relationships.
Even if there is a limit to cutting it off when it is useless.
In that respect, Ariel was very different from the others.
I was busy coming and going only between the minimum human relationships, and I only poured out my affection for them.
A prime example of this was Edgar.
The problem is that although it may seem good to have a trusted person by your side right now, when the time comes when you have to lead a lot of people, you will definitely feel inadequate.
Just like Ariel right now.
“To be honest, I have enough intentions to do it. But I want to talk to Ariel some more… Could you please allow me?”
“Of course. I’m not forcing you, so don’t think too deeply.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Edgar signaled to Ariel, who made eye contact for a moment, to talk later.
Ariel nodded slightly at this and brought the teacup in front of her to her lips.
Thinking that there must be many things to pay attention to before the coming-of-age ceremony, Edgar leaned back on the sofa.