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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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A political marriage. A marriage arranged by a parent or guardian for their own benefit or purpose, regardless of the wishes of the individuals involved.
Since the game’s setting was a medieval world, political marriages were quite common among nobles. And Elisha Grain was a victim of such a marriage.
“Hmm…”
In the original story, the Grain family was a noble family on the verge of collapse.
However, to revive the family, the head of the Grain family hid this fact. And he made the reluctant decision to use his daughter.
“…….”
That sacrificial lamb was Elisha. According to the game’s lore, the Stenman family, despite its internal decay, had a reputation and business scale that couldn’t be trifled with.
That was why they could maintain their power for so long, even while openly engaging in villainous acts – because of the sheer size of their industries.
The Grain family was aiming for precisely that.
No matter how notorious the Stenman family was for their wickedness and ruthlessness, it was an undeniable fact that they were successful nobles.
This resulted in an innocent victim, Arnold… well in one of the routes, meets a tragic end because of this arranged marriage.
Anyway, if the Grain family could even formally establish a marriage engagement with the Stenman family, they could use their reputation to prevent their downfall.
That was why they arranged for Elisha to be engaged to Arnold.
“What to do.”
But… to get straight to the point, Elisha never loved Arnold in the original story. She had merely sacrificed herself at the request of her family head to save their house.
Apart from the superficial engagement, she never showed any affection for Arnold.
“Would it be alright if I just made a good first impression?”
She actually looked at him with disdain from the start, prejudiced by his reputation as the son of a wicked nobleman.
“It would be troublesome if she resented me….”
Perhaps that was why…
“I’m a little nervous.”
He felt a sense of tension. Various worries buzzed in his ears like noise.
“M-Master…!”
Just as he was about to return to his room after meeting with Gregory Stenman, someone called out to him.
“Eilly?”
“If it’s not too much trouble… may I ask what you talked about?”
Eilly rushed towards him as if she had been waiting.
“Was it… about the arranged meeting?”
She asked about his conversation with Gregory, her lips pursed.
“Yes, it’s been decided that I’ll be meeting someone from the Grain family next week.”
He told her the truth.
“Oh…, so… that’s what it was…?”
Eilly’s face darkened considerably.
“Th-Then, c-congratulations…! Master…!!”
She finally offered her congratulations,
“… Ugh….”
but her shoulders trembled.
“Ha… Haha, it’s wonderful that Master… has found a partner… Congratulations…!”
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“As long as Master is happy…… I, Eilly, am… also happy…!”
Although she was offering congratulations, her tone sounded as melancholic as a funeral dirge.
“Anyone would think the wedding date has already been set.”
Had he ever seen Eilly this sad?
“… Yes?”
He honestly didn’t know why she was so dejected or how to comfort her, but he had to correct her misunderstanding.
“It’s true that we’re discussing marriage, but… from what I can tell, it’s just a typical political marriage.”
There were a few things she seemed to be misunderstanding.
First, there was no such thing as Arnold being destined to marry Elisha.
“And although these political marriages are technically engagements, it’s rare for them to actually lead to marriage.”
In fact, throughout the game, Arnold and Elisha were engaged but never married.
“It’s quite common for them to break off the engagement as if they had promised to do so once they’ve achieved their mutual benefits.”
“I-Is that so…?”
Of course, he was saying this because he knew the future, but it was understandable for Eilly to interpret it that way.
“That’s how it usually goes.”
“Oh… I see!”
Eilly’s complexion brightened as soon as she heard his explanation.
“So, it doesn’t necessarily lead to marriage, and there’s a possibility of the engagement being broken off? Hehe…”
Her previously clouded face cleared up, as if the rain had stopped and the sun was shining again.
“Well… that’s not wrong…?”
It was good that she had cheered up, but… why was she so happy about the possibility of the marriage not happening?
Of course, it was true that Arnold wouldn’t end up with anyone, but her joy at the mention of a broken engagement made him suspicious….
“Then…! That means you could remain my Master forever…!”
Did Eilly want him to remain a bachelor?
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, n-nothing!”
“… Hehe~”
He couldn’t understand what she was thinking.
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“… Is it today?”
A week later.
“I hope it goes well.”
He was sitting alone in a guest room. Warm sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the elegant furniture.
Expensive paintings and ornaments decorated the room, adding to its luxurious ambiance.
“Hmm….”
Today was the day he was meeting Elisha.
“Is she running late?”
It was currently 2 PM.
“…….”
He had been sitting alone in the drawing-room for quite a while. She should have arrived by now, considering the appointed time….
Perhaps he had arrived too early due to his nervousness, but he was starting to feel impatient.
Knock, knock, knock –
Just as he was thinking that –
Creak…
A light knock, and the door slowly opened.
“…!”
The person who appeared from beyond the door…
“Greetings, Count Stenman? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
…was a woman of breathtaking beauty, deserving of the title “stunning beauty.”
“Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Elisha Grain, the eldest daughter of the Grain family, and the one who will be by your side… from now on.”
Her manners were impeccable.
“I-It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Grain… I’m delighted to meet you here today.”
Her elegant speech made his prepared words sound like childish babble.
“Yes, likewise… And please, call me Elisha.”
Elisha walked gracefully towards him and sat down.
“Excuse me.”
He was struck by how much nobility she exuded with just a simple act of sitting.
“……”
“……”
However.
“……”
“…….”
Their conversation ended there…
“Umm….”
The atmosphere between them became tense.
He hadn’t imagined that an arranged meeting would be this formal.
“……”
An awkward silence filled the air.
“……”
“………”
The current situation… was far more hopeless than the arranged meeting he had imagined.
Usually, even if there weren’t many words exchanged during a marriage meeting, there would be an unspoken romantic tension.
“Hmm…”
This felt… like a stressful job interview.
“……”
Elisha hadn’t spoken a word since their introductions, and neither had he.
….
Unable to bear the silence any longer, he took a sip of tea.
“Ahem…”
Although the tea leaves tickled his nose with a pleasant fragrance, he couldn’t appreciate it due to the oppressive atmosphere.
Tick-tock – Tick-tock –
The only sound in the silent room was the rhythmic ticking of a pocket watch.
“Elisha? Um -”
Finally, unable to stand the silence any longer, he spoke to Elisha first.
“Count Stenman?”
Elisha interrupted him in an unusually cold voice.
“Yes?”
Her tone… finally made him notice something was amiss.
Now that he thought about it, the atmosphere itself felt strange. It was supposed to be a marriage meeting, but there was no romantic feeling whatsoever.
This silence wasn’t the subtle romance between potential spouses; it was a heavy, uncomfortable quiet. It felt like… a serious business negotiation, not an arranged meeting.
“Let me be frank.”
As if to prove his point,
“You don’t have to try to please me.”
Elisha’s next words made him doubt his ears.
“Yes…?”
“Sigh, you don’t have to flatter me. Let’s be honest, the reason we’re here is just for show, right?”
Her usual elegance was gone, replaced by a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through him.
“Our families… they just need each other’s names. They’ve just set up this meeting. We don’t need love or anything else in our relationship.”
She drew a clear line with her words, and her previously polite tone turned cold, like insults directed at an enemy.
“What? Wait….”
He tried to stop Elisha, taken aback by her sudden coldness, but
Slap –
Before his hand could reach her, it was swatted away with a stinging pain.
“Don’t touch me.”
Elisha glared at him with disgust, baring her teeth in contempt, as if he were some kind of impurity.
“Do you think I don’t know who you are? You’re the one who drives countless people to suffer, consumed by your desires.”
She spoke about the Arnold Stenman she knew and tried to leave.
“I don’t want to be anywhere near someone who lives only to think of how to inflict more pain on others, blinded by greed.”
Elisha, who had judged him without even attempting a conversation, walked towards the door.
“Let me tell you this in advance… Even if we officially become engaged, don’t forget that it’s just a political marriage.”
She glared at him with sharp eyes as she grabbed the doorknob.
“I… have no intention of looking favorably upon you, nor will I ever open my heart to you, notorious villain.”
Those were Elisha’s last words.
Clatter –
He silently watched Elisha’s retreating figure as she left the room with elegant strides.
“Hmph…”
She scoffed dismissively and left with a cold demeanor.
Clatter…
“…….”
The door slowly closed, and he heard the click of the lock. He scratched his head in bewilderment.
“Sigh….”
Just like in the game, Elisha seemed to have disliked Arnold from the very beginning…. When would he ever be able to shake off this villainous label?
“…….”
So, he had to live as a fiancé of Elisha, while being treated like an enemy?
“Ugh -”
He had expected this, but… he already felt a headache coming on.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
