Chapter 149
* * *
“But actually, there’s sothing else I truly believe in.”
“…Truly believe?”
Ronny tapped the edge of the bathtub with his fingertips, still seeming deep in thought.
“Have you ever seen lody play gas?”
“Gas?”
Isaiah tilted his head in puzzlent at the sudden change of topic from their engagent discussion.
“Yeah. She never loses, does she?”
After pondering for a mont if that was true, Isaiah soon nodded in agreent. Now that he thought about it, she didn’t.
When lody played luck-based drawing gas, she would routinely get the ultra-rare SSS-grade premium cards with abysmal odds of appearing. In dice gas where you gain privileges for rolling doubles, she once won decisively by rolling ten doubles in a row.
“And there was a line in one of the books I read.”
Ronny cleared his throat and did an impression of so noblewoman.
“Ultimately, choosing a marriage partner is just participating in a ga of probability. How dull.”
“A ga of probability!”
Isaiah exclaid, waving his arms frantically.
“That’s what l excels at the most!”
“Exactly!”
Ronny raised both hands to his forehead in anguish.
“She’ll probably end up drawing the most handso, wealthy, devoted, and all-around amazing man in the entire capital!”
It was a highly convincing conclusion given lody’s trendous track record of beating the odds so far.
“In the worst case, the one who proposed might even be His Highness the Crown Prince himself.”
Ronny explained that around 14% of male leads in the novels he read were from the direct royal lineage.
“Cases where they get engaged to royalty in unfavorable positions like exile were even more common at 21%, but that likely doesn’t apply here.”
Isaiah asked if there were any other possible scenarios. Ronny announced with a slight raising of his chin that “Dukes” were trendously popular at nearly 39.9%, clearly proud like when thinking of his father and brother.
“There were also Guild Leaders and Dragons at 3% and 2% respectively.”
“What about…Knights?”
“Not none, around 5%.”
“Oh, beating out Dragons.”
“Though it’s a pity that 98% of those were Imperial Knights.”
Ronny lightly patted Isaiah’s shoulder with a chuckle.
“In any case, there were various others too like mages and rchants. All decent n…except one.”
“One exception?”
“Yeah, there was one pathetic guy. I thought maybe he was just hiding his capabilities at first, but nope, just genuinely pathetic. But it wasn’t a popular book, so we probably don’t need to worry about that.”
To begin with, the odds of a man like that actually appearing as lody’s fiancé were 1%, no, probably 0.1% at most.
“By the way, what if the person who really cos to et l is His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Even if the Baldwin Duchy and Higgins Barony joined forces, they likely could not stop such a match.
“Though the Imperial Family requesting a marriage with the Higgins Barony also seems unlikely…”
“But l has beaten abysmal probabilities more than once before…”
The two sighed in unison before sinking their bodies beneath the bathwater surface. For a while, only the sounds of bubbles rising up could be heard.
* * *
Three days later, the day of lody’s first date arrived.
Up until this point, Ronny and Isaiah had barely obtained any information about lody’s prospective fiancé, except that he was from so small but reputable family.
They had only learned that much by overhearing Mrs. Higgins raging “If not for that so-called reputable tradition, I would have flown into a rage the mont this request arrived!”
The two hid themselves behind a large tree near the entrance, waiting for the other party’s carriage to arrive.
“No matter who it is, we need to approach with extre caution,” Ronny cautioned the hot-blooded Isaiah.
“Of course. Do you really think I’d forget a knight’s duty and bring disgrace to the ducal household?”
When Isaiah ntioned a “knight’s duty,” Ronny openly scoffed at him.
“You do get a bit…off when lody is involved.”
“Uh…well.”
Isaiah pondered briefly before lightly touching his chin.
“I an, she is the most precious person to , so I can’t help but worry constantly.”
“What?!”
Ronny asked in disbelief. The burly Isaiah Mullern was spouting such mushy words!
“What do you an what? The most precious ans all my thoughts start centered around that person.”
Isaiah even gave an answer reminiscent of recent novels Ronny had been devouring.
“Have you gone insane?!”
“I’m perfectly sane. Even if I was insane, I’d never forget to prioritize l. Just like the young master, right?”
“Quit the nonsense! Why would I…”
Ronny ended up raising his voice, forgetting their promise to stay hidden.
Isaiah stared at him for a mont before carefully asking a question.
“Then why is the young master here doing this?”
“…Huh?”
“I’m asking why you’re here if you claim it’s nonsense to think of l as precious or important.”
Ronny opened his mouth prepared to say “Well, of course!” but then fell silent, unable to continue.
‘Why indeed?’
Now that he thought about it, ever since lody ntioned eting a prospective fiancé, he had been fervently researching and investigating all this ti…but never actually considered why he was doing it.
‘Well…I guess it’s natural to pay attention to matters happening in the household.’
Ronny had earned his father’s recognition by carefully tending to the ducal mbers after all.
‘lody is part of this household Father acknowledged. And above all else…’
Ronny recalled the promise he had made with her long ago, back when he first learned lody’s tastes and preferences as a child. The two had vowed to be friends.
Nodding firmly, Ronny declared confidently,
“lody and I share a noble friendship.”
It sounded like he was boasting about a prized treasure, but Isaiah just shook his head with a sowhat pitying expression.
“Why make that face over soone else’s friendship?”
“No…it’s nothing.”
Isaiah seed to reconsider saying more and stopped himself.
“I just think the young master is quite adorable.”
Though Isaiah smiled as he replied, Ronny felt extrely displeased for so reason he could not identify!
Gripping the sturdy tree tightly, Ronny tried to figure out the source of this complicated feeling.
But he did not have to ponder long before abandoning that train of thought entirely. A carriage was approaching in the distance.
The two carefully observed the approaching carriage. It seed like an ordinary, unexceptional carriage. If anything, it had a rather dated design with the fringed decorations adorning the rooftop looking quite antiquated, or rural put less charitably.
Ronny recalled a line from so novel about how mbers of the Imperial Family utilized old-fashioned carriages when trying to conceal their status.
“Could it really be…?”
Struck by a worrying thought, Ronny issued the sa caution to Isaiah as before.
“No matter who it is, don’t rashly engage them, understand?”
“Don’t worry. For now, we just agreed to confirm their face, rember?”
As the carriage drew nearer, they checked but saw no family crests anywhere.
“It’s almost here.”
Soon, servants ca out to the entrance to receive them, Mrs. Higgins among them with a stony expression.
The carriage soon ca to a halt before the entrance.
“Act like gentlen. Like gentlen…” Ronny tried to steady his shaky breathing as the carriage door swung open.
The first thing visible was flowers. It was considered basic etiquette to bring flowers when visiting to propose marriage.
Ronny gave the male visitor so positive points for displaying proper capital decorum. On top of that, he was proposing to lody. The guy seed to have at least respectable taste.
After all, lody was the lovely lady the Baldwin Duchy and Higgins Barony took pride in.
‘So he can’t be that bad a guy.’
Just as Ronny was thinking that, the visitor finally revealed himself fully.
“…!”
In that mont, Ronny and Isaiah’s gazes t each other in shock. They must have been doubting their own eyes.
Because if this was reality, then lody had beaten those 0.1% abysmal odds yet again!
Their eyes turned back towards the entrance once more. The flower-holding man was shiftily fidgeting about in an extrely awkward manner.
Isaiah briefly clicked his tongue and shook his head. Even from the perspective of the commoner-born knight, the man’s conduct completely lacked dignity or grace.
He would never receive a warm welco from the ducal household like that.
Isaiah’s prediction proved correct, as before long Ronny had already leapt towards the male visitor, grabbing him by the collar and…
“…Huh? Y-Young master?!”
So much for acting like gentlen!
With a face like he might faint, Isaiah chased after Ronny towards the entrance.
Soon, Ronny was violently shaking the male visitor while shouting,
“What are you doing coming here?!”
And nearly simultaneously, Mrs. Higgins’ palm was heading straight for Ronny’s back.
Unable to bear witnessing that dreadful scene, Isaiah covered his face with both hands.
SLAP.
The sound of Ronny’s broad back being struck echoed through the entrance hall.
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