Vol. 2 Chapter 187
Marriage Proposal
Translated by Raizu
[It’s Raylight Gatoren.]
The maid who peered through the door turned to me and the court lady and said so.
Come to think of it, yesterday, when I entered Nambonan City, I was asked whether I could free up a spot within my schedule.
He said he would go to the Mayor’s residence before noon, so I wasn’t particularly conscious of it.
When I turned my gaze to the court lady, she pulled back diagonally. If I am allowed to sit with you, I would like her to stay here, but since it seems like it would be a hindrance, she would leave the room as it is because she had finished talking with me.
[Get in.]
I didn’t know what he came to talk about, but it shouldn’t be a problem if the top female servant in Nambonan City found out about it.
There was no reason to kick out the court lady, so I allowed her to stay.
In response to my words, the court lady moved backward diagonally by a few steps.
Then, as if waiting for it, the maid invited Raylight into the room at just the right time.
[…Don’t worry, the sermon is over.]
Raylight who entered the room seemed to be concerned about the court lady remaining in the room, so I said so.
The other maids probably told him that I was in the middle of sermon when he visited the Mayor’s residence. I guessed he was thinking about how to deal with being interrupted in the form of an interception in the schedule that I put in with great pains.
[Pardon for the intrusion.]
[Don’t worry about it. I didn’t have much to do than I thought.]
I had planned to work as much as I could when I returned to Nambonan City, but the things I needed to do had been neatly arranged, so most of them were finished yesterday.
That’s why all I had to do is prepare for tomorrow’s departure. I even thought about some sex in the daytime after that was over.
[So, what do you want? Is it about the Nambonan soldiers?]
[Yessir. There are several, but I would like to start with that first.]
Raylight said so and started talking about the special training menu after I left Nambonan.
But, that was just a repetition of what I had said several times before, and was nothing more than a confirmation. To be honest, it’s a yawn-inducing topic.
Somehow, I could guess that this is not the main issue.
[……we have talked a lot about this now, but I would like to go with the policy of proceeding as planned.] Raylight seemed to have guessed that I was getting bored and ended the conversation.
[That sounds good. Anything else?]
He took the trouble to read the atmosphere, so I urged him to go on.
[Before that, I would like to have Ramon here as well. Is that alright?]
[Ramon? Is it about the Nambonan soldiers’ budget?]
[No, it’s something personal. I was told that there was something he wanted to talk to you about.]
Ramon seemed hesitant to ask me for a visit, partly because the number of days I stayed in Nambonan City was short.
Shortly before I returned from Reisleaf Castle, I received a letter from Raylight, who seemed to have secured my schedule instead of Ramon.
[Did you guys exchange letters?]
[Yessir. When I was having trouble procuring supplies after conquering Reisleaf Castle, I sent a letter and asked for their cooperation. If it’s for overseas distribution, it’s most reliable to rely on Nambonan merchants’ connections. That’s where Ramon fit the puzzle. I was requesting negotiations and consolidation with his help.]
So, it seems that they worked very well together. This time, I wonder if it’s to pay the favor by securing my schedule instead.
Ramon wanted to go out of his way to meet with me, so I guess he has something in mind. I have no objection to meeting him.
I gave my forgiveness to Raylight, who apologized for forcing me to meet with the commoner.
[He should be waiting in the corridor.]
When I gave permission to enter the room, Raylight commanded the maid to open the door with just the movement of her hand.
As he said, Ramon must have been waiting in the hallway. When Ramon showed up, he showed a polite attitude of gratitude and a greeting for the meeting before entering the room.
[Did something happen to Koharii?]
When it comes to this younger sister-loving older brother’s errands, the first thing that comes to mind is Koharii.
I intended to get to the heart of the matter, but unfortunately it seems I was wrong. Ramon remained one step diagonally behind Raylight and denied it.
And then, Ramon held out the letters he was holding towards me.
[Actually, I received these letters…]
The maid who was standing by received the letters and put them on my desk.
There was only one unopened envelope, which was placed in an easy-to-reach position. I might want to read this.
Now then, when I reached out to ask who the sender was, a huge spoiler popped out from Raylight.
[It’s a marriage proposal. Several knights approached him for marriage proposals, and Ramon was having trouble dealing with them. So, I intervened.]
Instinctively, my outstretched hand stopped.
[Marriage proposal?]
While answering my question briefly, I picked up the envelope and checked the seal.
I quickly broke the sealing wax with my thumb and read the letter inside.
In sync with my reading speed, Ramon declined a few words and then began to explain how this letter arrived.
[Actually, since the beginning of this year, I have started receiving letters from Newnelly City… I am awed by the fact that several Knights introduced me to a good match.]
[……hmmm.]
Looking closely at the opened envelopes lined up on the desk, they all come from the same knightly family. In other words, he probably chose to marry this house.
Skipping between the lines as I read the letter, my ears listened to Ramon’s explanation.
[I am very grateful for the offer of marriage, but I couldn’t decide how to handle it without being rude to the people on the other side…so I asked Raylight-sama for advice. After many exchanges, I finally settled down when I was introduced to the young lady of the Bermakan family.]
From a commoner’s point of view, it would be very troublesome to receive marriage proposals from multiple knight families. Moreover, judging from the way they talk, all the senders are Knights. If you make a poor refusal, the next thing that flies to you will not be a letter, but a blade to cut off your head.
Consulting with Raylight would be a safe choice. For some reason, this guy is a descendant military officer from the main family of Gatoren, so if he acts as the in-between, even if Ramon is a commoner, he can’t be treated lightly.
Even so, as expected of a man of the ruling class. It’s naturally tyrannical when sending demands because the other side is a commoner.
The unopened letter is a letter addressed to me from Knight Bermakan.
When I skimmed through it, it said that they would like to marry their daughter to Ramon.
[But, it’s too sudden.]
The knight family, the Bermakan, is a somewhat special type of knight family.
Regular knights are entrusted with the rule of the land by their master, the nobles, which acts as knights’ territories.
This is like a municipality with very advanced decentralization. Although it is necessary to follow the guidance of the central Quordenze family for common policies, military service and tax obligations, etc., basically you are allowed to govern at your own responsibility as long as you complete it. It’s a knighthood.
In contrast to such a knight territory, there is a territory under the direct control of the Quordenze family.
For example, in the case of Newnelly, the nominal ruler is the Quordenze family, but the actual rulers are several knights based in Newnelly City. It can be said that these knights are not entrusted with territory, but are entrusted with practical work.
These knights, who do not have territories, are deeply involved in the administration of the entire Quordenze territory, mainly acting in governing territories under the family’s direct control.
If I had to dare to say, it would be like a regional knight and a central knight. They are called knights without any particular distinction, but their roles are quite different.
If a knight like the former is a Prefectural Governor, it might be correct to compare a knight like the latter to a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly or a Diet member? In addition, local knights who are entrusted with land by their master and maintain the territory at their own responsibility tend to be seen as higher in family status.
For example, the Gatoren family is a typical knight family of the former, and is treated as the head knight of the Quordenze family.
The Bermakan family is a knight family that jointly governs Newnelly City and its surrounding areas with several other knight families.
The family seems to be strong in financial accounting, and it seems that there are many civil servants from Bermakan who are involved in accounting and tax-related work.
There is also a department that manages the financial affairs of the entire Quordenze territory, and it is currently headed by the knight Bermakan.
In short, the Bermakan family is a knight family where a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly concurrently serves as Minister of Finance.
For comparison on this case in Japan from my previous life, the departments that hold the money are still very powerful. It is safe to say that it is a knight family that forms the center of Quordenze administration.
[I’m afraid, I don’t think this marriage is so sudden.]
[It’s just as Raylight says, it’s a natural course of action for the knights of Newnelly.]
Following Raylight’s words, the court lady also agreed.
It seemed that she already understood what this marriage proposal meant. Is it because she was from a knight family that she immediately understood the motives of the Bermakan family?
Seeing that I still couldn’t comprehend the situation, Raylight began to explain.
[Even though Nambonan City was incorporated into the direct control territory, it entrusted the policies of governance to the autonomy of the citizens. Beginning with Bermakan, the Knights of Newnelly have established themselves by taking on the duties of the direct control territory. It’s their family lineage, so this shouldn’t bother me.]
[I guess so. You can see that even by looking at the faces that have been seconded to the city hall here.]
There are many civil officers seconded from Newnelly at the city hall of Nambonan. There must have been several from the Bermakan family.
Probably, they must have given various reports about Nambonan city administration to their respective families.
The court lady continued to listen to Raylight’s words.
[…The governing structure that Young Master is trying to maintain will be something the knights have no experience with. I hear that you are doing your daily work by simply studying hard while facing challenges. However, it seems that there are many parts where you can not say that you have been able to satisfy the Young Master. I heard from Ramon that there were many cases where the work had to be handed over to staff recruited from the citizens.]
[Well, you seem to be having a hard time. Maybe because it’s not a city ruled by knights, it’s not convenient for civilians to work at key points…]
I didn’t feel it when I was working in Newnelly City, but here in Nambonan City, the poor movement of the civil officers was noticeable.
Civil servants accustomed to being ruled by knights would probably not perform well under a system of civil autonomy, such as the Council. As a result, when I was in Nambonan City, I often asked Ramon for work.
[If they notice that there are commoners who stand out in the center of such an unfamiliar mechanism and are being watched over by Young Master, there will be more than a few knights who will think about how to treat them.]
While listening to the court lady’s explanation, I noticed that Ramon was mouthing a silent ‘sorry’ toward her.
I see, it seems that the court lady’s family was one of the knights who thought about how to recruit Ramon. Judging from the tone of his voice, it seems that her family proposed a marriage proposal but was turned down.
Raylight nodded in agreement and continued talking.
[Since I have personal ties with Ramon, it may have been perceived that the Gatoren is already eyeing him. I wonder if the marriage proposals overlapped because each knight’s family tried to talk to him in a hurry.]
[You’re making a decision so quickly. Even though I’m going to make my daughter a commoner’s wife…]
No matter how good the chances are, is it okay to let her marry with such a dog and cat child?
[That’s how the serf’s daughter was originally treated.]
Since the knight family is single-mindedly rerolling pregnancy and childbirth in order to increase the number of lords, the number of children will increase recklessly.
Therefore, a serf child, who is considered as the result of losing the lottery, would be forced to eat cold rice for the rest of their life unless they had some kind of merit. …..No, that is already lucky for them. If it was a truly incompetent male serf, he would be thrown into the battlefield along with the conscripted citizens. Being born into a ruling class family does not guarantee a bright future.
On the other hand, in the case of female serfs, it seems that they often married away to the local influential or the wealthy.
Even if she is a serf, she is still the daughter of a feudal lord. To receive her as a wife would be a certain status for commoners. Is it something like [I’ll plant the dirty sperm of a commoner into the young lady of the lord’s place!]? Even if it’s just for a little while, I wish I could take a peek at the first night.
In addition, if she’s good looking, she will be promoted to the course of becoming a senior servant serving a noble, thus will not be handed over to a commoner.
[What? It’s a relatively easy life. If you’re born as a daughter, you won’t have trouble eating for the rest of your life.]
In the end, it will be an easy life because she will be taken over by an influential person on the commoner side.
When I said that, the court lady opened her mouth in a panic.
[Young Master, please take Raylight’s story with a grain of salt. Influential people in the knights’ territory want as wives from the main family…the daughters born in the direct line of knights, and the closest to the main family, to act as collaterals. Some of the daughters who were born into a branch family at the end of the family that branched off many times married into a farming village full of hovels. Just now, I think Raylight is using his own sister as an analogy. …….becoming the daughter of the Gatoren main family will earn them a certain rank on the commoner side, so the treatment will be exceptionally good. But, that by no means means that all knight family’s daughters are the same.]
The court lady said to keep Raylight in check.
She’s a Lord, but also a woman. Having probably seen many marriages with bad conditions in her life, she must have developed pity for fellow women.
I gestured to accept the court lady’s correction.
[However, if that is the case, the daughter who was chosen as Ramon’s wife is getting the short end. For a daughter of the Bermakan family, there should have been many good marriage proposals in the Newnelly City.]
I accidentally said it loosely, but when I turn on the room, it’s a rather harsh reality.
There would have been no problems when he was the son and heir to a large trading company, but now he is just a government official. I’m sure he’s making enough money to live comfortably, but that’s about it.
As I was thinking about that, the court lady pointed out my misunderstanding.
[It should be written somewhere in the letter from the Bermakan family, over which daughter they will marry off…]
[Oh, that’s right.]
I answered while whirling at the letter from Knight Bermakan.
[Even if they call it the main family, I think that they will actually adopt a daughter from a branch family and then marry her off to Ramon.]
Adopting the daughter from a branch family, so that they could label her as the daughter of the main family when marrying her away. That’s some next level scamming…
[…Somehow, Young Master seems to have a bad impression, but this is an honor for Ramon.]
[It’s exactly what Raylight says. Even if it’s an adopted daughter, the main family wants to have a connection with you. In terms of family status, if he marries a daughter raised from a downstream branch family, I think it will make the pressure on Ramon to be more bearable later on.]
Perhaps because I was making a strange face, the two of them explained the meaning of the act. Surely there is such a meaning, but it still feels like a disguised scam.
[It’s rare to be adopted into the main family and get married. For a daughter born in a branch family who doesn’t have magical powers, it can be said to be the best matchmaking.]
[…So, that means a decent girl will be chosen?]
I actually didn’t really give a damn about adopting a daughter from a branch family and whatnot.
However, I would be in trouble if a girl who was too beautiful was given away as a wife. Beauty is precious.
[…..I don’t think a girl with a face or body that Young Master likes will be chosen. If it’s a girl whose looks you prefer, it’s definitely better to bring her to the castle and to receive your seeds.]
[I believe a clever and good-natured girl will be chosen.]
If a clever and good-natured ugly person is chosen, isn’t it fine?
Besides, Ramon had already given me his cute little sister, so I have no intention of harassing his soon-to-be wife.
I want him to be happy. For the sake of Koharii’s smile.
I took a look at Ramon.
[So, are you okay with that? There’s no need to force yourself to accept an offer of marriage from a Knight… isn’t it? I don’t think there will be a choice for you, a commoner, to refuse when the knight offers you a marriage proposal, but what do you think? It’s possible to be a little more considerate.]
It wouldn’t be strange for Ramon to marry at his age, so the timing couldn’t be any better. If Koharii uses this as an opportunity to forget her brother and rely on me more, all the better.
However, I didn’t have a very good image of marriage being forced on me from above, so I wanted to confirm his feelings. Even if he says [No], I can only say [Well, give up].
[Thank you for your consideration. But, I think it’s a great offer.]
Ramon said that he had hardened his heart since he started receiving the marriage proposal letters.
He didn’t feel like he was pushing himself too hard or telling a lie.
[However, I haven’t had much to do with a woman from a knight family, so I’m worried about what I should do. She’s the daughter of the Bermakan family, so I have to make sure I don’t have any problems, or so I thought.]
Whether they came from a branch family or the main family, in the end, the name of the knight family Bermakan came to Ramon. There is weight, but the pressure never goes away.
The husband will need to be very careful if the bride’s parents are of higher rank in social status. Somehow I started feeling sorry for Ramon.
Then, Raylight said with confidence in his voice.
[There shouldn’t be any particular problem with your words and deeds. Besides, there’s no need to worry about that. At the very least, I will never marry a daughter who would make you worry.]
[Is that so?]
[Of course. It’s a bad way to put it, but the Knight Bermakan expects the daughter who is chosen to be your wife to play the role of a good wife, so nothing should go wrong. Suppose she was an adopted child from a branch family, if she ends up smearing mud on Knight Bermakan’s face, she will cause a lot of trouble to her own family. You will be treated better.]
[Supporting you will benefit Nambonan City. And that will benefit Quordenze, which in turn will lead to contributing to the Bermakan main family, who had adopted her, and to the family where she was originally born and raised. She’ll be very fortunate to have such a role, and, as Raylight says, it will give her a voice at home.]
Well, it’s true that marrying into the head of a small local farming village and marrying an official in Nambonan City who has been given an important position and whom even the next Head of the family can’t handle will result in a completely different ranking within your family. Depending on how Ramon’s career progresses in the future, the woman may have more influence than her relatives.
That was certainly true, but I didn’t really want to imagine the scene of a mounting battle between the sisters. My dick looks like it’s going to wilt.
[Think about it from Knight Bermakan’s point of view. In the future, when she is blessed with a child, the main family would be considering adopting the child. At that time, it will be your words that will greatly affect Miss Koharii’s decision-making. That’s why I think you’ll be taken care of more than you think.]
As for me, it would be a problem if the easy-to-use Ramon became depressed due to domestic discord. If that happens, I feel like I’m going to say something sarcastic to the people of the Bermakan family.
[This is… it’s difficult being in a Knight family, isn’t it?]
Ramon seemed relieved after being given the stamp of approval from two knights.
I don’t think the marriage was forced, so I decided to give permission to get him to leave her sister to me.
[Marriage, huh? But I don’t mind. Well, you don’t need my permission to marry in the first place. …..And then, when you return to Newnelly, can I say something to you?]
A reply envelope was included in the letter from Knight Bermakan. If I write a line signature and give it to the servant, it can be shipped as it is, and I feel that they are considering not to bother me as much as possible.
It was probably known that Ramon had received marriage proposals from multiple knight families, and they probably wanted to get explicit permission from me to avoid unnecessary trouble with other families.
[Thank you very much. I also intend to go to Newnelly City for a meeting this time, so it would be very helpful if the mayor could give me a few words.]
Since my permission was really formal, it seems that Ramon and the Bermakan family had already worked out the details. No, he is a man who works quickly. If it’s me, I would be more worried about whether it’s okay to proceed with the marriage with a girl whose face I don’t even know.
Well, in Japan too, in the past, there was a story that parents decided to only let the bride and groom see each other’s faces when they got married.
It would be a pity if he went all the way to Newnelly only to be greeted by ugly…no, it would be a waste if she was beautiful. Should I jinx it? If she turns out ugly, I’ll give you the brothel fee as a gift.
[Are you coming to Newnelly? …..Ah, that’s why Tyco’s younger brother… Canis? Was he packing up?]
This morning, there was a child walking in and out of the Mayor’s residence with his luggage on his shoulder.
Seen from the side, it was nothing more than thievery, but the civil officers and staff members ignored it, so I followed suit and didn’t mind it.
[I heard that Mayor is returning to Newnelly with some of the troops stationed in Nambonan, so I am thinking of going with him. I plan to stay there for a while, so my luggage is a little heavy…]
The Quordenze army stationed in Nambonan City has many soldiers conscripted from Newnelly City and the mainland. For that reason, they are sometimes rotated and returned to their home.
This time, along with my move, I’m planning to bring back some of the troops that came from around Newnelly.
Considering the safety of the trip, Ramon seemed to intend to move to Newnelly City by piggybacking on the unit.
Even though the interior of the Quordenze territory is stable, it’s still possible to encounter bandits. If you want to move safely, it’s best to stick with the army.
[How long are you going to stay?]
[I have been invited to stay for two or three months.]
That’s quite a long time to stay.
[I would like to ask one thing, how does a commoner go about marrying a daughter of a knight family?]
Raylight was the one to answer that question.
[Putting aside her status as the daughter of a Lord, if she was born a serf, she wouldn’t be much different from a commoner. After a brief greeting to the family, next is holding a feast. If the husband and wife are from different hometowns, they gather close people in the husband’s hometown and hold a feast. In this case, Ramon will be the husband. So after greeting him in Newnelly, he will bring his wife to Nambonan, and then have the feast.]
It seems that the commoners of the Eruo continent, although it depends on the region, don’t hold a big wedding ceremony and just hold a feast instead. It seems that if the marriage ends in the same village, a small celebration will be held at the village assembly hall, but this time it doesn’t app
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