MLHBMH 14

Chapter 14

The Reason He Left

The tip of the cigar glowed red. Herald sat perched on the windowsill, his eyes fixed on the pile of papers stacked high on the sofa table. They were all marriage proposals—letters from noble families eager to form an alliance with the Duke of Maximilian’s house.

He had felt uneasy the moment the Duchess mentioned accompanying the Duke to his study. And sure enough, marriage talk had come up.

Among high-ranking nobles, it was common to have one’s betrothal arranged from childhood and to marry soon after the coming-of-age ceremony, barring any major obstacle. If someone reached adulthood without a fiancée, it was considered normal to marry within a year.

Herald, too, had once been engaged. But less than a year after the engagement, his betrothed died in a tragic accident.

Since then, the Duke and Duchess of Maximilian had tried to find him another fiancée. But Herald had delayed, making every excuse he could.

Even after coming of age and earning his knighthood, he refused his father’s suggestion to take up the post of Vice Commander of the Imperial Knights. Instead, he joined the border guards stationed in Kardin, the dangerous frontier region, and left the capital.

No matter how eligible he was, few parents wanted to send their daughters to marry a man who lived where death lurked every day.

Still, a few dared to send proposals. They hoped that even if Herald died, their daughters might bear his child—and through that child, gain favor with the Maximilian dukedom.

Herald despised such opportunists. He would rather remain unmarried forever than tie his family name to people like that. Thanks to them, he had managed to avoid all talk of marriage for the past four years.

“I hope you’ll hold a wedding before the year’s end, Herald.”

He had expected the pressure to resume once he returned to the capital, but he hadn’t thought it would come this fast.

How could there be so many proposals? Each one irritated him more than the last.

“Maybe I should just tell them I don’t intend to marry.”

Saying it wasn’t the problem—the real issue was that his parents were unlikely to accept it. Both were nobles to the core, painfully old-fashioned in such matters.

So how could he escape the marriage pressure again?

There was only one way.
Return to Kardin.

But for that, he needed the Crown Prince Austin’s help. And to earn that, he had to find out why the Second Prince was digging into Baron Benjamin’s estate.

“What a headache.”

Herald raked a hand through his tousled hair and looked out the window. The deep green of the trees outside reminded him of Lily’s bright green eyes.

“Her eyes really were beautiful.”

That refreshing apple scent that clung to her matched those eyes perfectly, making her all the more memorable. Whenever he thought of Lilliana Benjamin, those green eyes were the first thing that came to mind.

Knock, knock—

The sound of knocking made him stub out the cigar in the ashtray and open the window. The breeze blew in, clearing the acrid scent of smoke.

“Come in.”

It was Dillon who entered. The annoyance on Herald’s face eased slightly.

“Did you take her back safely?”

Herald knew full well that Lily, who had no money on hand, couldn’t return alone. Before leaving the hotel, he’d asked Dillon to escort her home—using just enough tact that she couldn’t refuse, without wounding her pride.

“Yes. I made sure she returned safely to Baron Benjamin’s residence. I even watched her go inside, so you can rest easy.”

“Any sign of surveillance?”

“None while I accompanied her.”

“I see.”

So they weren’t keeping eyes on her every time she left the mansion—interesting.

“By the way, what are all these papers?”

Dillon’s eyes widened at the stack of letters on the table.

“Wait, are all these marriage proposals? Did every noble family with a daughter send one?”

Herald chuckled and got off the windowsill.

“Of course not. My parents filtered them first. These are just the ones they deemed ‘suitable’ for me.”

“…If they hadn’t filtered them, this room might be full.”

“Quite possibly.”

Feeling stifled by the sight, Herald pulled another cigar from the case and placed it between his lips.

But before he could light it, Dillon stepped forward and snatched it away.

“You should cut back, Commander. Do you realize how much more you’ve been smoking since returning to the capital?”

“Really?”

“Really. You smoke like this even when I’m watching—who knows how much more when I’m not. If you ruin your health, you won’t be able to wield a sword—or get married. No bride wants a coughing, sickly husband.”

Herald took the cigar back with a smirk.

“I wouldn’t like losing my sword arm—but not getting married sounds just fine.”

“So you don’t want to marry?”

“It’s not that I hate the idea. I just don’t want to. Marriage comes with obligations, responsibilities… and none of them are fun.”

That was exactly why he had escaped to the wild borderlands four years ago. The rigid expectations of noble life suffocated him—and he had no woman worth sacrificing his freedom for.

“I understand your desire for freedom, Commander. But you really should marry before it’s too late. You’re already past the usual age.”

Herald was twenty-six—old by noble standards, where most men married before twenty-two.

Herald gave him an incredulous look.

“You’re one year older than me, Dillon.”

“Come on, you can’t compare me to you! I’m a commoner. And it’s not that I don’t want to marry—it’s that I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because no woman wants to marry a commoner who guards the border. If I die, she’d be a widow.”

“By that logic, I’m in the same boat.”

“You’re different, Commander. You’re the Duke’s son—and now you’ll be titled yourself. You’ll settle in the capital, surely.”

“Settle? I’m going back to Kardin as soon as I get the title.”

“…What?”

Dillon looked stunned. Herald tilted his head.

“Why so surprised? Did you think I’d stay here?”

Dillon scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Well… yes. Everyone did. You’ve got your title now, and there’s no reason to go back to such a dangerous place…”

“So you think I had a reason to go four years ago?”

“…”

He couldn’t answer that.

Herald’s tone turned mock-serious.

“Don’t tell me everyone’s hoping I don’t go back.”

“No! Absolutely not!”

Flustered, Dillon waved his hands.

“Everyone in Kardin—your men, the townsfolk—we all want you to come back! It’s just… if we think of your safety, the capital’s better. It’s safe, stable, and you could… get married, start a family—”

“Pfft.”

Herald burst out laughing. Dillon froze mid-sentence. The commander had his head bowed, hand covering his mouth, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

“You were teasing me, weren’t you?”

Herald didn’t answer—just grinned, confirming it.

Realizing there had never been a misunderstanding to begin with, Dillon sighed and grumbled.

“You shouldn’t joke about things like that! I thought you were serious. I was worried the men might think you didn’t trust us!”

“My mistake. I only wanted to know your true feelings—but I went too far. My apologies.”

Dillon narrowed his eyes, then sighed again.

“You really have more of a mischievous streak than you look, Commander.”

“You dislike that?”

“I should, but strangely, I don’t.”

He smiled, all irritation gone.

“So please, come back to Kardin, Commander. We all miss you there.”

Her meeting with Countess Valliman had been unpleasant and frustrating, but not without its silver lining.

Because Samantha had been so deeply wounded by the Countess’s cruel words, she had fallen ill—and thus, Lily was spared punishment for staying out overnight.

Even better, Lily had learned something valuable: knowing how to read and write Gartaal could actually earn her money. Until now, she had only done novel translations because it was all she knew. But with this new knowledge, she planned to look for better-paying work—and hopefully build a career of her own.

That way, she wouldn’t need to rely on Frederick’s help anymore. And if she could one day afford her mother’s hospital bills, even better. Though perhaps that was asking too much.

After all, those bills were part of the price of turning Frederick into “Baron Benjamin.” Maybe she didn’t need to worry about them anymore.

…Or did she?

“Young Lady, a letter has arrived.”

“…”

Snapped out of her thoughts by the maid’s voice, Lily frowned when she saw who the letter was addressed from.