Chapter 08 …
The Miscalculation of Chloe’s Father, the Marquis of Meltigal
Alexander, the head of the Meltigal Marquis family, struck the desk in irritation at his wife’s crying voice as she worried about their daughter.
A dull sound echoed through the room. His wife, Ridi, looked up at him with frightened eyes. Even so, perhaps having learned from long experience that she must not provoke her husband further, she quietly left the room.
A woman who could only cry in moments like this was of no use to the Meltigal Marquis family.
(As expected, a useless mother is still useless.)
Every time he thought of his daughter, anger surged within him again.
A few days earlier, a night banquet had been held at the royal castle, attended only by young nobles.
Because of that, the number of nobles present had not been very large.
And yet, by the next day, rumors had already spread that the daughter of the Meltigal Marquis family had had her engagement to the Second Prince broken off.
The Meltigal Marquis family had historically served as commanders of the Royal Knight Order and held responsibility for the military strength of the nation. Each generation of heads had risked their lives to protect the country in times of crisis.
Although open wars between nations had long since ceased, they still took pride in their ability to suppress any domestic rebellion immediately.
And yet the daughter of that Meltigal Marquis family had her engagement broken off by nothing more than the Second Prince—born of a mere concubine.
“What a disgrace,” Alexander muttered as he swept the pile of documents on his desk away.
In the first place, this engagement had been a contract with the king.
Alexander had three children.
His eldest son, Maximilian, born of his lawful wife and now nineteen years old; and his daughter Chloe, who was seventeen.
And a fifteen-year-old son named Saliba, born to a woman from the northern Kingdom of Ginasis.
Alexander intended for Saliba to inherit the Marquisate.
The reason was his mother’s bloodline.
Saliba’s mother possessed magical power and could use simple healing magic. Furthermore, it was said that she had witches among her ancestors.
The Kingdom of Ginasis, located at the northernmost tip of the continent, was the country with the highest number of witches.
Even now, rumors claimed that several witches still existed there.
Alexander had intended to have a child with a woman descended from witches, and bring that bloodline into the Marquis family.
His son Saliba had inherited that lineage and possessed a small amount of magical power.
If this son married Princess Cassandra—the only witch in this country—then if their child were female, there was a very high chance she would become a witch.
The king had promised that if the Marquis family would take in the Second Prince, Kirif, then Cassandra could be married into their house.
It was highly unusual for two members of the royal family to marry into a single noble house.
However, the king also had high expectations for the birth of witches.
Princess Cassandra was willful and difficult to handle, but if multiple witches existed, they could restrain each other, just like in the Kingdom of Ginasis.
Moreover, if they were taught properly how to use their powers while still young, they might become useful to the nation.
Kirif’s fiancée was also not someone who could be just anyone.
Even though he would become a vassal, Kirif still carried royal blood, so someone of too low a status would not be accepted by society.
There were even those who voiced concern that the Meltigal Marquis family, which bore the nation’s military responsibility, would become too closely tied to Kirif, who was becoming a vassal.
However, Kirif would merely become Chloe’s husband. It was Saliba who would inherit the Meltigal Marquis family.
Rather, the king seemed to think it preferable to place them in a position where they could properly monitor Kirif, so that he would not become a future cause of conflict over the throne.
As further compensation, Cassandra—the witch princess—would be married into the family.
The marriage of a witch into the family was the long-cherished desire of House Meltigal.
For that reason, it was absolutely necessary to secure the marriage between Kirif and Chloe.
And yet that useless daughter had, of all things, been publicly rejected at an official night banquet and fled from the scene.
Many desired the princess’s marriage.
Moreover, neighboring countries were also paying close attention to Cassandra, who was both a witch and a princess.
Before Saliba’s engagement had even been formally announced, the rumor of Kirif’s broken engagement had already spread—an unforgivable blunder.
He had clearly told Chloe that she must firmly keep Kirif, the key to bringing in the witch princess, tied to her side.
But Chloe had failed and vanished.
If she was not found soon, even the engagement itself might truly be canceled.
Not only Chloe’s engagement, but also Saliba’s engagement to the princess.
“Find Chloe immediately! You may use rough methods if necessary. Bring her back no matter what!”
After ordering the knights of House Meltigal, he stared out the window in frustration.
Suddenly, he noticed something strange in his reflection on the glass and looked at himself more closely. The reason he seemed to have aged so much was perhaps because nothing was going the way he wanted.
He had never imagined it was because his hair had begun to thin.
He had no idea that his daughter Chloe possessed even greater magical power than Princess Cassandra.
