In a Political Marriage, Isn’t It Normal to Treat Your Fiancée Well? - Chapter 4

The spring of our third year.

My engagement to Lady Sophia was called off.

This wasn’t a matter of either of us being at fault.

It wasn’t about personality clashes or incompatibility either.

Such things aren’t considered in political marriages. While not entirely unheard of, family interests take priority.

So, what was the reason then…

An incident occurred that had absolutely nothing to do with us.

“Free love, huh…”

“Yes. It’s rather difficult to believe at first.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It seems to have become popular among young nobles in the royal capital who aspire to love marriages.”

“Popular, you say. To think there are actually fools who would break off engagements over this. What has the world come to?”

My eyes scanned the report Merlein had brought.

Breaking an engagement arranged between families was troublesome enough.

But to go and make “engagement cancellation declarations” of all things.

If it were just one person, that would be one thing, but multiple people?

Do they actually name their fiancés and make declarations at parties?

“I found my true love” – what kind of romance novel nonsense is that?

“My destined partner” – what kind of partner is that?

Are they idiots?

They must be idiots.

And to top it off, their chosen partners are illegitimate children of baronial families.

The men who caused this mess are all from high-ranking noble families.

They’re even saying “I’m going to marry the baron’s daughter.”

Are they stupid?

Complete fools?

Marrying your affair partner is just dumb.

What’s more, Merlein and I found ourselves baffled by the fact that multiple men had gotten involved with the same woman.

“Isn’t this just a case of them falling for a prostitute?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Right.”

“Indeed.”

“This baron’s daughter is an illegitimate child, right? Was her mother a high-class courtesan or something?”

“No. Apparently, she was originally a maid in the baron’s household.”

“A maid… well, that’s common enough.”

“That’s true.”

It was a familiar story.

While rare among high-ranking nobles, it was something we often heard about among baronial and knightly families.

“It seems the baron’s relationship with the maid was discovered by his wife. After being dismissed, it was revealed she was pregnant with the baron’s child.”

“That’s also a common story.”

“Yes. The child was raised by her mother, the former maid, but about a year ago the mother passed away, and the baron took her in.”

“A typical pattern.”

He probably took her in to use as a political tool.

Not to marry into nobility, but to marry into merchant families. An illegitimate child of a baronial family couldn’t possibly become a noble’s wife. It would be difficult even as a second wife. Unless she was exceptionally beautiful, perhaps.

“And this is the result of them falling for that baron’s daughter… what an outrageous situation.”

“Apparently, she was an extremely beautiful young lady.”

“I see.”

In that case, the baron might have taken her in with the intention of making her someone’s second wife. So that’s why he brought a girl with no knowledge of manners into noble social circles.

It seems the fish they caught was younger and more important than expected.

This must have been unexpected for her father, the baron.

Though perhaps he considered it a favorable outcome.

Did he think he could form connections with high-ranking nobles if things went well?

Having ambition isn’t necessarily bad.

But being too greedy is problematic.

At the very least, he probably never imagined it would lead to engagement reconsiderations among high-ranking nobles on a national scale.

“Poor fellow.”

The matter was no longer just a problem for court nobles.

The ones who caused this mess were all children of court nobles.

The fact that the repercussions reached us territory-holding nobles shows how serious it became.

And so, my engagement to Lady Sophia was dissolved through no intention of our own.