In a Political Marriage, Isn’t It Normal to Treat Your Fiancée Well? - Chapter 6

Tomorrow is the wedding day.

Perhaps because of that.

I received a summons from my father to come to his study.

Being called to the study…

I nervously knocked on the study door.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

When I opened the study door, my father was sitting on the sofa looking over some documents.

“Sit there.”

“Yes.”

I closed the door and sat on the sofa my father indicated. My father looked up from the documents and gazed at me. Then he spoke.

“Tomorrow is your wedding with the daughter of Marquis Landolt. Before the ceremony, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Do you think you’ll be able to get along well with his daughter?”

I understand what my father means, but why ask this now?

What exactly is his intention in asking? I don’t understand.

“You didn’t get along well with Miss Sophia, did you?”

“Ah, you knew about that?”

“Of course. I’m not optimistic enough to think you were getting along with a young lady who never showed any intention of coming here no matter how much time passed.”

“But the Count’s family seemed to think everything was going well?”

“Don’t compare us to that Count’s family. That household has always been like that. Their lack of complaint means they’re satisfied with the status quo. They have a tendency to think there are no problems. They never realize it’s a major misunderstanding. You must have felt that too, didn’t you?”

“…”

So, he knew they were a troublesome family. My father.

He knew, yet he arranged the engagement. Even if it was for the gold mine, I wish he had told me about such important matters from the beginning.

“In hindsight, it’s good that the marriage with Miss Sophia was annulled. I couldn’t handle being relatives with that Count’s family.”

What harsh words.

“What about during the joint management of the gold mine?”

“That was handled by the previous generation. I had no involvement.”

“…I heard Grandfather was friends with the previous Count?”

“Ah, they were drinking buddies. According to Father, ‘his carefree nature was good.'”

“That’s quite…”

“He was probably the best partner for drinking and making merry. Father loved his alcohol, you see. He enjoyed drinking and carousing to relieve stress.”

Ah, my father only drinks moderately.

He prefers drinking quietly rather than noisily.

If anything, he prefers tobacco over alcohol.

Come to think of it, the maids were saying his cigarette consumption has decreased recently.

I see.

The annulment of my engagement with Miss Sophia.

Becoming relatives with the Count’s family must have been quite stressful for my father. That’s gone now. He might be even happier about it than I am.

“Rest assured. She’s the complete opposite of Miss Sophia. I believe we’ll be able to get along well as husband and wife.”

“Good then.”

“More importantly, are you truly alright with the gold mine situation?”

“I want no further dealings with that Count’s family. The gold mine will likely be exhausted in a few more years anyway.”

“Yes. I was surprised. I never imagined that mine would…”

“Ah, initially we thought it would last for several generations but reality is strange. It was the result of Father’s secret investigation, so there’s no mistake.”

“Does the Count’s family know about this?”

“No. They shouldn’t know. It’s joint management. There’s no rule requiring us to report everything one party investigates independently. If they want to know, they should investigate themselves.”

It seems the Count’s family truly knows nothing.

They’ll be shocked when they find out.

Or did they think Grandfather would tell them if there were any problems?

Even if they were good friends, relying on someone that much is questionable. They’re practically business rivals, if not an exaggeration.

“The only thing I can tell you from a father’s perspective is ‘treasure your wife.'”

“Of course.”

I nodded emphatically.

My father and mother also had an arranged marriage.

They’re not passionately in love.

But they respect each other and have built a good relationship.

Even as their son, I can understand there was mutual effort and compromise between them. That was something missing between me and Miss Sophia. For my mother, who was a noble lady from another country, it must have been fortunate that her marriage partner was someone like my father who could meet her halfway. It wasn’t just language – there were major cultural differences too. My parents must have faced hardships I know nothing about.

Tomorrow, I’m getting married.

My wife will be the daughter of a Marquis.

With her, I believe we can become a married couple who support each other.