A Very Desirable Match
The next morning, when I went to the dining hall, I heard laughter from inside.
When I entered the dining hall, Brother Chris, Brother Gerald, and Floria were already seated.
“Your laughter was loud enough to hear from outside.”
“Well, when Floria greeted us with ‘Nice to meet you, Brothers-in-law. I am Floria Grande, Reinhardt’s potential fiancée. I’ll soon become Floria Clondale,’ you see…”
Brother Chris told me this while trying hard not to laugh.
“Father’s letter said she would support you and even overpower you when needed, so we braced ourselves, wondering what kind of brilliant young lady would be coming… and then that gap, you know.”
Brother Gerald was also holding back laughter as he spoke.
“Floria, you gave that introduction here too?”
“Of course. My entire future is riding on this.”
After my brothers went off to the academy, the two of us were having tea when Georges came in. “The Carltons and Garuda have arrived.”
“Eh, Brigitte and Dianne?”
“Reinhardt, that’s something I can’t ignore. So there are two women you call by name without any title. And you said you were too busy to think about engagement, sounding like you didn’t have a girlfriend…”
“They’re not girlfriends, they’re my cousin’s fiancées.”
“Suspicious… you’re close enough they show up without an appointment.”
Why am I being interrogated like a husband caught cheating?
“Well, I did get to see something very interesting.”
I turned around, and there stood Brigitte and Dianne.
“Why are you just walking in?”
“They showed us the way?”
“And how did you even know I was in the capital?”
“Isaac told us ahead of time that you’d be coming. And when we heard you were bringing a girl, of course we had to come see.”
“Dianne, you didn’t have to go along with Brigitte…”
“I was curious too. And since we might end up relatives, I thought I should greet her.”
Floria, who had been listening to our conversation:
“Well, it seems I misunderstood, and I apologize. I don’t know anyone here, so I’d be happy if we could get along.”
Floria, don’t just switch attitudes instantly. That’s different from how you talk to me.
The three girls started talking, completely ignoring me.
“Oh my, you’re friends with Raphael too? How nice, being the same age—how enviable.”
“We were surprised as well. We never imagined the young lady we met would be Raphael’s cousin.”
“Please call me Floria. We’re only a year apart, and I want us to get along.”
“Just call me Brigitte, then.”
“And Dianne for me.”
“By the way, where did you meet Reinhardt? Did Raphael introduce you?”
“We hadn’t heard anything about it, so we were shocked.”
Floria began explaining—how she didn’t get along well with her family, and even if she relied on her uncle, Duke Clondale, she needed a reason to stay in this kingdom. So when she realized that marrying me—the person who appeared often in Raphael’s letters—would give her that, she decided to go to Westland.
And that Westland was the ideal place for her, so now she was desperately approaching me.
“Floria.” I called her name with a hint of reproach.
“It’s the truth. I can’t lie.”
Then she spoke about how her family would be arriving in the capital, and she believed the discussion this time was about her becoming the adoptive daughter of the Clondale family.
“In that case, the four of us will all end up relatives.”
“Really. What a coincidence.”
Aren’t they already talking like my engagement to Floria is a done deal?
“Reinhardt, you’re acting carefree, but now that you’ve officially been chosen as the next head, profiles of potential brides will be sent to you.”
“And at parties, unmarried young ladies will surround you and try to get closer.”
They added that they wouldn’t always be around to save me.
“Even Brother Chris wasn’t engaged until recently.”
They told me he was always surrounded at parties, though he dodged them smoothly.
“Raphael isn’t engaged either.”
“Raphael gets surrounded at tea parties too.”
“Not as much as Young Master Chrisford, but Raphael dodges them well.”
“I can’t. I can’t do anything like that.”
“Then getting engaged is the best choice.”
“Yes. From a young lady’s perspective, you’re a very desirable match.”
They said to contact them if I had time for sightseeing in the capital, and the two of them left.
What do you think about this chapter?
