No matter the era, when the eldest son returned home, there were usually two possible scenarios.
In the first, his relationship with his parents was highly strained; upon returning home, he would be utterly depressed, wandering around the estate like a lost soul, unable to even get a decent night's sleep.
In the second, as the family's eldest son, he had made a name for himself out in the world, earning a great deal of prestige for his family.
Under these circumstances, once he returned home, even if he did absolutely nothing, he would be pampered by the entire family like a treasure.
Obviously, Li An belonged to the latter category.
Even though this was not his intention at all.
“Son, don't stand on ceremony in your own home. Stay however you like.”
Arthur patted Li An, who was lying in bed comfortably enjoying his vacation, on the shoulder, his face filled with gratification.
Lately, Baron Arthur's days had been exceptionally pleasant.
He was never a very sociable person to begin with.
In terms of personal relationships, he was the type who didn't have many friends, but once he recognized someone, they would become lifelong confidants.
Yet even so, once people reached a certain age, when they occasionally gathered with old friends, it was inevitable that the topic of their children would come up.
In the past:
“My eldest child entered the Magic Tower this year.”
“My third child just won the championship in the swordsmanship competition the other day.”
Every time he heard those fellows boasting about their children, Arthur felt his ears growing calluses.
Whenever someone mentioned their sons and daughters, he would pretend not to hear and silently turn his head away.
But now—
“My son,”
Arthur would say calmly.
“Li An Adolf.”
And just like that, any boasting about children would come to a grinding halt.
Lately, Arthur had frequently mentioned this name in front of his old friends.
Thus, Li An, who had somehow become the legendary “ideal son of another family” in the mouths of other fathers, spent an incredibly luxurious vacation under the proud gazes of his family.
“Brother, these are grapes that were just cultivated this year. Try some quickly!”
“Do you want me to peel them for you? Hold on, I'll do it right away!”
A grape was popped into Li An's mouth.
The skin had already been perfectly peeled away.
“Here, spit the seeds in here.”
Lucia brought over a small bowl.
Just as Li An was about to spit out the seed, he suddenly felt something was amiss.
He abruptly sat up.
“I can peel and eat grapes by myself.”
“You want to do it yourself?”
Lucia looked astonished.
Li An picked up a grape and peeled it with his own hands.
The next second—
“Everyone, applaud!”
“Brother has finally peeled a grape himself!”
Clap, clap, clap!
The servants, who had been busy with their work, all stopped what they were doing and clapped in unison.
“As expected, there's nothing Brother can't do!”
Li An stared at Lucia, dumbfounded.
He had literally just peeled a single grape.
Was all this really necessary?
This treatment made him feel like he was being raised as some kind of rare, endangered animal.
The only silver lining was that he surprisingly didn't hate it.
“Oh my, it's already so late.”
Lucia drew the curtains, blocking out the harsh sunlight.
“I almost interfered with Brother's afternoon nap.”
With that, she slipped a small handbell into Li An's hand.
“If you need anything, just ring the bell. Someone will be here instantly.”
So as not to disturb her brother's afternoon nap, Lucia finally left the room.
The servants also bowed respectfully and withdrew behind her.
The door clicked shut.
In the spacious room, only Li An remained.
He lay in bed, experiencing this unspeakable hospitality, his feelings rather complicated for a moment.
...
Is this really okay?
Meanwhile.
In the courtyard of the Adolf estate.
“Do you know how to wield a sword too?”
“Yes.”
Isha nodded gently.
“I learned when I was young and have kept practicing ever since. However, in your eyes, Lord Baron, I'm sure I still have many shortcomings.”
Unless there were exceptional circumstances, Arthur would practice his swordplay at this time every day.
Swinging his sword, breaking a sweat.
Letting his body move vigorously under the sun.
And then splashing himself with a bucket of cold water—that hearty, refreshing feeling was Arthur's favorite.
But today, there was an extra guest in the courtyard.
Isha Sinus.
That was to say, the woman his son had brought back.
At first, Arthur hadn't paid much attention to her.
However, Lucia had specifically sought him out.
“Father, she is a candidate for your daughter-in-law.”
“If possible, help me test her out.”
Test her?
But what exactly was he supposed to test?
Arthur had no idea.
But if he ignored his daughter, she would surely nag him endlessly afterward.
So he might as well go through the motions.
“Would you like to have a spar?”
Arthur said casually.
In truth, he didn't harbor much expectation.
He assumed Isha would refuse immediately.
Instead, she replied, “If you don't mind the physical limitations that come with my being a woman, Lord Baron...”
“If there are deficiencies, train.”
Arthur took a wooden sword brought by a servant and handed it to Isha.
Isha took the longsword.
And took her stance.
Arthur's gaze shifted instantly.
Her posture was remarkably standard.
The next instant, Arthur closed the distance first.
Clang!
The two swords clashed.
Arthur's shoulders shook slightly.
This woman named Isha knew how to use a sword.
No.
It wasn't simple “knowledge.”
She was an expert.
“Haha!”
Arthur suddenly laughed heartily.
How long had it been since he had met such an opponent?
The sword fight in the courtyard continued until late afternoon.
Two days later, in the afternoon, Arthur sought out his son.
“When do you plan on holding the wedding?”
“...”
Lying in bed, tossing and turning, Li An suddenly stopped.
“What do you mean?”
“Isha is a very fine woman,” Arthur said seriously. “You are also in your twenties now. It is time to consider the matter of an heir. If you have no other objections, get married quickly.”
As expected.
It had come.
Li An had long anticipated that this day would arrive.
Lately, he felt that his father and Isha had been getting particularly close.
Whenever they had free time, they would head to the courtyard to spar.
Furthermore, looking at Arthur's demeanor, he clearly liked Isha quite a lot.
They were practically like a father-in-law and a son-in-law who shared a passion for fishing.
If he had to guess what was running through his old father's head, it was likely: Marriage.
Then Isha would live here.
And she could practice swordsmanship with him every single day.
How perfect.
But Li An knew very well.
This marriage was fundamentally impossible.
Isha's true identity was Elizabeth, the Third Princess of the empire.
How could an imperial princess possibly marry the heir of a baronial house?
To marry a princess legitimately, one would need at least the title of Count. Was he supposed to have a Count title drop from the sky?
This wasn't a question of love; it was a matter of politics.
Moreover, Isha herself must surely be aware of this.
With this in mind, Li An sought out Isha and subtly hinted at the situation to prompt her.
“My father seems to be thinking along those lines. But he might have misunderstood things a bit. Shouldn't you explain it to him?”
If it were the Elizabeth from the book, she would probably have blown her top by now.
After all, she was famous for her tyrannical personality.
Yet, Isha merely lowered her head quietly.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Her fingers gently twined together.
Only after a long while did she speak softly: “Is... that so?”
Li An: “...”
Your Highness.
Please, don't do this.
From her behavior, she was clearly preparing to lay her cards on the table.
Li An made a prompt decision.
Flee.
He had to find a way to stop her.
Li An racked his brain, thinking hard for a while.
Finally.
An excellent idea surfaced in his mind.
It was so brilliant that he even began to wonder—why hadn't he thought of it before?
Li An went straight to the room where Lucia was.
“Oh! Brother is actually taking the initiative to look at the matchmaking list?”
“Yeah.”
Li An nodded.
“Marriage is a major life event, after all, and shouldn't be handled carelessly. There's no harm in keeping my options open, right?”
“Hmm...”
Lucia pondered.
“You do have a point.”
She immediately began preparations.
Becoming an imperial official meant living under the Emperor's nose forever.
Because officials knew too many secrets of the empire, the Emperor's Hounds would never let them go easily.
But there was a third path.
Get married immediately.
Inherit the title of Baron.
And return to the fiefdom as a family lord.
Once the empire fell into chaos in the future, the family would slip away under the cover of night.
Perfect.
It was simply a flawless retirement plan.
“I have already used my connections to spread the word to as many noble ladies as possible,” Li An continued. “You just need to pick a suitable candidate. If they are agile on their feet, that would be even better.”
“No.”
However, Lucia shook her head.
“Right now, Brother's evaluation is skyrocketing. How can I choose randomly when we have such a great opportunity?”
Thus, Lucia began utilizing all of her connections, her father's, and even those brought by borrowing Li An's name.
Elegantly phrased and polite letters were sent out one after another.
On the surface, they were inquiries about recent well-being.
In reality, the contents boiled down to a single sentence: Li An Adolf is looking for a marriage partner.
Lucia had originally thought that at most, four or five people would respond.
After all, there were plenty of noble ladies who had reached marriageable age but remained unwed.
And marriage was indeed a major matter that required careful consideration.
But she had clearly underestimated one thing: Just how fast news could travel in this aristocratic society.
Once the news spread through the empire:
“What? Li An Adolf is looking for a wife?”
“Is it true?”
“Then I want to go too!”
“I heard he is a highly sought-after figure right now.”
“If he takes a liking to me, wouldn't that be a huge win?”
“I'm going too!”
...
The news spread further and further.
Eventually—
“This is too ridiculous...”
Lucia held the list, her expression somewhat stiff.
“Brother, there are twelve applicants in total.”
A whopping twelve.
Originally, they had planned to meet them one by one.
But with this amount, there simply wasn't enough time.
Ultimately, they could only invite everyone to their domain and settle it all at once.
Before long.
One luxurious carriage caravan after another began entering the Adolf territory.
Twelve noble ladies.
Their accompanying attendants.
Their friends.
Their family representatives.
And even some celebrities who had specifically come to watch the spectacle.
If the manor had not been expanded into a grand mansion, they wouldn't have even had enough space to house everyone.
Li An silently unfurled the list.
On it, written neatly, were:
1. Amyisha Lesh
2. Alice Sodia
3. Katherine Worcester
...
11. Isha Sinus
12. Celi Lavione
Li An stared at the list for a long time.
Two of the names were particularly glaring.
“Why are those two here?”
Needless to say.
Isha was Princess Elizabeth.
And Celi...
Was Serena, the Second Princess of the empire.
Li An felt a throbbing pain in his temples.
Who exactly gave them the courage?
Two grand princesses of the empire actually ran over to join this kind of matchmaking event?
This was simply too unreasonable!
Overwhelmed by his headache, Li An decided to head outside for some fresh air.
Just then—
Clatter—
An extremely magnificent carriage drove into the territory.
The imperial royal flag hung from the carriage body, fluttering noisily in the wind.
In the entire empire, the number of people who could use this flag was countable on one's fingers.
Only members of the imperial family with the Emperor's bloodline had the right.
The carriage door opened.
A blonde-haired figure stepped down from the carriage.
“Hahahahaha!”
The man walked toward Li An while laughing loudly.
“Li An! How could you not tell me about such a major event as finding yourself a wife!”
“This truly breaks my heart!”
“But don't worry!”
He patted his chest with a face full of confidence.
“With my keen eye, I will definitely find the most suitable candidate for you!”
Is the Crown Prince of the empire really that free?
Looking at the enthusiastic Crown Prince before him, Li An fell into a deep silence.
The only thing he regretted now was not bringing Cloudy back home with him.
Rate on N.U.
