episode_0004

“Prove your worth as the son-in-law of the Grand Duke’s family. No matter what it takes.”

“Become a suitable match for the arranged marriage. Things will naturally fall into place. You are our hope.”

“If you cannot become the son-in-law of the Northern Grand Duke, then become a useful tool for the family.”

*

With each given a special mission, 100 nobles participated in the Northern Grand Duke’s arranged marriage competition.

A total of nearly 1,000 applications were submitted for the competition, where status and class were not taken into account, as long as they had noble lineage. Out of these, 100 passed the screening process and competed in the preliminary and final rounds for a month.

And tomorrow, the final evaluation will finally begin, and after the 15-day residency, the ultimate winner will be chosen.

With a high probability of 25%.

Some will prove their worth, some will become hope, and some will be of assistance.

15 days.

If they can endure for 15 days, they will create a new history.

A shining, new history.

That’s why withdrawing from the final evaluation was an unimaginable decision, a decision that could not be made without madness.

And it was only natural to view Elden Raphelion, who achieved this madness, as a madman.

A calm before the storm.

The first to break the silence was Kyle, the son of a viscount.

“…Withdrawal? Are you joking, or have you had too much to drink? Making jokes in front of esteemed individuals.”

“Haha. That’s true. Perhaps what we hastily consumed turned out to be the last supper?”

Blund dismissed Kyle’s withdrawal declaration as a joke and continued.

After all, Elden Raphelion was not a competitor to them.

He was merely a tool for a good evaluation.

Just like in the academy, always.

Elden’s withdrawal declaration was a bad omen for them.

Because the public good that should have been consumed as a tool was now gone. Since he was not a target for competition in the first place, his departure did not affect the chances of winning.

Deron, who had been silent, asked Elden with an interested look.

“…The reason?”

“How could a villain like me become a husband candidate for the Grand Duke’s daughter? It’s because I realized the subject too late.”

Clatter.

Deron placed his chopsticks on the plate and wiped his mouth.

“I understand the subject… but I didn’t know you were so weak as to give up the game with the finish line in sight.”

“I’ve lived by trampling over others. I’m too impure to become a nobleman of the Northern Grand Duke’s family.”

Elden spoke to everyone in this manner.

It was a kind of hint, but to those who did not know the identity of the Grand Duke’s daughter, it was just a villain’s self-reflective confession.

Of course, there were those who were pricked by his sharp self-reflection.

Blund finished his meal and turned the wine glass.

The wine, as red as blood, swirled heavily.

“…Everyone lives by giving and receiving wounds. The world admires those who trample and rise, not those who are trampled upon. Surely you know that much.”

Elden smiled.

It was a serene smile of someone who had let go of the world.

And it was a bitter smile sent to the nobles who admired misdeeds.

“I know. I’m just reluctant to withdraw because it’s awkward for someone who has caused tears to be evaluated as noble.”

The somewhat sharpened voice echoed once again within the beautiful melody of the ensemble.

“There are no eternal secrets in the world, right?”

A scathing criticism of misdeeds, and a subtle warning to those who knew the truth.

It was a reflection of the seriousness of the situation, but Elden, who could only feel the ancestors’ sayings about the angry man, was not affected.

Deron began to show anger in his emerald pupils.

“…It seems like you’re targeting someone. Are you planning to repent now? Even if you do, it won’t make the tears of others any clearer.”

And as the leader of the group, Deron expressed his discomfort, Blund and Kyle also crossed their arms or furrowed their brows in agreement.

“Elden, my old friend, you’ve become quite dangerous. No, weakened…that’s more accurate…”

“Blood is fate. Fate cannot be resisted, and to resist it, one must shed blood. I wonder if they are prepared for that.”

Elden sighed quietly.

It was the expected flow.

Those who had chosen arrogance over reflection since the latter part of the free training.

They were still the same now.

The trio giving advice and reprimanding mistakes.

Treating those who self-reflect as despicable, wrapping their own beliefs in eloquent words.

Using self-reflection as a tool to gain advantage.

Yet Elden understood them.

They were characters created from the start to be sacrificed for the main character.

It was absurd to hope for reflection and rebirth through superficial warnings.

And he didn’t mind their use of self-reflection for their own gain.

As Blund and Deron said, the weak and fragile appearance resembling a nobleman from the North Dukedom was a demerit.

It was inadequate to become a person of the North Dukedom, ruling the land of extreme cold.

Furthermore, as a declared loser who had withdrawn, delving into that point deeply would be more appreciative.

It was a good trend.

Elden smiled.

“Haha, there was no special intention. Please don’t be disheartened. I was just expressing my personal opinion when asked for a reason.”

He showed the minimum responsibility and decency that one who intended to escape alone should show.

It might be noticeable, but there was no reason to pay attention to that.

Anyway, they were the ones who deserved the punishment of the third Lady of the North Dukedom.

Interfering further would be avoided, even for the sake of the Lady.

Elden put down his empty cup.

From now on, he would leave it to fate and observe the flow.

He would shed the burden of responsibility as a possessor.

“And I only conveyed my intention to withdraw. I haven’t heard any specific response yet. I just wanted to let you know that I consider you all as ‘colleagues’ rather than competitors.”

As long as they didn’t directly harm him as the possessor, there was no reason to reject them.

If they did cause harm, then the situation would change, but that was a different story.

At Elden’s words, Deron glanced at the evaluation team before speaking.

“Well, if that’s your opinion, then so be it. If you’re done, let’s finish the meal.”

Blund and Kyle nodded, and the busy movements of the evaluation team’s pens also stopped.

And so, the first meeting between the final candidates came to an end.

**

Clack, clack.

I walked down the hallway with Rendler.

The first meeting was over.

It was more monotonous than I thought, more uncomfortable as I expected.

I had no intention of imitating the male leads in novels.

There was no need for such foolishness.

I didn’t have the saintly compassion of a Teresa nun, and it was uncertain if one of the three would emerge as the final winner.

There was no need to cross the line.

Now all that was left was to wait for the approval of the Great Lord of the North Dukedom for my withdrawal and observe the flow, having fulfilled my duty as a possessor.

Whether they would realize the hint and reflect, realize and commit regretful actions, survive the revenge battle and marry the Lady of the Dukedom.

Leaving everything to fate, I could draw my own future.

The problem was.

‘Where should I start?’

A modern person suddenly dragged into the medieval era, what should they do first.

Furthermore, the modern man who had become the adopted son of a powerful marquis.

Thanks to the knowledge and memories of the possessed character, there was no need to start with studying characters, but finding a way to trigger the adoption was beyond his capabilities.

The original Elden Raphellion probably tried to trigger the adoption through a marriage contract with the grand lady, but unfortunately, I had no intention of doing so.

Even if the adoption was leaning towards him, he was still from the marquis family.

Even if the rich fall, it goes to the third generation, so there was no need to cling to the marriage contract competition or be nervous about triggering the adoption.

“The key is to safely escape from the Hupijib first.”

Dealing with the current crisis is the priority.

Of course, just because the adoption was rejected doesn’t mean he was in danger.

There were other ways to avoid the tears of Hupijib.

Choosing to withdraw was simply the cleanest, most certain, and fastest way.

“I really want to rest.”

As he hurried towards his room, a sudden sniffing sound came from behind.

It was the butler.

Curious, he stopped walking and turned around to see the butler quickly turning back.

……….

Turning his body back, he took a few steps forward, then turned back to look behind him, only to see the butler turning back again.

……….

Slightly trembling shoulders, hands wiping tears from his eyes, and even the sound of a runny nose.

“Could it be… are you crying?”

Rendler raised his head.

“Oh, oh. Th-that’s not it. Just got some dust in my eye, th-sniff. That’s all.”

“Seems like the dust got into your nose too.”

“Oh, hahaha. Th-the dust is really strong.”

…Sniff.

The signs were too clear to be covered up with a flimsy excuse, so after waiting for a moment, Rendler hesitated and turned away.

With moist eyes.

And awkwardly smiling, he bowed his head.

“I apologize. Sir. It seems that as I age, my emotions become more intense.”

“…Well, you don’t have to apologize.”

“I was so moved by the words you conveyed from the chairman that I couldn’t help but show such a disgraceful sight.”

…Ah.

So that was the reason for the sudden tears.

It seemed that unintentionally, he had deeply touched the butler by speaking to warn his regretful comrades, causing such a big emotional response.

Sniff.

Rendler smiled brightly with teary eyes.

Then, blushing, he felt embarrassed.

“I-I’m so happy that my true feelings are showing, so please don’t look at me so intently. I’m embarrassed.”

“…….”

Even though the elderly butler looked like a shy girl, it was awkward to see him acting so shy, so I turned away, swallowing the words that it was embarrassing to see someone so tearful.

It seems like a character with a lot of tears.

Showing tears with just a moment of self-reflection, it seemed like if he showed kindness once, he would burst into tears.

‘I have to be careful.’

Thinking so, he took a step to turn the corner.

“Eek!”

Clang!

He collided with a woman who was quickly walking towards him.

She was a maid in her mid-teens, wearing a maid’s uniform with the emblem of the Northern Marquis family.