Who gets married for that reason? - Chapter 4

This is too much. I need time to think. Lydia struggled to keep her thoughts straight, trying to set aside her immediate interest in the antique shop.

“I still need some time, I have to think this through.”

“If you take too long and my condition suddenly worsens tomorrow, that would be a big problem.”

“Stop talking like it’s all my fault! Why are you trying to lay all the responsibility on me?!”

Lydia was now pulling her hair, nearly in tears.

Damn you Marquis, Lydia felt like cursing him. His manipulative words pricked her conscience like needles. Even though she knew someone was suffering from this curse, letting it go unchecked would haunt her for the rest of her life.

“……I’ll do it. It sounds crazy, getting married, but I will. Just give me that ring. It’s something our family has been searching for across generations.”

As Lydia mumbled and buried her face in her hands, her words turning into incoherent cries, a brief smile flickered across Ilian’s face.

It wasn’t hard to figure out this woman.

He knew he could reel her in with the right bait, then twist the knife by exploiting her conscience. Her eyes, looking up innocently, laid open all the emotions he needed to see.

‘I should be the one using her, not getting dragged around by her whims.’

From that moment on, I knew I had an advantage. A shrewd person would realize they were marquis Esteban’s only lifeline and try to negotiate or bargain for a bigger share.

Among the many women Ilian met at social gatherings, this one could have used this as a chance to become Marchioness Esteban for life.

She was strikingly innocent and kindhearted. Even the questions she suddenly asked showed how she’d already thought things through alone.

“But couldn’t I buy the ring from you first? I’ll give you whatever you want. I just don’t feel safe with it staying in someone else’s hands. I swear I’ll break that curse.”

“You really don’t know, do you?”

You may have heard the rumors floating around the capital, but you couldn’t understand or experience the grandeur of Esteban’s power. Isn’t that what people say?

“When Esteban’s gold mines dry up, the cronan Kingdom will fall. Haven’t you heard that?”

“I’ve heard that the House of Esteban is incredibly wealthy. Even their family crest is gold.”

Her filler words, pieced together from bits she’d caught here and there, were exasperating in a different way than listening to old nobles spout nonsense in meetings.

“Esteban has accumulated more wealth than even the royal family.”

After saying all this, I expected her to understand and ask for some other material reward. But for once, the woman shattered illian’s expectations.

“If the ring doesn’t work out, then….. I have one request…..”

“What is it?”

“Remember how we talked about the royal library earlier? Could I… borrow some books from there?”

This was the first time I’d seen anyone’s eyes light up at the mention of books, not money. For lydia, the chance to enter the royal library was more valuable than anything else.

“…Is that your only request?”

“There’s something else. I’ve collected all the old books available, but I can’t even enter places like the royal library. There must be more books about magic there, and if needed, I might find clues about the marquis’s curse…”

“That’s not a problem. I can arrange for you to enter right away, if you want.”

“Really?”

Ilian’s guess was spot-on. The woman had been hesitant, thinking he wouldn’t care about her access to the royal library. But now her face brightened with hope.

Even if I had agreed to marry princess yurina, he probably wouldn’t have witnessed such a radiant expression.

“If you want to read more books about magic, I can try to get them for you.”

“That would be great. There’s only so much I can find on my own. Maybe with your name, we could get some really rare books.”

Lydia felt her heart might explode. What a stroke of luck!

If things kept up like this, maybe even marriage wasn’t such a bad idea. It was something she’d never been interested in before, but now there was a reason to consider it.

Magic was a big part of who she was, but she’d always felt something missing since birth. She yearned for something she didn’t even know existed. All she wanted was to understand everything in detail.

Lydia Solem studied endlessly, even though she knew she’d never fully grasp the truth. She was proud to carry on her grandmother’s knowledge and will, and she took pride in striving to be a person worthy of the name of Solem’s descendant.

Of course, her most important goal was recovering the Solem Ring from Marquis Esteban.

“Is there anything else?”

Ilian Estoban wondered why he kept asking so many broad questions.

He had been forced to adapt to a treacherous world since birth, like walking on thin ice, so perhaps he found the woman’s attitude frustrating.

Why just nod and blindly following what I say?
Everyone who knows me expects something from me. So, I expected you would try to take advantage of me too.

“The royal library and old books? Those are nothing to me. I can get you anything easily.”

He wanted her to ask for something else, but she smiled faintly and shook her head. She seemed to understand his silent question: Aren’t you just like everyone else? You must really want something.

“I’m fine.”

It was unpleasant, but there was nothing he could do. He should have been satisfied that she was offering to fix his curse fairly easily, but he felt strangely disappointed.

Ilian Esteban dismissed his fatigue as another effect of the curse weighing him down.

“Let’s go, then.”

“What? Where?”

“To the marquis of Esteban’s mansion.”

“Right now?”

Lydia’s look turned incredulous once again. This man had a remarkable ability to turn back into an unlikeable person just as she was warming up to him.

No matter whether Lydia grimaced or protested, Illian Esteban replied as if it were obvious.

“You want to spend more time here?”

“But……………….”

Lydia couldn’t quite process what was happening.

To her, living as far away from noble society as she did, the Estoban family seemed like they belonged to another world.

Honestly, the thought of following him without any further thought scared her more than staying put.

“It’s simple, I just need to keep quiet about it, right? I won’t tell anyone. I have to take care of the cat at home, pack my stuff, and I can’t leave this shop unattended….”

When she thought about it, there was a mountain of things she needed to take care of before leaving.

“The things inside the shop don’t need constant attention, do they?”

“No, they don’t. As long as no one goes in there and messes around.”

“I’ll take care of that. Next, we can stop by your place. You pack what you need, and I’ll arrange for someone to move everything else to the mansion.”

A string of one-sided decisions left me feeling lost. Despite nodding at the marquis questioning look, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t right. Yet, he was already extending his gloved hand.

“Let’s work together, my soon-to-be marchioness.”

“Can’t you just call me by name? That title really feels awkward and weird,” I said, grimacing at him.

Marquis Esteban flashed a quick smile.

“Alright, Then Lydia.”

I didn’t understand why his sudden use of just my name gave me an odd, ticklish feeling.

Finally, I took his hand. A warm sensation, almost imperceptible, traveled through our thin gloves. In that moment, making my first step into the unknown world, She felt somewhat reassured by the warmth.