Chapter 14.3

The Grand Plan to Get Married: Cermiane’s Point of View (3)

It seemed that I was not the only one who was impressed by Ralphine’s demeanor at the debutante ball. A baroness who was saved by Ralphine was particularly impressed, and she talked about Ralphine in the society of the lower nobility as if Ralphine were a hero or a saint. Thanks to this, Ralphine was rumored to be “A wonderful lady who did not disrespect the lower nobility”. For this reason, the lower nobility approached the marquis with several proposals of marriage.

The one who was particularly enthusiastic was the brother of the rescued baroness, who was one year older than I was. He was smart, good-looking, and a fine man. Ralphine would have dismissed him as “weak-looking,” but he would have been popular with the average woman. The baron’s family was new, and his father had just been knighted, so he was unfamiliar with the customs of aristocratic society. He fell in love with Ralphine and came with a passionate proposal of marriage.

The baron’s family was already very wealthy, and it was said that they were trying to improve their status by donating large sums of money to the nobility. The title itself was reputed to have been conferred through donations. However, a commoner without a trace of aristocratic, or rather royal, blood in his veins could not be a viscount or higher. In his marriage proposal to Ralphine, he was hoping to marry into the marquise family, which would give him a shot at the title of viscount or higher. It seemed that this was part of the plan.

The knight and the baron were of the same rank, but the latter seemed to have more assets than the former. The baron’s son seemed to be sending a large number of expensive gifts to the marquis’ residence. Fortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the baron’s son had no connections to the Marquis, and as a baron, he couldn’t easily visit the marquis. Therefore, it seemed that he had yet to meet either the marquis or the marchioness, and I was one step ahead of him there. However, if the Count was pleased with the gifts and became willing to meet him, my lead would disappear. The Marquis’s finances, as far as I could tell, were not in good shape. It was thought to be due to having too many children. However, they have been improving over the past few years, and I did not get the impression that they were in that much financial trouble.

The suitors were not only barons, but there seemed to be a few from the viscount class as well. However, these were quite a few years older than Ralphine, and some of them were seeking a second wife, which, according to the marchioness, was a pity for the young Ralphine, who will be in her first marriage, so she immediately rejected the proposal. If a suitor of the right age had come from the viscount class, I and the baron’s son would have been in danger, but fortunately, rumors spread that Ralphine was apparently violent and rude, so the viscounts, who wanted to join the upper nobility, hesitated to propose.

Actually, I spread this rumor. To be precise, I focused on the bad things that Ralphine had done at the debutante ball to the Vicomte, who was already a viscount, and made him gossip at social gatherings. If a stronger suitor appeared, as a knight, I would have lost all hope. In addition, I spread bad rumors about Ralphine here and there to prevent suitors from increasing. I didn’t want to speak ill of Ralphine, and the effect was unknown, but it seems that I was able to deter the appearance of powerful rivals.

After that, suitors for Ralphine popped up sporadically, and there were also some inquiries from commoners about marrying her from the territory. I grew anxious, but Ralphine showed no signs of being called to the imperial capital, and the Marquis seemed unable to decide on a suitor from the many suitors, so he did not meet with me or the baron’s son. I visited the Marquis mansion frequently. The Marchioness began to meet with me whenever she was not absent, and the daughter of the Marquis heir ran to meet me whenever I came. Once the Marquis’ heir came out and glared at me with a fierce look, but I acted as if I didn’t notice. I was proposing to Ralphine, so there was nothing to be guilty about, However, I did intend to create some misunderstandings. I even flirted with Ralphine’s older sisters, but just enough to provoke suspicion. I knew that their husbands or fathers would want to ban me from entering their homes, I knew that the women would not allow their husbands or fathers to prohibit my entry once we became close. What would happen then? They may not have much affection for Ralphine, whom they have little ties with and may encourage her to marry me, saying, “Marry that rogue knight quickly.”

So I started proposing, and two years passed. By that time, suitors for Ralphine were narrowed down to me and the baron’s son. It seemed that they came to the conclusion that it would be better to marry one of these two rather than marry a commoner. The baron’s son had more assets, but I was seen as having more passion, and I had become quite close to the ladies of the Marquis family. I also met and got along with Ralphine’s third brother, who was doing military-related work. By this time, I had achieved multiple accomplishments, received medals, and had an unusually fast promotion to a corporal. Therefore, I was starting to become famous as a promising knight among military personnel. This was also due to the reputation that the knight commander and the crown prince liked me.