Arcane Innovator

'W-What?!' I was left staring at him in utter bewilderment as the Count's outrageous words continued to echo in my mind.

At first, I simply thought it was some sort of elaborate joke on his part, but seeing his solemn expression, I quickly realized he was earnest.

I looked covertly at Margarette's beautiful figure, laughing pleasantly as she talked with another noble girl nearby, and couldn't help but gulp nervously. 'I'm to marry her?'

My mind raced, trying to process what the Count had just said. It was unheard of for a commoner to marry into a Count's family, so he must see tremendous potential in me to justify the inevitable backlash he would get from other nobles for this move.

This made me feel immensely proud that all my hard work so far has finally paid off and my efforts are being noticed and rightfully rewarded, yet on the other hand, I wasn't happy about it at all.

Sure, this would undoubtedly cement my position in high society for good and allow me to become one of the most influential people in the whole of Ereneth. On the other hand, however, I wouldn't be able to pursue my dreams of becoming a mage and studying at the Grand Tower.

I looked back at the Count evasively, carefully weighing my options as I was unsure how to respond.

I couldn't outright say no to him; that would be preposterous, given my commoner's status, but still, I couldn't say yes as I also valued my freedom above all else, not wanting to become a puppet in the hands of the nobles.

So, in the end, I simply tried to stall for time, hoping I could find some way to get out of this predicament.

I cleared my throat, and while doing my best to keep my voice steady, I gave him my response. "I'm immensely honored, your Grace, for such an offer, yet I feel it is too sudden for me to think about marriage at my age... besides, I am not sure if I am worthy of becoming a part of your distinguished family."

The Count's smile died down, and his expression turned cold. "Do not underestimate yourself, Darian," he said sharply. "You are very talented, and I can see a great potential in you if nurtured properly..."

He paused momentarily, looking directly into my eyes before continuing. "What I'm offering you is an opportunity many would kill for, and you would be a fool to turn it down." His words dripped with arrogance, and I could tell he was not used to being denied.

At that moment, I knew that I would have no choice but to accept if I didn't want to make an enemy out of him, which would be disastrous for someone like me.

Still, I didn't want to give up this easily. Thus, I took a deep breath as I gathered my courage before answering. "Your Grace, please forgive my previous imprudence. I'd like to humbly accept your gracious offer..."

I could see the Count's face contorting into a victorious smile, but I wasn't yet done, and my following words made that smile freeze on his lips. "But as you very well know, I'm still only a minor, so I will have to first discuss this matter with my family and gain my parent's blessing before I can give you my final answer."

The Count glared at me for a long moment, his eyes burning with fury as he was very well aware that I was only buying some time as my parents' approval was only a formality as they had no say in such matters given their low status.

I braced myself for an inevitable outburst for defying him, but to my surprise, he suddenly laughed.

"Hahaha! They were right... You are too clever for your age. Alright, take your time, but don't take too long, as it may be too late by then. I'm going to leave the city soon for another expedition into the Northern mountains, and when I return, I will hear your answer..."

After he said that, he turned away, which was apparently a signal that the short audience was over, and the same young servant immediately appeared beside me, ready to escort me back to my seat.

I quietly followed him while being submerged in my own thoughts. I shook my head dejectedly as now I had to deal with another pressing dilemma that promised nothing but a severe headache the longer I thought about it.

I left the ball altogether shortly after as I had already lost my appetite and wanted nothing more than to simply lay in my own bed and forget everything that just happened, if only for the night.

***

A few days after, the Count left the city for the mountains and took half the city's garrison with him. Many citizens lined the streets of Ereneth as they excitedly waved at the rows of passing troops, grateful that they would keep them safe and protect them from the rampaging monsters.

This was quite a recurrent sight as every year at the height of spring, the monster's activity was the greatest, and they descended from the mountains while viciously attacking the farming villages in the valley, so it was necessary to cull their population regularly to prevent a stampede.

After the soldiers left and the festivities surrounding their departure died down, the city returned to its previous peace and quiet. I, too, returned to my regular routine, yet the difficult decision I faced weighed heavily on my heart, and I had much trouble focusing on my work.

So far, I didn't tell anyone about the Count's offer, not even my parents. I already knew what my god-fearing, law-abiding parents would say to me, so there was no point asking for their advice. No, this was something I needed to figure out on my own.

While thinking about it, I couldn't help but chuckle as I imagined what expression Konrad would probably make if he learned that I was about to marry into the Count's family. 'He would be green with envy, no doubt...'

Still, despite my current conundrum, I felt extremely pleased as we had finally managed to turn all the herbs I got from Clovis into elixirs.

The sales were booming, and I even managed to sell a full cart of them - a whopping thousand elixirs to Clovis as he was leaving for the Capital, so my coffers were once again overflowing with shiny silver.

However, my own indecisiveness soon came to bite me in the ass as right the very next day, during breakfast, I received a message. It was a very short message - truly only a few words yet it made my skin crawl, and my eyes widened with horror. 'She is coming here...?!'

Helga noticed my startled look and leaned forward with curiosity. "What is it?"

"Ehm, someone is coming for a visit..." I said evasively.

Since my sister was a very sociable person, this made her even more curious. "Who?"

"A girl..." I said weakly while my brain was in overdrive trying to devise a suitable way of how to best deal with this.

"A girl?" Helga furrowed her brows, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

I sighed, realizing there was no point in coming up with excuses as she would learn the truth soon either way, so I gathered my courage and looked at her. "The girl... I'm about to be betrothed with."

Helga immediately spitted out the tea she was just drinking all over the table, which prompted Lily to throw her an offended look, yet Helga didn't seem to care as she stared at me in utter shock.

"B-betrothed?!" She exclaimed.

I sighed once again as I very much expected such a reaction. 'Still, she could have acted more elegantly about it...' I thought with exasperation as I was cleaning the droplets of tea that landed on my plate with a napkin.

I then proceeded to tell her about the events that transpired at the Spring ball, and after I finished, Helga's face was left utterly pale. "The Count's daughter is coming for a visit?" My sister said with a shaky voice.

She then lowered her head while mumbling for herself. "We need some treats... but we have not enough sugar... what will she think of us... we also need... Ah, we are not nearly ready!"

Before I could say anything, Helga hurriedly jumped to her feet and bolted out of the dining room, heading for the kitchen.

I simply shook my head, seeing her acting like that. I wanted to tell her not to stress herself so much over it, but she probably wouldn't listen anyway, so instead, I, too, got up and went to my room to put on more representative clothes while at the same time wondering what Margarette might want from me.

Before long, an elaborate carriage flanked from both sides by mounted knights carrying the Count's family banner arrived at the mansion, stopping in front of the main entrance.

A servant promptly opened the carriage's doors, and with his help, Margarette emerged from within.

In daylight, she seemed even more beautiful than before, and seeing Helga's incredulous look and how even my maids were drooling over her, it looked like I wasn't alone in this assessment.

Still, I wasn't a person who would judge the book by its cover, so I kept my composure and respectfully offered a slight bow. "My lady."

She looked around, measuring everyone present with an inquisitive gaze before finally settling her eyes on me. "So we meet again, Master Darian. What a pleasant surprise."

'Huh?' I raised an eyebrow. 'Wasn't it you who just now barged in here uninvited?' I grumbled inwardly but didn't let anything show on my face.

Instead, I smiled at her and asked. "What do we owe the honor of enjoying your presence on this fine day?"

She smiled gently, offering me her hand. "Oh, Why, you ask? I simply wanted to get to know my groom-to-be..."

I gulped reluctantly, accepting her exquisite arm before leading her inside, feeling for some strange reason as if I was heading for my own execution.