The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

76 – So, Will You Marry Me?

A silent room.

Franz and Arian were facing each other.

‘I managed to stop her, but….’

It was really difficult to know where to start. She was worried if it was right for her to talk about this instead of Arian’s family.

But since she had decided to try, she couldn’t just stay still.

“Remember earlier when I rode the carriage with Marcel?”

“Oh, yes. I was a bit surprised… Did my brother cause any trouble?”

“No trouble at all. I offered him a ride.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried he might have been a nuisance.”

Arian let out a short sigh of relief.

Though she felt a bit sorry for her, the main point was just beginning.

“Anyway, while talking with Marcel in the carriage, I found out that the family is planning to arrange a marriage for you. This party was held to find your husband.”

“…What?”

Arian tilted her head in confusion.

It seemed she couldn’t understand because it was such an out-of-the-blue story.

‘As expected, she didn’t hear anything.’

If they were pushing for an arranged marriage, one would think there would have been discussions about it, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

It wasn’t uncommon in the noble world for families to proceed with matters arbitrarily, so it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. Of course, it was still hard to accept.

After continuing to think in silence, Arian spoke softly.

“…Master of the Tower.”

“Yes.”

“I know it’s rude, but can’t we just go back?”

It wasn’t a joke. It was sincere. Although it had been a long time since she returned to her family home and she could have been lost in memories, she wanted to leave so much that she was willing to abandon all of that.

For the family, it was just a means of politics, but for Arian, it was a matter of her remaining life, so it was natural.

But nothing could be resolved that way. No matter how much she struggled, the fact that she was a member of the Frigia Duchy wouldn’t change.

“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have come. I wouldn’t have invited you either. How could they do this without a word…”

“Arian, calm down.”

At Franz’s words, Arian closed her mouth. Her expression wasn’t good, but at least she wasn’t so irrational that she couldn’t make a logical judgment.

“The family probably didn’t make this choice happily. You know what it means to live unmarried.”

In the noble world, those who don’t marry are branded as having some defect.

Whatever the reason, the truth doesn’t matter. Just being different from others is enough for nobles to gossip.

From the family’s perspective, considering all aspects, an arranged marriage for Arian was the best choice.

And usually, in such cases, one follows the family’s wishes. The person who doesn’t marry also knows their future clearly.

“But I still don’t want it… It’s my life.”

Yes, Arian would say that. If her mind could be changed with just a word, she wouldn’t have endured until this age.

“I told Marcel that I would somehow handle it.”

“Ma, Master of the Tower…?”

“Yes, because I thought you would hate an arranged marriage.”

“Wh-what are you going to do…?!”

Arian spoke in an excited voice and took a big step towards Franz.

Franz was momentarily flustered by the sudden closeness, but soon maintained his composure and answered her question.

“I need to find someone close to your ideal type.”

“…What?”

“That’s the point. Let’s buy some time first.”

“Is that all?”

“It’s your marriage, so it would be strange for me to interfere too much.”

“It’s okay if you interfere a lot.”

What is she saying now?

Franz was just bewildered by Arian’s words, but he could understand to some extent, thinking that she was that desperate.

“First, I’ll look inside the tower, and if there’s no one, I’ll look outside…”

“Master of the Tower, I’m really sorry to interrupt, but can you take responsibility…?”

It’s not that he hadn’t thought about responsibility.

Words naturally come with responsibility, and since he said he would somehow handle it, he had to take responsibility for it.

But that was only after it failed.

He thought it was too early to worry since nothing had started yet. He believed that finding a match for Arian was the priority.

‘Well, I can understand her worries.’

For Franz, Arian’s arranged marriage was strictly someone else’s business.

But for Arian, it was literally her life itself, so it was natural for her to worry about what would happen if it didn’t work out.

But who would have known that Arian was thinking like this?

At least Franz didn’t know.

“Since you said you would somehow handle it. If it doesn’t work out, will you, Master of the Tower, marry me…?”

Is that how it works?

Since the arranged marriage was postponed, does it mean he should take her himself?

It seemed strange, but technically it wasn’t wrong, so he had nothing to say.

“Shall we first think about succeeding? Someone who perfectly matches your ideal type might appear…”

“So, you’re saying you’ll do it?”

Ssssss-

It was a question that couldn’t be easily answered, and I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

‘What do I even think of Arian…?’

Not as a secretary, not as a fellow mage, but as a marriage partner.

First of all, her face is quite pretty. Pretty enough to quickly gain popularity wherever she goes.

Although appearance isn’t a major factor in marriage, it’s still nice if she’s pretty.

Then, what about her personality?

In the past, she was so bad that I wondered if such a person could exist, but recently, she’s become quite docile.

Except for the occasional aggressive behavior, she’s not bad at all.

Moreover, we’ve shared quite a lot of time together.

If you look at it this way, she’s a perfect match as a marriage partner.

The important thing is the emotion, or rather, I’ve never had romantic feelings for Arian.

So, I can’t imagine marrying her.

But I can’t just refuse outright either….

‘As time passes, Arian will get older…’

Even now, she’s on the verge of becoming an old maid, barely at the edge of marriageable age.

It’s fine for Franz, who has a 21st-century mindset, but the world’s view is different.

In other words, if I miss this opportunity, Arian’s marriage prospects might get worse.

The only men who would take an older maid would be those of a similar level.

The Duke of Frigia wouldn’t want that either, so it’s practically a gamble for the family.

Hoo-

Franz erased the negative thoughts with a short sigh.

‘When did I ever jump in thinking I would fail.’

If I had considered the possibilities, I wouldn’t have even attempted to subdue the Demon King.

“Arian.”

“Y-Yes?!”

Arian, who had been bowing her head, was startled and looked up at Franz’s call.

Her face seemed oddly flushed, but Franz continued speaking without paying attention.

“Let’s do our best together. I’m sure we can find a marriage partner.”

“Well, I don’t think it will appear so soon… But thank you for thinking of me. As expected, there’s no one like you, Master of the Tower.”

Arian smiled brightly.

For some reason, Yuna came to mind when she saw that smile, even in difficult situations.

Although it has decreased a lot recently, in the past, she always walked around smiling.

“Then I’ll be off now. I’ll come back when the meal is ready, so please rest until then.”

“Sure. You should go back and rest too. You must be tired from the long journey.”

“Yes, I will.”

With those words, Arian left the room.

Franz, left alone in the silent room, sat on the bed and fell into thought.

‘I should talk to the head of the family first.’

He decided to visit after dinner.

Despite his rough appearance, he seemed to have a good personality, so maybe it wouldn’t be too difficult to resolve.

* * * * *

Arian quietly closed the door behind her as she left the room.

Then she immediately covered her face with both hands.

She was worried that others might see her silly expression because the corners of her mouth kept rising.

‘What on earth is this…?’

When Franz mentioned the arranged marriage, she felt like the world was collapsing.

But when he said he would somehow take care of it, she felt like she had everything in the world.

His words took her from heaven to hell and back again.

Could this really not be a dream?

Arian pinched her cheek, and fortunately, she felt a stinging pain.

Reality, this was really reality.

Come to think of it….

‘Marcel did a great job.’

The last time she saw Marcel was when he was two years old, she thought.

Back then, he was just small and cute, but now he had grown up and was helping his sister. Time really flies.

As quickly as time flew, she had aged and was now close to being an old maid….

Well, so what?

She could marry Franz.

Arian had no intention of making an effort.

No, rather, she was beaming at the thought of rejecting all the men and finally marrying Franz.

Time flowed and flowed, and it was time for a meal.

Arian went to the room to call Franz.