My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 85

§ 85. The Princess’s Visit (2)

Sian’s thoughts froze.

What… what did she just say?

Sian wondered if he had heard correctly.

Perhaps his eardrums had momentarily malfunctioned.

But no matter how much he repeated it.

No matter how much he retraced it.

Clearly, the words that came from Elena’s mouth were, “Will you marry me?”

What is this? Really, what is this?

Seriously, what is this?

If Sian were to utter his thoughts right now.

He wouldn’t escape execution for insulting the imperial family.

So, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘Ah.’

Was this the truth Kyle faced?

That Princess Elena was crazy?

Was that why he suddenly disappeared?

Foretelling the future a thousand years from now?

Was that why he abandoned his Arnaise comrades?

And Leah, too?

Was he afraid that marrying Leah and having children would produce someone like this?

He couldn’t tell his Arnaise comrades because they wouldn’t believe him anyway?

Various delusions ran through Sian’s head.

It was as if Sian, along with Elena, had gone mad.

“Judging by your silence, you must be flustered. Even I think… it was quite sudden.”

Again, let me say.

It wasn’t just sudden, but possibly insane.

“But I’m serious. How about it? Will you marry me?”

Elena asked Sian again.

Sian stared blankly at Elena.

She didn’t seem to be joking.

Which made him feel even more absurd.

“I refuse.”

It was a natural refusal.

Elena seemed slightly surprised.

And Sian was surprised by Elena’s surprise.

Was she really serious?

“What’s the reason?”

“I believe we’ve just met.”

“Does meeting for the first time matter when it comes to marriage?”

Doesn’t it matter?

Sian hadn’t been married before, but he knew this much.

“It’s just a political marriage anyway, and we’ll grow fond of each other as we live together.”

But it didn’t seem to be the case for Elena.

Which meant she wasn’t in her right mind.

“Anyway, I refuse. And I should be the one asking. What’s the reason?”

“My brother seems to like you, Lord.”

Elena answered without hesitation.

When Elena said ‘brother,’ she meant none other than Conrad.

The Crown Prince of the Empire.

And Elena’s words that Conrad liked Sian.

Sian was aware of that as well.

He couldn’t have missed it, given the situation in the West.

But what does that have to do with suddenly getting married?

“It’s the first time. It’s the first time my brother has introduced a man to me. He’s always been against it.”

From Elena’s subsequent words, Sian could roughly understand the situation.

So, Elena suddenly coming to Ruben.

It seemed this was Conrad’s meddling to connect Sian and Elena.

To be precise, his intention was for them to get to know each other slowly and build a relationship.

“So, won’t you marry me?”

He certainly didn’t intend for her to go and get married like this!

“I refuse.”

“Why? Everyone wants to marry me. But they all backed down because of my brother and His Majesty’s opposition.”

Well, that’s probably true.

Putting everything else aside, being a princess was a definite plus.

And her appearance was so beautiful.

What man in the world could refuse?

Of course, he would have to be a son-in-law, but that was actually a merit.

He would become a member of the imperial family.

Honestly, there was hardly a man on the continent who would refuse even if she pushed for marriage like this from the start.

To be exact.

“I have no thoughts of marriage yet.”

Except for Sian.

Sian really had no thoughts at all.

He didn’t have any thoughts about marriage right now.

More than anything, he was busy chasing after Kyle.

And he had to gather gold to invest in Ruben.

Unless it was around 1 billion gold…

Sian had no thoughts of marriage at all.

“In the future, even if I do get married, I want to marry someone I’m compatible with. Even if it’s a political marriage, shouldn’t you marry someone you have some feelings for, Princess?”

Elena stared intently at Sian.

He couldn’t understand her thoughts at all.

No, he didn’t really want to know.

Was that why?

“What do you think makes the empire great?”

Elena’s question was also incomprehensible.

What kind of question was that, asking what makes the empire great?

To be precise, wasn’t it a question with a predetermined answer?

Sian slowly opened his mouth.

“Isn’t it Your Majesty the Emperor, His Highness the Crown Prince, and the imperial family members like you, Princess?”

“Do you really think so?”

Sian nodded.

Of course, it was a completely different answer from what Sian thought.

But since it was a question with a predetermined answer, whatever.

Elena slowly opened her mouth.

“I think the power of the many nobles who illuminate the empire is great. Families like Elandur and Rothschild.”

Elena’s gaze turned to Sian.

“The imperial family and the noble families. They are gathered under the same empire, but the connection between them is weak. But wouldn’t it be good if I could strengthen the ties between those noble families and the imperial family, and they could work together to prosper the empire?”

Sian quietly stared at Elena.

Well, honestly, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

The fate of a political marriage.

In a way, it could be seen as a duty as a princess.

So, Elena’s thinking could be considered quite rational.

He thought she was completely out of her mind.

But it didn’t seem to be entirely the case.

It was just that her way of thinking was different from ordinary people.

In other words, her awareness as a princess was too clear.

But there was also a feeling that the direction was off.

“So, you suddenly asked me to marry you?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, but if it’s because of the name of Elandur, you’ve got the wrong person.”

“I’ve heard the rumors. But the name of Elandur isn’t going anywhere, is it?”

It seems your brother didn’t tell you.

It was scheduled to go somewhere within 5 months.

“And it’s the first man my brother has introduced to me.”

Sian unknowingly sighed inwardly.

Should he say she was well-versed in the ways of the world?

Or a flower in a greenhouse who knows nothing?

He couldn’t quite gauge it.

“I will definitely refuse the marriage proposal.”

“Hmm… do you really have no thoughts about it?”

“That’s right.”

“I can’t help it then.”

Elena shook her head as if there was nothing she could do.

Then, Elena reached for the refreshments again.

“Is this the end?”

“You said you didn’t like it. Have you changed your mind already?”

“No. It’s not that…”

Sian really wondered what was going on.

If that was the case, why did the story-linked quest react?

Could it be that the truth Kyle faced was really this?

That Elena a thousand years later was out of her mind?

Was that why Kyle abandoned his Arnaise comrades and Leah and suddenly left?

That’s nonsense…

“Pfft.”

At that moment, Elena burst into laughter.

Looking over, Elena was giggling.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it because of your dumbfounded expression.”

Even as she said that, Elena was still giggling.

Soon, Elena took out a letter from her bosom [inner pocket of her dress].

“Take it.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a letter from the Saintess to you, Lord.”

“…Yes?”

Sian wondered what was going on.

“Why do you have this, Princess?”

“I received it from my brother.”

“…?”

What was this all about?

Everything related to Elena was incomprehensible.

“The Saintess asked my brother to deliver the letter for her. I delivered it for my brother.”

“Are you saying… the reason you came to Ruben was because of this?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t come to marry me?”

“That’s also true.”

With that, Elena picked up a refreshment.

And crunched down on it.

“Hmm…! This is really delicious! If I go back to the imperial palace like this, I’ll only lose my appetite… Do you really not want to marry me?”

“No. And what does the delicious refreshment have to do with marriage?”

“If I marry you, Lord, I can settle down here.”

Sian shook his head.

Elena had already emptied one plate and said.

“I was originally just going to deliver the letter and leave… Can I stay here a little longer?”

“No.”

“You’re too firm.”

“If I’m vague, you’ll force yourself to stay.”

Elena flinched as if she had been caught.

Seeing that, Sian regretted giving her the refreshments.

“My brother told me to look around the territory and come slowly. If I go back like this without getting married, my brother will scold me.”

It was an order from the Crown Prince, so he had nothing to say.

But he still had to say what he had to say.

“Still no.”

“I’ll pay for my stay. I heard you like money…”

Elena took out a voucher from her bosom.

Sian glanced at the amount written on the voucher.

The voucher he checked was…

A whopping 1 million gold.

The same value as 10,000 Fame Points.

It was the amount that could strengthen one more perk when Mobile Lord’s maintenance was over.

‘Crazy.’

Sian muttered without realizing it.

Indeed, the imperial family was the imperial family.

The way they spent money was on a different level.

“Can’t I stay for just 3 days?”

Elena asked.

“I will guide you to the best room in the lord’s castle.”

“Thank you.”

Elena smiled brightly.

#

As Elena left the lord’s castle.

Yale approached as if he had been waiting.

It seemed he had been guarding inside the lord’s castle.

But he didn’t seem to have heard the conversation with Sian.

No matter how much of a guard he was, he wouldn’t eavesdrop on the imperial family’s conversation.

So, Elena briefly explained the situation to Yale.

“I’ve decided to stay here for about 3 days. Is that okay?”

“Of course. In fact, His Highness gave strict orders to keep you for about a week…”

Yale trailed off.

Elena nodded slightly.

Indeed, her brother seemed to really like the man named Sian.

That’s why he had to be caught and married.

But Sian really didn’t seem to have any thoughts of marriage.

He didn’t seem to have a lover either.

It seemed she had to attack him in a different way.

“I want to look around this territory…”

“I will follow you while maintaining a distance.”

Elena calmly moved her steps.

If she looked around the territory, she would know what Sian needed.

And if she offered that as a condition, he might change his mind.

Each filling each other’s needs.

That’s what a political marriage was all about.

She had seen a bit earlier that it was a territory of considerable level…

But the imperial family had many things.

So, Elena roamed the streets of Ruben.

And.

“What is this…”

Elena’s thoughts were shattered before long.

First of all, the neatly organized cityscape that was visible to Elena’s eyes.

Commerce, agriculture, animal husbandry, housing, etc.

The areas were perfectly divided according to each purpose.

Even Elena, who was visiting Ruben for the first time, could easily tell where was where.

In fact, she couldn’t help but be amazed while coming here.

But it was nothing compared to what she was seeing now.

It was truly a fantasy city.

“This is a territory located in the Dark Forest… ?”

She couldn’t even bring up the capital, Darkhan.

No matter what territory or city in the empire she brought up, it wasn’t like this.

Besides.

“Dwarves… ?”

Dwarves were seen on the streets.

Short stature and rugged impression.

They were definitely dwarves.

Dwarves were synonymous with stubbornness.

It wasn’t for nothing that they were called the race of artisans.

Although they had become much milder than before.

They weren’t living under the same roof as humans like this.

They still formed a closed society within their own tribes.

But what was this now…

“This. My dad made me this slingshot. He said you can catch goblins if you use it well.”

“Oh! Let’s go hunting with this! Goblins are still dangerous, so… can’t we catch animal monsters?”

Dwarven and human children.

They were mingling without hesitation.

“What is this…”

Her mind went blank.

And it was at that moment.

-Hey.

Hey?

Elena wondered for a moment.

Hey.

Was she calling me?

That couldn’t be.

It was impossible unless she was crazy.

More than anything, it was a word Elena had never heard in her life.

Who in the world would call a princess ‘Hey’?

The only ones who could were the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince.

But even they didn’t call Elena ‘Hey.’

They would call her by her name.

They would never call Elena ‘Hey.’

Maybe she misheard.

Elena ignored the sound she heard.

But why?

-Oh? Are you ignoring me?

Something suddenly popped into Elena’s view.

It was the figure of a woman.

She felt somewhat similar to herself.

But long, silvery-white hair and a seductive appearance.

And the visible gray-white eyes.

Human but not human-like.

Also, her body was slightly blurred.

People called this.

“A ghost… ?”

…they expressed it as.

#

After Elena left.

Sian checked the letter he received from Elena.

It was a letter from Aria [a powerful cleric].

He didn’t know why she sent it through the Crown Prince.

And he didn’t know why she kept sending letters.

But since she sent it, he had to check it.

Rustle.

“Why is it so long?”

The contents of the letter were quite long.

It started with her latest updates.

It was a story about what had happened in the meantime.

Unnecessary remarks that he wasn’t curious about.

Sian scrolled down like Mobile Lord.

He lowered his gaze all the way down.

And the purpose of this letter was written at the end of the letter.

“The demon detector isn’t working?”

It was about the demon detector not working.

“Could it be really broken?”

Well, it was an object that was over a thousand years old, so it could be.

It was a magical tool made by Elodie [a legendary artificer].

But the time was so long, and the one he sold to Aria was a prototype, wasn’t it?

It was possible─.

“No.”

Sian paused for a moment.

And checked the contents of the letter again.

Come to think of it… it was strange.

The contents of this letter.

That’s because Aria shouldn’t have said, ‘The demon detector isn’t working.’

To be exact, she couldn’t have said that.

The usage that Sian told her last time was, ‘If a demon is nearby, the detector will ring loudly.’

Of course, he added a bit of a lie about the mana stone in the process, but anyway.

It seemed that when Aria held the demon detector.

The detector didn’t work.

That’s why she sent this letter…

The problem was that this couldn’t be.

That’s because if the demon detector didn’t work.

You should think, ‘The target isn’t a demon.’

You shouldn’t think, ‘The demon detector is broken.’

Aria didn’t know anything about the demon detector.

Nevertheless, she had this thought.

There was only one case.

“She is convinced that the target is a demon… ?”

Right then.

Bang!

“Young master. It’s a disaster!”

Suddenly, Hans came in, bursting open the door to the office.

He didn’t even knock, so it seemed quite urgent…

“Lady Leah and the Princess… No, Lady Leah is now…”

“Damn it.”

Sian heard only this much and immediately jumped up from his seat.

“Where is she?”

Sian prayed that Leah wouldn’t fleece Elena like she did Aria.