Chapter 3 – “A Deal Between Power and Pride”
“……”
Enoch silently pressed a towel to his face, which the butler had just handed him. Conrad was mistaken — dangerously mistaken.
Yes, the Aratus family’s situation was dire, and the household could crumble at any moment. But Enoch was still the head of one of the empire’s oldest noble houses — and the general who had returned victorious from war.
Did Conrad really think his master didn’t already know what was happening?
“Ben,” Enoch said quietly. “The documents I asked for.”
“They’re ready, my lord.”
The butler stepped forward and presented a bundle of neatly organized papers.
〈Agatha Nobilis〉
The name on the first page made Conrad’s eyes nearly pop out.
“What?! You already knew? And you just sat there doing nothing all this time? You knew I was tearing my hair out over the finances—!”
“Please calm yourself, Sir Conrad,” the butler interrupted smoothly, trying to restrain him.
Meanwhile, Enoch, still with the towel draped around his neck, skimmed through the report.
He already knew a fair bit about Lady Agatha Nobilis. Even before he’d been dragged to war as a child, she had already been through two political marriages.
“She must’ve been… thirteen back then,” he murmured.
That would make her around twenty-three now — three years older than he was. He’d also heard at the recent victory ball that she’d divorced her sixth husband.
The butler continued, once Conrad had been successfully calmed down.
“After coming of age, she gained independence from His Majesty regarding marriage matters. Since then, she’s married three times — and, as you know, divorced every time.”
Conrad gave a low whistle of amazement.
“Truly remarkable. Only a Nobilis could do that! Even with inheritance rights, most noblewomen could never divorce so freely. This just proves how much power she wields.”
He wasn’t wrong. In noble society, women couldn’t inherit noble titles, but they could inherit wealth — and Agatha had inherited everything.
Her family line was nearly as ancient as the imperial house, and her fortune was said to rival the royal treasury itself. Add to that the fact that her godfather was the emperor, and her childhood friend the crown prince — she was, in short, untouchable.
“What about assassination or kidnapping attempts?” Enoch asked.
“They happen frequently, my lord,” the butler replied. “She’s the only surviving heir. After each divorce, she goes into seclusion for safety, but since she recently began moving about again, it appears she’s looking for a new guard. Most old noble families are reluctant, of course — paid protection is considered dishonorable.”
“The next heir would be from another country?”
“Yes, my lord. Which is why His Majesty takes such interest in Lady Nobilis’s future offspring.”
Enoch nodded slowly. If Agatha died without children, her inheritance would pass to distant relatives — many of whom were aligned with foreign powers. Some of those relatives had already tried to abduct her to force a marriage.
Because only the family head could command the Nobilis knights, Agatha — as heiress, not lord — had no military power of her own.
The noble vultures knew it and took advantage.
Assassinations and kidnappings had become almost routine.
Enoch gave a humorless smile. He, who had recently purged his own treacherous relatives from the capital, understood that world all too well.
“Let’s move to the study,” he said at last.
Once there, he sat behind his desk and read through the rest of the documents while the butler served tea. Conrad, standing nervously in front of him, swallowed hard.
‘What decision will he make?’ he wondered.
Enoch knew this wasn’t just about money — it was about politics, danger, and bloodlines tangled in power.
Agatha’s fortune was astronomical, but her defenses were nonexistent.
Her family’s knight order had been disbanded when she was five, and since she had never been officially made head of the house, she still couldn’t summon them.
What remained of the Nobilis army was locked outside the estate walls, leaderless and neglected for nearly eighteen years.
How functional they were now was anyone’s guess.
“Master…”
“Hmm?”
Conrad hesitated, then set down another document.
〈Aratus Family Financial Report〉
“……”
Enoch pressed his fingers to his temples.
‘Right. As if anything in my life was ever easy.’
Nothing had been easy since he’d been forced to the front lines at ten years old — threatened by his own family with his sister’s forced marriage if he refused.
War, politics, betrayal… every victory had come with a price.
But if Lady Nobilis wanted to hire the Aratus knights — and was willing to pay handsomely — then perhaps, for once, that price would be worth it.
Honor didn’t feed soldiers. Gold did.
“Very well,” he said finally.
Conrad practically shouted in joy. “At last! We’re saved! We’ll finally breathe again!”
While Conrad jumped up and down, the butler quietly set a steaming cup of tea before Enoch.
“I’ll reach out to Lady Nobilis’s household at once, my lord.”
“Good. I’ll leave it to you.”
* * *
A few days later, society was buzzing.
Rumor had it that the Marquess of Aratus had responded favorably to Lady Nobilis’s proposal.
While the Aratus family could barely afford to attend social events these days, Agatha, a master of high society, heard the gossip in her own drawing room before lunch.
“…Lady Iris Dominia, I can’t tell you how delighted I am to hear such wonderful news…”
She immediately sent a joyful letter to her friend and began preparing to enter the palace.
The agreement wasn’t official yet — there was still much to confirm: the knights’ skill, the house’s current condition, and the terms of the contract.
To do that, she needed an introduction. And who better to provide it than the crown prince himself?
He was spoiled, lazy, and infuriating — but his status was impeccable.
“Let’s go,” she told her maid.
“Yes, my lady.”
With the capital guard escorting her, Agatha rode through the palace gates.
At the prince’s residence, she was greeted not by the prince but by his chief attendant.
“Welcome, Lady Nobilis.”
“Where is His Highness?”
“Still in his chambers, my lady.”
Of course he was. Her childhood friend — His Highness Prince Anthony Roxbard — was still asleep in the middle of the day.
Without hesitation, the attendant opened the door to his bedroom.
“Wake up, Your Highness!”
Agatha stormed in and kicked the half-naked prince’s leg through the blankets. The pale man groaned and fumbled for the covers.
“Ugh… who…? Agatha?”
“Get up! I need your help.”
Her tone didn’t sound remotely like a request, but none of the three — not the prince, not Agatha, not even the attendant — seemed to think that was strange.
“I told you not to barge in when I’m sleeping. Can’t you ever let me rest?”
“Then stay awake once in a while. You spend half your life asleep. If I didn’t wake you, when exactly would I talk to you? Get dressed and meet me in the garden.”
“…Fine, fine.”
Grumbling, the prince dragged himself out of bed. His well-toned body might have impressed others, but Agatha had seen it too many times to care.
She turned to the attendant.
“Bathe him, then bring him to the garden. We’ll dine there. Prepare the table.”
“Yes, my lady.”
As she left, someone muttered under their breath, “Why don’t you just be the crown prince instead?”
Naturally, no one dared say it louder.
After about twenty minutes, Prince Anthony appeared in the garden, freshly washed but still looking half-asleep. He slumped into the chair across from her.
“So,” he mumbled, “what is it this time?”
“How about hosting a hunting party?”
“Why? Who do you want me to invite? Oh—wait, right. You mentioned offering protection to that Aratus fellow. Did he accept?”
“Yes. I want to see his skills myself. I’ll need you to make the introductions.”
“What’s in it for me?”
Ah, there it was. Even as her godfather’s son and her childhood friend, Anthony Roxbard never did favors for free.
“The horse you’ve been eyeing,” she said flatly.
His expression lit up instantly. “Deal! I’ll send the invitation right now, Lady Nobilis!”
He barked for stationery, scribbled out a letter on the spot, and stamped it with the royal seal. Moments later, the royal courier departed for the Aratus mansion.
It had been about a week since Agatha had first hinted her intentions toward the Aratus family.
As they shared lunch, the prince stole one of her desserts and squinted at her teasingly.
“So tell me, how many times are you planning to get married, exactly? Trying to rewrite the empire’s marriage history?”
“What am I doing wrong? Look around you, Your Highness — do you see any decent men?”
“So it’s their fault now? I heard the Duchess of Neuta and her mother couldn’t stand you.”
“That’s because my ex-husband was a coward who let them treat me like dirt.”
Her tone was sharp but calm. Theodore Neuta, her sixth husband, had been competent at his job — but utterly useless at home.
Anthony glanced at another report lying on the table — Enoch Aratus’s profile — and tapped it with a finger.
“So… this one. Is he your seventh husband candidate?”
Agatha smiled faintly. “Who knows? Right now, I just need a guard.”
She sighed and leaned back in her chair.
“Oh, and when I get home today,” she added casually, “there’s probably going to be another assassination attempt. So, lend me a few of your guards, Your Highness.”
