The title of 'duke' is second only to the emperor or king, and is described as possessing a vast territory that is no less than a capital, enormous wealth, and strong military power.
In addition, peacocks are usually closely related to royalty by descent. If the king dies prematurely due to this connection, he may become regent until the next successor grows up, or he may take the throne directly.
However, the fact that the country is shaken in both cases remains the same. In the latter case, of course, it means that they were scheming against the dark, and in the former case, it is because there are not many cases of tyranny by making a young successor the chief of staff.
For this reason, in many media, people with the status of a duke are often portrayed as enemies of the king. However, this is half right and half wrong.
Let's think conceptually. A king with common sense can't afford to let the duke accumulate so many privates and huge wealth?
No matter how you build up your strength, it is certain that you will be checked by the surrounding forces.
It was the same for the establishment of the Minerva Empire, the Duke of Requilis. At the time of the founding of the Requilis family, they possessed vast territories, huge funds, and strong military power.
However, as time went on, the pressure from those around them increased and their existence seemed to be in jeopardy, so the Requilis family returned all its territory and military power to the emperor.
At the time, it was a shocking decision to everyone, but as time passed, the choice was right. The forces that were holding the duke in check were blown away, and soon they were divided, and naturally, it became a thing of the past.
The imperial family also benefited greatly from the duke giving up all his power, but it did not stop there. The emperor attached the Rechilis family to his side in order to gain more power.
If you don't understand what I'm talking about, it's easier to think of him as the Prime Minister, who is an assistant to the President. When the emperor gives a specific order, the Duke of Requilis takes charge of all 'activities' fields, and so on.
In fact, it was a win-win strategy that helped each other out. It was advantageous because the emperor could strengthen the kingship, and the Rechilis family was able to maintain their authority even though they had no power.
It is understood that the territory returned by the Rechilis family is now divided into two and ruled by two count-level nobles.
"That's why our mansion is in the capital. Because I have to visit the Imperial Palace frequently for work."
"I see."
Inside the carriage heading to the Requilis family mansion.
I was listening to the history of the Requilis family from Marie, who was sitting across from me. As a history savvy me, this was a fact that everyone knew, but I listened quietly.
It's impossible for a girlfriend to proudly explain her family.
Anyway, as explained above, the Requilis family has no estate and only owns a mansion in the capital.
Marquis-level personnel usually serve as field commanders, so most of them are stationed in the border area. Due to this bizarre structure, most of the nobles who can be called powerful are counts.
Of course, this does not mean that the Rechilis family has no power. Since they have a kind of symbiotic relationship with the imperial family, the stronger the emperor's power, the stronger the duke's power naturally.
Besides, the Duke of Requilis has an overwhelmingly good reputation among the people of the Empire. If the Rechilis family becomes in danger due to its checks, there is a high possibility that the people of the Empire will take the first step.
'It's not strange that the two of us work together and commit tyranny, but it's amazing.'
Dead people are bound to rot, but strangely, there have been no signs of such a thing yet.
From this, it can be expected that character education is certain in both places.
In particular, the Rechilis family values humanity more, and as I said before, they mercilessly expel them when they see naughty people.
And even though the siblings Leort and Lina pressured me, it must be said that they treated me like a gentleman (?). If I had been a character destroyer, I would have lightly chewed on my doctor and forced myself to kneel.
Thanks to this, the Minerva Empire did not revolt even once for over 500 years. This is in contrast to the fact that in the Kingdom of Ters, a permanent rival and cultural powerhouse, a revolution beyond rebellion occurred.
Of course, if the aristocrats of the Minerva Empire had mild taste, it should also be taken into account that the nobles of the Teres Kingdom before the revolution had a level beyond spicy. Again, in the Kingdom of Teres, a 'revolution' broke out, not a revolt.
Fortunately, after the outbreak of the revolution, a government similar to the constitutional monarchy was adopted, but it is not without dissonance.
"Oh my. Isaac."
"yes?"
"Aren't you planning on staying overnight in our mansion?"
As I was thinking about the history of the Minerva Empire in my head, Marie's question came to my ears. Then I got out of her thoughts and faced her.
Blue eyes full of anticipation are looking straight at me. Seeing her smile, it seems like she wants me to spend the night in the mansion.
But today, it's literally just a visit to the car. Sleeping in Marine's mansion wasn't in my plans.
"No. I was literally just going to visit today. I've already told my family."
"Ah… yes? It's a pity."
Marie had a genuinely regretful expression on her face. However, seeing the reaction of giving up right away, it seems that I suggested it even though I knew I would reject it.
At that, I laughed a little as if I couldn't dry it. In fact, staying overnight in a house of the opposite s*x is permitted only during engagement.
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Even though I'm Marie's boyfriend, I'm not officially engaged, so it's obvious what kind of attention I'll get if I stay for one night. Marine's parents would think I was rude.
'By the way, it's an engagement…'
The average age of marriage in this world is in the early 20s. You can think of it as mid-to-late teens because it represents the Middle Ages, but it is a bit late because nobles are obliged to graduate from the academy.
Of course, it is not without the case of getting engaged before then. Especially, if you were a high-ranking aristocrat like Marie, you would have had all kinds of marriage conversations from your early teens.
Maybe it was because I thought that my girlfriend was getting married. I asked Marie with half anxiety and half curiosity.
It may be a disrespectful question for other people, but since it is Marie, I can ask it.
"Marie. I was curious, but didn't there ever be a talk about marriage in the past?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Just curious."
"Um… there were a lot of them? Probably because I was from a duke family. I've met a few people in the past. Among them, there was Leort-sama."
"…yes?"
I was expecting it, but I couldn't help it. Considering Marie's origin, this is a natural phenomenon.
Seeing my bitter expression, Marie added an explanation in a slightly urgent voice.
"Of course, I rejected all of them. Few people contact me right now, and Leort-nim only made connections with me."
"You rejected everything? Why?"
"Should I say that I am different on the outside? Many people see me as a political tool. You don't know, but I can instinctively understand people's psychology."
Is it like mind reading? Even in previous lives, there are people who are particularly good at reading people's minds, but Marie seemed to be of the same class.
While I was thinking about it, Marie smiled and said to me. It is a bonus that it contains aegyo.
"That's why I like you. You're not good at lying, let alone pretending, right? I really like that honesty."
"…Am I good at lying too?"
"Anyway, it all shows up on his face, but what the heck. By the way, the little boy…"
"Guest. You have reached your destination."
Before Marie could finish her question, she informed that the driver had arrived at the mansion.
At this, Marie turned to the side where the coachman was sitting, then looked back at me and said,
"I'll ask about this later. Let's get off."
"yes."
quiver-
When I first opened the door and got off, Marie, who was inside, reached out her hand as if it was natural. I smiled and grabbed her hand and gently pulled her down.
When Marie got off, it was time to let go of her hand. When I tried to let her hand off, Marie snapped it tight.
"Where are you going to sneak in? If you're going to escort, you have to do it all the way to the end?"
"haha."
A laugh came out of her cute prank. I smiled as if I couldn't dry it, and looked at the mansion, my destination.
"Wow…"
And as soon as he saw the majesty of the mansion, he had no choice but to exclaim.
The gate, which stretched high into the sky, was high enough to see the end only if you lift your head all the way, and the scenery behind it was also difficult.
The road from the main gate to the mansion and beautiful gardens on both sides. At the end of the road, a mansion that seems to have been designed with great care by architects is standing proudly.
Should I say that it is showing the majesty and grandeur of being ahead of an era? I thought the mansion of my family was also quite large, but Marine's mansion boasted a massive scale enough to ignore the sense of perspective.
"How do you feel? It's amazing? Although our family has no territory, we have a reputation for being as beautiful as a mansion. We entrusted the design to a Dwarf craftsman."
Beside her, Marie bubbled and showed her pride. I glanced at her mansion beyond her gate, and a question came to mind and I asked her.
"How many people live here?"
"About 100 people live there? There are only five gardeners."
Once again there was admiration. The size of the garden you see behind the gate now is huge, but it looks much wider inside.
"Then have a good time."
"Goodbye!"
In the meantime, as the coachman politely said goodbye and left, Marie saw him off with a lively voice. I also looked at the back of the departing wagon and waited until it disappeared.
Then, around the time the carriage got farther away, Marie turned her gaze to me and opened her mouth. A fresh smile hung on her face.
"Shall we go in now?"
"yes."
Naturally, the hand is held in a friendly state. The point is that he gave strength as if he would never let go.
I'm tired of this, too, so I took a step forward with a strong hand. Even people who do not know will know at once that we are lovers.
"yes?"
Eventually, when I almost reached the front door, I couldn't help but wonder when I saw the two people standing in front of the gate.
He was not wearing a uniform, but wearing heavy armor, and a sword was hung around his waist. He is not just a guard, just by looking at his seemingly armed state.
As I said before, the Rechilis family returned all their territories and enlisted men to the imperial family. But now, a well-armed soldier is waiting in front of the gate with a solemn expression.
"Stop! Reveal your identity…!"
The soldiers guarding the entrance were about to shout if they had found us. As soon as the soldier saw Marie, his eyes widened, revealing his doubts.
"Si… Huh? Princess Marie?"
"Ah. Uncle Riggs. It's been a while."
It seems that Marie also recognized the guards. Apparently, the two were spherical to each other.
Next, the soldier whom Marie called Ricks opened his mouth saying, "Ah," as he realized something too late.
"Ah. Come to think of it, did you say it's the vacation period starting today? I was rebuked by the Duke."
"Yes. Looks like the Golden Eagle Knights are on duty this month?"
"That's right. But the person next to you…"
I moved the gaze of the soldier who had been conversing with Marie to me. This was the moment when I was startled and opened my mouth.
Wow!
"He's my boyfriend!"
Rather than holding hands, Marie answered with her arms crossed. I wasn't embarrassed, but she leaned on my shoulder and was busy muttering.
Riggs was also a little embarrassed by her sudden action, but then burst into laughter.
"Heh heh heh. Did you have a boyfriend? This is true. I didn't notice."
"No. It could be."
"Okay. Zeek. You can open the door now."
"Yeah."
When Riggs gave orders to the soldier who was on duty, the soldier walked to the center of the gate. Then he pressed something with his finger as if he were pressing a button.
profit-
Then the huge gate began to slowly open. Because of the usual maintenance, no noise was heard except when the door was opened.
Finally, the gates were fully opened, and Ricks nodded and gave us a hearty welcome.
"Welcome to the Requilis family. We wish you both a good time."
"Thank you. Uncle Riggs, you do your best too."
"Oh, you're in a lot of trouble."
Unlike Marie, who greeted me warmly, I greeted with a slightly shaky voice. Ricks looked at the two of us like that and smiled warmly.
"You're young."
"… …"
As they passed through the gate, Ricks' words dug into his ears. His face flushed with embarrassment, but he didn't show it.
profit-
Subsequently, the fully opened gate was closed again and returned to its original state. I looked at the soldiers on duty in front of the gate and then moved my head forward.
It was a mansion that boasted great majesty even outside the entrance, but once inside, it was on a different level. It was not just a mansion, but boasted a beauty and a sense of majesty that was comparable to a palace.
Should a peacock be a peacock? It is an appearance that only exudes admiration to the extent that it is impossible to close its open mouth.
"Come on, let's go. I'll introduce you to our mansion later."
"…Yeah. But what about those people earlier? Didn't they say that the duke has no enlisted men?"
"There are no enlisted soldiers, so the imperial family is dispatched. It's a device to protect authority."
"I see."
I proceeded to the mansion with my arms crossed with Marie. Since the mansion is at the end of the road, it was expected that it would take a long time to reach it.
bum- bum-
"… …"
During that time, no words were spoken between us. As the conversation was cut off, a strange atmosphere naturally rose.
Is it because of this? Marie passed her arms crossed and leaned on my shoulder, and I was busy looking around at first.
Kook-
But soon Marie clasped her arms tighter and focused on her again. She hadn't recognized it before, but as she crossed her arms, the feel of her soft breasts was transmitted through her school uniform.
Although he had been in a relationship in his previous life, he had little immunity in this area. To be more precise, it would be correct to say that the immune system is completely weakened.
In any case, this situation is too provocative for me. Like Cecily, a woman's breasts were too effective to make a man's heart boil.
Moreover, from a certain moment, the gait slowed down, giving off a strange atmosphere. If it had been night instead of day, this atmosphere would have gotten even darker.
ugh-
I didn't know what to say, so I put my cheek to her head first. I'm on the short side, but I can do this.
"Ugh…"
Marie also made a pleasant sound when I gently put my face to it. The two of us put our heads together for a while, as if sharing our thoughts.
"…Isaac."
"yes."
"I was just asking about something… May I ask?"
"ask."
When my blunt permission fell, Marie took her head off my shoulder and looked straight at me. Her me, too, relaxed her posture and faced her.
Her cheeks, which were like white snow, were dyed red like the sunset, and her eyes as clear as the blue sea were filled with love. She still had her arms crossed, so they could see each other more clearly because their faces were close.
When a smile flowed from the beautiful and young Mari's face, she asked me in a whisper-like voice.
"Isak, there was no such thing as a wedding in the old days?"
"Um… I know it wasn't."
Not a lie, it really wasn't.
My father was promoted from a commoner to a noble, so he had a rather narrow network, and my mother was the person my father met when he was a knight.
In addition, marriage talks are essentially close to arranged marriage. Even if he said his father had a reputation as a red lion in the past, that was during his knighthood, and his political power has not been proven.
Even more so, my parents prefer a love marriage rather than an arranged marriage. Even if there was a marriage talk, my parents might have resolved it without me knowing.
"…Yes? Good luck."
Marie put on a look of relief that she had figured out by mind reading that my answer was true.
When I was puzzled by him, Marie shoved me in.
"Then maybe I'm the first to talk about marriage?"
"…What?"
In an instant, I lost my mind. It was hard to come to terms with the sudden stone ball.
Perhaps not knowing my feelings, Marie smiled and played mischievously.
As if he is ashamed of himself, his face is getting red in real time.
"Why are you so embarrassed? It's not unusual for a wedding to happen at our age, isn't it?"
"that…"
Is this the Middle Ages? I couldn't help but be very embarrassed because I had memories of my previous life.
After all, it is difficult for me to accept it easily because it is like talking about marriage with a high school student.
I'm actually dating that high school student, but I'm getting married too quickly. It was a sense of disparity caused by the difference in time.
"Are you afraid my parents will reject me? Don't worry too much. My parents aren't very harsh people. I don't really care because only my brother, who will inherit the family, gets married and gets married."
Marie gently comforted me if I had misunderstood that I was confused and unable to speak in a different way.
I thought to myself how to explain it, then took a long breath and answered softly.
"…I'm still embarrassed. Why are you bringing up that story all of a sudden?"
"I just like you, and I want to help you when writing a book later."
"Books? Xenon's biography?"
"Yeah. Imagination alone has its limits, right? And it's much better to experience once than to hear a hundred times.
Then, with her arms crossed, she brought her face closer and whispered in my ear.
"I can help you a little."
"… …"
Just as quirky and creepy as Cecily, her voice is enough to make a man's heart pound.
After hearing that voice, I had no choice but to cover my face with one hand. His hands were all hot as the heat rose to his face.
After experiencing the sweet and spicy version of Marie myself, I think I'm going to lose my mind right away.
'…I'm glad that Xenon's biography is the entire audience.'
He had no idea what kind of questioning he would have been subjected to if he had written a nightmare.
"Look at this. It's all on your face, right?"
"…shut up."
"Huh? Is my Isaac mad? Would you like a kiss?"
"… …"
The child was starting to get stinky.