Midori gaped at Mai.
"Forced, how?" She asked the maid in confusion.
Mai lowered her voice to a whisper before she answered.
"Minato-bocchan is getting on age, and Master was getting rather impatient."
Ah.
Now that she thought about it, Minato's circumstances were rather intriguing.
At thirty years old, he possessed a combination of traits that made him the epitome of an eligible bachelor -- Handsome, rich, intelligent, and a stable livelihood on his own.
He was every mother's dream son-in-law.
Yet, despite his enviable position, Minato's personal life remained shrouded in mystery. "Dream Of The Ancient Period" made no mention of any romantic entanglements in Minato's life. This omission left readers like Midori with a sense of curiosity and anticipation, wondering what secrets lay hidden beneath Minato's impeccably tailored exterior.
In other novels she read, the mysterious absence of a romantic partner usually called for a plot twist.
Maybe Minato fell in love with an older, married woman and was currently engaged in a forbidden affair with said woman!
Maybe Minato was a homosexual!
Maybe Minato was a cold-blooded person, unable to fall in love with anyone!
The moment Mai's lips unsealed, a torrent of words cascaded forth, an unstoppable waterfall of thoughts and emotions that threatened to engulf her in its wake.
"Fumiko-san came to visit Chie-san three months ago, and Minato-bocchan just happened to be there.
One thing led to another, and the next time Minato-bocchan came again, Master started speaking favorably of Fumiko-san. He did it again and again until Minato-bocchan had no choice but to agree!"
A sigh, heavy with unspoken sorrow, escaped Mai's lips as her gaze drifted towards the distance, her mind painting a melancholic portrait of Minato.
In her imagination, she envisioned his handsome face etched with dejection, his spirit crushed under the weight of an arranged marriage orchestrated by his domineering grandfather.
"Poor Minato-bocchan," she said.
Midori's eyebrows arched skeptically as she turned to her maid, her expression a blend of amusement and disbelief.
"Poor Minato-bocchan?" she echoed, her voice laced with irony. The Minato she had encountered in the pages of the novel was far from the meek and obedient image her maid portrayed.
Her Minato Onii-chan was not a dutiful son or grandson, content to follow the dictates of his elders without question. No, this Minato was a rebel, a free spirit who chafed against the constraints of tradition and societal expectations.
A soft smile laced Midori's lips once she heard all she needed to hear from Mai.
"If I were you, I would not be worried about Minato-niichan," Midori said confidently. "He is not going to marry Fumiko-san."
"But Mii-chan..."
Mai's eyes widened in disbelief as she gazed at Midori, her expression a captivating blend of amusement and bewilderment.
"They spend time together every week," Mai insisted. "Fumiko-san's parents have come to visit a few times to discuss the engagement and wedding. I don't think that Minato-bocchan can escape this arrangement..."
"Oh, shush."
Midori gave Mai a dismissive wave.
"We will see what I can do about it."
"Midori Ojou-sama..."
"I told you not to call me Ojou-sama," Midori said with a giggle.
Mai bit into her lower lip before she bowed deeply in front of Midori.
"I am not doing it to act distant. I love to refer you as the Ojou-sama. We are all so happy that Ojou-sama is back. Even Onizuka-san."
A shameless grin spread on Midori's face.
"Really? You all do not like Chie-san and Fumiko-san?"
Mai's face turned pale when she heard the question.
"N-no! That's not it! It's just that everyone missed Ojou-sama very much."
Midori needed no confirmation from Mai to decipher the unspoken tensions that simmered beneath the surface of the Takigawa household. There was a reason, a deeply rooted reason, why Chie had sought her removal from the estate three years ago.
As long as Midori remained within the Takigawa walls, she kept the title Ojou-sama, the woman with the highest authority in the Takigawa household.
Chie, despite her marriage to Shuugo, the eldest Takigawa grandson, remained an outsider, a newcomer navigating the intricate web of familial dynamics.
Blood was thicker than water, after all.
But now that Midori was back, she would make sure to put Chie in her place.
With a steely resolve that mirrored the unyielding strength of the Takigawa name, Midori vowed to protect her family's legacy from any perceived threat. She would not allow Chie to exploit her marriage to Shuugo as a means of infiltrating the household and disrupting the delicate balance of power in the family!
Midori's resolve proved to be short-lived when she was summoned by her grandfather the next morning.
The delicious leek-free breakfast had yet to be digested, but they threatened to shoot up her throat when she came face-to-face with a meticulously prepared biodata of a potential suitor.
The leather-bound album contained a great deal of information about a certain man who bore the name Akiyama Kinoshita.
Within its protective confines lay a portrait of a man in his twenties, his visage captured in a moment of quiet contemplation. His gaze, directed towards the unseen lens, held a hint of apprehension, a subtle tension etched into the lines of his face.
Grandpa Takigawa's voice seemed to come from a place far, far away from Midori when he spoke next.
"Midori-san, I have taken care to select a potential husband for you. The Kinoshita family has had intimate relations with our Takigawa family for generations.
I trust that you met Akiyama-san a few times when both of you were still very young."
Speechless, Midori gaped at Grandpa Takigawa, who took her silence as a sign of acknowledgment and acceptance.
"I have asked Shuugo-san to get in contact with the Kinoshita family to speak about a prospective marriage between you and Akiyama-san.
The Kinoshita family is willing to accept you the way you are."
Grandpa Takigawa then shoved a rectangular card containing the address of a famous tea house at the heart of Tokyo.
You shall meet Akiyama-san today afternoon in this tea house. Onizuka shall drive you."
But Grandpa!
Midori screamed in her head.
I had just gotten out of a horrible, impulsive marriage! I am not interested in pursuing another one!