A One-Year Grace Period

Ensius Alemire was the youngest of the Alemire family and an Omega. Even considering that he was a descendant of a Count’s family and the youngest child, he was, in total, a fairly decent marriage partner—especially since he was a dominant Omega.

That is to say, it would have been the case if he didn’t suffer from Utia disease.

[To be honest, while I am willing to proceed with marriage talks with the Alemire family, I do not wish to proceed with one for ‘Ensius’ Alemire.]

Utia disease is an ailment that causes a person to freeze to death even under a scorching sun. To put it simply, it is a disease that slowly freezes the mana circuits starting from the extremities, and there is no proper cure.

It cannot be treated with holy power, and related research has never been properly conducted. In the first place, there are so few people suffering from Utia disease that there was nothing to be done about it.

However, as if there were a silver lining, it was heard that using Sun Grass could temporarily repel the illness.

Emphasis on ‘temporarily’.

[You are the successor of the Lassius family. That means you have a duty to think of the future generations.]

Could such a person really take someone suffering from Utia disease as a partner? Someone who has had a disease with no known cause or cure since birth?

Daring to be blunt: he should not.

As long as there is no cure for Utia disease, Ensius is an unsuitable partner for marriage. The Alemire family knows this fact as well, which is likely why they let Ensius’s debutante period pass quietly.

The Matriarch, looking at her son who had confessed his feelings for the first time, suppressed her feelings of apology and recited the reality of the situation.

[Even with Utia disease, pregnancy might be possible. Yes, I can understand that much. But are you certain that the Sun Grass used as medicine will have no effect on the fetus?]

Sun Grass is a medicinal herb only for those suffering from Utia disease. Like its name, the plant emits a heat as intense as the sun, making it a dangerous plant that can cause burns if handled carelessly.

Even when the leaves are refined, they do not lose that heat. If a person not suffering from Utia disease were to directly inhale the smoke, they could suffer internal injuries.

Agniele could say nothing and merely gripped his hands tightly.

[I know your feelings are fond, but as you said, I am the Matriarch. There are times when I must prioritize the family over your feelings as my son, and I believe now is one of those times.]

The Matriarch concluded her words, pretending not to see her pitiful child. Judging by her firm attitude, she had no intention of folding her will.

As Agniele bowed his head in a miserable mood, the Duke, who had been looking back and forth between his wife and son, spoke in a low voice.

[If his heart were something that could be easily folded by opposition, he wouldn’t have brought the story up in the first place… How about giving him a chance?]

[My Lord!]

The Matriarch, startled, raised her voice but belatedly bit her lip. The Duke wrapped his arm around her shoulder and offered a soft smile.

The Matriarch furrowed her brow at the suggestion to wait and see. However, since it was proper to respect the will of the Head of the house, she only turned her head away and did not block his words.

[Since you said you want to seek permission from the individual directly, try doing as you wish once. However, if you do promise to marry him, you must present us with proper evidence at that time that he will be able to carry on the lineage.]

Since the Matriarch’s concerns were valid, the Duke could not give unconditional permission. When he presented a compromise, Agniele’s complexion, which had brightened for a moment, darkened again.

The couple’s hearts almost weakened once more at their son’s transparent reaction—he who usually maintained an expressionless face to hide his emotions—but the weight of responsibility on their shoulders was not light.

[The deadline will be… yes. It’s best to make it until the marriage ban is lifted. Since the Crown Prince and his partner have already been internally decided, the ban will be lifted in a year.]

The Duke was certain about the duration of the marriage ban because all those procedures were practically a matter of formality. While it might have been different in the early days of the Empire, now it merely meant to exercise self-restraint until the imperial celebration took place.

[If there is no change in the situation even after the deadline, then you must get engaged to the partner the family decides for you.]

“Do you dislike that?”

When the Duke asked as if testing him, Agniele immediately shook his head.

“Thank you for respecting my will, My Lord.”

Since they had respected his will first, Agniele naturally had to follow their wishes as well. Finding a cure within just one year would not be an easy task, but Agniele knew well that asking for more time than that would be mere stubbornness.

However, since he had no desire to declare it impossible without even trying, he calmly bowed his head.

The Duke faintly curled his lips at the calm but steadfast will felt through the crystal ball.

[Good. Then, try your best.]

With a short farewell, the Duke cut off the mana flowing into the communication device.

As Agniele’s image vanished, the Matriarch threw off her dignified facade and looked at the Duke with a slight frown.

“Iel is already at marriageable age. He even had his debut two years ago, and if he doesn’t get engaged this year, strange rumors might circulate. Are you not worried?”

“But my dear, the reason you left an opening at the beginning was also because you wanted to grant Iel’s wish if possible.”

The Matriarch could not refute the Duke’s words. As she remained silent, biting her lips in vain, the Duke offered a thin smile.

“So let us give him a chance. Even if they don’t end up together, he will learn something from the experience.”

“…Then what about his marriage prospects?”

“The name of the Lassius family still carries weight. Surely we can find one marriage partner for the successor.”

“Honey!”

Despite the blunt question, the Duke merely shrugged. At the behavior that seemed to say everything was fine, the Matriarch called him in a state of shock.

“Haha!”

After letting out a hearty laugh at his wife’s shout, the Duke gently held her in his arms, soothing her.

“Do not worry too much. …More than that, my dear, are we not overlooking the most important point right now?”

“What is it?”

The Matriarch tilted her head, unable to guess. Although it was an act unsuited for the situation, the Duke instinctively left a short kiss on the forehead of his still-beautiful wife.

“Is it not unknown whether Ensius, that child, will even obediently accept Agniele’s proposal?”

He continued casually. The Matriarch tried to be annoyed by the Duke’s playful behavior in a serious situation, but she was drawn into the conversation.

“Still, Agniele is the successor of the Lassius family… Could he not accept immediately?”

“I wonder—.”

The Duke elongated his words and grinned like a mischievous boy.

“It is merely a hunch, but for some reason, I don’t think it will be easy.”

“…What is that supposed to mean?”

The Matriarch let out a hollow breath at the words that lacked any credibility. She considered being angry at the Duke’s lighthearted attitude, but her strength left her at the sight of him laughing exactly as he did the day she fell in love with him.

‘Yes, it is only a year.’

She comforted herself, thinking that it was a very short time considering Agniele’s future.

Ensi tapped the pipe between his fingers in a steady rhythm. Lily, who had initially ignored it, eventually turned her head to look at Ensi at the endless sound.

However, perhaps it was an unconscious action, as Ensi was merely frowning, oblivious to Lily’s gaze. Finally, unable to take it any longer, Lily spoke.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hm?”

At the question he felt was out of the blue, Ensi tilted his head.

‘It really was an unconscious action.’ Lily felt a small sense of joy at her guess being correct and pointed to Ensi’s hand holding the pipe.

“Is something not going well? You’ve been tapping the pipe for a while.”

“…I have?”

“Yes, you.”

Ensi looked down at his hand as if seeing it for the first time. He flicked his wrist a couple of times and then tucked the pipe away into his robes. The place wasn’t suitable for burning more herbs anyway.

“My mood is a little—not great.”

Specifically, an unknown anxiety was clogging his chest. It was a feeling that although nothing had happened yet, something was about to. It was a mere intuition, but since starting his new life, it had become so accurate that he couldn’t easily ignore it.

“Really? That’s unusual.”

Lily found it strange that Ensi, who was skilled at suppressing his emotions, was so agitated, but she didn’t pry further. She had something else on her mind.

“Ensi, you won’t run away today, right?”

Lily, having found out that Ensi had skipped many classes while she was preoccupied with Agniele, looked at him with narrowed eyes. Ensi swallowed his words, offering a meaningless smile at Lily’s persistent gaze.

“Ensi?”

“I think Agniele has already arrived at the training grounds.”

“Changing the subject, are we… I started to feel a bit sorry for Agniele, so I decided to go easy on him for a while.”

If you think about it, wasn’t Agniele just following his family’s wishes? She also knew that her actions were a form of harassment, so she felt guilty whenever she faced an exhausted Agniele. Of course, that didn’t mean she was giving up.

“So you’re continuing.”

“How can I stop when I see results? Now is the time to be shameless for the sake of Bambi and my future.”

Following “Baby Deer,” now it was “Bambi.” Ensi easily realized who she was referring to and momentarily made a sour expression. Truly, it was a nickname he could never get used to, no matter how many times he heard it.