It was the day of Reiner’s meeting with Nanalie Ronamis, and he was in his room tidying up his appearance. There was a knock on the door, to which he responded, and Dynus entered.
“Pardon my intrusion, Sir Reiner,” Dynus said. “The carriage is ready. We should be heading out soon.”
“Understood. We can leave right away.”
Reiner was slightly nervous about today. Not only would he be meeting with a woman he’d never seen before, but they were meeting to discuss their potential marriage. It was natural for him to be anxious. He remained visibly nervous as he made his way to the entryway where Aester and Toulette already stood, waiting for him. His parents had arrived in the capital several days prior to attend this meeting.
During the margrave’s absence, the Valdia Mark was temporarily being managed by the family butler, Garren, and the knight’s order. Yesterday, Reiner had spent a pleasant night with his family, everyone enjoying food and wine while engaging in friendly conversation. At one point, his intoxicated parents had said, “We’re excited to have grandchildren,” which had made him choke and sent him into a coughing fit. He could understand why his mother would make such a comment, but he never would have imagined those words to come out of his father’s mouth, so it had been a genuine shock.
Getting married so they can become grandparents may be a way of repaying them for everything they’ve done for me, Reiner had thought as he watched his parents drunkenly ask for grandchildren.
Now that he knew how his parents felt, Reiner had decided to set aside his reluctance over discussions of marriage and step into the meeting with a positive outlook. Since he’d had this change of heart, he’d been thinking about how he would handle the meeting, which had led him to feeling nervous.
“What’s wrong, Reiner?” Aester called out. “It’s unusual for you to look so nervous.”
“Oh, I apologize. I was a bit lost in thought.”
“I see...” Aester scratched his cheek and looked slightly embarrassed. “By the way, I’m sorry about yesterday. I think I drank a bit too much wine, and I can’t seem to remember what I said. Do you, Toulette?”
“I could say the same about myself,” Toulette replied, nodding and blushing. “It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to have drinks with Reiner, and I got a bit carried away.”
Neither of them remember how they kept pestering me for grandkids? Reiner thought in disbelief, but he quickly changed his tune. Actually, it might be more embarrassing for them if they did have a clear memory of their drunken actions.
He smiled and said, “I see. You did both drink quite a bit. Next time, please be careful not to drink to the point where you cannot recall things.”
Aester and Toulette let out nervous chuckles.
“You’re right. I’ll be careful.”
“Absolutely, Reiner. I shall be more careful moving forward.”
Just then, Dynus’s voice reverberated throughout the entryway. “I apologize for interrupting, but the meeting is drawing near. I suggest we leave promptly.”
“You’re right, Dynus,” Reiner responded. “We got a little caught up chatting. Let’s hurry.”
With that, the three stepped outside and boarded the carriage, then departed for Count Ronamis’s home.
This was the beginning of Reiner’s marriage meeting.