E-Book Exclusive Side Story: I Have No Intention of Getting Married
A year had passed since the coup in the Dirésias Kingdom, and a shocking rumor spread throughout the palace. It concerned the marriage of Duke Reynaldo Rose—the right hand of the new king, the ringleader of the coup, the prime minister, and lord of the northern territories.
In the year since the coup, Reynaldo had made every effort to keep the kingdom at peace. The spread of this rumor might serve as proof that he succeeded, a single man contemplated somberly within an office of the chivalric order. His name was Albert McClain, and he’d also supported the coup one year ago.
Albert was born into a family of knights that should have received a peerage many generations ago. Nevertheless, he’d received the rank of viscount and a portion of the Hubert region—his hometown—one year ago. Though he was now a member of the landed gentry, his life hadn’t changed much. Rather, he continued to serve as the high commander of the kingdom’s chivalric order.
Frankly, his wife was more skilled at running their household and managing their territory than him. Before long, she’d taken control of these matters, and thanks to her efforts, he spent his days in the chivalric order’s offices. Albert was endlessly grateful for this; he was better suited to wielding a sword than pushing a pen.
Now then…
As someone who worked in the palace, Albert had also heard the rumors of Duke Reynaldo Rose’s marriage. According to the initial gossip, he would soon marry a young noblewoman, but over the past two weeks, her name had changed twice.
Where had this gossip arisen from? No one knew, but Reynaldo had made a statement to his retainers to quell the confusion.
“I have no intention of getting married.”
This statement hadn’t only shaken single women to their cores. Married women and even men had been equally surprised.
After all, Reynaldo had come into a great deal of power while still a bachelor. Some critics even accused him of being the true authority in Dirésias. He was intelligent, a capable prime minister, and had earned King Rizel’s deep trust. Likewise, he was praised for keeping Dirésias on its feet, as he excelled at statecraft and foreign diplomacy.
Many people sought to get close to Reynaldo. As his old friend, Albert knew about the innumerable letters he’d received concerning political marriages. Yet, rather than looking at those letters, he burned them as a substitute for kindling.
Albert sighed deeply, looking at the multiple letters in his hand.
So he has no intention of marrying, does he?
Many families still sought a political marriage from Reynaldo, despite knowing he burned all letters related to the subject. They were using any means necessary to get his attention. This included sending even more letters to Albert, asking for his help.
“Boss,” Eva said in exasperation while doing paperwork next to Albert. “If you keep sighing as a newlywed, it’s going to invite misunderstandings.”
Albert frowned. “What kind of misunderstandings?”
“That things aren’t going well with your wife, for instance.”
“That’s ridiculous. Things couldn’t possibly be going any better… I think.”
“Why the hesitation at the end?”
Personally, Albert found his marriage life favorable. He’d never been happier, and that wasn’t an exaggeration. As a young lad, he’d harbored faint romantic feelings for Rosemary, and half a year ago, he’d wed her reincarnation—Mary.
Though Albert was uptight and quite a bit older than Mary, they’d come together as husband and wife. Half a year later, he could hardly believe his own reality. If possible, he would go back in time and redo his disgraceful proposal, but despite his pathetic display, she’d still accepted. Nothing in the world could make him happier.
But truthfully, Albert was still insecure. Mary was such a charming woman that King Rizel fell in love with her at first sight. In Albert’s estimation, the king still pined for her, but he’d buried those feelings after learning her identity as Rosemary’s reincarnation. Rizel’s consideration elicited guilt and gratitude in Albert, considering how uneasy the situation made him.
However, his greatest source of anxiety stemmed from another person: Reynaldo Rose. Rosemary’s younger brother claimed that he wouldn’t make a move on Mary. He’d even supported Albert and Mary’s romance.
This was likely the result of Reynaldo considering Mary’s happiness. As someone who always put Rosemary first, he’d probably decided that he couldn’t make Mary happy. Thus, he removed himself from the equation. No, Reynaldo hadn’t spoken these thoughts out loud, but all the same, he knew about Mary’s worries concerning her feelings for Albert. Since he still viewed Mary as his sister’s ghost, he backed off.
“…How terrifying,” Albert muttered to himself.
If his assumptions were correct, he’d gotten lucky. Of course, he had no intention of giving up the fortune he’d seized. Chuckling to himself, Albert grabbed a bunch of the letters on his desk and stuffed them into a drawer. I’ll ask Eva to send letters of refusal on Reynaldo’s behalf, Albert thought while resuming his work.