“I am only saying this to make things clear, the engagement of Bianca and Heir Cain von Estel was not brought about by any kind of outside political pressure or through a deal. I only found out about this not too long ago, but it seems that the two of them were sincerely in love, overcoming the bad ties between the two families.”
‘He’s good at bullsh!tting.’
The Marquis Castana’s ridiculous statement made me feel disgusted. If he was going to fabricate such a far-fetched story, wouldn’t it have been polite to at least discuss it with me first?
“However, at the same time, I expected that the blood relatives of the family would not be easily convinced of this engagement. It was a very sudden announcement, and most of all, aren’t there many people in the family who don’t like the Heir to Estel? That’s why I, along with the Heir to Estel, prepared this event.”
‘…What?’
The moment my name left the lips of the Marquis Castana, all eyes in the room turned toward me.
I was utterly bewildered.
When had I ever agreed to such a farcical situation? Could Bianca’s words about ‘acting according to all circumstances’ really have meant this?
“An engagement is a promise made between families. The opinion of the individuals involved is undoubtedly the most important, but since the betrothal is made in the name of the family, I acknowledge that everyone here has the right to question it. So, I will give you a chance—a chance to ask us any questions you have about this engagement.”
As the Marquis Castana said this, he glanced at me, and I didn’t miss the slight, almost sinister, twist of his lips.
“The Heir to Estel has not formally inherited the title yet, but he is a great nobleman who will lead the duchy after the current Duke of Estel. I trust that you will not be rude to him.”
“…..”
In fact, it would be utterly rude to consider me anything but a captive in this orchestrated charade.
‘…He’s as cunning as a raccoon. So, this is how he’s going to play it?’
It wasn’t hard to infer why the Marquis of Castana had suddenly arranged this gathering. It was so blatant that I couldn’t help but notice it.
‘He’s testing me.’
The sudden change in the engagement’s conditions made more sense now. I hadn’t expected the Marquis to assemble all the family members for a hearing like this, but technically, it wasn’t a breach of our contract.
When Bianca and I had made our verbal agreement, she must have insisted on these conditions, making sure that in the eyes of others, our relationship would appear as that of true lovers.
In a way, this situation presented me with an opportunity. If I could navigate this moment successfully, I wouldn’t have to worry about how others perceived my relationship with Bianca until the actual engagement ceremony.
Still, it was undeniably tasteless of them not to inform me of such a grand setup beforehand.
‘He’s really something else.’
At this moment, the Marquis of Castana’s request was simple: he wanted to see how I would handle this situation, which could be both an opportunity and a crisis. He wanted to determine whether Cain von Estel was a trustworthy partner or just another pawn to be used in his game. It was clear what he intended to assess.
I turned my head to the side without speaking.
Next to me, Bianca sat, looking every bit the woman in love to anyone who saw her.
‘…She’s frighteningly convincing.’
To think she could act so convincingly toward me—a man she had no affection for, despite being engaged to someone else—made me pity the man who had promised his future to her.
Whoever he was, I silently prayed for his peace.
Looking at Bianca, I steadied myself. I hadn’t come to the Castana Marquisate to play games. Now that I had signed a contract with Bianca in the name of the Heir to Estel, I needed to fulfill my role.
“Bianca.”
“…Yes?”
“Give me your hand. Hurry.”
“…Uh?”
Though slightly surprised, Bianca obediently extended her left hand toward me.
I grasped it firmly, then stood up from my seat and addressed everyone gathered.
“I would like to speak directly to all of the Castana Marquis family members present here. At this moment, there is only one thing I can say to you.”
Taking a deep breath, I smiled and continued.
“I love the woman named Bianca del Castana. Truly, I do.”
Goblin: Want to read more? Then please consider becoming a Patron at Patreon to read more chapters, and you can also support me by donating at BuymeaCoffee! A little support can help me a lot!
The Patreon page has (IPUAW Level 1) at $5 only a month. Member of this tier will get access to Two Advance Chapters immediately, then stay Two Chapters ahead of regular release for the month! Become a Supreme Patron for only $30 to access all the advanced chapters of all the novels on Goblinslate!
Please point out any mistakes if you find one. Please whitelist this site in your a*blocker to support the translation. If you enjoy this novel, please take some time to rate it on NU