Chapter 8 : Chloe’s Father, Marquess Mertigal’s Miscalculation

Alexander, the head of the Mertigal marquess household, slammed his fist onto the desk in irritation at his wife’s crying over their daughter.

A dull sound echoed, and his wife Liddy looked up at him with frightened eyes.

Even so, perhaps from long experience, she realized that angering him further would be dangerous, and quietly left the room.

A woman who could do nothing but cry at times like this was of no use to the Mertigal household.

(Useless mother, just as useless as expected.)

Thinking of his daughter made his anger rise again.

A few days ago, a soirée had been held at the royal palace, attended only by young nobles.

There hadn’t even been that many nobles present.

And yet, by the next day, rumors had spread that the daughter of the Mertigal family had had her engagement broken by the second prince.

The Mertigal family had long served as commanders of the royal knight order, holding the military power of this country in their hands.

For generations, its heads had risked their lives to protect the nation in times of crisis.

Though it had been long since any wars between nations, they still prided themselves on being able to suppress any internal rebellion immediately.

And yet, the daughter of such a house had her engagement broken by a mere second prince born of a concubine.

“Disgraceful,” Alexander muttered, sweeping the pile of documents off his desk.

Originally, this engagement had been a contract with the king.

Alexander had three children.

His legitimate wife had given birth to his eldest son, Maximilian, who was nineteen, and his daughter Chloe, who was seventeen.

And there was also a fifteen-year-old son, Saliba, born to a woman from the northern Kingdom of Genasis.

Alexander intended for Saliba to inherit the marquess title.

The reason was his mother’s bloodline.

Saliba’s mother possessed magical power and could use simple healing magic.

Furthermore, it was said that among her ancestors there had been witches.

The Kingdom of Genasis, located at the northernmost part of the continent, was the country with the most witches.

Even now, there were rumors that several witches lived there.

Alexander had arranged for a woman descended from witches to bear his child, intending to incorporate that bloodline into his house.

His son Saliba had inherited that bloodline and possessed a small amount of magical power.

If this son married Cassandra, the kingdom’s only witch and a princess, then if their child were female, there was a very high chance she would become a witch.

The king had promised that if the Mertigal family would take in the second prince Kirif, he would allow Cassandra to be married into their house.

It was highly unusual for two members of the royal family to marry into the same marquess household.

However, the king also held great expectations for the birth of another witch.

Princess Cassandra was selfish and difficult to control, but if there were multiple witches, like in the Kingdom of Genasis, they could restrain one another.

Moreover, if properly trained from childhood, a witch might become someone useful to the country.

Kirif’s fiancée could not be just anyone.

Even if he would become a subordinate, Kirif still carried royal blood, and choosing someone of too low a status would not be acceptable to those around him.

There were also those who worried about the Mertigal family—holders of the kingdom’s military power—becoming related to Kirif, who would be a subordinate.

However, Kirif would only become Chloe’s husband, while Saliba would inherit the Mertigal household.

Rather, the king seemed to think it preferable for Kirif to be placed in a position where he could be closely monitored, to prevent him from becoming a future threat to the throne.

And in return, Cassandra, a witch, would be married into the family.

For the Mertigal family, obtaining a witch through marriage had been a long-cherished ambition.

For that reason, the marriage between Kirif and Chloe absolutely had to be realized.

And yet, that useless daughter had her engagement broken at a formal event—a soirée, of all places—and then ran away.

There were many who desired to marry the princess.

Furthermore, neighboring countries were also paying attention to Cassandra, both a witch and a princess.

Before Saliba’s engagement to her had even been officially announced, rumors of the broken engagement with Kirif had spread.

It was a devastating blow.

He had clearly instructed Chloe to firmly bind Kirif, the key to securing the witch’s marriage into their house.

And yet, Chloe had failed and disappeared.

If she was not found soon, the engagement might truly be dissolved.

Not only Chloe’s engagement, but also Saliba’s engagement to the princess could be affected.

“Find Chloe at once! I don’t care if you have to be rough—bring her back no matter what!”

After giving that order to the knights of the Mertigal household, he glared out the window in irritation.

Then, noticing something strange about his reflection in the glass, he stared at it closely.

He looked older than before—perhaps because nothing was going as planned.

It never occurred to him that it was because his hair had begun to thin.

He had no idea that his daughter Chloe was a witch with power even greater than the princess.