Chapter 117: Marriage Proposal

"No need to spout high standing words..Just come to the point."

Ethan’s voice softened. "What do you want from me?"

"Protection," Baron Fenwick said firmly. "I know the risks. There’s a high chance I won’t return. If that happens, I need someone strong to protect my family in case of trouble or if another family try to encroach on my land."

"And I am not asking for free."

He looked at Ethan with pleading eyes. "My daughter... you won’t be losing anything. She has E-rank Mage potential. But you know we don’t have enough resources to raise a magician."

Ethan immediately understood his meaning.

The old man wanted to secure his family’s future. By marrying his daughter to Ethan even as a concubine he hoped Ethan would protect the Fenwick family if he didn’t come back.

It made sense.

The next generation of the Fenwick family wasn’t particularly talented. The eldest son, though the heir, only had the talent of a beginner knight.

As for his daughter, she was born with the potential to be a mage—but mages needed a lot of money to grow stronger. Without funds, they couldn’t buy scrolls or equipment, and their power in early stages was much weaker than knights.

That’s the gist Baron Fenwick which made Ethan scoff inwardly.

’The hell I will believe you.’

’You don’t have the resources to raise a mage?Whom are you kidding?’

’Just say you didn’t let her train because you are worried that if she gets stronger she will get out of your grasp and you can’t use her for political advantage.’

If Fenwick didn’t return from the war, his family’s land and wealth would surely be taken by other nobles. The Fenwick family would fall, and no one would show mercy.

Realizing this, Ethan prepared to refuse politely. But before he could speak, Baron Fenwick continued.

"If you marry my daughter, I’ll give you all the techniques stored in Fenwick’s vault. I also heard you need land for farming, so I’m prepared to give you part of my fertile land. And it would be any portion you choose. And you can use materials from my mines to build whatever you want."

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly.

"What... For real?" he asked suspiciously.

Ethan was about to speak when a sudden shriek beside him made him flinch.

"You aren’t lying, right?" Sophia asked, her eyes shining brightly with excitement. Ethan looked at her, startled by her sudden reaction.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Baron Fenwick replied first. "Of course not."

"Then can you sign the mana contract? Because we don’t trust you," Sophia said firmly, though she tried to hide the spark of joy in her eyes.

Baron Fenwick hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting between them. After a brief silence, he nodded. "If there isn’t any problem, I will. But I have one condition. After marriage, my daughter should not be treated as an outsider. Also, you must protect House Fenwick in times of trouble."

"Of course we will," Sophia replied calmly. "If you keep your end of the bargain, we’ll keep ours."

Baron Fenwick smiled faintly. "Then it’s a deal."

"Deal," Sophia said with a nod.

Ethan sat there, his jaw almost dropping open.

He blinked several times, completely dumbfounded by what he had just witnessed.

"..."

He couldn’t believe it. Did he just get sold off in front of his own eyes and by his own wife? Shouldn’t they at least ask for his opinion first?

Wait a moment... did they treat him like some kind of trading good?

"I..." Ethan started to speak, but his words were cut short when Sophia pinched his leg under the table.

"Just accept it," she whispered quickly. "Don’t you know, the more the better? Besides, that girl looks good."

Ethan sighed helplessly. There were moments in life when resistance was useless.

Sometimes, you just had to accept things as they came. Such was life.

.......

Somewhere inside a grand mansion, a woman sat gracefully in front of a mirror. Maids surrounded her, carefully braiding her long, golden hair that shimmered softly under the warm light. Her face was calm, gentle, and full of quiet elegance. There was a natural warmth in her eyes that made her look kind, yet the faint sadness in them spoke of something deeper.

"My Lady, here is the thing you asked for," one of the maids said, placing an envelope on the table.

The maid doing her hair paused for a moment and glanced at her with pity.

"What is it?" Diana asked softly, her tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

The maid hesitated before speaking. "My Lady... we didn’t expect that you would have to be sold off like this."

Diana paused, her fingers stilling on her lap. She turned her face slightly toward the maid. Her expression was calm, but her eyes carried a faint glimmer of melancholy. After a short silence, she smiled gently.

"What’s there to be surprised about?" she said with a soft laugh. "Don’t you know all women are things of exchange for profit?"

The maids lowered their heads quietly, not daring to speak further.

"But My Lady," one of them said after a moment, "with the way the Baron treated you, we thought it would be different."

"Different, huh..." Diana’s lips curved into a faint grin. Her eyes darkened as she looked down at her hands.

The truth was simple. The only reason her father treated her kindly was out of guilt. He knew one day he would use her as a bargaining piece, trading her future for power or survival.

Since when has there ever been free will in marriage?

’I wonder what he gained in exchange,’ she thought silently. ’Power... support... or perhaps some rare artifact.’

One thing Diana lacked was an information network. She only knew her father was leaving for war. As for the man she was to marry, this Ethan,she knew almost nothing about him nor has seen himm

Everything she’d heard came from rumors and whispers.

"My Lady, why don’t you open the envelope and take a look?" another maid said cheerfully. "I heard he’s like an immortal descending to earth."

"Immortal? Haa?" Diana scoffed lightly.

She picked up the envelope and opened it.

Inside was a neatly folded painting. The moment she unfolded it, several gasps echoed through the room.

"Wow!"

"Oh my!"

"Is this even humanly possible?"

"It must be an art piece by some great painter!"

The maids gushed in amazement, but their excitement faded when they noticed Diana’s frowning expression.

"What happened, My Lady?" one asked. "Is there a problem?"

Diana looked at the portrait again, her eyes calm but distant.

"Haven’t you heard?" she said softly. "The more handsome one appears on the outside, the more rotten he is from the inside."

"From his look,I am sure he might be a playboy who breaks women’s hearts."

".."

"..."

Now that she said this,the maid thought that this might be true but still it’s better than marrying any random fat middle aged man,isn’t?