Roche, Miss Yoanna, Uncle Hans, and even Baroness Delin. My few acquaintances had all gathered together.
Looking at them all assembled, they were all so insignificant that I felt slightly melancholy. Is this all an extra's network amounts to?
"You're not getting married, so your younger sister won't get married either?"
Uncle Hans asked.
"Isn't Miss Rea's marriage more urgent than hers? Haha."
Roche said something deserving of a beating while laughing.
"Then Miss Rea should get married! Should I introduce you to a friend of mine who was recently widowed? He has lots of money and a good personality. But he's a bit lacking in hair."
Baroness Delin wiggled her fingers around while chattering frantically.
"Is he handsome?"
Miss Yoanna asked Baroness Delin, placing her plump hands neatly together.
"......"
I suffered for a while among them like sesame seeds being roasted in a cauldron.
"I keep telling you I have no thoughts of marriage."
"So why don't you have any thoughts about it? At Miss Rea's age, isn't it normal to get married, have children, and live harmoniously together?"
No. Please don't inject latte sentimentality into a 21st-century woman.
......Of course, I am doing exactly that to Chait! But this side is really impossible.
Under Baroness Delin's intense offensive, I finally let out a deep sigh and made up a plausible excuse.
"The thing is, I actually have no talent for childcare."
"Oh my, neither do I."
If you're going to agree that easily, it makes it very difficult for me to continue!
Baroness Delin laughed cheerfully while picking up her coffee cup.
"That's why when I had our Rupert, I left him with a nanny for three years."
"......Was that okay though?"
"Yeah. I'd see him occasionally and he seemed to be growing."
I could vaguely understand why Rupert Delin became such a screw-loose person.
Uncle Hans, who had been listening to that story, chimed in from the side.
"Rea, don't worry. If childcare is difficult, leave it to your husband! My wife left everything to me and has been out for eight years now."
"That doesn't sound like being out...... Anyway."
Since childcare impossibility alone seemed insufficient as a reason, I quickly confessed the honest truth.
"Actually, I can't have children."
"Oh my."
"Oh dear."
"Oh no."
"That could happen. If you accidentally had a daughter like Miss Rea, how would you handle the future...... mmph."
Among the sighs of admiration, I covered Roche's particularly conspicuous mouth and continued speaking.
"My reluctance to marry is all because of that. I'm essentially infertile."
The atmosphere became suddenly heavy at my words.
Uncle Hans offered words of comfort, and Baroness Delin looked at me with a gloomy expression.
"So Miss Rea would be okay with marriage as long as there are no children?"
"Huh? Yes, well...... But would there really be someone willing to accept a marriage without children?"
In this stuffy romance fantasy society, no less.
At my words, Baroness Delin rhythmically tapped her coffee cup, then snapped her fingers.
"Right! Miss Rea, how about joining 'Wooshimgyeol'?"
"Wooshimgyeol......?"
"Yeah. It's a company made by the neighbor's friend that my in-law's eighth cousin's neighbor's nephew knows, and it's very popular these days."
I don't know what it is, but I understand someone else made it.
"It's for people who aren't nobles but have ambiguous status and some connections or money to meet suitable partners. Since you specify conditions and desired aspects in advance, if you write that down from the beginning, there won't be problems later."
What? It's just a common marriage arrangement company.
I thought for a moment, then shook my head.
"Don't you have to register your status there? I'm somewhat reluctant to have my personal information exposed externally."
"Oh ho ho, you worry about everything."
Baroness Delin covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.
"Miss Rea, who do you think I am?"
"......"
After a moment of silence, I slowly took the Baroness's hands in mine.
"I love you, noble madam. I respect you, noble madam."
That's right. Even a baron is still nobility. The big shots of this world. The pinnacle of power that must be obeyed when commanded.
I take back everything about my extra network being insignificant.
This is sufficient.
Ah, truly, the class system is the best.
Somehow, I ended up deciding to get married.
I thought building an ordinary family after coming to this world was long past impossible, but this is quite embarrassing, heh heh.
Anyway, the marriage conditions I presented to an anonymous partner were as follows:
Someone with all limbs intact, mentally healthy, aspiring to be a DINK couple who could live well without children, and able to have a wedding within two weeks as quickly as roasting beans in lightning.
Some of the criteria were quite strict, but if you search the whole world with capital, wouldn't there be at least one person?
'Like hell there is.'
"Not a single person was matched."
Baroness Delin told me with a dejected expression.
"I'm sorry. I really wanted to find you a good person."
"Ha ha, it's, it's okay."
It wasn't okay.
I wasted a whole week waiting for this. When every day is urgent, a week is by no means a short time.......
"I guaranteed your status, so that wouldn't have been a problem. It seems something else was the issue."
"Was it the child-rearing plan or marriage timing after all?"
"Hmm, that too."
Baroness Delin quietly handed me my application documents that had been rejected by 'Wooshimgyeol'.
"Wasn't it the financial assets that were the problem? Miss Rea's cafe isn't even your own property, and you don't have any other tangible assets."
"Ah."
Was monthly rent the problem?
Right. Even here, worldly thinking is consistent.
Honestly, I felt a bit wronged. It wasn't that I couldn't buy a house because I lacked money.
Do you know how many supporting documents are needed for real estate transactions? Unlike rental contracts that can be completed with a lease agreement, ID card—forged—, and personal seal—fake name—, this side had very complicated procedures.
Even if I appropriately forged resident registration or receipts, there was still the possibility of being caught by the Northern Tax Office, and if I tried to settle all this with cash, I'd have to accept tremendous losses.
Who buys real estate with money these days? You buy it with debt. But loan standards were almost equivalent to insurance companies. It's not that I'm poor and renting.
Fugitives end up living on monthly rent unless it's short-term lodging in a tiny room. This is a universal rule.
Even if I said 'I have lots of money,' no one would believe me.
If undeclared assets were discovered, I might be caught for tax evasion and end up being express-delivered to the Bringston family.
Originally, the big fight with my landlord was also because we were negotiating deposit and ratio conditions while making the commercial contract under the landlord's name. I had nothing to say in this regard even with ten mouths.
"There's nothing I can do."
I eventually had to abandon the matchmaking plan with deflated spirits.
'Now I really can't get married.'
I won't be able to argue back to Roche, who mocked me every time I said I was a bachelor.
Time passed as it would, my pride was hurt, and nothing progressed.
I felt like crying a little.
And the very next morning.
"Sister."
"Yeah."
"What is this?"
I gave a bright smile to Chait, who asked in bewilderment.
"What do you mean what? It's a picnic."
Chait looked around briefly, then pressed his forehead with a deep sigh.
"Wasn't a picnic originally time spent alone between you and me, Sister?"
The female guests densely filling the picnic mats all focused on Chait at once.
"What are you saying, Chait? Outings are best when many people come together."
"That's right. Since you've returned after a long time, it would be good to spend time together while exchanging greetings with the village people."
"Chait, remember when we were on casual speaking terms? Why, three years ago at the cafe when I wrote my communication sphere number on a napkin and left it......"
Among them, I maintained a bright smile and said,
"When did I say let's have a picnic, that we two should go together?"
"......"
"I never said anything like that."
I changed plans.
If I can't get married, wouldn't it work to find Chait such a good match that it would change his outlook on life?
As soon as the thought occurred to me, I gathered all the girls his age who were interested in Chait and organized an outing.
......But why.
"Why did it have to be a daytime picnic? With the sunlight this strong...... Elf skin is sensitive."
"......I didn't ask you to come with us."
"Rea! Should we grill some crayfish? I happen to have some fresh ones I just caught."
"......If you're going to ask me to peel the shells, don't grill them, Uncle."
"Rea, Rea! There's no mini utensil set! All these little things are discrimination against minority races!"
"How am I supposed to prepare when I never invited you in the first place......"
Why are you all here?
"Ha, haha......"
I shook my head while looking around. It was so noisy it was like a village festival.
It was unexpected that Roche and all the village people would gather at the outing recruitment post.
Since it's such a small village, whenever something is planned, everyone gets excited and insists on joining in.
It's not like they're grandmothers counting oil market days and waiting. These people are thirsty for events, so this can't be helped.
Thus, blankets were spread here and there around the hill we chose as our picnic location, and for some reason, uncles were grilling barbecue in a corner while aunties were playing poker.
'It's, it's okay! Anyway, all the girls interested in Chait have gathered here!'
Now I just need to slip away at the right time.
I diligently observed the situation around our particularly popular spot. The competition among future sister-in-law candidates was already no joke.
"Chait, I'm so cold, could you lend me your jacket?"
"Oh my, girl. Doesn't Chait get cold?"
"Don't you know that handsome men don't get cold because they're protected by a skin layer of handsomeness? You really lack common sense."
"Handsome men aren't supposed to protect themselves—we should step forward to protect them. I doubt whether you have any common sense about the word 'common sense' itself."
Why are those things fighting over such topics when they came to flirt with a man? I should be careful since Miss Yoanna would get excited and chatter if she heard this.
I looked to the opposite side to avoid the pathetic situation.
"Chait, this is a lunch box I made, would you like to try it?"
"Wait, girl! Did you wash your hands?"
"I washed them before coming out. Why?"
"You must have gotten dust on them on the way here! How can you try to give food to Chait with such dirty hands?"
"What, are you just picking a fight because my lunch box is too pretty?"
"Ha! There's a limit to delusions. I brought a handkerchief soaked in alcohol just in case—use it or don't!"
"Delusion? Sorry! You're really thoughtful!"
"Hmph, if you're grateful, share one of those perfect lunch box egg rolls!"
Apart from anything else, I could tell these two would spend the next ten years building solid friendship while advocating 'men aren't important.'
'I don't know when to slip away......'
None of them are normal.
I held my head in the dizzying situation.
Chait, who had been surrounded by women for a while, approached and patted my shoulder comfortingly.
......Why are you here?