"Huh? Sir Antoine, what's going on here?"
Marianne Arthur Medici, who became a bishop's nun, has recently begun to visit her family home more often.
I couldn't do it for about a year because I had a lot of work to do, but after some time passed, I had some free time.
What he found at his parents' house was Antoine de Sel Oblain, who had just returned from a visit to the Medici family and was now boarding a carriage to return.
“Oh! You’re here, Marianne!”
Soon, Karajan, the head of the Medici family, who was in the study, welcomed Marianne.
“Yes, I am here, Father. But on the way in, I saw Sir Antoine leaving in a carriage.”
Marianne greeted her father somewhat shyly and asked him about what she had seen.
"Yes. Duke Antoine visited. This father has been talking to him a lot lately."
Karajan nodded slowly and answered.
After Antoine completed his long training as a warrior, he became a sword expert and began to rise through the ranks, riding on the power of the Courthand family.
Thus, he rose to the rank of Highlander, the youngest member of the Imperial Knights, after becoming a Saber.
At that very time, the previous head of the Obleang family died, and he took over the title of Duke.
“Conversation? Father, may I know what conversation it is?”
What conversation can we have?
But it's a different story if you call Antoine and have a conversation at his home.
This is especially true for Karajan, who is known for his conservative tendencies.
Therefore, Marianne, with no small amount of curiosity, asked again.
"This father has never really built a strong relationship with the Saint-Pierre family. I felt they weren't aligned in many ways. But the way things are going right now, I feel like Duke Alexis's power is growing."
During this time, talk about the next emperor began to emerge.
Karajan, who had a conservative disposition, had always maintained a direct line with the imperial family.
I felt a sense of crisis when a new wind called Alexis began to blow.
"But it just so happens that Duke Antoine has a great friendship with Duke Alexis. So, with Duke Antoine as a bridge, we're gradually establishing a position. He's been a great help in many ways."
The person who approached Karajan at that time was Antoine.
“Hmm... So that’s what happened... I didn’t know much about the royal family returning, Father...”
Marianne nodded with a mysterious feeling after hearing the situation.
‘Father seemed worried about something, so that must be why... He must have been too focused on the Seonghwangcheong business lately...’
The great burden of the Medici family, which has been erased due to the empire not producing a saint for 60 years,
That's why I felt it again.
In the past, people would have lined up towards the Medici family.
Not anymore. Even the Medici family has to be careful and stand in line.
That's what the upright and proud Karajan Arthur Medici is doing.
Marianne, who had been feeling good about doing what she had wanted to do recently at Seonghwangcheong, now felt guilty.
“After talking with him for quite some time, I can see that Antoine has grown up quite well.”
When his picky daughter didn't show any negative reaction, Karaan praised Antoine.
"When I was a teenager, I wondered if this guy was really the son of the Duke of Athos. Now, he's a completely different person. It seems he's had a profound awakening after his training as a warrior."
The House of Obléans, which produced many talented members of the Imperial Knights, was also conservative, though not as much as the House of Medici. Therefore, among the Gotthand families, the Houses of Obléans and Medici enjoyed particularly close ties.
Under such circumstances, Karajan also naturally watched Antoine during his childhood.
From Karajan's perspective, Antoine's current appearance was a truly earth-shattering change, and he was truly amazed.
"I met him a few times and wondered if he was the same person. His eyes and confidence had changed, I'd say. His awakening ability had also grown to a level that defied previous data, and it was fascinating, Father."
Although Marianne had no particular interest in aristocratic society, Antoine caught her eye.
The Imperial Knights had a deep cooperative relationship with the Holy Emperor's Office, and above all, it was noteworthy in academic circles that Antoine, who was classified as a mid-level noble, had become a sword expert in his mid-twenties.
“Really? Is that so?”
When his daughter Marianne showed some sympathy, Karajan reacted with a feeling of excitement.
"So, Marianne, why don't you try to build a closer relationship with Duke Antoine? The Highlanders of the Imperial Knights and the nuns of the Holy See are in positions where there's ample opportunity for business interaction."
Karajan wants Antoine, who is becoming a trend, to become close to his daughter Marianne.
“Me? With Duke Antoine?”
It was a rather unexpected story for Marianne.
Because Karajan had never made any social requests to Marianne before.
“Haha! What are you so surprised about, my dear? Come to think of it, it’s a forgotten story, but didn’t you and Prince Antoine promise to marry?”
Then Karajan brought up a story from quite some time ago.
Athos de Cel Oblain and Karajan Arthur Medici were almost like sworn brothers.
In their younger days, when they were especially close, they promised to marry each other if they had children of different sexes.
However, because Antoine's childhood and adolescence were so miserable, Athos first suggested that it would be better to just forget about it.
“That, that’s what I remember too...”
Marianne also remembered. Before she reached puberty, the marriage arrangement had already been somewhat broken, but she had heard whispers from other nobles.
It was quite surprising to Marianne that her father, who was so strict, would bring up that story.
"Hahaha! Don't feel pressured, my dear. Still, since we're both Goat Hands, there's nothing wrong with getting close to the people who will lead the family in the future, right? Please understand that, hahaha!"
Karajan looked embarrassed and tried to cover up his daughter's confusion.
Before we knew it, Karajan was over fifty.
The age when the momentum of youth begins to wane.
If I had a grown son, it would have been a source of support, but my youngest son was not even ten years old yet.
So, I felt a sense of emptiness towards my son-in-law after experiencing the situation in the empire where great changes were taking place.
‘My father was the one who supported me more than anyone else in becoming a saint... but since my mother passed away, I feel like he's gotten weaker and weaker...’
Her father was weakened. Marianne felt pity for him.
A few years after the birth of her youngest child, the Duchess of Medici passed away.
Because the Medici couple were such a loving couple, Marianne had vowed to herself that she would do her best to take care of her father and fill his void.
So I did my best to follow the path of a saint.
It seems like it's too far and too slow to give my father a sense of stability.
‘Well... in the current structure of the Gwangmyeong Catholic Church, there's no reason not to build relationships with bishops and nuns...’
Even in the mid-Empire period, nuns were forbidden to marry.
However, as the fact that the ability to awaken was hereditary became public knowledge, marriage was permitted for those above the rank of bishop and nun.
‘But I have no intention of meeting a man right now...’
20~21 years old would be a good age for a noble young lady to get married.
But Marianne's heart doesn't want to bring up the topic of marriage.
‘!!!!’
At that moment, as she was deeply contemplating marriage, Marianne's eyes widened.
‘Why did Mr. Ulysses’ face suddenly come to mind?’
As soon as I felt a sense of rejection towards marriage, the face of Ulysses Schneider suddenly flashed before my eyes.
‘Honestly, he’s so different from me… Mr. Antoine seems like a nice guy, but something about him makes me feel suffocated…’
Although Marianne, a devoted daughter, was reluctant, she tried to follow her father's will.
By chance, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Imperial Knights, and the representative of the Imperial Knights was none other than Antoine.
So, even though he could have refused the position of head of the Seonghwangcheong with him, he did not do so.
It was to take the time to learn about the man named Antoine.
However, having personally experienced Antoine, he was a man of moderation, to put it nicely, but cold-blooded, to put it badly, and he was the polar opposite of Marianne herself.
‘When I first saw you when you were young, you seemed so dispirited, but it wasn’t like this…’
The two had met briefly at an aristocratic gathering when Antoine was a teenager and Marianne was a child.
At that time, he was Antoine de Sel Oblain, a man with a human touch, even though he was a bit of a troublemaker, but now he has become a completely different person.
‘I love my father, but I think this difference in personality is unfortunate for both of us.’
Eventually, Marianne decided to give up her efforts.
But then something unexpected happened.
"Are you okay, Father? It's me! Marianne is here, Father!"
Marianne had to go on a long business trip for a while.
It was during this time that she heard the news that her father, Karajan Arthur Medici, had collapsed.
Marianne returned to her parents' house in a hurry, her face devoid of soul.
“Oh... our daughter is here... I'm fine, my dear. Duke Antoine was just in time to save me.”
Karajan was lying in bed, receiving treatment from the Imperial Knights' Support Bishop Sisters.
And standing next to him was Antoine, wearing the uniform of the Imperial Knights.
Even for the most noble of people, receiving the heel of a bishop nun is a difficult and routine procedure.
Antoine was a Highlander directly under the Kaiser, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Knights, so he was able to urgently summon the support bishop nun who had been dispatched to the Imperial Knights.
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Duke Antoine! I will never forget this kindness!”
Marianne bowed her head with a heavy heart and thanked Antoine.
“Isn’t Prince Karajan my late father’s sworn brother? He is like a father to me.”
Blink...!
Antoine answered Marianne, who was shaking her head, with a smile that was quite human, unlike his previous image.
“Father. Do you like Duke Antoine?”
After that incident, Karajan's heart became more drawn to Antoine.
Karajan survived, but he was not as energetic as before.
Marianne, who had been trying to give up on Antoine, also begins to waver when she sees him happy every time he comes to visit.
"I like him. Wasn't he my benefactor? Yet, Antoine never asks for anything in return. Instead, he fills in for me by doing the housework I'm unable to do."
Karajan, with an innocent look on his face, praised Antoine as he watched his daughter smile warmly.
“.....”
Marianne looked at her father with a smile for a while.
Her eyes were incredibly mysterious.
"Finally, I want to meet with Ulysses one last time and make a decision. I think that's the least I can do for myself."
Marianne felt that she was becoming connected to Antoine.
It was a situation where I was sucked in very naturally.
But she is about to make one last struggle.
Because not only Karajan's daughter Marianne, but also the female Marianne is an important identity.
If we look directly into Ulysses' eyes, we will probably get a definite answer to that question.
“You stopped by the Sophist and looked for Ulysses?”
However, since Ulysses was away a lot at this point, Marianne tried to contact the Sophist and make an appointment.
And Antoine, who found out about her actions, came to the Seonghwangcheong to see her separately.