Chapter 2. The Groom-to-be
Marriage.
It’s a magical word that makes some people overwhelmed with happiness and others think their life is ruined. One thing is certain: marriage is never an easy decision. This was true even for someone like me who had lived a life completely disconnected from marriage.
Naturally, the moment I heard the word “marriage,” all my curiosity was drawn to it. I looked at the man with gentle eyes and asked what he meant.
“Don’t think about playing such shallow tricks.”
He turned his head sharply, maintaining a cold attitude. I thought about asking more but decided against it. People were gathering in the narrow chapel. I saw servants blinking slowly and maids with their faces covered by veils.
Raising my voice in front of them would risk revealing my true identity. I shouldn’t make them think, “How could he not know such a basic thing…?” Suspicion often starts from such minor triggers.
I kept my mouth shut based on this judgment. The reason I continued to watch the people entering the chapel was similar. I subtly glanced around, observing how others prayed—how they sat in the chairs and how they clasped their hands.
Fortunately, my experience of attending church with a pastor’s son helped. The key was to get the details right without being overly precise.
If you try to imitate a prayer position without knowing it well, your hand position can look awkwardly twisted. Even if it looks loose, it’s better to maintain a natural appearance. There’s no need to strain yourself.
As people murmured the prayer, I lip-synced by moving my lips without making any sound. Since everyone was mumbling to themselves, no one could tell if I was actually praying or just lip-syncing. If anyone were to complain about my lip-syncing, it would mean they weren’t focused on their own prayer.
Thanks to this, I managed to get through the morning prayer in the chapel safely.
However, the sight of adults gathered in the still-dark chapel murmuring together was far from uplifting. While those communing with God might feel reverence, all I felt was drowsiness.
It seemed that the God of this world had no intention of communing with me. Knocking on a door that’s been bolted shut is just a nuisance. I decided to spend my time more productively rather than persist in pointless attempts.
For example, yes.
I should think about how to gather information about my surroundings.
***
Through my modern biases and the first dream—no, possession—I had come to an unshakable truth.
The rationality and standards of the medieval period are “primitive” to me.
Speaking more culturally relativistic… I could respect them, but they didn’t suit me well. No matter how advanced the medieval period might be, most aspects were below standard for someone from modern civilization. There was a significant difference in common sense.
Even in modern times, there are people who don’t believe in science. So, in a world similar to the medieval period? Superstitions would take precedence over scientific thinking.
This means that if I suddenly changed too much, they would believe I was possessed by a demon. It was ultimately a matter of storytelling. When a person changes, there needs to be an event that caused the transformation.
As the maid guided me back to my room, memories of this body started to resurface.
Yes, if it were real possession, this should happen…
“Young Master?”
“It’s nothing. I just felt a bit dizzy.”
It was a mistake to stand there blankly in the room, making myself look odd.
I quickly brushed off Edwina’s concern, the maid with braided hair, and sighed inwardly. Recalling the memories of this body’s owner meant the problem was solved.
This body’s name is Narva, and as suspected, I’m twelve years old.
The man with gentle eyes I met in the chapel is my father, Aselton, a duke governing the surrounding area.
I am the third son of the duke, a high-ranking noble, but that’s it. With two older brothers and nephews, my chances of inheriting the Duke’s position are close to zero.
Although inheritance is divided, after the eldest and second sons take their shares, it’s doubtful how much will be left for me. Moreover, the succession competition hasn’t even begun. All three are brothers from the same mother, and they have a good relationship, keeping the family stable.
Therefore, this body has never received successor education. With the love and care of parents and siblings, he has played freely, knowing very little.
…So who am I supposed to marry?
To find this out, I first had to convince people. I had to explain that a twelve-year-old who only wanted to play had changed. The process would involve some forcefulness, but twelve is an age where being forceful is expected.
I sighed deeply and sat on the bed, then lifted my head. I met Edwina’s bead-like eyes. She slumped her shoulders slightly and began to complain.
“Young Master, even if you don’t like it, please be mindful of your conduct. Just now, the master glared at you with wide eyes.”
“Who?”
“Well… of course, it was a maid ranked lower than you, Young Master.”
Reprimanding underlings is a time-honored tradition. Now, the administrator in charge of the castle’s affairs will be scolded. Next, they’ll blame the junior administrators for not managing things properly, and finally, the maid in front of me will surely get a severe reprimand.
A maid expressing her troubles seemed like the perfect counterpart for a twelve-year-old boy forced into an unwanted marriage.
“You’re a grown-up.”
“Pardon?”
“Seeing you steadfastly doing what you don’t want to do shows you’re an adult. I couldn’t do that. I thought acting maturely would make me be treated like an adult. This morning was my last attempt.”
“Oh…”
Edwina’s eyes widened. Everyone has their own troubles. Even a noble boy who had been playing around without a care had worries he couldn’t easily express.
– If she thinks of me that way, that’s a relief.
“I’ve intentionally ignored what I didn’t want to hear, but I won’t do that anymore. Bring me information about my marriage partner. I need to know who I’ll be with.”
Edwina was quite an emotional friend. She listened to my story, her eyes glistening with tears, and responded in a clear voice.
“Young Master… yes, I’ll find out right away!”
“Wait.”
Edwina darted out of the room. I reached out belatedly, but it was already too late. All I could do was awkwardly withdraw my hand that was grasping at empty air.
I hoped she would find out quietly, but seeing her fussing, it’s better not to expect much. Instead, I decided to use the time I had gained for contemplation. The marriage story was what bothered me.
An unwanted marriage.
In fact, it’s nothing special. For medieval nobles, marriage was a powerful political tool to build alliances. Even in modern times, powerful families arranged marriages, so it must be even more so in a world similar to the medieval period.
However, even within arranged marriages, the circumstances differ vastly depending on status and rank. Considering the Duke’s position governing the surrounding area, it should be the other party that is desperate to form an alliance. Something seemed off.
No matter how insignificant the third son may be, he’s only twelve years old, and they’re talking about marriage, not just an engagement?
If it were me, I would never do that. Breaking an engagement is easy, but canceling a marriage is extremely difficult. I had a glimpse of the other party’s thoughts. They must be trying to form a solid alliance with us by any means…
If the other party were weak, they would have been rejected outright, and if they were strong, there would be no need to force a marriage. They could propose an engagement and form a temporary alliance, then break it off when they had no more use for it.
There must be a reason why the Duke easily agreed to it.
Fortunately, I had an extremely enthusiastic informant by my side. The smart maid Edwina brought results that matched her enthusiasm very quickly. Just in time for my contemplation to end.
Edwina approached confidently, fixing her bangs with her fingertips. It wasn’t arrogance. It was the satisfaction that comes from faithfully fulfilling her master’s request.
The confident smile that a worker subtly shows after a hard task, while sipping a cup of coffee—
That was the proof she wore on her face.
“I found out, Young Master. There’s already a lot of gossip among the castle’s servants.”
“Gossip?”
“Miriam Orin Yubas, a woman famous for her snow-white hair and warm, reddish-brown eyes. She is known for her captivating beauty, but she has a fatal flaw.”
“Hearing she’s beautiful gives me some relief…”
“There’s a rumor that she’s already pregnant.”
I widened my eyes.
***
Miriam, the woman who might become my wife, was rumored to be pregnant even before marriage.
Of course, the owner of this body had never met Miriam. He was barely on the verge of puberty. A boy who hadn’t even reached adolescence couldn’t possibly have fathered a child with a woman he had never met.
It’s not that I had any prejudice against single mothers, but I couldn’t remain indifferent in such a situation. No matter how much of a political marriage it was, why was a marriage proposal involving a twelve-year-old brought to this body’s owner? Why was I specifically chosen?
To understand this, I skipped breakfast and roamed the castle. I didn’t even have the luxury to worry about the stares from others. I wandered the dim corridors with Edwina, questioning everyone I met.
Thanks to that, I could roughly sketch out how this marriage proposal came about.
A guard in chainmail.
He talked about Yubas’s strength.
“Yubas is the strongest power in the vicinity. With them, this place will be much safer.”
According to the guard, the Yubas family had built a formidable force, enough to establish themselves as a kingdom in the region. He added that no army among the surrounding principalities could rival Yubas.
“In a situation where peace can’t be guaranteed, Yubas’s army is sufficient assurance.”
A priest carrying a holy scripture.
He succinctly summarized Yubas’s weakness.
“Yubas has a powerful army, but not a strong populace.”
The priest’s explanation was this: Yubas’s origins were unclear.
They didn’t claim to be descendants of anyone notable. In fact, you couldn’t even find the name Yubas in the genealogy of the old nobles. While those living well under the Yubas might be indifferent, the dissatisfied feel differently.
“As long as they continue to succeed, there won’t be a problem, but if they start failing, their power will collapse quickly like a castle on sand. Yubas knows this as well.”
“Priest, may I ask about the marriage?”
“Haha, it seems you are concerned too, Young Master. Well, with such bad rumors…”
I asked just in case, and it turns out the faith here was similar to that of the medieval Earth. Monogamy, and children born out of wedlock, were seen as a severe sin. If you had power, you could suppress it, but you couldn’t stop the bad looks.
Moreover, the fact that a twelve-year-old getting married was almost unheard of and considered a pedophilic act.
Combining these testimonies with my own speculation, the reasons boiled down to three:
First, the father of this body, Aselton, was wary of Yubas’s powerful army.
Second, Yubas was diplomatically isolated due to their lack of legitimacy and sought to break through this by marrying Miriam to me.
Third, Miriam is indeed pregnant and about to give birth to an illegitimate child. They need to marry her off before the birth to minimize the scandal.
The fact that they are rushing the marriage with a child who hasn’t even reached puberty is proof of this. If it were just rumors spread by another faction, it would resolve itself over time.
It would be simple and easy to delay the marriage a bit to check if her belly is growing. Neither of us is past marriageable age, and at twelve, an engagement should be sufficient. Since this directly affects the family’s honor, my father’s views would likely align with this.
Yet, their insistence on rushing the marriage makes it suspicious.
Unless she is truly pregnant.
After gathering information, I had a rough understanding of the situation. Now, I need to address the final matter. I looked at Edwina, who hovered like a shadow beside me. It was time for my medieval-style guide to step up.
“Edwina, take me to my father’s office.”
“…I must have misheard you.”
“Let’s head to my father’s office. I need to hear the details.”
On the internet, married men are often mocked as “*Pong-pong-nam,” but they are men who have met their partners, felt love, and committed themselves.
(TL/C: Korean slang term used to mock or criticize men who are seen as overly indulgent or lacking in responsibilities, often with a connotation of being soft or pampered.)
I am a cheerful twelve-year-old.
Even as a noble, taking on a joyless responsibility for someone I haven’t even met is crossing the line.
