Happy Daily Life of a Reincarnated Noble Blessed with Vassals - Chapter 21

Count Canilunya was furious, practically exploding with anger when Amy barged into his office, breaking all the rules. To protect her from his rage, we moved to another room.

“Ugh… I could die from embarrassment…”

As soon as she stepped into the room, Amy covered her face with her hands and sat down, likely recalling her bold words. Her pale skin made the flush of embarrassment all too visible.

Then, a teasing voice broke the silence, “No way! Announcing to your father, in front of my big bro no less, that you’re determined to marry into House Hesselink? That was the best!”

“I was so moved, I shed a tear. It’s terrible how easy I cry as I get older,” Jean-Jacques chimed in, dramatically wiping an imaginary tear. Mary doubled over with laughter.

“Stop reminding me! I never imagined Lord Rex and you guys would be there in my father’s office!”

“No, seriously, we’re not teasing you. After that, there’s no denying it—you’re the perfect choice to be my big bro’s wife.”

“Indeed. Marriages between nobles are usually for family benefit, but there’s real love between Lord Rex and you. I’m sure you’ll build a wonderful, historic marriage.”

Love, huh? Don’t say that. Sure, Amy’s adorable, but… no, I can’t let myself smile too much.

“Enough already! It’s embarrassing… Lord Rex, please stop laughing and say something!”

“I’ll just say it’s a great honor. Don’t worry—I have no intention of letting any other man take you.”

“Whoo! Go, you dashing man!” Mary teased with a whistle.

“Knock it off, Mary. Our family has already started preparing to bring Amy into the fold. I don’t care if he’s a marquis or whatever—there’s no way we’re letting another house mess this up.”

“But starting a war with Artemitos over this… are you serious?”

“Very serious. Though, if Artemitos backs down, we’ll avoid war. But I doubt they will.”

“Even so, war…?”

Honestly, I don’t want to fight either, but these two are dead set on it. And frankly, I’d hate to lose Amy, so I guess I’ll just have to accept it. If we summon Gorimaru and Drazo right at the start, we should be able to minimize damage.

“We don’t have much choice. When it comes down to it, the one thing our family has over the marquis is force. Hahaha!”

Maybe that was too self-deprecating? I don’t know much about the marquis’ strength, but since Command hasn’t raised any alarms, I figure we’ve got a decent chance.

“Bro, you mean ‘military strength,’ right? Calling it ‘force’ makes us sound like thugs.”

“Well, if our strength is directed at anyone other than magical beasts, then yes, it would be considered brute force. That’s why people fear and isolate us, House Hesselink.”

“Exactly. I’d bow out if that were an option, but not this time. I need things to go our way. It’ll be over in ten days, at most. Can you wait until then?”

Jean-Jacques estimated seven days of travel and three days to conquer. In a normal war, moving troops would take longer, but with just the three of us, we’ll be back in no time. If things go well, we could be back in eight days.

“Understood, Lord Rex. But, I have one selfish request. Will you hear me out?” Amy asked.

“Depends on the request, but I’ll listen.”

“Please take me with you to Artemitos! I want to tell them myself that I’m marrying you, my lord! I know it’s improper for a woman to speak about her own marriage, but I don’t care about customs! Oh, and I’ll ask my father to disown me!”

“Whoa, hey! Big Sis Amy! She’s gone… What now? Even if she’s no ordinary girl, are we really gonna take her along and have her sever ties with her family?”

Geez, Amy’s such a muscle-brain sometimes. If her father disowns her over this, I won’t know what to do. Besides, can a count even marry a woman who’s been cut off from her family? I don’t mind, but won’t the traditions get in the way?

“It’s unconventional, but maybe taking her along wouldn’t be so bad. We could show how close we are and make Artemitos give up.”

“If you’re joking, I’m heading back to Orenang.”

“Wait, wait. It’s half a joke. But seriously, we don’t know what Artemitos will do. Lady Amy would be safer staying close to us. Of course, I’m not counting on her strength, but she’s a kind person. If they take her father hostage, she might not be able to resist.”

“So, you’re half-serious, huh? Fine, I’ll stay behind then. You and Gramps can handle taking a town, right?” 

That’s reassuring. If Mary stays behind, the danger will be much lower. Jean-Jacques can handle siege warfare and attacks on the town, and with my summons, we should be able to manage just fine.

“That could work. Now, what’s the next move?”

“Well, this old man wouldn’t mind bringing her along,” Jean-Jacques said with a sly smile. “Call it a pre-wedding trip. It might even bring Lord Rex and his future wife closer together.”

“Yeah, because having an assassin and an armored general as chaperones is the perfect recipe for a peaceful trip. I’d pass,” Mary snorted.

In the end, Count Canilunya gave in and agreed to let Amy accompany us. It was, apparently, the first time she’d ever made such a selfish request. Despite being aware of how unconventional she was as a noble daughter, Amy had never asked for anything like this before.

Even though it was her first selfish request, there are definitely some things you should refuse. I guess Count Canilunya struggled with the decision but ultimately entrusted her departure to me. And of course, there was no severing of family ties.

So now, it was the four of us: me, Amy, Jean-Jacques, and Mary. Although Hameslot and the maids had offered to join, I turned them down. Since we weren’t sure of Artemitos’ intentions, it was better to have fewer people to protect. Plus, a noble family head, his fiancée, a butler, and a (male) maid made for a perfectly balanced group. There was no need to add more.

The journey by carriage and on foot went incredibly smoothly. Along the way, people pointed at the cloak with the golden bar design, but no one caused us any trouble. We were almost at Artemitos’ capital when we were finally approached by someone from their side.

A man on horseback kicked up a cloud of dust as he approached. After spotting us, he gracefully dismounted and walked over.

“That cloak, you must be from House Hesselink! I am Filmy, scout leader of the Artemitos military. May I have your name and inquire about your business?”

A military officer. His demeanor was sharp and professional, but there was no smile in his eyes. I’d have to stay alert.

“Oh, so you’re Artemitos’ scout leader? Good work. I am Rex Hesselink. You might recognize me as Lord Protector. This is my butler, Jean-Jacques, and my maid, Mary. And this is my wife, Lady Amy. As for our business, we’re on a honeymoon. We’ve heard much about the beautiful sights of Artemitos and plan to enjoy them. But I didn’t expect such a grand welcome from the scout leader. Is there a problem?” I asked, playing it casual.

“Y-you’re the Lord Protector? My apologies! Please, proceed as you like. I’ll head back to the city and inform the marquis of your arrival at once!”

Filmy clearly didn’t expect to be speaking with me directly. He quickly knelt down on one knee, bowing his head. Well, at least he wasn’t rushing at me like some blacksmith I’ve dealt with.

“We’re not here to make a fuss. I’d rather take a quiet walk with my wife. No need to trouble the marquis,” I said, keeping my tone relaxed.

“However… I must follow orders. The marquis has given strict instructions that anyone from the Hesselink family must be reported immediately, no exceptions. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

So they were expecting us, huh? Well, it wasn’t likely the marquis thought I’d come in person, but now I needed to decide what to do. I glanced over at Jean-Jacques, who gave no indication either way, leaving the decision to me.

“Hmm. There’s no point in interfering with your duty. Very well. Just tell the marquis not to go overboard with the hospitality,” I replied.

Filmy seemed visibly relieved. Poor guy—middle management can be rough. I get it.

“I’ll be sure to convey your message. If you’ll excuse me!” he said, mounting his horse and riding off even faster than he had arrived.

He seemed quite capable. We don’t have a dedicated scout back home, do we? Mary usually handles that role for us, but it’s not her primary job. We could really use someone like him on our team.

“Impressive skills,” Jean-Jacques commented. “His movements were smooth and precise. He kept maximum vigilance without being rude, and even when he realized who you were, he only lost composure for a moment. For a scout from a marquis’ household, his level of training is exceptional.”

“If he’s that good, we could use him in our ranks.”

“Save the recruiting for later. First, we need to figure out what their next move will be. Even if you told them to tone down the welcome, they won’t just say ‘sure’ and leave it at that.”

Indeed.

Mary had a point. They were probably planning something—maybe not a grand welcome, but there’d be a reaction for sure. I wondered how Amy would feel about all this.

“Wife, wife… Honeymoon, honeymoon…”

“Hey! Stop spacing out!”

Just like he often did to Alice, Mary’s fist struck Amy square on the head.

Hey, don’t overdo it!

Maybe Amy was tougher than Alice. Even so, I needed to stop him from hitting a noble’s daughter.

“Ah! I’m sorry, Mary. I got caught up in the blissful feeling. That’s not good, is it? We’re in enemy territory, after all. Alright, I’ll get focused!”

I felt a little flustered. She had been clinging to me throughout the journey, and being this liked left me unsure of how to respond. I didn’t recall doing anything to earn this much affection.

“Come on, big sis. You’re practically the lead here. March right into the Artemitos estate and boldly declare your engagement to my brother!”

“Now that you say it like that, it’s kind of embarrassing. But I’ll do my best! Because… I-I’m Lord Rex’s wife!”

“Ma’am, please remain calm. Lord Rex is present, and I, your humble servant, am also by your side. Collect yourself and make it known that you’ve already married into House Hesselink.”

Don’t egg her on. Amy being herself was more than enough. She didn’t need to change.

“No matter how many times I see it, I can’t get used to how big that town is. Just look at it from here!”

I wasn’t sure if it was fair to compare, but my estate had just the main house and a few outbuildings. There were no shops or landmarks, and we left the forest untouched since beasts would destroy any developments. It wasn’t exactly a scenic place.

“It’s impressive, land governed by a marquis. You can see how they’ve developed it while maintaining the natural environment. The people look cheerful, too. The ruling family doesn’t seem incompetent at all.”

“As you know, Artemitos has produced many brilliant minds who have served at the royal court. They’re a family known for their extreme seriousness.”

“And that overly-serious family went out of their way to interfere with our marriage plans. Does that mean they seriously want Lady Amy?”

If that was the case, what would happen next? Would we have to resort to a calm discussion instead of violence? That could clear up my reputation as a madman, which would be a win for me.

“Well, that might make things easier. Big Sis Amy’s practically glued to my brother. If they see that, they’ll back off.”

Wait, that’s your plan?!

“Oh, Mary!”

But Amy didn’t seem too displeased. Her face had turned bright red, and she was squirming a little—kind of cute, honestly. But there was still one more possibility to consider…

“They might think Lady Amy has been deceived by ‘Rex the Madman’ and take more drastic measures.”

“No way. Acting on such a vague and uncertain suspicion would start a huge fight, even among commoners. Among nobles, it’d be an issue of honor and lead to all sorts of trouble.”

“True. Let’s hope they’re not that foolish.”

As I laughed, I noticed two riders approaching from the city. One was the scout leader, Filmy, dressed in his practical leather armor. The other, though, wore something flashy and extravagant that I could spot even from afar. Filmy was saying things like, “Please wait!” and “This isn’t right!”

I had a bad feeling.

Soon, the two riders arrived in front of us. The new man had a flashy, intense expression. While handsome, his features were so exaggerated that they felt overwhelming. Meanwhile, Filmy was pale as a ghost.

“I am Gaston, heir of the Artemitos Marquisate! I’ve come to rescue Lady Amy of House Canilunya from the clutches of the madman, Rex Hesselink! Fear not, my lady. Now that I’m here, I will drive this villain away!”

Mary looked to the sky in frustration, and Jean-Jacques let out a deep sigh. Amy stood there, mouth half-open, frozen in shock.

“So… someone’s wish is not granted after all.”