Side Story 2 - Please Acknowledge It!

In the study of the Meresen marquisate, Nicholas was glaring straight at his father, Marquis Dominic Meresen.

With the same hair and eye color, anyone could tell at a glance that they were father and son—and just as their appearances matched, their ways of thinking had aligned until now.

But for the first time, Nicholas was trying to oppose his father’s will.

There was a reason he had said something so pathetic to Sharon.

Dominic, Nicholas’s father and the current Marquis of Meresen, seemed to be opposed to a match with House Murese.

“House Murese, you see…”

His mother had told Nicholas that Dominic had muttered those words bitterly.

If the head of the house opposed it, even Nicholas as the heir could not force a marriage through.

The lands bordering the frontier were the de Broy domain and the Clavel domain, but surrounding lords also joined factional struggles over the trade goods and caravans flowing from those two territories. Of course, many nobles—reading the royal family’s intentions or seeing the affectionate relationship between Lucien and Marguerite—had turned toward cooperation. On the other hand, there were still nobles who remained wary.

Thinking about all that, Nicholas had ended up talking about house politics even in front of Sharon.

But—today’s Nicholas was not the same as before.

“The royal family has its eye on House de Broy. Their aim is to eliminate the conflict between the de Broy and Clavel factions. We neighboring territories should stop this emotional bickering as well.”

At Nicholas’s firm tone, Dominic let out a long, exasperated sigh.

“We stopped bickering long ago. But ceasing hostilities and suddenly holding hands are two different things. Favoring a house we’ve never negotiated with before—aren’t you being emotional?”

Faced with the calm rebuttal, Nicholas fell silent.

He could not deny that his desire to have Sharon acknowledged had taken precedence. Dominic, still seated, looked up at his son with a sharp glance.

What Nicholas had proposed was a new joint venture with House Murese.

Specifically, Nicholas would represent House Meresen, and Sharon would represent House Murese.

He believed that producing results first was the way to let his father truly see Sharon, but—

“Is there any guarantee that House Murese won’t betray us? That we alone won’t take losses?”

“There are risks, certainly. That’s precisely why we need to work with House Murese. If House Meresen and House Murese move while opposing each other, we’ll only waste our strength. Because there are risks, we need a partner skilled in trade… and that’s true for House Murese as well.”

There were different kinds of landed nobility.

Some houses, like de Broy and Clavel, held vast territories and drew profits from the produce within their lands. Others, like Meresen and Murese, had smaller territories but controlled key transit points, expanding their businesses and prospering through trade with the Royal Capital and other domains.

In particular, House Meresen was allied with House de Broy and strong in maritime transport.

“House Meresen is indispensable to House Murese as well.”

Understanding that, Sharon had refused Nicholas when he tried to lean on House Meresen’s prestige. That was why her words carried such weight.

“Father, you once said this yourself—that business is about relationships between people. That management is like marriage, and that you only entrust money—second only to life itself—to someone you can trust. …I believe I could entrust my life to Sharon.”

Nicholas thrust the proposal forward, leaning so far over the table it seemed he might climb onto it. Seeing the intensity blazing in his son’s eyes, Dominic stared in astonishment.

That unwavering gaze declared he had no intention of yielding.

“I will make this business succeed. So please acknowledge my marriage to Sharon.”

“…Hmph.”

Tapping the proposal with his finger, Dominic snorted.

“Do as you like. I was thinking it was about time to have you, as the heir, launch a venture of your own anyway.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Nodding with a solemn expression, Nicholas left the room.

Only after the door closed did Dominic finally relax his stern expression, resting his cheek in his hand with a sigh.

He had always thought of his son as unflappable, worldly for better or worse.

‘To think he’d come to wear an expression like that.’

He must be deeply in love. If someone could move his son that much, then the young lady must be worthy indeed—Dominic acknowledged as much.

In truth, Nicholas had been right.

With the factional conflict between House de Broy and House Clavel gone, neighboring lords were uncertain how to act. By taking the initiative and working with House Murese to produce results, House Meresen would stand a head above the other nobles.

On top of that, Dominic had even received a private letter from the Duke of de Broy—Lucien himself—saying he would support Nicholas’s venture and asking for his consideration.

In short, Dominic had no real option to reject Nicholas’s proposal.

‘Still… House Murese is intimidating.’

As fellow business-oriented houses, he knew their tendencies. Unlike the Meresen house, which excelled at indirect maneuvering, House Murese ran a very straightforward operation. When Dominic learned that his son had apparently tried an indirect, roundabout proposal to a young lady from such a house—and returned home dejected—he had nearly covered his face with both hands.

‘Can I handle being relatives?’

That worry was what had made him hesitate, the timid father admitted to himself as he let out a long sigh.