Chapter 4
The House of Count Northpole is currently headed by Violette’s 30-year-old brother, Rogie.
To marry Violette, Hydrangea must first contact him so he immediately wrote a letter to Count Northpole after he was done with work.
In his letter, he expressed his intention to marry Violette and mentioned that this was a promise between him and the late Syran. Then, he carefully folded the letter and placed it in an envelope which he sealed by dripping some melted wax and affixing the Duke Laudense coat of arms with his engraved ring.
He moved to throw the letter out of the window and after casting a spell, the address glowed and the letter was carried away by the wind. This is a high-level spell known as Correspondence Magic, in which the character for “letter” represents a bird’s wings. When cast, the letter flies to the recipient like a bird flapping its wings.
I should be receiving a response within a week. If not, then I have no choice but to visit their estate in person.
The late Syran had no intention of marrying off his daughter, but that does not mean that the older brother Rogie is of the same opinion. Whatever the circumstances of the other party, I must talk to him at least once.
While Hydrangea was putting on his gloves, the young adjutant Quince came in and helped him put on his coat.
“Your Excellency, about the dinner party hosted by His Majesty tonight…”
“I refuse to go.”
“As you wish.”
Soirées, horse races, dinner parties — wherever I go, the purpose of these social gatherings is to decide my marriage prospects. And I don’t want to go to any of them even if they are hosted by the King.
Only Hydrangea could decline such an invitation from the King.
This is because the country of Lilliphiltia, which has become the world leader amongst the nations of magic, could not operate without the cooperation of the Ducal House of Laudense. And for this reason, they are sometimes teased by other nobles as shadow leaders.
Naturally, there are several factions that dislike the proud Ducal House of Laudense.
However, no one could compete against the Ducal House of Laudense because not only did they possess authority which is second only to the King, but they also boasted an abundance of mana.
“Good work today, Quince von Monstrim. Rest well.”
“Likewise, Your Excellency!”
Quince clicked his heels and offered a salute.
After their exchange, Hydrangea headed home using teleportation.
◇◇◇
His destination was behind the Laudense Ducal estate. Hydrangea looked around and crouched down.
He quickly took out a leather pouch from his cloak which contained pieces of dried meat. After softening it with some water and shock magic, he placed the softened meat on a plate on the ground. Then, he heard a cat’s meows from afar.
Hydrangea moved away from the dish and watched. After a while, three cats arrived.
“Three cats… three cats came today!”
There was an orange cat, a spotted cat, and a black cat. It seemed like they were lured in from around the neighborhood.
Upon seeing the cats, the wrinkles between Hydrangea’s eyebrows which had been drawn together all day lifted, and his cheeks relaxed. Naturally, his voice also became lively.
Unbeknownst to all, Hydrangea was a huge cat lover. He had attempted to raise several kittens in the past, but they always ran away, unable to withstand the waves of mana emanating from him.
Recently, he had given up on trying to be liked by cats and tried to feed the stray cats instead.
It had been three months since he first started feeding the strays. At first, they were wary of Hydrangea hiding in the shadows, but once they learned that he just stood there doing nothing, they began to lower their guard.
The cats happily gobbled up the meat and enjoyed today’s meal as well.
Not only did elves possess excellent hearing but they also had good eyesight. And so, Hydrangea could still see the cats eating even in the dark.
Would they let me touch them today? Surely, they’ve already accepted me in their hearts.
Hydrangea silently took off his gloves and took care not to make a sound as he inched closer to the cats. He once read in a book that a cat’s fur was fluffy and nice to the touch.
He has never touched one before, but now he was going to finally have a chance.
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