The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

77 – The Secretary’s Father Refused the Wizard’s Request.

“Master of the Tower, it’s time for your meal.”

Franz opened his eyes at the sound of Arian’s voice.

He had only intended to lie down for a moment, but it seemed he had fallen asleep.

Well, even though he had taken breaks along the way, he had driven for quite a long time, so it was understandable that he was tired.

“Are you very tired?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Arian asked with concern, but Franz shook his head and got up from the bed.

Even if he was tired, he couldn’t put off what he had to do.

All the tasks were important, so even more so.

Before leaving the room, Franz looked in the mirror one last time to check his appearance.

‘No particular problems…’

Just as he thought that, Arian approached from behind.

“Just a moment. Your collar is a bit crooked.”

Arian reached out and straightened Franz’s collar.

She had a faint smile on her lips, but Franz, who couldn’t see behind him, had no way of knowing that.

After finishing his grooming, the two left the room immediately.

And before long, they arrived at the dining place.

‘As expected of a duke’s family…’

Franz marveled inwardly.

The food on the table was too luxurious.

It was a meal befitting the title of a duke’s family.

“Have you ever been to the north, Master of the Tower?”

As Franz sat down, the head of the family, Balak, asked.

“No, it’s my first time.”

“Then the northern food must be new to you as well. I’ve prepared a variety of dishes, so I hope they suit your taste.”

“Someday, I really wanted to try this, and now I’m really looking forward to it.”

That was the end of the conversation between Balak and Franz.

With Balak picking up his spoon, the meal naturally began.

For Franz, born as the youngest of the Baron family, to be treated so generously by the Duke’s family was something he couldn’t even dream of if it weren’t for the Tower Lord.

Conversely, it could be said that Franz’s current status was that high.

So high that no one in the Empire could ignore him.

Not even the Emperor, for that matter.

“This is excellent. I would like to come back and eat it again someday.”

While eating, Franz expressed his appreciation for the food.

He wanted to say more in detail, but being an amateur in this area, he couldn’t.

After all, the only feedback an ordinary person could give was either delicious or not delicious.

Franz was just at that level.

“I’m glad you liked it. It was worth the preparation.”

“Thanks to you, I had a great experience.”

The meal continued for a long time after that.

Even though there wasn’t much conversation going on.

Noble meals, after all, were meant to be long, emphasizing etiquette.

After finishing all the meals with dessert, Franz spoke to Balak just before getting up from his seat.

“Grand Duke, could you spare a moment?”

“Then let’s move to another place.”

Balak nodded as he spoke.

He seemed to have noticed that it wasn’t an easy topic to bring up.

Soon, the two sat facing each other again with a small table between them in the office.

On the table were a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“This is the pride of our family, wine. I brought an excellent one, so please try it.”

Balak said as he poured wine into the empty glasses.

The red wine filled the glasses that had held the cold air of the north.

‘Wine…’

Franz, who had caused a big accident after drinking not long ago.

He didn’t really want to drink, but it was hard to refuse given the situation.

To smoothly proceed with future matters, it seemed better to accept it.

Franz, who took a sip of wine gracefully as he had learned, carefully placed the glass down and expressed his thoughts.

“Indeed, it’s excellent. Among the wines I’ve had so far, I can say this is by far the best.”

To be honest, I don’t really know. If it were soju or beer, I could elaborate in great detail, but wine was always outside my interest.

However, it would be rude to express such an impression to the one who had prepared it, so I decided to give a compliment.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

He said, taking a sip of wine with elegance.

Then, placing the glass down without making a sound, he continued.

“So, what is it that you wanted to say…?”

It was finally time to get to the main point.

What Franz had to say was, of course.

“I heard that the Duke of Freesia is planning a political marriage for Arian. Could you possibly delay it?”

“…I see you heard it from Marcel.”

He spoke in a much calmer voice, holding the wine glass and slowly swirling it.

The sight of the wine shaking inside the transparent glass seemed to reflect his state of mind.

“As you said, the family is preparing for Arian’s political marriage. I would also like to leave it as it is, but you know it’s not that easy, don’t you, Tower Master?”

Franz had certainly thought the same.

If Arian didn’t marry, it wouldn’t benefit either the family or her.

But hearing it from Balak made him feel the weight of it anew.

The heart of a head of the family wanting to protect the family and a father wanting to protect his daughter’s honor was that heavy.

“Before I give you an answer, I want to ask you one thing. Why did you think that way?”

The wish for a friend’s happiness, the desire as a Tower Master not to lose a talented person.

In fact, all of those were personal reasons, so it was a bit awkward to say them out loud.

They weren’t that important either.

There was only one answer Franz could give.

“Because Arian doesn’t want it.”

“Of course, I want to do as Arian wishes. As her father, no less. But other daughters are just as precious as Arian. Even if not as the head of the family, my thoughts wouldn’t change.”

I couldn’t fully understand what kind of feelings he had when he made the decision, but I could somewhat grasp it.

It must have been quite painful not to be able to wish for his daughter’s happiness.

But Franz couldn’t back down either.

I had boasted to Arian and Marcel that I would somehow make it work.

“Even if it’s just for a few months, please give me some time. If I can’t solve it within that time, I will take responsibility somehow.”

A subtle change appeared on Balak’s face.

I didn’t know if it was because a few months seemed shorter than he thought, or if the word ‘responsibility’ changed his mind, but anyway, it wasn’t bad.

“Let’s hear it first. How exactly do you plan to take responsibility?”

“If I can’t find a marriage partner for Arian within the given period, I will….”

Franz thought dozens of times in his head as he spoke.

Was it really right to say such a thing?

But having come this far, there was no turning back.

If he didn’t present a concrete plan, he wouldn’t be able to persuade Balak.

“…I will marry Arian.”

In the end, Franz said those words.

Naturally, Balak showed a confused expression.

But Franz was just as confused.

It wasn’t like he was saying, “Let’s get married if we’re still single when we’re older,” to a childhood friend, but rather, “If I can’t find a suitable marriage partner, I’ll marry you,” which was quite absurd.

“Isn’t that just making you Arian’s arranged marriage partner?”

“Instead, we can buy some time. In the meantime, we can find someone who suits Arian’s heart.”

“If we can’t find that person, you’ll have to marry Arian. Are you okay with that?”

It was a really difficult question to answer.

If he said he was okay, it meant he had feelings for Arian, and if he said he wasn’t, it meant Arian wasn’t good enough to marry.

‘Honestly, it’s not bad.’

Good family, pretty face, personality… let’s leave that aside for now.

As an arranged marriage partner, the conditions were not bad at all.

That didn’t mean he wanted to marry Arian, though.

‘I wonder if I’ll wake up one day married to Arian.’

Sometimes in comics, a few panels pass, and suddenly it’s the wedding day.

For some reason, it felt very similar to his situation.

Silence flowed for a while after that.

Both Balak and Franz had a lot to think about.

Finally, Balak broke the silence by taking a hearty gulp of wine and said,

“I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this.”

“Please, think about it one more time…”

“We’ll just call off Arian’s arranged marriage.”

“What…?”

What was this all about?

It was certainly a welcome development, but equally surprising.

“I realized after seeing the Tower Master willing to sacrifice for Arian. In truth, it’s something I, as her father, should be doing.”

“But if you do that, the family’s or the nobility’s customs…”

“It’s fine. Overcoming such things is what a father and head of the family should do, isn’t it?”

Franz was inwardly impressed by his firm resolve.

Nobles usually consider their family as the most important thing.

Whether it’s children or parents, they usually think of them only as members to maintain the family.

But Balak decided to bear the disgrace on his family for the sake of his daughter’s happiness.

For that alone, he was a man worthy of respect.

“I support your decision, Duke. If you ever need help, please let me know. I’ll assist you as much as I can.”

“Then, would you join me in enjoying some wine? It seems like it will be a rather tiring night.”

“Yes, I’ll join you.”

Franz said this as he filled his glass with wine.

They enjoyed the wine with their conversation for quite some time, and it was only after the night had deepened that Franz could step outside.

The cool air in the hallway seemed to sober him up a bit.

“Tower Master…?”

As he was walking down the hallway to return to his room, Arian appeared in front of him.

She had already changed into comfortable clothes.

“Arian, can we talk for a moment?”

Franz intended to tell her right away about the conversation he had with Balak.