There is a truth that applies to all families, regardless of time or status:
When a parent says, "Let's talk for a moment," it generally means, "This will take a long time, I will do all the talking, and you will silently listen."
Naturally, the child has no right to refuse, so Tristan obediently sat down at the tea table.
In front of him, filled to his throat with lemonade, was a cup of tea he had no intention of drinking.
"What is it, Mother?"
"Nothing serious, so don't be nervous. I'm just pleased that you asked Miss Dory to dance from the very first song today."
"Ha… Is it really something to be that pleased about?"
"My expectations were low, so of course! You've ignored your fiancée for five years. Especially this year, when you openly pursued Miss Maria as soon as the season began. I even thought you'd finally decided to part ways with the Redfield family."
"…"
Did she know what she was saying, or was it unintentional? Tristan picked up the teacup to hide his embarrassed expression and spoke.
"I didn't realize you were pleased. But Mother, you were the one who handed me off to be Miss Meyer's partner the moment I was about to ask my fiancée to dance."
"I couldn't let a newly debuted lady be embarrassed, could I? There were plenty of opportunities to dance with your fiancée afterward."
"I couldn't."
"Oh, good… Wait, what? Why not?"
"Because my fiancée was injured."
The Queen's round eyes narrowed into a sharp shape. Tristan sighed with exasperation.
"Duke Arthur stepped on my fiancée's foot three times while dancing with her. Dory was limping long after the song ended."
"Oh dear."
"If that clumsy fool turned out to be a bear in human skin, I wouldn't be surprised. At least I'd turn him into a rug and send him to the Count's manor, so my fiancée could walk on something soft for a while."
Damn it. Even imagining a bear rug didn't ease his irritation.
How dare that oaf, who couldn't even manage proper steps, ask anyone to dance? Dory's dancing skills weren't dazzling enough to dodge his elephant-sized feet either.
How much must it have hurt, making her unable to even scream properly in her usual reserved demeanor?
After leisurely sipping her tea, the Queen asked, "Since the Duke returned home alive, her injury must not have been too serious?"
"I never said I intended to kill him. If my fiancée's condition were serious, her chaperone would have raised an uproar. Later, she was limping a bit but seemed to get around fine."
Mostly between dessert plates, that is.
"Hmm, you've observed closely."
"She is my fiancée, after all. If you wish, I'll ask her to dance at the next ball."
"'If you wish,' you say. As a human being, let alone as her fiancé, do you not want to dance with her of your own accord?"
Tristan hesitated to answer, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Do I want to voluntarily dance with that dull woman?"
Her casual attire today, even at the royal ball, annoyed him. Did she over-rely on the belief that modesty suited her best?
It was hard to deny that the slightly bolder feathered headpiece naturally drew attention to her elegant forehead and the line of her nose. But only those familiar with her usual style would notice. If she wanted to catch Duke Arthur's eye, that wouldn't suffice.
Today, she was as subtly beautiful as a lily adorned with pearls—a fact likely only Tristan himself had noticed.
"Tristan, answer."
"…Well, she's not entirely without charm. I'll try to find more joy in approaching her next time. Whatever anyone says, she is my fiancée."
He mixed in a suitable amount of falsehood.
Saying something like "I love my fiancée" out of the blue would obviously be dismissed as a lie.
It was safer to reassure his mother outwardly while discreetly pursuing Maria in the background.
The Queen smiled.
"Good. That's the right attitude."
But she didn't put her teacup down, meaning the real purpose of the conversation remained.
As Tristan speculated on possible questions, the Queen gazed at the rim of her saucer and slowly began to speak.
"Do you know why the engagement with the Redfield family was proposed five years ago?"
"I heard it was because Count Redfield played a key role in resolving the conflict in the Tetta Sea region."
Something about mediating a territorial dispute after a cargo ship sank near the border. When material compensation was deemed inappropriate, the Count had suggested a marital alliance.
The Queen gave an ambiguous nod.
"That was the official reason."
"You're saying that was just a surface-level explanation?"
A marriage proposal originating from a single cargo ship dispute wasn't exactly a source of pride to begin with. To think that even that wasn't the real reason?
"Was there something else?"
"The main dish was the matter of the Blue Atrium estate."
An unexpected topic was brought up—the land long anticipated to be inherited by Tristan once it reverted to the crown, as the current lord lacked an heir.
The Queen began recounting the story.
"It was known that the lord of Blue Atrium had no children… but in truth, he fathered an illegitimate son with a maid over a decade ago."
The sordid introduction nearly made Tristan drop his teacup. But this was only the beginning.
"For the sake of his honor, the lord banished the maid and her child. However, in the years that followed, he had no offspring with his wife. When it became clear that the estate would revert to the crown, he hurriedly sought out his illegitimate son."
"A foolish gamble, then."
An illegitimate child cannot inherit an estate.
To resolve this, the lord would need to claim either that the maid had been his legal wife or that the child was indeed legitimate. The former was obviously absurd.
The latter, while more plausible, would require extensive lies to explain why the heir's birth wasn't announced at the time and why they hadn't been acknowledged sooner.
The first hurdle was having the wife perjure herself by claiming the child as her own.
"It seems the wife was willing to turn a blind eye to her husband's infidelity. The next step was to locate the child and prepare him as an heir. The illegitimate son, who was 17 at the time, was found in a neighboring territory. After his mother's death, he had been working as a mercenary under a falsified age."
"I see."
"The son likely welcomed the proposal as a life-changing opportunity. As the opening act of their scheme, he filed a paternity suit against the lord. To ensure the trial went in their favor, they even arranged fake witnesses, but…"
The ending was predictable.
"We instructed Count Redfield to block the trial. The method was simple. A month before the court date, the Count hired the mercenary group to handle tasks related to the maritime dispute and dispatched them to an island. The contract was then extended."
"So the illegitimate son was stranded on the island until the trial date passed?"
"Exactly."
"Hah. If it were me, I'd have swum my way out! How could he ruin everything just because he couldn't give up a mercenary job?"
"Regardless, the plaintiff's absence caused the case to be dismissed. Finally, the Count arranged for the mercenary group to take the son far away. The rest is history."
At last, Tristan fully understood why the Redfield family, which had nothing but a second daughter to offer, was able to negotiate a marriage proposal with the royal family five years ago.
'A marriage tied to a hush payment for securing the estate.'
"If the royal family had refused the proposal, could Count Redfield have tried to stir up trouble by locating the illegitimate son and reopening the issue of Blue Atrium's ownership?"
It would be impossible now to legitimize the illegitimate son.
However, spreading rumors that the royal family used underhanded tactics to secure Blue Atrium could certainly tarnish their reputation.
The Queen shook her head faintly.
"Count Redfield isn't one for such petty mischief. But to eliminate even the slightest risk, you were engaged to his daughter as the direct beneficiary of Blue Atrium."
"…"
The sudden engagement from five years ago now made crystal-clear sense. Such a straightforward reason.
"Why are you telling me this only now?"
"You were young back then. We were afraid you'd rebel, saying, 'If my marriage is determined by the land I'm to inherit, I'd rather give up the estate.'"
"I can't deny that."
"I'm glad you've come to accept your fiancée, even if belatedly."
The Queen smiled warmly.
"Blue Atrium is the perfect land for you. The farmland is fertile, the proportion of mountainous areas is reasonable, and the people are mild-tempered, making it easy for you to govern."
Her serene expression resembled someone handing candy to a child just learning to walk. Looking at her face, Tristan forced a smile.
By now, he was accustomed to his parents' affectionate yet dismissive attitude.
But one question now came to mind—
'Do they not know about the monsters appearing in Blue Atrium?'
Even Tristan's knowledge came from piecing together rumors from his subordinates and budget reports. His parents, responsible for the entire kingdom, might be even later to hear such details.
If he mentioned this, they might decide, "Blue Atrium is too burdensome for you," and find another estate for him.
…Would the engagement be called off, too?
Perhaps, without involving Maria, the engagement could be dissolved effortlessly.
"Mother, I have a question."