The King Arranges a Marriage 3

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"What?!" 

Paul stared in disbelief at Hansel and his father, Earl Pearson Abbott, sitting before him. His eyes widened in shock, reflecting a level of astonishment he had never seen on Hansel's face. 

It took Paul a moment to collect himself. 

"Excuse me, I might not have heard correctly. Earl Abbott, could you say that again?" 

"Ahem!" 

Earl Abbott cleared his throat. 

"Our king, His Majesty Rodney XVIII, wishes to arrange a marriage between the royal family and the Grayman family. He wants to marry his sister, Princess Catherine, the daughter of his uncle—the former king, Rodney XVII—to you!" 

Earl Abbott's certain reply left Paul utterly dumbfounded! 

As Paul gradually grew up, Butler Philip began to arrange for his lifelong partner. With Paul as the last direct descendant of the Grayman family, procreation was a significant task. 

The old butler often showed him portraits to choose a wife he found satisfactory. 

These portraits mostly featured daughters of various noble families from the Northwest Bay, yet Paul was always unsatisfied. 

Don't get him wrong; Paul wasn't like other time travelers who, even when faced with a flawless beauty, would shout about free love, marital autonomy, or their disdain for an arranged life. 

If his family truly arranged a marriage candidate that he found satisfactory, Paul would have been grinning ear to ear. 

He had once harbored beautiful fantasies about his other half. 

However, his notion of a perfect partner was not about interesting souls or anything profound. 

In this regard, Paul was quite superficial; his fantasy revolved around good looks. 

But beautiful appearances needed nurturing, flourishing in a supportive environment over time, cultivated across generations. 

And as for the Northwest Bay, everyone knew what it used to be. 

Now, while the Northwest Bay was not poor, it still lacked the depth of time. 

In his past life, Paul had been bombarded with images of all kinds of beauties on the internet. 

This made it hard for him to find himself attracted to the girls from the Northwest Bay. 

The two foreign beauties by his side, Betty D'Arshi and Ladia Setia, indeed fit Paul's definition of "good looks." 

However, Betty's proud demeanor made Paul feel like he was looking up to her, and she eventually left the Northwest Bay. 

As for Ladia Setia… 

With her stunning appearance, mysterious magic, and calm intellect, she was a character that would be popular in any game or film. 

There had indeed been some ambiguity between Paul and the witch. 

Faced with Ladia Setia, Paul had once felt one of life's great illusions. 

Especially when he was outlining ambitious plans for industries or technologies, or when he scientifically explained natural phenomena, Ladia always looked at him with admiration, embodying her scholarly spirit. 

She had risked her life more than once to protect him. 

Ladia had also expressed her loyalty to Paul and his cause, yet Paul couldn't quite gauge whether this loyalty was akin to a knight's allegiance to a lord or if it bore a different meaning. 

Whenever Paul tried to probe or shift their relationship from ambiguity to something more, he encountered resistance. 

The first obstacle came from Butler Philip, who was aware of Ladia's identity as a witch. When he sensed that Paul might have certain feelings for this beautiful lady, he immediately warned his master. 

"If Lady Setia becomes your partner, once her identity is revealed, it will bring you great trouble, even… tragedy!" 

"Tragedy?" Paul asked in surprise. 

"Yes! If you and she are only in a lord-subject relationship, it would be fine. If her identity is exposed, you could still protect yourself, or your prestige and power might be strong enough to suppress dissent or even stand against the Church." 

"But if you become husband and wife, that changes everything. Your wife will share your power, becoming the mistress of the territory. Your people might accept a witch under their lord, as she is also under your rule, but they might not accept a witch ruling over them. They will doubt and fear, eventually spreading that doubt and fear onto you, as her partner." 

"At that point, with emotional ties and possibly even children, it would become a huge tragedy for both of you, especially for your children. I know, Lord Grayman, like your father, you place great importance on these matters." 

"Children? Philip, you're thinking too far ahead!" Paul chuckled at the thought. 

"No! Not at all!" 

Paul distinctly remembered the way Philip looked at him with pity, as if the tragedy had already occurred. 

Always seen as an elder by Paul, Butler Philip was opposed, if not outright disapproving. 

The second layer of resistance came from Ladia or rather from Paul himself. 

Ladia Setia was a woman of calm disposition; she wasn't an ice princess who kept people at bay but also not overly warm. 

Whenever something ambiguous sparked between Paul and her, she always held back. 

Paul even doubted if she was intentionally toying with him, much like a "green tea" girl from his past life. 

However, through years of interaction, especially after she had risked her life multiple times to protect him, those doubts were cleared away. 

Paul had even subtly asked her about a spellcaster's attitude toward marriage. 

"A witch brings disaster to her man," Ladia answered earnestly, even sounding a bit warning. 

This echoed Philip's words perfectly. 

Paul wanted to take the initiative to develop their relationship, but he was held back by certain worries. 

What if Ladia was internally resistant, and he pushed her away? 

She was a witch, not an ordinary person; Paul didn't have the same strong hold over Ladia as a lord would over his subjects. 

If she wanted to leave, could he stop her? 

Regardless of Ladia's beauty, her magic had been invaluable to him, having saved his life several times, which was something Paul was reluctant to lose. 

Moreover, he enjoyed the occasional ambiguity that existed between them. 

All these reasons made Paul hesitant to let Ladia go. 

This also prevented him from taking the initiative to change the status quo. 

(End of the Chapter)

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