Chapter 01
** The Doll Princess and the Barren Territory**
The man was 20 years old, the woman 18.
This was the age of becoming an adult in the kingdom.
It was also the time to become independent from one’s parents.
Upon becoming an adult, men would branch off from the family, and women would get married.
Cliff, too, had turned 20.
*‘…Am I being kicked out?’*
Cliff wore a bitter expression.
Twenty years of being born as a child of a wealthy noble, never having to worry about food or shelter. That was all until today.
Normally, he would have received a separate residence or a nearby manor and continued to interact with the main family. But Cliff’s situation was different.
There was no way the family would welcome him, a bastard.
“…Sir Cliff. His Grace the Duke calls for you.”
Even the way they addressed him had changed. It had gone from ‘Young Master’ to ‘Sir.’
He was fortunate they even used a title.
*‘Now I’m in a position where I can’t even call myself a noble anywhere.’*
Following the servant, Cliff wore a self-deprecating expression.
In his mind, he organized what he would say to his biological father.
He didn’t even expect to be given a separate manor like his other children.
*‘A pouch of gold coins! A pouch of jewels! I absolutely must get some money, even if it’s just that, before I’m kicked out.’*
This was the best plan Cliff could think of.
However, what his biological father, the Duke, presented him with was something completely different.
“What… is this?”
A portrait.
Inside it was a beautiful young girl.
Beautiful silver hair, a slender face, and blue eyes staring straight ahead with no discernible expression.
Even though it was just a painting, she was prettier than any other girl her age he had ever seen.
So why was the Duke suddenly presenting him with a portrait?
*‘There’s no resemblance to my reflection in a mirror or water… It doesn’t seem to be a painting of my mother, so…’*
Then why would the Duke hand him a portrait?
Surely it wasn’t to tell him to sell it at the market for a few silver coins.
Of course, another possibility came to Cliff’s mind.
“…She looks like a young lady just about to marry. Giving this to me is almost like saying the lady in the portrait is my fiancée.”
He was an adult.
And the girl in the portrait also looked to be of marriageable age.
It was customary in noble engagements for the woman’s side to send a portrait to the man. That’s why he could make this joke.
*‘I’d be thrilled if it were true, but… the chances are low, right?’*
If it were true, it was too late.
Noblemen usually got engaged at 15.
To propose an engagement to a son who was now an adult and leaving the house?
It didn’t make sense.
“That’s right.”
Still, sometimes common sense went out the window. Just like now.
“That’s right…?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’ll be…”
“Do you not like it?”
The Duke didn’t seem to be asking for an answer.
Before Cliff could react, the Duke’s next words came faster.
“Even if you don’t, accept it for now. If she displeases you, you may take a concubine.”
Cliff stared blankly at the Duke.
It was as if he was trying to discern his father’s true intentions. The Duke calmly withstood his gaze and continued.
“Her name is Priscilla Elimeas. She is the eldest daughter of the Elimeas family, and she is 17 years old.”
“Elimeas… I’ve never heard of it.”
Cliff murmured the name of his future in-laws, chosen by his father.
The Elimeas family.
It was unfamiliar.
And that was only natural.
*‘There’s no way a daughter of a well-known noble family would marry a mere bastard with no maternal relatives.’*
So, he could understand that the daughter of a ‘no-name’ rural noble would become his bride.
Cliff examined the portrait again.
To his perception, she looked young, but this girl with a clean aura was clearly going to grow into a considerable beauty.
*‘For this level of beauty, even if her family was unremarkable… she could easily secure a position as a high noble’s second wife.’*
That made him curious.
“If I may ask…”
“…”
“Does Lady Elimeas have any siblings?”
He directed his question straight at the Duke.
Only then did the Duke’s typically stoic expression change.
“Tch. You should have been born to Helena. Or, even if not that, if only you had been pure-blood….”
The Duke clicked his tongue, a look of regret flashing across his eyes.
The word ‘pure-blood’ mixed into his words still sounded unfamiliar.
*‘It’s not like we’re talking about the sacred bone or true bone lineage of Silla…’*
‘Pure-blood’ was exactly that: the term used when both parents were nobles. And of course, Cliff’s mother was not a noble.
That’s why the Duke regretted it.
“It’s as you suspect. She has no siblings.”
Even without detailed questioning, the Duke understood the intent of Cliff’s question.
Cliff, too, could grasp the situation from those words.
In this country, women could not inherit titles. So, if a family had only a daughter, the son-in-law could inherit the title.
Simply put, a live-in son-in-law.
*‘I’m becoming a live-in son-in-law for the Elimeas family.’*
This was the Duke’s consideration.
As a bastard, originally he could receive nothing from the Duke.
He couldn’t even be kept close and given work, as he could become a source of family discord. So, the Duke was providing him with a manor (territory) in another way.
“You won’t need to worry much about your father-in-law, Baron Elimeas. He won’t be on the territory.”
That meant the Duke had called the Baron, who was ambitious about central politics, to the capital.
In return, Baron Elimeas had handed over his daughter and territory to him.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Cliff hadn’t become a complete outcast, but he couldn’t bring himself to call the Duke ‘Father’ anymore.
They were now completely separate.
From the moment he accepted this portrait, he no longer belonged to the ducal family that commanded the central political stage. He became part of the rural Baron Elimeas family.
Still, his gratitude was sincere.
*‘I know… you tried hard for me.’*
Usually, bastards weren’t even acknowledged by the family.
But the Duke had brought him into the family. And even though there was discrimination, he had provided him with servants, clothed him, and fed him.
He had even received the same education as his other brothers.
And in the end, he had given him a territory, just like when he sent off his legitimate sons to branch off.
As a father, he had done his part.
“Enough. I will take responsibility for your escort and travel expenses on the way. But that is all I can do for you. You are no longer my son.”
The Duke, known as the Iron-blooded Prime Minister, drew a line with Cliff.
“Get out.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Cliff left the room.
The Duke stared at the door for a while.
“Tch.”
Then he clicked his tongue again.
It was a shame he had no talent for swordsmanship or magic.
But that didn’t really matter.
He was the son who resembled him more than anyone else.
*‘There’s no one as clever as that boy…’*
His remaining sons each resembled their mothers, not him.
Influenced by their maternal families, they had talent in swordsmanship, but their family was a scholarly family, not a martial one.
A family that had produced prime ministers for generations.
Yet, among his remaining sons, none had the qualities to be a prime minister.
“They only pursue strength in their heads. Knowing how to wield a sword is less important than judging where and how to use it.”
The lack of a child well-versed in politics.
The Duke deeply regretted this fact.
He then opened his mouth.
“…Let Baron Elimeas handle things properly. So that no problems arise later.”
His shadow flickered.
—
* * *
Twenty-three days by carriage from the capital.
Heading south for almost a month, one would reach the Yusta Peninsula.
A place where a massive river separated it from the kingdom, and the center of the peninsula was filled with forests and low mountains.
The Elimeas territory was located in the center of such a peninsula.
The basic topography was a basin surrounded by mountains.
Although the mountains weren’t high, making them not impossible to cross…
*‘It’s isolated!’*
There was only one narrow side path, leading north.
Movement was possible through other routes, but one never knew what monsters lurked in the mountains and surrounding forests.
The forest itself was vast, and except for the northern side path, it was dangerous or easy to get lost in.
*‘And…’*
Cliff surveyed the territory’s farmland.
Most of the existing farmland was in poor condition.
He didn’t know the exact reason. Perhaps the wheat and barley didn’t suit the soil or climate, or maybe there were some pests.
Or perhaps it was just this year that crops failed due to drought or, conversely, heavy rain.
*‘But this doesn’t seem like a one or two-year problem…’*
He saw the peasants as he headed to the lord’s residence of Baron Elimeas.
Many of them were emaciated, looking as if they could die at any moment.
Bodies that hadn’t been able to eat properly.
“Oh dear, this seems serious?”
This was his territory now.
He would need to call the administrator to get a detailed understanding. Cliff headed towards the lord’s mansion.
There, as if knowing he was coming, people were there to greet him.
“Huh?”
The most eye-catching was a girl with silver hair, appearing to be in her mid-to-late teens.
She was the girl he had seen many times through the portrait in his pocket.
“Oh?”
Looking at the portrait, he had thought he’d be lucky if she was even half as pretty.
But seeing her in person, not as a painting, she was even more beautiful.
Also, the portrait had made her look younger, but seeing her directly, she didn’t seem that way.
She had the figure of a mature woman.
However, there were aspects strikingly similar to the portrait.
That face. Or rather, her expression.
And those quiet eyes that were hard to read.
*‘I thought it was just because it was a painting, but…’*
He had thought she might be standing there with a somewhat displeased expression.
In a rural area like this, the lord’s power was absolute.
Having grown up as the lord’s only daughter, she probably had never had to wait outside for someone. And that wasn’t all.
*‘Even in a situation where her father has left home, and she must hand everything over to a husband she’s never met… she’s composed.’*
Even daughters of prestigious families would find it hard to accept.
Marriage among nobles is a bigger deal, especially for women.
But she was calmer than the daughters of prestigious families.
She was watching him approach with quiet eyes and an inscrutable expression, just like in the painting.
*‘It feels like looking at a well-made doll.’*
Yes, his wife was a doll princess.
The doll princess and a poor, rural territory.
His territory started here.
