The Bride-Hunting Tale: I’ve Failed 20 Marriage Proposals Already. I Don’t Need Titles Like Dragon Slayer or Hero Who Saved the Nation—All I Want Is a Cute Wife!
The conversation, or rather the interrogation, having ended, I returned to the venue of the banquet only to find that the guests were already beginning to leave.
In the end, instead of finding a marriage partner, I couldn’t even manage a decent conversation with any lady, and it was quietly shocking.
If I had skipped my original purpose entirely and gotten dragged into unnecessary trouble, that would’ve been annoying enough.
Well, since I stuck my neck out myself, there’s no one to blame. No, actually, those guys who tried to demand repayment of debts at such an event should be held accountable.
“Excuse me, Lord Fordealt. I’m truly sorry for involving you in my family’s problems.”
As I stood motionless in the now-emptying venue, Sallyfe approached me with a deep bow.
“I-It’s nothing, but I’m worried if my interference might have caused you inconvenience.”
Regardless of whether she felt inconvenienced or not, it was certain that my intervention escalated matters all the way to the Duke’s involvement. The Bosh family, being merely barons, must be feeling anxious and fearful.
“I’ve caused His Grace the Duke Folse so much trouble that I don’t know where to put myself. But… if Lord Fordealt hadn’t helped me back then, I…”
Those men were looking at her with disgusting expressions, leering like they were undressing her with their eyes.
Even though she belonged to the lower nobility, as a noblewoman, that kind of humiliation must have been unbearable.
While thinking about this, I looked at Sallyfe again more carefully. She had average height for a woman, glossy brown hair neatly tied up, and wore a modest yet clean dress.
Her facial features were gentle—slightly drooping, kind-looking eyes, a straight nose, and beautifully shaped lips. Not particularly striking, but very refined.
Since such a terrible thing just happened, I try not to stare too openly at her body, but yeah, she’s quite beautiful.
I guess I’ll give credit to those fools’ taste in women.
“If I didn’t cause any unnecessary trouble, that would be great. Also, His Grace the Duke has promised to ensure that the Bosh Baron Family doesn’t suffer any disadvantages from the outcome of the duel, so please rest assured.”
“B-But still, won’t this place a burden on Lord Fordealt?”
“If it ensures Lady Sallyfe’s peace of mind, then I wouldn’t say it’s what a man would consider most desirable, but when a noble lady is clearly in distress before my eyes, I feel inclined to lend a hand. Besides, I do have some skill with the sword—enough to earn the nickname ‘barbarian’ around town, at least—so there’s no need to worry.”
I tried sounding cool saying that.
My back tingled uncomfortably because the lines sounded so utterly unbecoming on me.
You see, when I think about it calmly, Lady Sallyfe actually fits perfectly with the criteria I wanted.
She’s the second daughter of a minor noble family, seems to have a good personality, and is unexpectedly beautiful. Plus, from what I heard, she doesn’t seem to have a fiancé or anything.
I’m not thinking about exploiting the favor I did for her, but if I could at least leave a slightly positive impression, maybe we could get closer.
Though I don’t know what impression she and her family might have of me internally, once I win the duel and resolve the Bosh Baron’s issue, the Baron should seriously consider me favorably.
Yeah.
Suddenly, my motivation surged.
By the way, let me explain how duels work in this country.
In the Empire, duels are recognized methods of resolving disputes exclusively among the nobility.
Back in ancient times, apparently, they used to settle matters definitively through duels instead of trials, but nowadays that practice is completely obsolete. Honestly, settling things through violence is just too primitive. Although, in my territory, people still often do similar things even now.
So currently, legal procedures are followed when issues arise. The exception is when a noble feels their honor has been damaged.
If a lesser noble believes their honor has been injured by a higher-ranking noble, they can challenge them to a duel as a means of restoring their dignity.
What’s important here is that a higher-ranking noble cannot initiate a duel against a lower-ranking one. And if challenged, the defending party can make demands upon victory, but those demands must not benefit themselves, their household, or their domain directly.
In other words, if a higher-ranking noble unjustly insults a lesser noble, the latter can challenge the former to a duel to restore their honor. If they win, they can formally demand an apology and retraction of the offending statements, which the defeated higher noble cannot refuse.
At the same time, even if the higher noble wins, they are not allowed to gain any benefits.
Otherwise, the higher nobles could simply pick fights and force duels whenever they pleased.
Of course, challenging someone to a duel and losing would be more than just embarrassing—it would be a disgrace, especially if a noble of higher rank loses to someone of lower status.
When a duel is actually proposed, a high-ranking noble of neutral standing will act as a referee, deciding on the duel conditions, victory requirements, and the winner’s demands after considering the situation, both parties’ arguments, and whether either side was at fault.
Duels conducted without going through these procedures are considered unlawful private battles and subject to punishment.
Because of these complicated procedures and the fact that the only reward obtainable is the restoration of honor,
actual duels are extremely rare. Or so I’ve heard.
Honestly, I can’t understand why they insisted on a duel in the first place.
“This idiot!”
A shout of anger echoed inside the luxurious carriage.
Inside the carriage leaving the Folse Duke’s estate, the Earl Terkel glared furiously at his son, his face flushed red with rage.
“I-I apologize, Father. It was just one step away from victory when that barbarian interfered, and I lost my temper…”
“And yet you went ahead and demanded a duel! Even if you won, all you’d get would be a mere verbal apology. Worse yet, your opponent is that Devil Marquis, and considering what happened at the Duke’s banquet, this will bring nothing but shame!”
Although the old custom of dueling survives as a means of restoring honor when unfairly slandered, it’s practically never used in reality because there’s little benefit involved.
For nobles, having one’s honor damaged enough to warrant a duel is itself a disgrace, and the one who inflicted the damage would also be viewed with disdain in society. Making a big deal out of it is mutually disadvantageous.
In this case, stopping someone from grabbing a woman’s arm at a banquet shouldn’t even qualify as grounds for a duel. Naturally, he expected that the Lestarl Marcher Lord’s heir would reject the challenge.
But the host of the banquet—the Folse Duke himself—approved it.
Worse yet, Ozwaldo Mire Folse , the highest-ranking noble in the Empire and serving as Prime Minister, personally approved the duel and even volunteered to serve as witness.
Under these circumstances, even the Emperor couldn’t easily overturn the decision. Let alone Earl Terkel, whose status as a mere baron, albeit wealthy through trade, ranked only fifth in the imperial hierarchy.
Even if they won, the Duke’s favor would be soured; if they lost, it would be even more humiliating, making them the laughingstock of society for quite some time.
The young man bit his lip under his father’s scolding.
But another, younger man spoke up.
“Please calm down, Father. It’s true the timing was bad, but I believe my older brother was justified in his anger. After all, we were insulted by a backwoods hillbilly who doesn’t even participate in high society.”
“I understand his feelings, but…”
“Our family has never belonged to Duke Folse ‘ faction anyway. We were merely invited to maintain balance between factions at this banquet. While our reputation might not be perfect, politically speaking, they won’t interfere further. All that remains is to win the duel, which would at least preserve our dignity. Conversely, Lestarl , whose only claim to fame is martial prowess, will see his reputation plummet—or rather, his true worth will finally be accurately judged.”
“That may indeed be true, but I’ve heard that despite being barely an adult, three years ago during the conflict between Pricques and Jesbia kingdoms, he showed remarkable performance.”
To his father’s words, the younger brother smirked confidently.
“It’s true that Lestarl ‘s soldiers are strong, but three years ago, he was still a child before entering the academy. Most likely, they exaggerated minor achievements to add prestige to the heir. While it’s undeniable that he receives high evaluations in martial arts instruction at the academy, even if he’s somewhat skilled, fighting alone has its limits.”
Hearing his confident explanation, the Earl finally seemed intrigued.
“You have a plan?”
“We propose team combat. A group battle of thirty is neither unusual as a duel nor as training. Our knights have accumulated real combat experience suppressing bandits and dissidents to protect the city, and adding a few capable mercenaries would ensure victory.”
“What if they bring a unit of Lestarl soldiers?”
“Lestarl doesn’t have a residence in the capital, and he lives in the academy dormitory without even guards. He mostly associates with commoners and lower nobles. The only high noble close to him is Duke Folse ‘ daughter, but as a witness, she cannot offer assistance.”
“Hmm, but if they can’t gather people, the border house known for martial prowess refusing would be seen as cowardice, leaving them unable to decline…”
“Exactly. Prince Pulbat also dislikes him, and I doubt any high noble at the academy would willingly assist him.”
After hearing this, the Earl’s expression finally regained calm confidence.
“I see, so we do have a chance of winning. But Carius, the final decision is yours. What do you think?”
“Since Jucil thought it through this far, and I’m confident in my swordsmanship, I shall personally lead the knights and achieve a glorious victory.”
Duels differ from matches or mock battles.
In an officially sanctioned duel, killing the opponent does not constitute a crime but is legally treated as battlefield death.
Therefore, nobles typically don’t fight duels themselves but appoint representatives—skilled subordinates with the highest chance of victory, sometimes even hiring mercenaries.
However, naturally, when the challenger personally enters the duel arena, it’s often praised as an act of bravery.
Moreover, declining to fight personally while having obvious numerical superiority might invite criticism even upon victory.
However, they—who rule southern territories distant from conflicts and threats within the Empire—don’t realize this:
They don’t understand that real warfare differs entirely from dealing with bandits or small-scale rebellions, nor do they know how mercenaries seasoned on actual battlefields view the soldiers of the Lestarl Marches.