Sebastian nodded in understanding. He said that he would stay at the city guild office until the Diva Party arrived and finished their adventurer mission.

Edmund fell silent for a moment, then cleared his throat. He did not mind that arrangement and would still allow Sebastian to stay there.

That way, Sebastian could immediately inform them about Edmund’s plan.

The man excused himself once again and left Edmund’s study. Edmund relaxed, taking a bottle of wine from his liquor cabinet and pouring it into his glass.

He stepped back and stood right in front of the glass wall of his study, observing the life of the city from the direction of Aschwin Mansion, watching people move around carrying out their daily activities.

While sipping his drink, Edmund carefully observed all of them. However, there was one thing he never expected.

The front gate of Aschwin Mansion opened. Edmund stopped sipping his wine when he saw a carriage procession arriving with a different banner.

Siegfried? What are they doing here?

From the direction of Aschwin Mansion, a woman stepped out and welcomed their arrival, the delegation from the Siegfried Family.

The Siegfried Family was the noble family that ruled Gunther City, a city known for producing the finest weapon blacksmiths in the entire Archie territory.

The Siegfried and Aschwin families had been close allies for a long time. The bond between the two families became even stronger when Julian married Oleander, who was the niece of the Siegfried Family.

Now, with that close relationship, Oleander was trying her luck by arranging a marriage between Edmund and Lara, the first daughter of Marcus Siegfried, the head of the Siegfried Family.

Just as Edmund expected, the people who came to Aschwin Mansion were Marcus, Lara, and Duncan Siegfried. Oleander smiled as she welcomed her uncle’s arrival.

Lara Siegfried, a woman with shoulder-length dark red hair, looked somewhat unusual wearing a dress, considering everyone knew that Lara was the greatest female knight in Gunther City.

Lara lifted her head and looked toward the glass wall of Edmund’s study. A small smile formed on her face when she realized Edmund was staring at her from his room.

I’m sure... they came here to discuss that marriage.

Oleander invited them inside to chat in the main hall while explaining that Julian had gone to the Capital to persuade the Duke into recognizing Archie as the new Marquess territory.

Because of that, Edmund had become the only person in Archester City and the Archie Territory responsible for managing everything while Julian was away.

The woman explained everything in detail. Many changes had happened to Edmund, and they were clearly positive changes.

The city had become more stable, trade continued smoothly, and crime rates had decreased.

After hearing about Edmund’s achievements, Marcus became even more eager to marry Lara to Edmund.

If Julian succeeded in persuading the Duke and turned the Archie Territory into the fourth Marquess territory, then Lara had the potential to become a Marchioness, and the Siegfried Family would benefit greatly.

Inside Edmund’s study, a maid came and knocked on the door. The woman informed Edmund about Madam Aschwin’s request.

"Madam Oleander requests your presence in the guest room, Viscount Edmund," the maid replied.

Edmund fell silent for a moment, then let out a sigh. One of the downsides of being a noble was the restriction on marriage and choosing a partner.

Families prioritized spouses from other noble families to maintain their reputation and status.

That tradition had existed for generations, and whether they liked it or not, they had to obey it.

Edmund did not know much beyond the fact that Lara and he had known each other since childhood.

After they grew older, they barely interacted anymore.

"There’s a lot of work I need to finish. Deliver my apologies because I cannot come there," Edmund replied.

"But Madam Oleander insisted because—"

"The stability and work of the city and territory are more important than meaningless noble chatter!" Edmund interrupted loudly.

The maid fell silent for a moment, her face looking worried as she did not know how to respond.

She feared Madam Oleander’s anger would be directed at her.

"Please reconsider, Viscount Edmund."

Edmund did not answer and instead returned to staring ahead. A smile appeared on his lips when he saw Sebastian arriving at Aschwin Mansion together with Sera and the others.

Sebastian noticed that important guests from the Siegfried Family had arrived.

Naturally, they could not enter through the mansion’s front entrance, so they chose to take the longer route and enter through the back door.

Sera and the others followed, their sharp gazes fixed on the Siegfried family banner.

"Please, could you—"

The door to Edmund’s study suddenly opened, startling the maid. She raised her head and smiled, finally thinking Edmund had lowered his pride enough to meet the Siegfried Family.

"Come. Let me escort you to—"

"Go to the backyard and bring Sebastian and the others to my room," Edmund interrupted.

"Eh?"

"But what about—"

The door closed again, and Edmund returned to his room. The maid pouted in annoyance, occasionally stomping her foot against the corridor floor.

She walked toward the backyard and met Sir Sebastian. Seeing the opportunity, the maid asked Sebastian for help.

Sebastian listened and agreed to try speaking with Edmund so that at the very least, the man would come and welcome Marcus Siegfried’s arrival.

The maid smiled brightly, nodding happily as she guided them to the second floor, directly in front of Edmund’s study.

The study door opened. Sebastian and Sera stepped inside together with the others.

Among them, Sera was the first to speak sharply about the Siegfried Family. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"I never thought that red onion monster would come back to this place again," Sera complained, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Lord Edmund, at the very least, you should go there and meet them," Sebastian replied.

Edmund sighed, knowing that the maid must have asked Sebastian for help.

Even if Sebastian, his close friend, pleaded with him, Edmund still refused to go there.

He did not want to give them hope regarding the marriage plan. Let them realize that they could not force their will onto someone else.

"No matter how hard you try, I still won’t go there."

"I have more important work to do than meaningless conversations about my marriage with Lara."

"Good," Sera said, praising Edmund, which made her feel relieved.

"Do you need me to go there and explain the situation?" Sebastian asked.

Edmund set down his wine glass and moved quickly toward Sebastian, as fast as a white gust of wind. In an instant, he was standing directly in front of him.

"You are my hope. Convince them that I truly cannot meet them," Edmund said.

Sebastian sighed and slowly nodded, "Why do you always make things more difficult, Lord Edmund?"

Edmund raised his hand and gently patted Sebastian’s shoulder, placing his trust in him.

"You can definitely do it. I believe in you."