Ch.2 - Was that really an absolute win?

"Chris..." in front of me was the Duke himself.

After my declaration to his son, he and I were both immediately escorted out of the party room without making a scene for the other guests. It didn't take long to reach a private room suitable for a meeting.

The Duke looked sorry and uncomfortable, normally in situations such as these he would remain as stoic as a statue but today it was as if life hit him with a sledgehammer.

"I am very sorry for what has happened," he paused with a bitter smile "For this, she will be heavily disciplined and I hope you can forgive her crass behavior"

Good try, but I am not an idiot. The way he worded that question was a trap, if I wanted to maintain a healthy relationship with the Duke I might be tempted to agree, doing so would however seal my fate as forgiving her effectively means maintaining the status quo, and if I tried to change it after this declaration I would be regarded as a two-faced "ignoble" (title for someone not deserving to be a noble) who turns back on his words, effectively shunning me from noble circles. I said good try yes... But only if I were 5 years old.

"I am afraid I am not able to forgive her this time my Duke, it appears that she herself is the first that doesn't seem to want to continue this relationship, directly insulting me in front of other guests when I tried upholding noble etiquette to the best of my abilities even before the act itself. I have been plenty magnanimous as I am sure you already know, enduring multiple offenses to my House pride, and by extension mine throughout these two years of engagement"

The Duke's expression hardened trying to intimidate me "Do not test my patience Christopher" Ah we using the full name now? "We both know that you never tried to actively mend this relationship"

"Excuse me sir if I might sound disrespectful, I assure you it is not my intent to do so as I probably drank too much alcohol today" I paused waiting for the Duke's nod to continue "While I may have never done anything to mend the relationship, which was nonexistent since the first time we met, as you might recall your daughter's expression of disgust as soon as you introduced me to her, an expression you even chastised her for having, I have never done or said anything even remotely rude to her or your family that warranted the subsequent treatment. Even my own behavior while accompanying her was nothing but respectful. This is just another of the many offenses she publicly dealt and it was only because of the great relationship between our two houses that I never said anything." the Duke was uncharacteristically at a loss for words so I finished for him

"As the rules of this Sacred Kingdom state, I am not allowed to officially break off the engagement, but I am allowed to move towards that direction. While I hold no doubt that my father will be livid at the insult, I still need to consult with him about this matter so I cannot be sure of his decision at the moment, in any case, I can legally and officially request for our engagement to be put on hold for further investigation, and as per law the faculty to contemplate other engagement proposals."

Closing his eyes with a slight twitch the Duke remained in thought before finally acknowledging my request.

"Sigh, I agree to these terms, Chris. I am sorry it didn't work out, for what it's worth I can assure you my daughter will be held accountable. You are dismissed"

"Thank you my lord, have a pleasant day. Alfred? Let's go."

"Yes young master"

...

-Nighttime, Duke's Castle-

The air at night this time of the year felt chilly, if magical runes and a fireplace weren't present in each room of the castle the guests would probably have to wear heavy clothes even under the thick covers of the bed; spring, no matter which world, was always a beautiful bitch.

In the only lit room of the Duke's castle, a boy could be seen writing something on a piece of paper, his trusted aide respectfully beside him ready to provide help if ever required.

"It appears as if you have finally done it, young master." said Master stopped writing for a moment before asking his butler

"Finally?"

"A two-year-long plan, to finally get rid of this engagement. For two years straight you endured everything, just for this moment." he paused "I can only marvel at your tenacity, focus and will young master."

"Thank you Alfred, I guess" frowning I looked at him trying to gauge what he was getting at.

"You even won against the Duke, in the end. Congratulations" ah... Alfred how naive of you.

"And what makes you think I won any kind of battle?"

At that, he was the one who frowned.

"I'm afraid I do not understand young master" I sighed

"I didn't win any kind of battle, breaking off an engagement isn't as simple as one might think, people will always question the cause of it, meaning rumors will spread and people will investigate. It won't take long to notice that, in the end, the Duke broke the engagement right after the actions of his daughter, this will in turn create a small storm around the family. A son of a Marquis house directly asking for the Duke to break off the engagement after it was her daughter doing the slight? It can be seen as a young master thinking themselves superior to the other party. As stupid as it sounds a Marquis finding and exploiting a chance to quickly get rid of the Duke's proposed engagement could also be seen as an insult in and of itself. That is why I tried to do it as discreetly as possible, it was a way to avoid that possible retort." Alfred just looks at me with wide eyes not knowing what to answer even after that long-winded explanation, then I concluded for him.

"This just means that the Duke also wanted to break off the engagement for some reason or another, and it just so happened that I gave him a way out without making a huge scene. He may have preferred for me to have made a mistake and taking the full force of the rumor mill and my father's wrath, but I assume he calculated that it mattered little in his eyes."

"So you think that there is another reason behind his actions, did you already figure out what it might be?" I stop for a second looking away with my eyes before setting them again on my butler.

"I can name a few reasons: maybe he found another candidate, who looks better on paper, but then he wouldn't have hastily engaged her if he actually cared to find her a better partner, after all, she is still a Duke's daughter and I am still the "drunken gambler". Maybe it has something to do with that commoner, it could be that the benefits of having her daughter hang around him outweighs the risks: maybe he is the apprentice of a world-famous master, or he is actually a prince undercover, or maybe..." I trail off not knowing if it was wise to hint him but I decided to nonetheless.

I fake a chuckle and add "After a quick magical check they found out that he is blessed with the title of Hero. It could literally be anything honestly, there is no reason to try and understand it, I believe we will know in due time." (and I will explain in due time what it means to be a Hero in this world, and how you can check that)

"Sorry for my insolence young master" quickly answered Alfred with a bow.

"Do not worry, it was not a jab aimed at your question but just my own ramblings. Anyways I will get this letter done then go to bed, you can go Alfred, and thank you for the hard work today too"

He bows and then politely says "Good night young master" before leaving.

Unbeknownst to me Alfred was grinning from ear to ear. A red hue present in his eyes.

...

Take note that these chapters are mostly written in such a way that enables the reader to understand our mc personality, learn a bit of backstory, and some info dumping to have all the tools in mind to be able to read between the lines of the plot without my mc always pointing them out.