Prologue

"I can assure you it would be most beneficial for our esteemed families to grow closer through marriage."

Duke Leopold Elmore nodded in agreement, absent-mindedly stroking his chin. He idly wondered what he would ask the cook to make for dinner, then took a sip of black lemon tea from his cup.

"Now I would like everyone to take a look at the documents I have provided you with at the start of this presentation. As you can see on the first graph, the Elmore lands' main sources of income are…"

Beef! - Leopold made his final decision, letting the entire speech gently wash away past him. He was many things – a gourmet, an artist, a musician, a husband and a father – but he couldn't quite grasp this entire "governing" thing that well.

"The information in the fourth table is incorrect," his wife – Margaret – said coldly. Between the two of them, she was the one who took care of their more worldly concerns. She was responsible for managing their finances and personally screened all their potential staff. "However, it is very close to the real data."

"I couldn't gain access to the Elmore dukedom's records, so I had to use my own estimations. It's primarily based on the previous data."

"Impressive," Margaret smiled, which managed to send shivers down her husband's spine. "Please, continue."

"Of course. My next point is that…"

Leopold pondered over things. He pondered over his position in this world, remembered all the fun he had as a child, planned what he would do later that day. In short, the duke did absolutely anything but listen to the person speaking. He was sure that his beloved wife would explain it later to him in a way he would understand.

He was, after all, not a great thinker, and he managed to achieve a lot despite that. His numerous achievements in the battlefield secured his position as a noble and helped him to raise through the ranks, which, in turn, helped his wife to bring prosperity to their lands.

"To summarize…

"A marriage between the Elmore and Langdon families would secure a bright future for both sides. My parents agree with this assessment and, as such, I came here to propose this union on their behalf.

"Duke Langdon, your oldest son is close to my age, correct?"

Leopold nodded. "Yes. Brian is el…"

"Twelve," his wife interjected.

"Brian is twelve," he hastily corrected himself.

"Great!" the Langdon representative smiled, which suddenly made her look like a normal little girl, even though a few minutes ago she had the aura of a seasoned merchant. "I am turning eleven in a few months! I believe a marriage where the husband is a bit older than the wife would remain steadfast and strong, your highness."

"Yeah, about that," he finally found the courage to speak up. "Don't you think that's happening too fast? I mean, what does Brian feel about this? Did you even speak to him once in the first place? I mean, a marriage without any love sounds sad, right?"

"Love?" the girl seemed puzzled. "Your highness must be quite a joker. I don't believe such a nonsensical thing as love should matter when talking about something as important as marriage.

"I have no interest in love. I do, however, have interest in something more tangible. For example, your famed library… I heard it's quite impressive. A magician's dream, even."

Leopold, watching the little girl before him practically drool over the idea of wasting her time over centuries-old scrolls and book, thought for the first – and certainly not the last – time that Leticia Langdon was one strange girl.