《Elf Koushaku wa Noroware Reijo wa Iyaiya Metoru》 Prologue ©¤©¤ This is a story from a long time ago. There was a country where magic had become obsolete. The cause was the magic wars in the ancient times, where the wizards used magic to commit all kinds of treacherous acts. As a result, magic was recognized as a cursed power. The inquisition hunted the wizards and burned all the magic books. The existence of magic was treated as an abomination, and many wizards were executed. As a result, both the good and the bad things were all gone. Magic is a force of evil and should not be touched. Human must carve out their civilization with their own power. Human have lived for a hundred, five hundred, and a thousand years with such a creed. The human carve out their own history without magic, using only their own power. In the midst of all that, an unexpected situation happened. The Demon King appeared. The Demon King led the demons and trampled the human one after another. The human¡¯s weapon did not work against the demons led by the Demon King. One after another, large cities were reduced to ruins. In the midst of all this, it became clear that the demons could only be defeated by magic. Those who could use magic and spell had disappeared for the last thousand years of history. Standing on the edge of despair, a young man rises up. It was Dicentra, the second prince of Liliphiltia. He says, we should ask for help to the Sage of the Forest. The Sage of the Forest, also known as the Elves, are a race skilled in magic. They never appear in human villages and are said to be inhabitants of the world of fairy tales. Overcoming the opposition of those around him, Prince Dicentra learned the summoning magic from a forbidden book on magic, and summoned the Great Spirit Pomeranian using a magic circle that remained in the basement of the royal castle. And then, prince Dicentra set out on a journey with Pomeranian. After a long journey, they arrived at a village in the forest where the Elves lived, but were soon driven away. It is a common belief that the Elves are stubborn and hate human. This turn of events had been expected. The prince approached the Elves to negotiate. He offered to give the second most power in the kingdom to the one who defeated the Demon King. An eccentric man took him up on the offer. His name was Shion Laudense. He cooperated with the prince and defeated the Demon King. He was given a dukedom and married the most beautiful woman in the country. This is the reason why there is a duke of Elves in Lilliphiltia. Since then, people¡¯s thought regarding magic has softened. Shion Laudense taught human the correct way to use magic. Gradually, magic became an integral part of people¡¯s lives. The Laudense family, the elves who have chosen to live with people, also began to see certain changes. As a result of their interactions with people over the long times, their blood as a long-lived species had become diluted. Normally, elves live from 1,000 to 2,000 years. However, although the members of the Laudense family look like elves, their lifespan is the same as that of humans. However, they still possessed magical power and knowledge of magic comparable to the Demon King, and the people of Lilliphiltia showed respect for the Laudense family. A thousand years have passed since the birth of the Dukes of Laundense in Lilliphiltia. After the death of his predecessor due to illness, a young duke of 26 years old was born. The name of the young man who became a duke was Hydrangea von Laudense. It is said that even the angels of mythological times would fall to their knee in admiration of his beauty. He has long shining silver hair, long slender mysterious purple eyes, and his face was like being sculpted. He is tall and lean, with a body that does not look like a wizard¡¯s. Everyone recognizes him as the most beautiful young man in Lilliphiltia. Despite his young age, he is the division commander of a magic division, and is an excellent wizard who manages a group of 10,000 members. He was the embodiment of perfection, but Hydrangea youth was¡­ a bit peculiar. CH 1 July 2nd, 2022 ¡°Salute to His Excellency Laudense!¡± Today, Hydrangea, the commander of magic division conducts morning inspection of the troops as well. Once a month, he gathers the troops as much as possible, lines them up, and review them. As he looked at the neatly assembled salutes, Hydrangea thought to himself. Well done, I am amazed to have brought up so many wizards. He taps the ground with his crystal rod, and when he raises one of his hand, they beat the heels of their shoes in unison. In the courtyard of the Magic Division, the number of members lined up in a row was about 3,000. When the first head of the Laudense family started the army of wizards a thousand years ago, there were only five members. In a thousand years, the number of wizards has increased to this extent. This is due to the support of the royal family. However, it is not enough to call it a division. It is said to reflect the desire for the organization to eventually be able to take in tens of thousands of wizards. The elven House of Laudense and the Royal Family of Lilliphiltia are sworn friends, and have been close friends over a thousand years. The crown prince, Magnolia, is 16 years old, ten years younger than him. It was Hydrangea who taught him magic. Their teacher-student relationship continues to this day, and today he has been summoned because he has an important matter to attend to. He finishes his review, hears a report from his adjutant and makes a decision, then he reads the letter he received. The appointment with Prince Magnolia was in the afternoon, so Hydrangea left the office. As he walked down the hallway, he passed by with the maids. The girls moved out to the side of the hallway and kept their heads down. After passing them, he heard them talking. ¡°Kyaa! It¡¯s His Excellency Laudense!¡± ¡°How wonderful! I wonder if one day he will have a first time with me?¡± Elves have good ears. Even if they are far away, he can pick up their voices. Hearing the conversation between the maids, Hydrangea¡¯s skin cowered with fear. The truth is, he is a huge misogynist. There is a reason for this. It was his over-privileged family background that had caused the incident. As the most excellent marriage partner in the country, Hydrangea attracted a lot of attention. In the year of his social debut, marriage proposal came in continuously. And then, women who wanted to make a connection flocked to Hydrangea¡¯s house. The women keeps check at each other and engaged in ugly fight. At one point, he were given a cup of black tea containing an aphrodisiac, and almost creating an established fact. Furthermore, they tried to get close to Hydrangea by using all kinds of means, such as bumping into him by accident, barging into his workplace and house, and causing incident entwined with magic to try to have a relationship with him. As these attempts were repeated, Hydrangea developed unpleasant feelings to all women. All of them probably do not see Hydrangea, but only the fortune and past glory of the Duke Laudense family. It would be unbearable to welcome such partner to the Duke Laudense family and let them mess up their family. Hydrangea dismissed the marriage offers as if he were trying to get rid of small insects. Thanks to that, disgraceful names such as ¡°The Lonely Noble Prince¡± and ¡°The Ice Duke¡± have been spreading. He knew that he would have to marry one day, but it is absolutely not right now. Besides, he have other uncles and cousins. Even if it¡¯s not Hydrangea, it¡¯s fine to let their children to inherit the dukedom. For these reasons, Hydrangea, The Lonely Noble Prince, is still enjoying his single life. When he arrived at the designated room, he found Prince Magnolia gracefully crossing his legs. He is a beautiful boy with fluffy red hair and intelligent silver eyes. ¡°I apologize for calling you at such busy time¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It doesn¡¯t matter what the time is¡± ¡°As expected of Hydrangea¡± As soon as he sit down on the couch, a cup of tea is brought to him by the chamberlain. The sweet aroma of ripe berries wafts in the air lightly. Realizing that he have been working since this morning without having anything to drink, he drink the tea. The sweet flavor like a spring breeze quenched his thirst. ¡°So, what do you want by calling me all the way here?¡± Prince Magnolia smiled without saying a word, then, motioned to the chamberlain with a look. Then, a folded booklet was placed on the desk. And then, folded booklets were put on the desk. The covers are leather-covered and come in various sizes. He didn¡¯t need to see the contents to know what was inside. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Family chart¡± ¡°I know it when I see it. What I want to ask is, why you give this to me?¡± ¡°It seems my father prepared it for you. He asked me to give this to you, as I am close with you, because it was difficult for him to tell you¡± When he heard that it was family chart delivered by the King, he let out a deep sigh. The chamberlain opened the topmost family chart and showed it to him. She was a beautiful brunette woman with drooping eyes that has sex appeal. It is written that she is the third princess of the neighboring country. Her name is Cattleya. Her appearance seems to be selfish, he shuddered the moment he saw her. ¡°It seems the King have gathered top-class women who are suitable for Hydrangea. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The chamberlain carefully opened the books one by one and showed him the family chart©¤ but, the wrinkle on Hydrangea¡¯s brow was never lifted. Prince Magnolia shrugged his shoulders when he saw Hydrangea¡¯s face harden with grimace. ¡°As expected, it would ended up like this. I told my father not to do it because it would be useless¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t thought about marriage yet¡± ¡°I heard that, five years ago¡± For many years, he had avoided marriage by saying that he was not thinking about it, but there was a limit to that. The reason is that a year ago, his father passed away and he inherited the dukedom. As soon as the mourning period was over, he began to receive marriage offers again. ¡°Come to think of it, I heard a rumor going around that you may or may not have found the woman you had set your heart on ten years ago, was that true?¡± What on earth is he talking about? There is no such woman in his heart, Talking about ten years ago, it was the year of his social debut, and the period when he received the most marriage offers. ¡°I don¡¯t have such partner©¤¡± He remember now. Ten years ago, he was talking about such an offer. The other party was the girl he had never met. ¡°If I remember correctly, her name was Violette von Northpole¡± She was a 19 years old Count¡¯s daughter, seven years younger than Hydrangea. ¡°Heee, I didn¡¯t know you have such a partner¡­¡­ Is she really a real woman?¡± ¡°That¡¯s rude¡± Even if she has never appeared in social circles, Violette von Northpole certainly exists. ¡°Speaking of Count Northpole¡­¡­ I think her predecessor died five years ago¡± ¡°That man¡­¡­ was dead?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± He didn¡¯t even know the death of the father of the woman in his heart. Prince Magnolia give him a suspicious look. He does not want to hide anything from Prince Magnolia who was his friend and disciple. Hydrangea, determined to do so, began to tell the story of what happened ten years ago. CH 2 July 2nd, 2022 It was ten years ago©¤ when Hydrangea was fed up with his repeated troubles with women. During an evening party at the royal castle, he was walking alone in an empty corridor, evading the approaching women. In the midst of it all, he caught sight of a man kneeling on the ground in front of t the Magic Division¡¯s office, pleading for something. He was a slender, brown-haired middle-aged man with some grayish hair, he was so skinny that his cheeks were hollow, as if he were nothing but skin and bones. He was wearing a black cloak attached with the emblem of a two-headed dragon, a symbol that he was a member of the Magic Division. What in the world is he doing there? He listened to the commotion. ¡°Excuse me, its fine even just for a bit! I beg you, please!¡± ¡°There is no one in charge even if you came at this hour! Go home!¡± What on earth are they fighting about? Hydrangea decided to meddle in their affair to kill some time. When he asked what was wrong, the administrative official, seeing his elf¡¯s ears assumed he was from the Duke Laudense family, straightened his posture. Then, he reported while standing still. ¡°This person says he wants to read the books in the forbidden room! But, there is no one in charge and he, Sir Silane von Northpole, is a Pempton and does not have access to the forbidden books!¡± There are ranks in the Magic Division based on the amount of magical power and ability. First is Stoicheia, which is crowned only by Hydrangea in the present day. It was only given to the founder and him as a proof as someone who has absolute magical power and talent. The requirements are to acquire a variety of magic, including the four element magic, transfer magic, spirit magic and fairy magic. Next is Deuteros, crowned by Hydrangea¡¯s father the current Duke, Aster, and ten others. The Magic Division are made up by Dritte, of which there are only fifty people, the rest are Quarta and Pempton which are crowned by other wizards. (TLN : Stoicheia is the first rank, Deuteros is the second rank, Dritte is the third rank, Quarta is the fourth rank, and Pempton is the fifth rank) The man named Silane was a Pempton. Normally, only Deuteros and above are allowed to read the books in the forbidden room. ¡°What is your reason to read it?¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t answer no matter how many times I asked him¡± ¡°I see¡± Hydrangea, who was just looking for a place to hide, decided to ask Silane a question and borrowed the guest room next to the office. When he brought him into the guest room, Silane was pale and shivering. What in the world had happened? ¡°Oi¡± ¡°H-hyaai!¡± Silane must be around 40 years old. He was about the same age as his father, but he was trembling with fear and restless. He wondered how he turned this way. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°Ah, y-yes! Hydrangea von Laudense, the Stoicheia of the Duke family¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough¡± At least he seems to be thinking straight. Previously, my father told me ¡°Your magic power will make a sensitive person shrink. Because it¡¯s a problem that can¡¯t be helped, you should at least soften your attitude¡±. How does someone soften their attitude? The young Hydrangea at 16 years old did not know that. ¡°So why did you insist on reading the books in the forbidden room?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­ T-That¡­¡­ I-I can¡¯t say it¡± ¡°I see. Then go home. Immediately¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± Silane stood up and prostrated himself in front of Hydrangea. ¡°Please, please have mercy on me. I will not misuse the forbidden books!¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you!!¡± Silane expression was desperate. He is not going to misuse it, but he cannot tell the purpose of using the forbidden books. He could not imagine any circumstance that would make such a claim. ¡°I beg you! Your Excellency Laudense!¡± ¡°I would be in trouble if I allowed you to read the forbidden books in my name and you caused incident¡± ¡°I will definitely not do anything to trouble Your Excellency¡± ¡°Then why can¡¯t you tell me the reason?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. This one thing, absolutely¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hydrangea let out a sigh and stands up. When he was about to leave the guest room, Silane held him back by the waist. ¡°Your Excellency Laudense!¡± ¡°Eeei, release me!¡± ¡°Please, please, I beg you!¡± Silane started to cry. He looked so pathetic. He didn¡¯t seem like he would commit a crime. He seemed good-natured. However, without hearing the reason, he cannot allow him to read the forbidden books. ¡°T-Then, please put a curse on me!! Curse me to death if I misbehave!!¡± ¡°You¡­..¡± What is the forbidden book that he want to read so much? He can¡¯t tell the reason either. ¡°Please curse me. Your Excellency!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such disturbing thing¡± ¡°Please, please¡­¡­¡± When he push Silane¡¯s shoulders, he easily leaves. After that, he put his forehead on the floor in a fluid motion. ¡°Do you have any self-respect?¡± ¡°I will do anything if you can grant me this wish¡± Hydrangea bites at these words. ¡°You said you would do anything, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡± ¡°Do you have a daughter?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Silane¡¯s eyes widened as if they were about to spill. He began to shake and tremble, showing his agitation in a way that was easy to understand. ¡°P-Please, please spare my daughter!¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not like that¡± ¡°What do you mean, not like that?¡± ¡°How old is your daughter¡± ¡°10 years old¡± ¡°Just right¡± Hydrangea offers a deal. ¡°I will be engaged to your daughter. But, this is just a deterrent to those who want to propose marriage¡± ¡°S-So you are not actually getting married?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡± Silane was obviously relieved to hear that. He was a bit sullen about that. ¡°Do you intent to not let your daughter married?¡± ¡°N-No! My daughter, that, her body is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Her body? Is she sickly?¡± ¡°Eh? ¡­¡­ Y-Yes, t-that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t think she will be able to make her social debut¡± ¡°Then that would be more convenient¡± She probably will not be involved in a quarrel between women by becoming Hydrangea¡¯s fianc¨¦e. ¡°But I¡¯m going to put a curse on you. Because I don¡¯t trust you¡± ¡°T-That, yes¡± ¡°Also, I want you to write a contract to give your daughter¡± ¡°Yes¡± Hydrangea took a pen and paper from the office and had him wrote it on the spot. Silane smoothly approved the sentence that promised the marriage of his daughter to Hydrangea. ¡°So your daughter name is Violette, eh?¡± ¡°Y-Yes. She is very beautiful like my wife¡± ¡°I have no interest with your beautiful daughter¡± ¡°I-Is that so?¡± Silane was not discouraged by Hydrangea¡¯s curt words, but rather relieved. Everyone in the social circle was vying to have relations with the Duke Laudanse family, but Silane was an eccentric. ¡°Is it okay this way?¡± ¡°Yes. From now on, Violette von Northpole and I are engaged¡± ¡°Yes, I am pleased to do so¡± Next is to put the curse. ¡°The condition to activate the curse is only limited to commit crime using magic, but there is no problem, right?¡± ¡°Yes, of course¡± That meant the curse would apply to more than just using the magic in the forbidden book. Silane nodded that there was no problem. ¡°Then, let¡¯s get started¡± With a snap of his fingers, a magic circle emerged from nothing. A crystal rod appeared from the center. he grabbed it and struck it on the floor. The magic is wild from the chanting. The rod is struck repeatedly on the ground, and lastly the cursed person is hit with the tip of the rod. ¡°©¤Ugh!¡± Silane, who was hit by the rod, rolled on the floor, holding his forehead. His body was bent like this ¡°¤¯¡±. his entire face was covered in cold sweat. He was in agony for about ten minutes, but when he regained his composure, he stood up and said he was going to the forbidden room. ¡ó¡ó¡ó That is the end, but this was the story of ten years ago. ¡°After that, I took him to the forbidden room and made him read the forbidden book¡± Because of these circumstances, Hydrangea and Violette von Northpole claimed to be engaged. Prince Magnolia stared absentmindedly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, is that contract valid?¡± ¡°Of course it is valid. If Violette von Northpole is unmarried¡± ¡°Is she single?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Prince Magnolia sighed greatly. He held his forehead with his fingertips and shook his head. ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Violette von Northpole¡¯s house and¡­¡­ Marry her if possible¡± ¡°Eh?¡± It seems that Silane had said that Violette was sickly and not suitable for marriage. If that¡¯s the case, then there is no one more suitable than her as marriage partner for Hydrangea. ¡°It¡¯s that thing called contractual marriage¡± ¡°Is that okay with you?¡± ¡°More than anything, marriage proposal has been coming in so much that it is interfering with my daily life which is troubling. The only way to deal with this situation is to get married¡± Saying that the conversation was over, Hydrangea forced the meeting with Prince Magnolia to end. CH 3 July 2nd, 2022 The Count Northpole family is currently headed by Violette¡¯s 30 years old brother, Logie. In order to proceed with the marriage proposal with Violette, he must first contact him. After finishing his work for the day, Hydrangea immediately approved a letter to the Count Northpole. He wrote that he wanted to marry Violette and that he had promised this to the late Silane. He carefully fold the paper and place it in an envelope. Dripping a candle, he pressed a ring engraved with the Duke Laudense¡¯s family crest against it. He throw the letter as if to throw it out the window. The address glowed as he cast the spell, and it flew away riding on the wind. This was the wizard¡¯s high-level magic, the letter magic. The character for ¡°letter¡± means ¡°the bird¡¯s wing¡±, the letter flies to the sender like a bird flapping its wings. He should receive a reply within a week. If not, he will have to visit the house directly. The late Silane looks like he had no intention of marrying his daughter, but that did not mean the older brother, Logie have the same opinion. Whatever the circumstances the other party has, he must talk to him once. As he was putting on his gloves, Quince, his younger adjutant, helped him put on his cloak. ¡°Your Excellency, the dinner party hosted by His Majesty tonight is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Of course I won¡¯t come¡± ¡°As you wish¡± Evening party, horse race, dinner party©¤ wherever he go, social gatherings are the place where people decide their future partner. He did not want to visit such scary place. Even if it was hosted by the King. It¡¯s probably only Hydrangea that would refuse the King¡¯s invitation. The country of Lilliputia, which has become one of the world¡¯s leading magical nations, cannot be managed without the cooperation of the Duke of Laudense. For this reason, it was sometimes teased as a shadow ruler. Naturally, there are factions that dislike the big-faced Duke Laudense family. However, no one could compete with the Duke Laudense family, which has power second only to the King and possesses great magical power. ¡°Quince von Monstrim, you¡¯ve done a great job today as well. Rest well¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Quince beat his heels and saluted. After exchanging a few words, Hydrangea returned home with the transfer magic. ¡ó¡ó¡ó The place where he was transferred was back of the Duke Laudense house. Hydrangea looked around restlessly and crouched down. The thing that he quickly pulls out from his cloak was a leather bag. Inside it was dried meat. He soaked it with water magic and shock magic.to softened it. The softened meat was placed on a plate on the ground. Then, a cat¡¯s meow was heard from the distant. The hydrangea moved away from the plate and watched over it. After a while, three cats came. ¡°Today¡­¡­ There are three cats!¡± The three cats were brown, spots pattern, and black cat. Apparently, they had come with an invitation from the neighborhood. The wrinkles between his eyebrows, which had been creased all day, were lifted, and his cheeks relaxed. Even the voice became lively naturally. The truth is, Hydrangea was a huge cat lover. Up until now, he had picked up kittens and raised them several times, but they had always run away from him, maybe they could not stand the waves of Hydrangea¡¯s magic power. Recently, he gave up trying to be liked by cats and tried feeding stray cats. IT had been three months since he first started feeding them. At first, they were wary of Hydrangea who was standing in the dark. But once they learned that he was just standing there doing nothing, they seemed to lowered their guard. Today, they were eating the meat eagerly as well, tearing and ripping it. Elf not only has excellent ears but also eyesight. Hence, even in the dark, he can see the cats eating the meat. Perhaps it¡¯s about time they let him touch them. It¡¯s probably the time when they would relax their guard. Hydrangea quietly removes his gloves, erasing the sound of his footsteps and approaches the cats, He read in a book that cat fur is fluffy. And also feel good to touch. He had never touched it, but now that chance has finally arrived. A bit more, just when I was about to touch it©¤ ¡°Migyaaa~~~~!!¡± The cat who noticed Hydrangea¡¯s presence shriek, and scratched the back of his hand with all of it¡¯s strength. ¡°Ouch!¡± And then, it ran away at full speed. What was left on his hand was not the fluffy cat¡¯s touch, but claw marks and smeared blood. A cold wind blew across him. It was as if the wind spirit was telling tsukkomi to Hydrangea, ¡°just give up on cat¡±. ¡ó¡ó¡ó The next day, and the day after that, he visited the back of the mansion frequently, but the cat did not appear. It seems he will never see them again. ¡°Oi, Seventh, guess what? I heard about the cat that has been living in the back of the mansion and has been causing trouble, but it¡¯s been gone for several days and the gardener was happy about it¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The one who spoke to the heartbroken Hydrangea was the Great Spirit ¡°Pomeranian¡± in the form of a small dog. It¡¯s shiny fur is wheat-colored, and it¡¯s lovable appearance is popular even in the story. But, it is not widely known that, contrary to its appearance, it speaks in an archaic language and has a rough voice. It had made a contract with Prince Dicentra of Lilliphiltia country a thousand years ago, but after his death, it lived with the Duke of Laudense. The seventh, is the number of the head of the family, counted from the first generation. The first generation lived for 500 years, the second lived for 300 years, the third lived for 200 years, but the sixth, Hydrangea¡¯s father, lived for 55 years©¤and their lifespan is getting shorter and shorter as they intersect with others. Incidentally, Hydrangea¡¯s father died of illness. ¡°Probably, it¡¯s because you frightened the little cat, right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t frighten it, I was just trying to touch it¡± ¡°I think that would be considered frightening to the little cat though¡± Although he was stifled at Pomeranian¡¯s words, it did not say anything wrong when he looked at it with a cool head. Hydrangea, which possesses magical power as high as that of the first head of the Duke Laudense family, is a threat to creatures without magic resistance. The same can be said for people; those who are not resistant to magic will get sick just by being in the same space with Hydrangea. For this reason, it is said that the search for a bride for the Duke Laudense family is extremely difficult. ¡°After they became a couple, she will be the most affected by magic power¡± Letter magic, which is a high-level magic, is special magic to be used in case of emergencies or when sending important letters. That¡¯s why it called it passionate letter. ¡°First of all, why did you know the contents of the letter?¡± ¡°Listen, seventh, don¡¯t underestimate the Great Spirit. If you read the magic that surrounds it, you will know what kind of content it contains¡± The Great Spirit Pomeranian is an opponent I will never be able to get my head raised. My father and grandfather were the same. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to cheer you up now that you¡¯ve been dumped by a cat. Here, I will allow you to have something fluffy¡± Pomeranian looked up at the Hydrangea while showing its belly. ¡°I haven¡¯t give permission to any of the previous heads of the family¡± ¡°I refuse¡± ¡±Why not!?¡± It¡¯s because Hydrangea is a cat person, not a dog person. ¡°What a waste. I am a high-class fluffy¡± Ignoring Pomeranian, Hydrangea concentrated on finishing the papers piled up on his desk. CH 4 July 2nd, 2022 A letter arrives at Hydrandea¡¯s busy life. ¡°Your Excellency Laudense, an express letter has arrived for you, what should I do?¡± ¡°Please open and read it¡± ¡°As you wish¡± His deputy, Quince, opens the letter with a paper knife carefully. During the social season, troubles increase in the city as nobles gather in the royal capital. All cases involving magic are handed to the Magic Division. In the case of big incident, Hydrangea will make the decision. Just last night alone, there were fifty cases. Some were organized crimes involving the sale of illegal magic stones, some involved fortune tellers stealing money from the nobles, and some involved aphrodisiacs. All of these cases made his head hurt. ¡°It¡¯s regarding the letter¡­¡­ That, Your Excellency¡± ¡°What? Just read it. For what purpose you became my deputy?¡± ¡°Y-Yes. Then¡­¡­¡± Even though Quince face was nervous, Hydrangea didn¡¯t realize it. The honest deputy reads the letter as ordered. ¡°©¤Regarding the marriage with my little sister Violette that I received the other day¡± ¡°!?¡± Hydrandea stands up silently and takes the letter from Quince. It was a letter from Violette¡¯s older brother, Count Northpole¡± He had not expected a private letter to arrive at his workplace. The atmosphere became awkward, so Hydrangea gave Quince an order. ¡°Quince, take this documents to the secretariat office¡± ¡°As you wish¡± Quince took the documents in bewilderment and left Hydrangea¡¯s office. He took a deep breath, and sat down in his chair. The letter from the Count Northpole said that he was truly honored about his marriage to Violette, but he wanted to have a talk first. He probably worried about marrying off his sickly sister. It¡¯s not like he have any intention of letting her be the Duchess even if she marries into his family. In the first place, the Duke Laudense family did not place much importance in social life. Because there was absolutely no need to establish family ties and solidify their social standing. Duke Laudense family already had pedigree, wealth and social status. His father followed suit and took a quiet, sickly wife. It is said that she was a graceful woman who walked three steps behind him, but she passed away soon after giving birth to Hydrangea. Tracing the history of Duke Laudense family, many of their wives died young. It is said that they were exposed to high magic powers, which shortened their lives. Of course, that is a slander behind the scenes with no one from Duke Laudense family. Duke Laudense family¡¯s sharp ears picks up on such slander as well. It is a sad thing, but such feelings of envy are unavoidable to those who are over-privileged. ©¤The brides of Duke Laudense family all die young. No matter if it happens to their own daughters, there is no end to the number of parents who try to offer their daughters as wives. That is why the marriage of Duke Laudense family is so lucrative. Perhaps Count Northpole is also cautious about the marriage because he has heard that rumor. The story about dying from magic powers is complete nonsense. The first head of the family has taken measures for such matter. The ring given to the bride contains a strong magic-resistance. Therefore, they will not receive their husband¡¯s magic interference. At any rate, since Count Northpole seems to be uneasy about the marriage, he need to explain It to him. The appointed day is three days away. Until then, Hydrangea decided to search for some magic-resistance rings. ¡ó¡ó¡ó Three days later. The day to meet Count Northpole arrived. The sun was setting and the bright moon was peeking through rift of the night clouds. After finishing his work, Hydrangea went to Count Northpole¡¯s house at the appointed time using transfer magic. Count Northpole¡¯s mansion was located at the edge of the central district, which was lined with the noble¡¯s residences. The neat mansion was smaller than the summer resorts in Liliphiltia. Count Northpole farm their land in the northern part of the country and make their living from it. However, because of the barren land, it does not bring much wealth. Count Northpole family is a historical family in-name, one could guess just by seeing the flowers they planted in their garden that they lead a very simple life. The wealth of a noble can be guessed just by looking at their garden. A servant greeted him at the entrance. An old gray-haired butler received his cloak and guided him to the guess room where Count Northpole was waiting for him. The hallway was surprisingly dim. It¡¯s probably because not many lamps were lighted. The wooden floor, which was not even carpeted, made a creaking sound with each step. The house looks quite old. The hallway is decorated with portraits of women. Maybe they are the wives of the past generations. The most recent portrait was a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman. ¡°This way, please¡± The guest room he was guided to was chilly. It¡¯s because the fireplace was not lit. Maybe, they were implying that he was not welcomed. He regretted taking his cloak off. Count Northpole was a slender, lifeless, and mature-looking young man. ¡°Hello, nice to meet you¡± Count Northpole held his hand weakly, and Hydrangea squeezed it back with all his strength. Count Northpole made a wry smile and quickly withdrew his hand. As soon as he sat down, they began talking about the marriage. ¡°W-Well then, regarding your marriage with my little sister¡± Without introduction, he began to talk about the main topic even before tea was served. It was rude behavior in social courtesy, but Hydrangea didn¡¯t care. ¡°My little sister Violette have special circumstances¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I already heard that from your father¡± ¡°Ehh, that, I see¡± It seemed he had not heard about Hydrangea from his father Silane, so he was surprised. Count Northpole didn¡¯t seem to welcome the marriage with open arms. ¡°So, what¡¯s wrong with Miss VIolette?¡± ¡°In order for you to believe it, I think it would be better for you to see my sister in person¡± When he was asked if he could invite her into the guest room, Hydrangea gave his consent immediately. CH 5 July 3rd, 2022 Violette von Northpole is sickly and has never appeared at social gathering. Still unmarried at the age of 19, she is probably a leftover in noble society. But, the women who were married must serve as a mistress and give birth to a child who will be the heir. It is only natural that a healthy and lively woman would be desired. On the other hand, Hydrangea does not mind whether is sickly or a leftover. It¡¯s because she is only a decorative wife. All he wanted is the fact that they are married. From this point of view, it can be said that Violette is a very convenient bride. ¡°I have brought Miss Violette with me¡± He heard that she is sickly, but is it okay for her to get up today? He look towards the opened door while thinking about it. She must be a fragile woman. He assumed like that. But©¤ what came in was a beautiful, flashy woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her golden hair was curled vertically, and her pupils were sharp like a cat eyes. Her blue eyes were a mix of cheeky and headstrong. Her long, curly, upturned eyelashes seem to express her strong will. Her skin is white, but it¡¯s a healthy white. She is tall and slender, and has an excellent figure, with some parts showing and some were not. Is she Miss Violette? If so, she is truly different from what he he imagined. Hydrangea frowned heavily. She was a flamboyant beauty with large breasts, but she was the type that he hates the most. He hopes that she is not Miss Violette. Just as he was about to make such a wish, his prayer was interrupted by a loud voice. ¡°Oh, my! Onii-sama, what is this? I can¡¯t believe you haven¡¯t served tea to our guest!¡± Violette turned around and went out into the hallway. And then, she shouted in a loud voice. ¡°Hey, Orchid, what are you doing? Hurry up and get the tea ready for the guest!¡± Her voice was clear, dignified, and beautiful. It was hard to believe it that such loud voice belonged to a sickly girl. She called Count Northpole ¡°Onii-sama¡±, but it didn¡¯t mean that she was his little sister. She could be his cousin or sister-in-law. She could not have been Miss Violette. Hydrangea turned his gaze away from the gorgeous beauty and looked in the wrong direction. But the next moment, the beautiful woman jumped into Hydrangea¡¯s field of vision. ¡°Are you an elf!?¡± He thought his heart was about to stop. Her sparkling, curious blue eyes looked straight at Hydrangea. The powerful, beautiful woman bent down and peered at hydrangea. The moment she tilted her head, her golden curls fell from her shoulders and flowed from her cleavage to her armpits. At this moment, Hydrangea thought. That the succubus depicted in the demon¡¯s illustration book had the appearance of a beautiful woman like this. ¡°Onii-sama, there is an elf here!¡± ¡°H-Hey! Don¡¯t point your finger!¡± ¡±So elf really exist!¡± ¡°All right, for now, please sit down¡± The beautiful woman sits down next to Count Northpole and looks at Hydrangea as if to observe him closely. Hydrangea was sick with the women¡¯s passionate gaze directed at him, but the gaze of the beautiful woman in front of him was somewhat different. Like a young boy who had found a rare insect, or like an astronomer who had discovered the morning star. Her gaze was pure curiosity like that. ¡°Your Excellency, Duke Laudense, this is, umm, my little sister, Violette¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Violette¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sure enough, she was Miss Violette after all. ¡°Umm, you, magic! Can you use it?¡± Violette puts her hands on the table ask Hydrangea while leaning forward. At his line of sight, he saw the round breasts. It¡¯s not like he was trying to see it. It was her breasts that jumped into his vision. He looked at Violette, but her shining eyes were the personification of curiousity and not seductive. Apparently, she was not showing her breasts on purpose. Hydrangea rubbed the crease between his brows and looked away. She was too defenseless. ¡°Could you use your magic to light the fireplace? We don¡¯t have many to buy firewood¡± ¡°Hey, Violette!¡± It seems. the room he thought was cold was not intentional. It¡¯s because hey had no money to buy firewood. When he look closely, Violette¡¯s dress resembles the one worn by the woman in the portrait he saw earlier. Perhaps, the one who was painted was her mother. If it was the same type, it would be quite old. Count Norhtpole family seems to be a poor noble. Even so, he wondered if he should praise the cautious character of Count Northpole who did not accept the marriage offer. Still, he is curious what secrets Miss Violette has. If she is not ill, then there must be other reason. Being strong-willed is not a minus for a marriage partner. On the contrary, with her good looks, she would be a very popular. ¡°Are you an elf who cannot use magic?¡± Bam! The table was smashed with force. ¡°Of course not!!¡± It was not Hydrangea¡¯s cry. It was Count Northpole¡¯s angry rebuke. ¡°Violette, this person is Duke Hydrangea von Laudens, the head of the Magic Division, and the First-rank wizard, and also your suitor!!¡± CH 6 July 9th, 2022 ¡°O-Onii-sama¡­¡­ So you could speak so loudly¡± ¡°Violette, did you hear what I said?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. But, I was more shocked by onii-sama¡¯s loud voice¡± Count Northpole droop his head dejectedly. Hydrangea understands his feeling. ¡°Oh my, poor onii-sama is shivering like this¡­¡­¡± He must be extremely cold. Violette muttered to herself and asked Hydrangea again. ¡°Hey, you. Can you please light up the fireplace using magic?¡± It¡¯s fine if she asked for normal fire, but it¡¯s absurd how she asked for fire magic. ¡°There was a magic called Undying Fire, right? If you use it, we won¡¯t have to buy firewood anymore¡± Hydrangea sighed as he replied. ¡°Undying Fire is an exclusive high-level magic reserved for Wizards with fire element¡± ¡°You seems¡­¡­ Icy¡± ¡°No. I am a user of the four elements. Exclusive magic can only be used by wizards who possess that element¡± ¡°Well, I see¡± Where did she learned the knowledge that seems to only be found in forbidden books? He was curious but now wasn¡¯t the time to investigate it. Count Northpole was still trembling and perplexed. He must have been pushed around by Violette a lot until now. Unconsciously, Hydrangea felt sorry for him. ¡°So, could you please lit the fire?¡± There are a lot more wizards compared to the past. He indicated with his hand that there was one right in front of Violette. ¡°You mean, you will teach me magic?¡± ¡°Well, if you insist©¤¡± Before he could finish, Violette stood up quickly and walked around to Hydrangea. She sat next to him as she please and clung to his arm. Her breasts, which have been strongly emphasized since they first met, were squeezed tightly against him. At the same time, Violette declared. ¡°Onii-sama, I will marry this person!¡± ¡°Viole©¤¡± Just as Count Northpole was about to say something, there was a sound like something popping. Soon, right next to him, a glowing white magic circle appeared. Then, the soft, plump object pressed against his arm suddenly changes. It became soft and fluffy. ¡°©¤Wha!?¡± Hydrangea was speechless. Because the beautiful woman who had been clinging to his arm had turned into a cat with golden fur. Her fur was long and fluffy, her ears stood up straight, and her tail was thick. Her blue eyes was filled with curiosity. Such a cat suddenly appeared. ¡°Onii-sama, that, may I get married?¡± ¡°Violette¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You forgot about the curse, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Eh, what you mean by curse©¤ Ah!¡± Violette who had turned into a cat, tilted her head and meowed. It seems that she pretended to be a cat right away. However, there was no explanation for the dress that had come off and Violette¡¯s sudden disappearance. ¡°Count Northpole, how did this girl turns into a cat?¡± ¡°It is a curse. When my little sister touches the opposite sex, she turns into a cat¡± This was the reason why she could not go to social gatherings and why she could not marry. ¡°Violette, please leave for a moment so I can talk with the Duke Laudense¡± ¡°I understand¡± Violette jumped down from the couch and walked out of the drawing room while shaking her head. She walked out of the drawing room while wagging her tail. Hydrangea watched her closely as she walked out of the room. The moment the door slammed shut, he came to his senses. ¡°It was surprising, right?¡± ¡°What was that curse actually?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know and when the curse was put on her¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what curses are¡± ¡°I guess so¡± His father, Silane, was a Fifth-rank wizard of the Magic Division, but his son, Count Northpole, apparently had no magic talent at all. ¡°He taught me magic with great enthusiasm, but forbade my sister to practice magic. So, it seems she became more interested in magic than most people¡± When it is forbidden, she wants to know more and more about it. Was it that kind of psychology? ¡°Why did your father forbid Miss Violette to learn magic?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Maybe, because it was dangerous¡± Accidents are bound to occur when learning magic. Things like getting burned by the fire that you created when you activated magic, or getting frostbite when using ice magic are commonplace.¡± ¡°It all depends on the master¡± ¡°It¡¯s because my father didn¡¯t seem to have much confidence in his own magic¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡­¡± Without clearly saying it was like that, he spoke vaguely. ¡°Come to think of it, I heard that your father passed away¡± ¡°My father¡­¡­ died because of a curse!!¡± Count Northpole¡¯s was filled with emotion. It was a suffocating thing mixed hatred and sorrow. ¡°A curse¡­¡­¡± With that, his heart pounded with surprise. It was Hydrangea who put the curse on Silane. The only condition for the curse to be activated was if he did something evil. It was hard to believe that the weak-willed man would do something so evil that he would be cursed. But it was not absolute. Hydrangea had never meet Silane since the day they met. However, if the curse were activated, the caster, Hydrangea, would notice it. His guess is that there is another person who cursed Silane. ¡°Umm, if you don¡¯t mind, I would like you to find the person who cursed my father and sister. The reward©¤¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine with Violette¡¯s marriage. Is it okay to pay in advance?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®eh¡¯? ¡°No, will you marry my little sister?¡± ¡°I says yes¡± ¡°But my sister is as you can see, she is strong-willed and curious, and also she is cursed to turn into a cat¡± He didn¡¯t like her flashy appearance©¤ but her cursed form was truly attractive. He grinned when he think about Violette in her cat form. Despite his feelings, the words he uttered were harsh and merciless. ¡°She¡¯s just a decorative wife anyway. I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s strong-willed or a cat¡± ¡°A decorative wife¡­¡­¡± As her brother, he probably wanted her to have a happy marriage. But, he wanted him to see the reality. ¡°Do you really think that a leftover woman and takes on the form of a cat can have a decent marriage?¡± By marrying Violette, he would also take care of Count Northpole¡¯s problems. It would be an unbelievably good deal. ¡°I-I understand. She is incompetent, but please take care of my little sister¡± ¡°I won¡¯t make thing worse for her¡± Thus, the marriage between Hydrangea and Violette was decided. CH 7 July 9th, 2022 Count Northpole stopped Hydrangea who was about to leave to ask him about some more questions. ¡°Umm, about decorative wife, is there any reason that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡± Although it was a circumstance that he did not like to talk about, Count Northpole seemed to be a very cautious man. It would be better to talk about it frankly. He decided that it would be better to tell him about the troubles he had with women since he was young. ¡°©¤ That¡¯s why I hate women. I wanted a partner whom I could make a temporary marriage so that I wouldn¡¯t have to get involved in any more troubles¡± ¡°I see. So that was the reason¡± He understood that it could not be helped if that was the case. Count North Pole also seemed to had something to say. ¡°I have something to say, actually, I¡¯m expecting my first child in six months¡± Violette gave her blessing, but it appeared she said she would take this opportunity to leave home and work at the monastery. ¡°My wife and my sister get along well. But, uh, maybe she felt uncomfortable¡± Besides, if the child was a boy, he could not be held in her arms. In addition, it¡¯s probably not normal for an aunt to be a cat. ¡°Violette told me that she didn¡¯t want my unborn child to feel indebted¡­¡­¡± ¡°I see. Even though cat has no sins¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡± Anyway, he will tell him he won¡¯t make things worse. Then, Count Northpole rushed to Hydrangea and held his hand, and then he immediately got down kneel down on the floor and pleaded. ¡°I have three requests!¡± ¡°People usually only ask for one thing at a time like this¡± ¡°I am sorry!¡± It was the sincere wishes of a brother sending his little sister off to be a bride. ¡°As you have just seen, my sister has been under a wretched curse that has kept her from going out¡± It seems that Violette, who was very active as a child, was sick of spending time inside the house and often threw tantrums. ¡°We could do nothing but accept her anger¡± They felt sorry for her, and it seems that they had to fulfill all of Violette¡¯s selfishness. ¡°S-So, Violette was brought up to be so selfish, and she, uh, she assumed that all men in the world would listen to anything she said¡± Apparently, Count Northpole had raised Violette in a spoiled environment. Even her late father had granted all of her selfishness except for teaching her magic. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In other words, there was a possibility that she would be just as selfish with Hydrangea. ¡°I would like to ask you to listen to Violette¡¯s selfishness¡± ¡°What do you mean by selfishness?¡± ¡°Like asking you to pick up a rare flower that grows in the wild, or she wants the autograph of the top star of a popular troupe¡± Count Northpole seems to have fulfilled all of her wishes. It means, she would never say anything that couldn¡¯t be fulfilled, such as defeating the Demon King or finding the Holy Sword. ¡°So, I hope Duke Laudense could listen to my sister¡¯s selfishness, even if it was only once in a while¡± ¡°Why should I listen to that woman? Since I have servants, Isn¡¯t it fine to ask them to do it for me?¡± ¡°W-Well, yes, but just to be sure, I will tell you¡± The second request was absurd. ¡°I hope that in the future, when the Duke Laudense has a lover, you will not treat Violette coldly¡± He finally drank the tea that had been brought to him and choked. It¡¯s impossible for him to ever have a lover in his life. When he said that, the Count Northpole looked relieved. ¡°My last request is¡­¡­ please, could you dote on my little sister?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know she is a bit selfish and cheeky, but she is my cute and lovely little sister. I hope you will take good care of her¡± These were the three wishes of Count Northpole. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I will grant any of them in this place. But I have listened to your wishes¡± ¡°Thank you. That, well, you may change your mind as you live together¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t know about that. He swallowed such cold reaction before it left his throat. Count Northpole was still holding his hand, so he pulled it out quickly and go home this time. ¡°Umm, thank you so much!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to be thanked for¡± The best marriage. Is there such a thing? In noble marriages, the feelings of both parties are ignored. It is a ceremony to create a connection between the families. Therefore, it is not uncommon for couples to quickly have children and live apart. A harmonious couple probably is a rarity in noble society. Most couples have a lover. What kind of couple would they be? He had no idea. He thought as he walked down the chilly, and dimly lit hallway of Count Northpole¡¯s house. This is not the kind of environment in which a child should grow up. For now, he would deliver firewood when he got home. While he was thinking about that, he arrived at the front door. As he put on the cloak he received from the old butler, he hear the footsteps of a small being. ¡°Great! You hadn¡¯t left yet!¡± A cat with golden fur©¤ Violette had come running. That form was elegant and lovely. Her beauty almost made Hydrangea dizzy. When he looked at her once again, he had never seen a cat as beautiful as Violette. His mind was rosy, but the words that came out of his mouth were really cold. ¡°What do you want?¡± Violette¡¯s eyes were sparkling and her tail was wagging softly. She must be very happy. ¡°Merry, could you pick me up and take me to Duke Laudense? I want to give my thanks and say goodbye¡± A young maid called Merry holds Violette¡¯s body and takes her to Hydrangea. She was a short maid, so Violette¡¯s body was far below him. ¡°Duke Laudense, could you bent down a little?¡± Violette asked arrogantly. Her selfishness immediately came out. He bent down as she requested, fulfilling her wish just for today. ¡°I thank you for coming here today. Also thank you for courting me¡± Violette thanked him in an admirable manner. He thought that was surprising. Her surprising act continued after that. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t forget that you will teach me magic¡± After saying that, Violette leaned forward, put her paw on Hydrangea¡¯s arm, and kissed him on the cheek. The touch of her fluffy fur made Hydrangea widen his eyes and speechless. ¡°Fufu. Farewell¡± It was frustrating, but Violette, the cat who greeted him while wagging her tail was the cutest in the world. CH 8 July 9th, 2022 The moment the front door of Count Northpole¡¯s house was closed, he used transfer magic to return to the private room of Duke Laudense house. After confirming that there was no sign of anyone around, he kneeled down on the spot. ©¤ What was that creature!! Violette, in her cat form, touched Hydrangea¡¯s arm and kissed him on the cheek. She was sly, indeed, but he did not dislike it. Of course, if Violette in her human form had done the same thing, he would have left her immediately. But this time, she was in cat form. What a cat does is innocent. In Hydrangea¡¯s mind, it is a given. He remembered the fluffy and soft feeling. It was wonderful. As expected, cats are the best. They are angels that have come down to earth. Thinking of that, he called the butler using the magic bell. ¡°Master, may I help you?¡± The one who came was a nervous-looking middle-aged man with brown hair neatly coiffed with hair conditioner. The butler, whose name was Heliotrope, raised the bridge of his glasses with his fingertips and straightened his back at the same time. ¡°Please deliver a month¡¯s worth supply of firewood to Count Northpole¡¯s house¡± ¡°Firewood?¡± ¡°Yes, firewood¡± It was a strange order, but Heliotrope did not pursue it any further and slipped his pen into his notebook. ¡°Also, I¡¯m going to get married soon with Miss Violette from Count Northpole house¡± ¡°By marriage, do you mean that marriage?¡± ¡°What kind of marriage is there? Of course it means a normal marriage¡± He hesitated whether to tell him about the curse or not. But it would not be a good thing for word to spread outside that Violette could turned into a cat. It¡¯s fine to just tell the female servants who will accompany her. Instead, he would order that none of the male servants could approach her. But just in case. He will tell them in a roundabout way that she has special circumstance to make sure. ¡°She¡¯s a bit of a strange girl. Don¡¯t be surprised if something happens¡± ¡°Understood¡± First, he ordered Violette¡¯s room to be prepared, with furniture, dresses, jewelry, and daily necessities. ¡°Make sure she has the finest things a bride of the Duke Laudense family should have¡± ¡°As you wish¡± Normally, the bride¡¯s family would provide these things, but judging from the condition of their mansion, it would be difficult to prepare them. After all, they don¡¯t even have the money to buy firewood or a dress. Heliotrope¡¯s expression did not change, perhaps because he had heard the order to buy firewood and deliver it earlier. Indeed, he is an excellent butler. ¡°And I want you to investigate something¡± Regarding the assets of Count Northpole. Ten years ago, when Hydrandia investigated it, the financial situation was not as dire as it had seemed. Tentatively, he had already investigated who Silane von Northpole was and what kind of family he belonged to ten years ago. At the time, his assets seemed like an ordinary noble. He had heard many stories about the deterioration of their finances after his succession. He ordered to him to find out. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you¡± ¡°As you wish¡± After Heliotrope was gone, he let out a deep sigh. The next day, a letter arrived from Violette. She thanked him for the firewood in polite letters©¤ contrary to his expectation. The letter was apparently written by the butler on her behalf. It seems that she could not hold a pen because she could not return from her cat form. At the end, there was a paw stamp of Violette, perhaps as a replacement for her signature. When he saw it, he fainted in agony from it¡¯s over-cuteness. ¡ó¡ó¡ó A week later, an investigation letter about Count Northpole arrives. What was written there was a surprising thing. It seems that ten years ago, one month before Hydrangea met Silane von Northpole, a big incident had happened. That gentle and good-natured, Silane. He had apparently caused an incident in which he hit a merchant, with whom he had a personal relationship, on the head with a glass ashtray. Fortunately, Silane seems to have healed the injury using recovery magic, but even though the scar is gone, the grudge remains. It seemed that Silane had loaded the merchant with a large sum of money to keep him quiet about the crime. Why did he choose to hide the crime instead of atoning for it? He didn¡¯t know. Was it because he thought that his family name would be damaged if the stigma spread? This was not the only surprising fact. Silane had been inflicted with illness for the past five years. He had retired from the Magic Division and was recuperating. However, the treatment was in vain, and he passed away. His son, Count Northpole, said he was cursed to death, but there is no evidence on that point. It seemed that their assets were used to pay for his father¡¯s medical treatment and to bribe the merchant to keep quiet. The hush money payments seemed to have continued even after the succession. The merchant¡¯s name was©¤ Tritoma Celsia. He was unscrupulous merchant with bad rumors. The investigation did not reveal what happened between the two. Only the dead Silane and Tritoma Celsia knows about it. Perhaps Count Northpole is also aware of the situation. As expected, that family had special circumstances, He felt bitter about his own intuition. How happy he would be if he did not know. Perhaps Violette does not know. She was the only one with beautiful, hopeful eyes. They are not shadowed like Silane¡¯s or Count Northpole¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­¡­Damn¡± He want to poison himself. He chose to get married in order to make things easier, but on the contrary, he have attracted problems. However, he could not just pretend that he did not see this. From now on, Hydrangea needs to move and investigate it alone. First, what kind of forbidden books did Silane read. Perhaps there is a residue of magic from the person who touched the book. He also remember the color of Silane¡¯s magic. It was a gentle green, like a deep forest. He was a wizard who specializes in recovery magic. Tomorrow, he decided to go to the forbidden book room after work was over. CH 9 After he finished his work that day, Hydrangea sent his aide, Quince, downstairs and went to the forbidden books room. In the forbidden books room, there was a strong magic to nullify transfer magic. This magic was cast by the first head of Duke Laudense family, and still remains even now The sealing magic was so strong that no one, no matter how well someone was versed in magic, no one could break it. Even the Second-rank wizard, who is allowed to browse the room, needs permission from the hydrangea to enter. However, Hydrangea, as the current head of Duke Laudense family was allowed to enter anytime. When he touched the door knob, the sealing magic was removed with a crackling sound. When he took a step into the forbidden books room, a magic light turns on. The purple light illuminated the dark room magically. The forbidden books room is a vaulted room, with books covering the entire wall. There are about 3,000 books. Most of them are manuscripts of spell books written by the first head. After the death of his wife, the first head took comfort in the creation of the spell books stored in this forbidden books room. Stone statues of gargoyles were placed at the doorway. If anyone tried to take a book out of the forbidden books room, the gargoyles would chase the person until they were petrified and dead. The moment he passed by the gargoyles, their eyes moved. ¡°Hey, Seventh¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Seventh¡± The petrification of the gargoyles, which had received a wave of Hydrangea¡¯s magic power, was slightly broken. This is how they usually talk at each other. ¡°Have it been peaceful until now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so peaceful that I¡¯m bored¡± ¡°No one ever comes¡± The gargoyles proudly began to talk about the forbidden books thief that had happened up until now, but he didn¡¯t have time to listen to them. he was too busy to listen to them. ¡°More importantly, do you remember a man who came here ten years ago?¡± ¡°Ten years ago¡­¡­ Ah, it was the timid wizard¡± ¡°I remember him because he smelled of blood despite his looks¡± It seems that Silane von Northpole¡¯s injury due to accident that was written in the investigation was real. ¡°Do you remember which book that man was reading?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°We¡¯re only interested in people who steal the books¡± As soon as Hydrangea leaves, the gargoyles turned into statues. It seems he needs to search it himself. First, when he gathers magic power in his eyes, he can see things that he could not see before. The marks of the wizard¡¯s movement remain as a line, even after the passage of time. Threads of various colors floated in the air. Among them, the thick shiny golden thread was the magic power of the first head. Even after hundreds of years, it still made the strongest claim, He searched Silane¡¯s magic power among them. It was a pure green color. He found it quickly because it¡¯s a rare color. For a while, he seemed to wander around the forbidden books room aimlessly, but probably because he found the shelf with the book he wanted, Silane¡¯s thread was stretched out in a straight line. What Silane looking for was©¤ the shelf related to curses. It was obvious at a glance which book he had touched, because he left a mark. There were traces of several books he had read, but he pulled out one of them. ¡°The Complete Book of Resolving Curses¡± It contains magic to break all kinds of curses. All of them are high-level magic, so you can¡¯t use them just because you know how. In the first place, he had never heard of a curse that turns someone into a cat when touched by the opposite sex. To find out what kind of magic it consists of, he read ¡°The Complete Book of Curses¡±. The curse that turns the cursed target into a cat is well-known. All you have to do is to drop a stone the same weight as a cat, blood of domestic animals, and aconite poison on the night of the new moon, then whisper the name of the person you want to curse all night long so that no one will find it. But no matter how he searched, he could not find a cat curse involving the opposite sex. Who in the world could have put the curse on her? And why cursed an innocent 10-year-old girl? Here, a new problem emerges. He clicked my tongue while unraveling the wrinkles between his eyebrows. Was Silane thinking the same thing? After reading The Complete Book of Resolving Curse, he also left a trace after reading The Complete Book of Curses. It seems he needed the information in the forbidden books in order to lift his daughter¡¯s curse. But, why did he did not tell that to Hydrangea? Certainly, having his daughter transformed into a cat means a big scandal for a noble daughter. What bothers him was, he even tried to hide it from Hydrangea who he needed permission for entering the forbidden books room. There must have been ridiculous amounts of exchange regarding the curse. Maybe, there is a possibility that the incident with the vile merchant Tritoma Celsia may had something to do with it. It was hard to believe that he was unrelated. The only information about Silane that remained in the Magic Division was that he was a quiet and serious wizard. Until then, he had never caused any major incidents. Something must have happened that drove him insane. Next, he had to investigate Tritoma Celsia, the victim of that incident. Just like that, he went home from the forbidden books room to his home using transfer magic. ¡ó¡ó¡ó ¡°I¡¯ve been caught up in a terrible thing¡± Pomeranian shook its head in dismay. The marriage this time was certainly not well investigated. ¡°In the first place, such investigation should be done before proposing a marriage¡± At that point, Hydrangea¡¯s face turned red. Pomeranian¡¯s words were so correct that he was speechless. CH 10 Tritoma Celsia, a renowned merchant with a bad reputation, was a trader who imports all kinds of goods, from industrial products to daily necessities from foreign countries. A long time ago, he deceived poor-quality products and sold it as top-quality goods, which were exposed and his bad reputation spread rapidly. Of course, Tritoma was brought to justice by the national law and served 10 years in prison. Now, he has changed his mind and seems to be doing honest business. However, those who know his old reputation point the finger at him as a ¡°vile merchant. Tritoma is now forty-seven years old and unmarried. He has several mistresses and children, but he does not have official wife. He does not seem to be thinking of having a successor take over his business, and is doing business freely. However, it seems that his nature has not changed, and seems to be doing business barely on the edge of the law. Seeing such report, Hydrangea has a headache. He was, as the rumors said, a man full of problems. At any rate, he sent a letter to Count Northpole, saying that he would like to meet with him and discuss the matter once. ¡ó¡ó¡ó Hydrangea¡¯s suffering was not limited to Count Northpole family. When he announced his engagement to Violette, se received a mountain of letters asking him to reconsider. Among them, Shamlock, the royal prince, seemed to want to marry his daughter and opposed the idea fiercely. Prince Shamrlock¡¯s child was only seven years old. She is not old enough to marry. He begs him to wait another ten years, but he politely refuses. It is quite painful to be asked to break off his engagement everywhere he goes. He is driven by the thought that he must get married immediately. However, the problems of Count Northpole house prevent him from doing so. He was told that he could visit them at any time, so he decided to go and ask them about the situation as soon as possible after his work was over. Count Northpole greeted Hydrangea with a frightened look. ¡°I am sorry, I didn¡¯t expect the Duke to visit in person¡± ¡°it¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m using transfer magic, so it only take a moment¡± ¡°But, I¡¯ve heard that high-level magic consumes a lot of magic power¡± ¡°Never mind¡± It seems that the basic knowledge about magic has been drilled into him. It is rare for those who cannot use magic to pay attention to those who can use magic like this. ¡°I appreciate your concern¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just what my sister said¡± ¡°Miss Violette said so?¡± ¡°Yes. She has always been more interested in magic than most people, and she used to read the spell books hidden by my father¡± ¡°I see¡± When he met her the other day, she was very eager to learn magic right away. His mouth relaxes as he recalls how she runs in her cat form and confirms it carefully. ¡°Umm, also thank you for the firewood. Thanks to you I can sleep well at night¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have it delivered again¡± ¡°N-No, I can¡¯t take advantage of you¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that much to buy firewood anyway¡± While he was talking like that, the butler brought him tea. His forehead was sweating, maybe because he prepared it in a hurry. Since there were only a few servants, he must have been greeting the guests, guide them, and brew the tea alone. Thinking how hard he worked, I drank a cup of tea. The tea was thin, with no aroma at all. Thinking how hard the butler worked, he drank the tea. The tea was thin, with no aroma at all. When he was wondering when he should start the conversation, Count Northpole spoke first. ¡°Actually, today I have something to say to you as well¡± Count Northpole began to speak with moist eyes. ¡°It¡¯s about my sister, Violette¡¯s dowry and trosseau¡± ¡°Oh?¡± He have already provided her with necessities, But, he decided to ask him about it. ¡°My father, had prepared a dowry for her, but©¤¡± Count Northpole was sweating on his forehead, and it was dripping even more like rain. It was an unusual sweating. His complexion was pale, and he became concerned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did someone steal her dowry?¡± He wondered if he should make another guess. He was at a loss, but it would be a waste of time to wait for Count Northpole to say it. He asked him without hesitation. ¡°If so, did some unscrupulous merchant take it from you?¡± ¡°!¡± Count Northpole¡¯s eyes widened and he began trembling. It seems he was right. What kind of situation was it that he even had to give up her dowry? He was exasperated. ¡°Why would you do that? Is it because your sister not cute? Let me tell you, I am not saying this because I want a dowry¡± If it is money, he has enough to sweep and throw it away. He just wanted to know why Count Northpole had gotten himself into a situation where he had to touch his sister¡¯s dowry. ¡°I-It¡¯s just t-there is nothing I can do about it¡± ¡°What exactly do you mean by there is nothing you can do about it?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡­¡± Count Northpole shut his mouth once again. ¡°If you can¡¯t speak, I will make you speak¡± Hydrangea held out his hand to Count Northpole and cast a spell. It was a spell that interfered with his mind, forcing him to confess. ¡°Speak, or you will suffer?¡± ¡°Guh¡­¡­!!¡± The confession spell would make him suffer more and more if he did not tell the truth of what he was asked. The magic is manifested by moving his fingers like a conductor and chanting a spell to deploy a formula. It is a simple magic that does not require the use of a crystal want. Count Northpole, who had been hit by confession spell, held his head down and opened his eyes wide. ¡°Why did you give your sister¡¯s dowry to Tritoma Celsia?¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡­ kuh¡­¡­ ugh¡­¡­!¡± This is the first time he have ever used this magic on anyone other than a criminal. The spell book said that if you didn¡¯t say it immediately, you would suffer so much pain that you would vomit blood. But Count Northpole would not speak even after ten, twenty, or thirty seconds. He seemed to be the ultimate stubborn person. ¡°I ask you again. Count Northpole, why did you gave the dowry away?¡± ¡°Stop it! Don¡¯t make onii-sama suffer!¡± Bang! The door was opened. It was Violette who entered the guest room. CH 11 Violette ran up to Hydrangea and raised her hand and slapped him. ¡°Onii-sama!!¡± Count Northpole glared strongly at his sister Violette as he approached with a pale expression on his face. ¡°Y-You, o-on top of eavesdropping on our conversation, you even want to harm the Duke!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because onii-sama looked so distressed!¡± ¡°This kind of pain will only last a moment¡± ¡°But¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Just step back already. It¡¯s not something you can hear¡± It seemed he had not told Violette about his relationship with Tritoma Celcia. So she must have been eavesdropping from behind the door. ¡°You have done something that cannot be undone! If you miss this marriage, you will never be able to marry again¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! I will not marry a man who torments onii-sama!¡± Maybe because she was very angry, Violette looked back at Hydrangea and said with a sharp glare. She did not seems to notice that even if she glares at him in her cat form, it lacked power. ¡°I¡¯m happy enough even if I don¡¯t get married¡­¡­ as long as I have the kind onii-sama and sister-in-law. Even if it stays like this©¤¡± Hydrangea interruped Violette¡¯s words, as if to stops her from making such a claim. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you talk nicely, but your money was being taken continuously, right?¡± ¡°I-Is that true? Onii-sama?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As expected, he does not intend to explain the situation. It would be foolish to go to such lengths to protect the honor of his father Silane. Silane is already dead. There is no need give in to the vile merchant¡¯s threats, so why is he stubbornly continues to pay? ¡°Your Excellency, Duke¡­¡­ I-I have something that I must protect even if it kills me¡± ¡°Is it someone¡¯s honor?¡± ¡°No!¡± It does not seem like he keeps paying for Silane¡¯s sake as he was told. There was another reason. ¡°Onii-sama, exactly what is it©¤¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. This is the only thing I can¡¯t tell¡± It would be useless to try to get him to talk any further. Count Northpole did not yield to confession spell, nor did he answer his sister¡¯s question. He seems to be a very stubborn man. Hydrangea stood up silently and turned back. ¡°Duke¡­¡­ umm, I don¡¯t have my sister¡¯s dowry, but¡­¡­ will you marry her?¡± Violette refutes her brother¡¯s words. ¡°The person who torments onii-sama is despicable! I hate him!¡± Violette looked back at him, all the furs on her body was standing up in anger. However, when she noticed the claw marks on Hydrangea¡¯s cheeks, her momentum drooped. While she was quiet, Hydrangea approached Violette. And then, he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. The moment their eyes were on the same level, Hydrangea grinned. At that moment, Violette¡¯s beautiful fur puffed up. ¡°Wha©¤! L-Let me go! I will never forgive you for touching me!¡± She shouted loudly, but her voice was shrill and her body was tense and stretched. ¡°What a noisy girl¡± ¡°I say a lot of things because you do strange things!¡± ¡°The marriage will proceed as planned¡± ¡°What? E-Even though we don¡¯t have a dowry?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect Count Northpole¡¯s family dowry that is as small as a bird¡¯s tears¡± ¡°W-What did you say!?¡± Again, Violette moved her paws to scratch it with her claws, but she could not reach Hydrangea. ¡°Hey, how long are you going to hold me like a kitten?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped because you are a kitten, okay?¡± ¡°You say, I am a kitten?¡± ¡°There is no doubt you are a kitten that can only squeak, right?¡± ¡°¡«¡«¡«¡«!¡± She was trying to resist by moving her limbs, but it was meaningless in her cat form. His scratched cheek was throbbing with pain, but he grinned at her adorable resistance. ¡°What is it? Grinning like that¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Of course it¡¯s because she was cute. He would not say that even if he were dead. ¡°Anyway! I really, really, really hate yo©¤¡± ¡°Today, I¡¯m going to take Miss Violette home just like this. I will write the marriage papers tonight and submit them tomorrow¡± ¡°Whaaaat!?¡± Then, Hydrangea and Violette will officially become husband and wife. ¡°W-Why so suddenly©¤¡± ¡°Because I need a decorative wife as soon as possible¡± ¡°Decorative wife, you say?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Did you not realize? Do you think you can fulfill the role as the mistress of the Duke family with your cat form?¡± Perhaps because of shock, Violette becomes quiet with her arms and legs dangling. He may have said it a bit too far. But, he had a bad premonition. Some unexplainable feeling was warning him that Violette should be taken out of here as soon as possible. ¡°So, I will take your sister¡± ¡°Y-Yes! Please take care of her!¡± ¡°Onii-sama!¡± At the same time Violette shouted like that, Hydrangea activated the transfer magic. The scenery spun around and they were back in the private room of Duke Laudense house. Violette, who landed on the floor, turned toward Hydrangea and threaten him. ¡°This is the same as kidnapping! I¡¯m going back to my parent¡¯s house!!¡± She said that and ran out vigorously, but was unable to open the door, so she wandered around. In the meantime, Hydrangea put a ribbon on Violette using magic. ¡°Hey, what is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rebbon enchanted with anti-escape magic. With this, you cannot get out of here¡± Violette bared her fangs and screamed. ¡°You pervert!!¡± CH 12 5-7 minutes 08.07.2022 The red ribbon given to Violette by Hydrangea is a magic item with spells engraved into it. In addition to restricting Violette¡¯s movements so she cannot escape from Duke Laudense house, the ribbon also contains cleaning spell to prevent the fabric from getting dirty, a defense spell in case someone tries to harm her, and a tracking spell to monitor her movements. It is a unique item that Hydrangea made for the girl who would become his wife. He had been diligently working on it since the engagement was decided. It is the masterpiece of Hydrangea von Laudense , the most powerful wizard in the country of Liliphiltia. Since a while ago, Violette had been scratching the ribbon to take it off, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn¡¯t come off. ¡°Just give up. That ribbon is absolutely impossible to take off¡± ¡°W-What did you say!!¡± Seeing Violette was angry with her tail in the air, Hydrangea laughed. No matter when she is bewildered or angry, when she is in her cat form everything is cute. Making the magical ribbon was extremely difficult, but it was paid back at this moment. ¡°I will never forgive you for tying a ribbon to me!¡± Violette was trembling and glaring as hard as she could. It would be better not to say that there are more than twenty other enchantments engraved on it, so as not to put her in a bad mood anymore. ¡°For the time being, it pains me to spend any more time in the same space with you¡± ¡°Then you can go wherever you like¡± But only on the site of Duke Laudense house, though. Hydrangea snapped his fingers, and the door opened automatically. ¡°Wow! I-Is this, by any chance, magic?¡± ¡°Yes, it is¡± Violette¡¯s eyes sparkled brilliantly like gems as she turned around. ¡°It¡¯s ama¡­¡­ not amazing, at all!¡± She seemed excited to see magic, but she came to her senses halfway through. ¡°W-Well then, farewell!¡± ¡°Yes, rest well. My dear fianc¨¦e¡± Violette stuck her tongue out at those words. Hydrangea laughed out loud at her childish response. Violette let out a frustrated ¡°grrr¡± as she walked out of the room. After the storm had passed, Hydrangea rang the magic bell and called the lady-in-waiting, Verbena. ¡ó¡ó¡ó In Duke Laudense house, where there is no mistress, there is only one lady-in-waiting. She guides the maids on etiquette and assists the butlers. Currently, she was ordered to focus on the preparations for receiving the bride. ¡°How unusual, Master. I didn¡¯t expect you to call me at this hour¡± ¡°Yes, I have something to talk to you¡± ¡°Is it about the little kitten that was running down the hallway?¡± ¡°Well, something like that¡± Violette seems to be running around the mansion cheerfully. He would like to confirm her eager appearance later. ¡°It¡¯s an unbelievable story, but that cat is the woman who will be my wife¡± Verbena¡¯s expression was astonished. ¡°M-Master¡­¡­ Did the cat lover finally turned into that? I-It¡¯s true that she was the most beautiful cat I¡¯ve ever seen, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± He likes cats, but he never wanted to marry a cat. It¡¯s important, so he will explain it clearly. ¡°Her name is Violette von Northpole¡± ¡°I-Is that the young lady from Count Northpole family!?¡± Verbena easily believed about the curse. The treatment of a perverted man who wanted to marry a cat only lasted a moment. ¡°So, I would like to ask you to take care Miss Violette¡± ¡°It would be a great honor¡± ¡°I¡¯m counting you¡± In the meantime, he strongly asked her to keep it a secret. Also, since she was a lively girl that was like a bullet, it would be hard for her to take care Violette alone. He ordered her to promote a few of her trusted maids to be a lady-in-waiting to serve her. ¡°And also, because of the curse, please keep men away from her¡± ¡°Understood¡± ¡°And, please catch Miss Violette right away. Surely, she will be in big trouble if the curse is lifted¡± ¡°What do you mean by big trouble?¡± That is©¤when the curse is lifted, she will be in a naked state. Verbena¡¯s face instantly turned pale. ¡°W-We need to bring her into the room as soon as possible¡± He stopped Verbena as she was about to run out of the room. he took out a crystal from the desk drawer and checked Violette¡¯s current location. ¡°Right now, she©¤ seems to be running around the kitchen are¡± Verbena instantly ran out of the room to protect Violette. Thirty minutes later, Verbena returns, breathing heavily. ¡°T-Thank you for the crystal. Lady Violette has been taken to the prepared room ¡± ¡°Good work. So she was captured obediently¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± It seemed Verbena was kneeling on the floor, she tried her best to persuade her and bring her into the room. ¡°So, she really Is a young lady who was cursed¡± ¡°You must have doubted me in your heart¡± ¡°Things like this, I¡¯m half-convinced, okay¡± It seems Violette¡¯s curse has not been lifted yet. When he received the crystal, Violette was curled up asleep in a basket covered with a velveteen blanket. ¡°I prepared it for her, because she said she felt more at ease in the basket than in the big bed¡± ¡°S-So cute¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Yes? Did you say something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s enough for today. Go down¡± ¡°Yes!¡± For a while, Hydrangea watched Violette asleep through the crystal. CH 13 8-10 minutes 08.07.2022 The birds are chirping from the garden, and the sun shines through the curtains. It is the first morning with his fianc¨¦e, Violette. ¡°Good morning, Seventh¡± ¡°Good morning, Seventh-san¡± ¡°Good morning, Seventh-kun¡± ¡°Good morning¡± Today, too, he was greeted by the fairies as soon as he woke up. The small, palm-sized fairy is a caretaker fairy with the appearance of a beautiful boy with short, curly golden hair and a pair of butterfly wings. They have been taking care of Hydrangea since he was born. And have been serving Duke Laudense family as their servants since a long time ago. When one of the fairies starts to sing, small drops of water and soap bubbles float and wash his face. The droplets of water enter his mouth, followed by the foam, which scented with light mint. At the same time that his mouth was full with bubbles, a toothbrush was put inside. When he was little, he didn¡¯t know how to breathe through his nose, and he almost drowned many times. It took him a long time to get used to it. Another fairy grabbed a knife and carefully shaved his chin. While one of them unbuttoned his pajama, the other two brought him an ironed shirt. The shirt was put on his shoulders to replace the pajama that had been taken off. They put the sleeves on and did the button. An ascot tie was wrapped around the shirt and fastened with a stick pin. He wore a navy blue waistcoat on top. He put on black pants and shiny polished boots. The fairies also diligently threaded the laces through the holes and tied them together. Next, essential oil with the scent of citrus is dripped into his silver hair, and then carefully combed. Since he has a meeting with the King today, he braided his long hair into a braid. The finished braid hangs down from his chest. This completes his morning preparations. Once he puts on the cloak of the Magic Division, he is ready to go to work. ¡°Seventh, you¡¯re so cool!¡± The caretaker fairies applauded and praised the perfection of his outfit. Hydrangea responded in an arrogant manner, ¡°Good job¡±. It was almost time for breakfast, so he moved to the dining room. Up until now, the large rectangular dining table had been prepared only enough food for Hydrangea alone. But, there is another plate and cutlery prepared in front of him. It was for Violette. As he sit down on the chair the waitress has pulled out, he predict that Violette will not come. The way she spoke last night, it was as if she didn¡¯t even want to see him. However©¤ his prediction is wrong. Violette appeared while holding Pomeranian on her chest. Apparently the curse was lifted overnight, so she appeared in her human form. She wore a pale grayish-colored morning dress that was packed up to her neck, and her hair was braided from both sides into a half-up. It was probably Verbena who did her dress. The lightly applied make-up brings up Violette¡¯s beauty. Violette looked very different just by stopping the heavy make-up and wearing trendy dress, She has been transformed from a succubus with her sex appeal leaking out, to a neat and tidy beautiful woman. As expected, woman is a terrifying being. Hydrangea thought so as he greeted her in the morning. ¡°Good morning, Fianc¨¦e-dono¡± ¡°Good mornin, Kidnapper-san¡± Violette had irritable mood from the morning. It was only natural. Because last night she had been taken out from Count Northpole¡¯s house against her will. He felt sorry for her, but he was not going to apologize for now. ¡°Nevertheless, you¡¯ve done something outrageous to me¡± ¡°What do you mean by outrageous?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡± She began to speak hesitantly. In the morning, Violette woke up naked. It was the usual thing, but there was something different. There was only one thing she was wearing, but ©¤ ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Can you please not playing dumb? I¡¯m talking about the red ribbon you put on my neck!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± It seems she thought that the ribbon cannot be taken off only when she was in her cat form. However, the ribbon could not be taken off even when she was in her human form. In short, Violette woke up with only a ribbon around her neck. ¡°It was a ribbon filled with ancient wisdom that could match the person¡¯s size Take good care of it¡± ¡°Wha!¡± ¡°By the way, you can also change the color¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She continued to complain about the ribbon, but he was more concerned about the dog she was carrying on her chest. ¡°Why are you holding Pomeranian?¡± ¡°I met him near the dining room. You have a lovely dog¡± ¡°Lovely, eh¡± His appearance looked like a cute little dog, but on the inside he was a great spirit that has lived for thousands years. He sounds like a middle-aged man and does not like to get involved with people. However, he seems to allow Violette to touch him. Since a while ago, she has been patting his head. When the butler, Heliotrope tried to take Pomeranian, Pomeranian jumped out of Violette¡¯s chest as if to avoid his extended hand. ¡°As ypu can see, he doesn¡¯t like to be hold¡± ¡°I see. I thought he was friendly because he was so quiet¡± Inwardly, he thought, ¡°What happened with will only allow me to pet him¡±. Come to think of it, he had heard that Pomeranian was on good terms with Hydrangea¡¯s late mother. The possibility of he was a womanizing surfaced. Currently, only Hydrangea knows that Pomeranian is a great spirit. Everyone thinks he is just an ordinary dog. He had no intention of telling Violette either. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down already? The soup will gets cold¡± ¡°I will sit even if you don¡¯t ask me to¡± She sat down on the chair pulled by the waitress and stared at Hydrangea, the moment she did so. ¡°You¡¯ll end up with that look on your face if you keep wrinkling your brow¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you keep doing things that makes me want to wrinkle my brow©¤¡± When the tea was served, Violette closed her lips. After that, she began to eat quietly. He appreciated the fact that she seemed to know manners. Pumpkin potage, freshly baked bread, half-poached eggs, and crispy bacon. It was the usual breakfast, but today Violette was here. Hydrangea thought that she was beautiful when she was quite, and that it was not a bad idea to be with her©¤ but It was over soon. ¡°Today, I am going to submit the marriage certificate to His Majesty. Please give me your signature¡± Heliotrope placed the marriage certificate on a silver tray in front of Violette. t already had Count Northpole¡¯s family crest seal stamped on it and the signature of the current head of the family written on it. All that remained was for Violette to fill in her name. ¡°Wha¡­. This!¡± ¡°I have to go to work immediately. Please do it quickly¡± ¡°I-I have no intention of marrying you at all¡± ¡°What a coincidence. I don¡¯t want to marry you either, but it can¡¯t be helped because of the circumstances¡± ¡°What did you say!¡± Bang! Violette hit the dining table, and stood up. She tried to leave the dining room, so Hydrangea took a big step and grabbed Violette¡¯s shoulders. ¡°N©¤Nya!?¡± Violette¡¯s figure changes from a beautiful girl into a cat. Hydrangea picked Violette up and approached the dining table. She struggled violently, but he held her back with force. The time to go work was approaching. He does not have time to relax. ¡°Heliotrope, prepare the red ink!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Violette¡¯s paw was pressed against the red ink on the table. ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± ¡°A substitute for your signature¡± ¡°S-Stop! I will not marry you©¤¡± With a tap, Violette¡¯s paw pressed against the marriage certificate. With this, the marriage certificate is completed. When he let go of his hand, Violette moved away from Hydrangea¡¯s chest. But, the next moment, she leapt in front of him. ¡°Hand over that marriage certificate!¡± ¡°Miss Violette, forgive me¡± With that said, Hydrangea activated his transfer magic and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Violette¡¯s outstretched hand never reached the marriage certificate. CH 14 9-11 minutes 08.07.2022 Hydrangea, who landed in the office of the Magic Division, falls straight into his knees. ¡°Light as a feather, and extremely fluffy¡­¡­!¡± The first cat he held up in his arms had soft fur, a warm body, and smelled good. It is the best. As expected, cats are the best creature. He put his hand on his chest and bit into the happiness of holding a cat in his arms. He wanted to write a poem about the feeling he had when he hugged the cat and compile it into a book, but he had been summoned by the King today. He picked up the marriage certificate on the floor and put it on the office desk. Since a paw stamp alone would not be accepted as a marriage certificate, he worked on it. A few moments later, Quince, his aide, came in. ¡°Good morning, Your Excellency Laudense¡± ¡°Yes, good morning¡± ¡°You look well today©¤ Ah!¡± Quince¡¯s gaze stopped at the marriage certificate. ¡°So, you¡¯re finally submitting your marriage certificate to His Majesty the King?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Congratulations¡± At last, he can get away from all ¡°get married¡± attacks from everyone around him. When he thought about it, his heart became lighter. ¡°Prepare the silver tray. I will bring it to His Majesty now¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He placed the marriage certificate on a silver tray and had Quince carry it. Then, he moved to the palace where the King was at using transfer magic. ¡°©¤Uhh!¡± The moment they arrived at the king¡¯s palace, Quince crouched down. His complexion turned pale and his lips turned blue. ¡°You still can¡¯t get used to it?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡± The transfer magic can make even those with a lot of magic power nauseated. Quince was also one of them. The reason for this has not been clarified, and Hydrangea thought that it was probably a matter of the magic power aptitude. He held out his hand to Quince and gave him a light blessing. ©¤©¤ O blessing, heal the bad cause and effect Then, Quince¡¯s complexion improved. His lips also returned to a healthy color. ¡°T-Thank you. I don¡¯t feel sick anymore¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± ¡°Yes¡± They passed by the saluting imperial guards and proceed into the hallway with red carpet spreaded out. After passing through the three strict secured door, they find the King¡¯s private chamber. Currently, the King was in medical treatments, so he conducts the government affairs in his bedroom. All outward business is represented by the crown prince, Prince Magnolia. The heavy door was unlocked by the imperial guards, They were led through the living room into the bedroom. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it Hydrangea!¡± The King was lying on a canopied bed supported by four pillars. Hydrangea tilted his head, as he looked plumper than when he had come to visit him a month earlier. The king is now on a restricted diet under the guidance of the court physician. Particularly, he is supposed to abstain from sweets, but how did he end up in this state? It sounds good to describe him as well-builded and dignified, but to put it bluntly, he becomes fat. ¡°Your Majesty, have you taken the potions I made for you?¡± He asked him first as he approached him quickly. Potion is a medicine made with magic power. Hydrangea made a potion that lowered blood sugar and gave it to him to take it once a week. The King was lying down because of high blood sugar and diabetes. Although he continued to receive treatment, his symptoms did not improve at all. So, he had asked his physician to prepare a highly effective potion for him. ¡°So, did you take the medicine?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t take it, right?¡± ¡°Ughhh¡­¡­!¡± Apparently, he had not taken the special medicine that Hydrangea made. When he asked him why, he told him that it was bitter and awful. He could on sigh in return. ¡°Your face has become a bit swollen. Also, your eyes are itchy, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Y-You look just like your late father¡± ¡°I get that a lot¡± It is said that Hydrangea¡¯s father was someone arrogant with great self-confidence, and unmanned person who could not understand the hearts of other peoples. He was not happy even if he were told that he resembled his father. But, since they were connected by blood he had no choice but to give up on it. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat anything sweet, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I refused it just as the doctor said¡± ---He asked a nearby attendant to show him the record of the King¡¯s meals. He took the leather-covered record book offered to him as if to snatch it away and looked at his diet for the past month. ¡°©¤©¤Wha!?¡± He was speechless at the ridiculous lists. ¡°Fruit juices for breakfast, dried fruits for lunch, and three-kind of fruits for dinner¡­¡­ are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been refraining myself from my favorite cookies, ice cream, and cakes since three days ago. The doctor said fruits would be fine¡± ¡°Certainly that¡¯s not wrong, but¡± It is said that the sweet component of fruits is not good for diseases with high sugar content, but in fact it has no significant effect. But that only applies if one eats the right amounts according to common sense. If you ate three meals, as the King did, you would be taking in too much sugar. Dried fruits are especially dangerous, because they are sweetened by being dried. ¡°What did the physician say?¡± ¡°The new physician said we will see how things turn out¡± ¡°New physician?¡± ¡°Well, the minister recommended a good physician, so I switched with him¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The physician who had been supporting the royal family for a long time had been replaced with a new one. Hydrangea pressed his forehead and let out a deep sigh. The sudden dismissal of the court physician, a physician who recommended a strange diet, and the minister who recommended that physician. It seems there are some unfavorable forces working secretly in the King¡¯s surrounding. It was just his hunch, but such hunch was usually right. He already had a hard time dealing with his own family, and now he even noticed a problem in the royal family. His head throbbed with pain. He decided to consult Prince Magnolia about this matter. ¡°For the time being, please abstain from eating all fruits¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± ¡°Do you want to go blind?¡± ¡°!?¡± ¡°At this rate, I¡¯m afraid it will become like that¡± ¡°W-What should I do?¡± ¡°First, you should get an examination from the former physician, and correct your lifestyle. Then, drink the potion that I gave you¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± The King stared at him and replied, ¡°all right¡± in a small voice. ¡°So, what was your business, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s right. I wanted to give this to Hydrangea¡± The thing that was brought out from under the King¡¯s pillow was a marriage chart. ¡°This is the minister¡¯s niece, this is the daughter of the leader of Knight Corps, and this is©¤©¤¡± Hydrangea took the five or so books and handed them directly to Quince. It was because they might be related to the people who had recently been telling strange things to the King. ¡°So, what do you think of your marriage partner?¡± ¡°Regarding that, there is already someone whom I decided on¡± He took the marriage certificate from the silver tray in Quince¡¯s hand and showed it to the King. ¡°This is©¤!¡± ¡°I have no intention of marrying anyone but her¡± ¡°N-No, but I heard rumor that Count Northpole house is on the verge of ruin¡± He gestured the attendant to get a desk, pen and ink for him. The attendant in charge prepared it immediately. ¡°Hydrangea, why does your marriage partner have a cat¡¯s paw stamped on her seal?¡± ¡°It seems that the cat¡¯s paw is the substitute for the seal¡± It¡¯s cute right? He swallowed such words without saying it. By the way, Violette¡¯s name was written by Hydrangea. The marriage certificate was a near forgery, consisting of a forcibly stamped paw print and a signature of someone other than the bride herself. ¡°I beg you, Your Majesty. With this marriage, I intend to serve the royal family and the country even more¡± He bowed his head. The King probably would not say no if he went this far. ¡°Hm¡­¡­ well, if you insist¡± ¡°Thank you¡± He immediately had him sign his approval. The seal of state is also stamped firmly. With this, the marriage between Violette and Hydrangea became official. ¡ó¡ó¡ó Just like when they arrived, they returned to the office using transfer magic. ¡°Ueeeeek¡«¡«!¡± Quince was also suffering from transfer magic sickness on the way back. He began to decide on the documents while looking at Quince¡¯s backside, who crouched down and was fighting the nausea, at the edge of his vision. The talk of Hydrandia¡¯s marriage had spread until the evening. He flatly turned down the royal public relations offer to interview him and headed home. He sat in a single chair in his private room, and exhaled. Now he remembered that he had not make appointment to meet Prince Magnolia. He moved to the study room next door and picked up a pen. Since it was something he urgently needs to confirm, he uses his letter magic. He threw the letter outside and sent it flying into the night sky. This time, his work for the day was over. Suddenly, he was wondering what Violette was doing, and her figure was reflected on the crystal. She was in her private room, drinking tea leisurely. Surprisingly, she seems to have adapted to the life in Duke Laudense house. He smiled naturally when he saw Violette drinking black tea with a composed expression on her face.