I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 107

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (108)

He offered his eldest daughter.

There were many reasons why the Marquis of Turian came to this conclusion.

“Even if the Duke’s words are false.”

In his opinion, the Duke was not an easy man to deal with. It meant that he was a man capable of achieving success even under the scrutiny of the Seven Houses.

The seven families of the kingdom were powerful, but Turian remembered the past.

Even if the duke had the ability to crush the seven families like the lords of the past,

if they were connected through marriage, the House of Fractal would be able to overcome the crisis.

“It might even be a good thing.”

If the duke was deemed to have the upper hand, would the other six families side with him instead?

They could have gained even greater power than they had now.

That was why he was willing to marry his eldest daughter without hesitation.

Whether those words were true or not.

The current Duke Ethan was a more attractive choice than Milten, who was considered one of the best marriage prospects in the kingdom.

The seven families also had an excuse.

If they said they were sending their daughter to keep an eye on the duke, that would be a sufficient justification.

They would not be branded as traitors.

“Isera.”

The marquis thought of his eldest daughter.

She was considered the most talented child in the history of the noble family of spirit masters.

How many times must he have regretted that she was not his eldest son?

The duke and his eldest daughter.

Their child would undoubtedly have outstanding potential.

A child who inherited half of the blood of the Fractal Marquis could become the best swordsman on the continent.

The marquis’s eyes sparkled.

“I won’t refuse.”

Rumors about Isera were spreading throughout the kingdom.

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Not only did she have the greatest talent, but she was also one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom.

Even the famous Milton had moved his family to secretly pressure her into marrying his eldest daughter.

To anyone, this was an offer that was too good to pass up.

Duke.

He was a meticulous and practical man, so he wouldn’t refuse this offer…

“I refuse.”

“Are you sure… What?”

“Are you hard of hearing?”

The Marquis of Turian widened his eyes.

He never imagined that he would refuse such an offer.

“…You refuse?”

“I heard you, so why are you asking me again?”

The decision to give away his daughter.

Ethan had heard rumors about the marquis’s eldest daughter.

To summarize it in one sentence.

―The best bride in the kingdom.

That was the rumor, more or less.

If the marquis wanted to, he could connect his family to the royal family through his daughter. In that situation, making such a proposal was tantamount to making a big bet.

The Seven Families of the Kingdom.

None of them were families to be taken lightly. Therefore, having one more ally would not be a disadvantage.

If that ally could see through the enemy’s plans, it would be even better.

“However.”

In order to carry out the plan he had in mind, it was best not to form ties with anyone from the Seven Families.

That was why Ethan rejected the marquis’s proposal.

The marquis tilted his head at those words.

Even the three princes did not know such a secret. Only Ethan, the eldest son, knew.

Why did he tell only him such a secret?

“Wasn’t it because he wanted to form an alliance with us?”

The marquis’s eyes widened.

What if…

What if the duke had told him this secret with a completely different intention?

For example…

“…Could it be that you plan to spread this secret to all seven families?”

The duke did not answer.

He only smiled meaningfully.

The marquis sensed it.

“He was planning to spread it to all seven families!”

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If things went that way?

The situation would obviously become complicated.

If there were daughters in the families, there was room to use the duke.

But if there were only sons?

“It would be worrisome.”

Even if the seven families joined forces to wipe out the duke’s family, there would be no way to avoid gossip about the duke’s treatment.

Families with daughters would want to use the duke as a stud horse.

But what about the other families?

“They would want to kill him. Definitely.”

Whether the secret was true or not, there was no way they could just stand by and let other families take advantage of it.

In the end, it meant that only a limited number of families could take advantage of the duke’s “secret.” Even if they brought in collateral branches, it would be difficult to secure a girl, and there would be few generous lords who would give such power to their collateral branches.

“Besides…”

It was merely a hypothetical assumption that the seven families would wipe out the Duke’s family.

The Ardan Duke’s family was protected by the kingdom and was the focus of attention of the royal family.

Even if there were seven families, it would be difficult to crush the Duke’s family by force. The people’s hearts would be turned upside down.

That was why they wanted to use the third prince, Teron.

The viscount sensed it.

“There’s going to be trouble!”

Those who wanted to contact the duke.

Those who wanted to kill the duke.

Even those who wanted to use him as a pawn.

With seven heads, the opinions of the seven families were likely to diverge as time passed.

In such a situation, what if the duke continued to raise his own value?

The cracks that had begun to appear from within would slowly begin to spread.

Ethan looked at the marquis’s stern face.

“As I thought. He’s quite clever.”

He had sensed it from the moment he said he would give him his daughter.

Even though he didn’t completely believe the secret he had told him, he had no hesitation in agreeing.

It meant that he wanted to keep his options open.

As the head of a noble family.

In Ethan’s opinion, it was a wise decision.

The world was ultimately structured so that the winner took everything, and he was well aware of the possibility that his side could emerge victorious.

It meant that he had the ability to avoid destruction no matter what he did.

After thinking for a long time, the marquis said.

“…That’s why you rejected my daughter. Then I have another proposal.”

“What proposal?”

“Give me the right to decide when and to whom you will reveal that secret.”

Ethan chuckled.

A fool would keep pushing for something they couldn’t get, but someone with a sharp mind would push for something they could get. The Turian marquis’s proposal was the latter. “Hmm. Just like that?”

A crucial secret.

Being able to decide when to reveal it meant he could play the game however he wanted. That’s what the duke’s eyes were saying. He knew his worth.

“As I thought.”

The duke in front of him was definitely a formidable opponent.

“What do you want?”

“Hand over the family heirloom.”

“An item belonging to the duke? You can’t be referring to that black liquid mass?”

“Yes. I am referring to that liquid mass.”

The black mass that emerged from the duke’s body upon his death.

The Turian marquis had a history of purchasing it from one of the ten collateral branches.

“I don’t know its exact purpose, but…”

One thing was certain.

It seemed to be an item related to the duke’s direct descendants.

If it were just a lump of liquid, the duke would not have made it a condition of the deal.

“Hmm. I knew it… It was an item related to the bloodline.”

That possibility had been suggested by the 7th branch long ago.

That was why he had brought the liquid mass to Teron.

However, the liquid showed no reaction.

It was the same when he tried to feed it to someone.

Whatever the ingredients were, when it entered the mouth, it immediately shot out of the body as if it were alive.

No family had been able to discover the purpose of the liquid mass even after thousands of experiments.

The same was true for the Fractal family.

That was why the object was nothing more than a burden to him.

“If I give it to him and he lets me make my own plans…”

It was a good deal.

If the deal with the duke was successful, he could take control of the 7th House.

“…I will do as you say. However, I cannot give it to you right now. It is one of the items kept in my family’s possession.”

“Give me a week.”

“Very well. I will have someone deliver it to you.”

Soon after, Turian stared intently at Ethan and said,

“Let’s be honest. I envy the duke’s abilities. Very much so.”

“Hm?”

“And I don’t think we need to be enemies. As I said earlier, it wasn’t me who made the three princes what they are, but the two dukes.”

Regardless of what happened, the duke told him the secret first. This was not a meaningless act.

Considering their close geographical location, it could be seen as a gesture of reconciliation. The situation was not without room for negotiation.

“Of course, we did steal the duke’s technology… but I would say that was just part of the great tide of the times.”

“I’ll consider it.”

Ethan replied briefly.

In life, one comes to realize that there are no eternal enemies or allies.

If you are too straightforward,

you are easily broken.

Ethan knew that truth.

The Turian Marquis.

As he said, there was no need to fight to the death right now.

The marquis nodded at his words.

It did not mean that the Fractal Marquis and the Duke would join forces immediately.

It was enough to achieve this much progress in their first conversation.

“…Then I’ll be on my way.”

The marquis disappeared.

* *

The Fractal House.

The first place the marquis headed after returning to his family’s home was the secret training room deep inside the inner castle.

The Turian marquis knocked on the door and asked.

“May I come in?”

“Yes, please.”

The marquis entered the training room and looked at his daughter.

“Iseara. Your marriage has been arranged.”

At those words, his daughter’s eyes widened, and she immediately asked,

“What’s going on? When you locked me up here, you said you wanted to raise my price!”

“……You brat. Have you risen in rank again?”

“Yes, I have. You know it’s all because you locked me up here to train, right?”

“Haa……”

“I really want to leave now. It’s too boring here.”

Although her tone seemed calm, the marquis noticed the warning in her words.

She meant that if he didn’t let her out, she would use her powers to cause a commotion.

Seeing his daughter ask him with sparkling eyes, the marquis sighed and replied.

“…All right.”

Ise-ra.

It was known that she was undergoing secluded training to challenge a higher level, but the reality was completely different.

It was no different from locking her in a secret training room because they didn’t know what would happen if they let her out.

Contrary to her reputation as a quiet and composed woman, Ise-ra’s temper was like a bomb waiting to explode. Even her father couldn’t quite figure out what kind of temper his daughter had.

The marquis sighed inwardly.

His eldest daughter had a talent that was almost monstrous.

Until now, he had kept her locked away in the secret training room, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to control her. This was one of the reasons why the marquis had decided to send his daughter to the duke.

“If this child’s true abilities are revealed… the world will be turned upside down.”

Grand Duke Milten.

He was known to be the strongest of the seven late-stage practitioners, but that was not true.

His eldest daughter, Isera, had been hiding her true abilities.

She was known to the world as a spirit master ranked only seventh, but that was all a lie.

His eldest daughter was already a monster who had reached the level of a superhuman.

Even the marquis had been seriously contemplating whether he could subdue his daughter in recent years.

“…A duke.”

Perhaps he could control his daughter.

This was one of the reasons why the marquis brought up the topic of marriage.

Grand Duke Milten?

It was obvious that Milten, who had the temperament of a gigolo, would never be able to control his daughter, even if he tried his hardest.

“…Anyway, it’s a relief.”

Half a year.

There wasn’t much time left before his eldest daughter would gain enough power to break out of the secret training room, which was protected by all kinds of defensive magic spells.

It was time to send this time bomb elsewhere.

“Instead of leaving, do me a favor.”

“A favor? What is it?”

“Just deliver an item to the man who will become your husband.”

“Who? You don’t mean the Duke of Milten, do you? I’ve told you before, I don’t consider anyone weaker than me to be a man. If it’s really Milten, I won’t just stand by and do nothing.” “……Don’t worry, it’s not him.”

“Then who is it? Don’t tell me it’s one of the seven families? I don’t want that either.”

“It’s a duke.”

“…What? Are you thinking of selling your own daughter to that old man?”

Ise-ra smiled and raised her body. Turian, who was covered in cold sweat, quickly waved his hands.

“He’s your age! Your age!”

“What? A duke like that… No way…”

“Yes. The duke who’s been the talk of the town lately.”

“Hmm…”

Only then did interest begin to sparkle in Lee Se-ra’s eyes.

“What happens after you run the errand?”

“Then do as you please. Come back if you want, or don’t. But there’s one thing you must do for sure.”

“What’s that?”

“If you like her, do whatever it takes to keep her. She’s my daughter. I think I can ask that much of you, can’t I?”

“…Sure, that’s fine.”

Ise-ra nodded readily. It was a reasonable condition, after all.