Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 8

Thud. And thump.

Out of nowhere, someone barged into Bendel’s office without a knock and plopped down right across from him, casually leaning back in the chair.

“Hey. Bring me the strongest stuff you have at home.”

The casual air suggested they were about to say that any second.

“…”

A deep sigh escaped from Bendel.

That was all the response a rudeness like this deserved.

“I feel like it was about fifteen days ago that I heard you were back, and now is the first time you’re actually showing your face, Loera.”

Bendel’s head of the family, Idor Bendel, immediately dropped what he was doing to welcome his daughter.

“I’m not exactly a face you’d be dying to see, am I?”

Fidgeting with her fingers, Loera responded while checking her nails.

I wondered how she could maintain the demeanor of a noble lady in front of her father, but Idor simply smiled bitterly.

His father was that kind of person.

When faced with his prickly youngest daughter, he became endlessly soft and pathetic.

Especially since that youngest daughter was making the family name shine brightly in public.

“I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately. So, how is it? Does the work there seem to suit you?”

Loera’s answer was decidedly vague.

She raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

“…Yeah. Glad to hear it looks good.”

Silence fell.

The conversation continued until Idor’s desire to share a warm chat with his daughter was dashed.

“Can I ask you for a favor?”

“A favor? You asking your father? That’s rare.”

Idor recalled the last time his daughter had asked him for something.

It was so long ago he couldn’t even remember.

“I want to marry someone from our family to someone from the Dintal family.”

“…Is that your request?”

Idor’s face became one of shock, as if haunted by a ghost.

The Loera he knew was someone he could never imagine marrying anyone.

She was someone who found society’s norms and standards sickeningly uncomfortable.

She had half-detached herself from the family long ago and started roaming outside. The family had practically let her go.

They only wished she didn’t stray too far and continued to make a name for herself with her sword, like she did now.

But suddenly, she was interested in family matters?

Over something as serious as a political marriage?

“That’s not a hard request, is it? It’s better for both sides.”

Loera prodded Idor like a sly merchant negotiating with a merchant.

“Honestly? It makes no sense! Marrying Ricir to the second daughter of the Dintal family? No matter how much of a son-in-law he is, that’s a stretch. You know they’re just going to take that opportunity to meddle and exert influence, right?”

“Hmm…”

What Loera pointed out was something Idor was aware of too.

Of course—he was the head of the family overseeing all matters regarding the Bendel estate.

Sending Ricir as a son-in-law to the Dintal family came with substantial risks.

But despite that, the reason why Idor was willing to accept this political marriage was simple.

“Even weighing those risks, the gains far outweigh them.”

Bendel was not some flimsy, insignificant family from the outskirts.

There’s a limit to how far you can swing things around based on mere justification.

The Dintal family would certainly demand multiple rights regarding their acceptance of a bastard as a son-in-law.

Bendel would have to concede to some of those demands.

But if they ever crossed the line? Or even showed signs of doing so?

Then the tables would turn. Justifications would swing in favor of Bendel, and they had more than enough power to wield that justification.

“It’s complicated business.”

Politics is usually that way.

However, there was one way to make this complex matter uncomplicated.

As Loera suggested, marrying her off to Dintal.

Loera is of the Bendel bloodline.

The weight of that bloodline is incomparable to a bastard, and it’s even heavier than that of the direct bloodline of Dintal.

If Loera becomes Dintal’s daughter-in-law, Bendel will exert influence over Dintal in all manners.

And most importantly—

It’s about Loera.

To end the expectation of her getting married and “doing good for the family” into a clean slate.

The idea of Loera tying the knot under the family name sounds simply right.

It might feel wasteful to send someone like Loera to Dintal, but aspiring for anything more would be excessive given the current situation.

It was a story he, as the head of the Bendel family, couldn’t ignore.

Yet Idor was not just a head of the family; he was a father to his daughter too.

He had to understand the reason why she was suddenly acting like a different person.

“You’re not interested in family matters. Am I wrong, Loera?”

Loera neither confirmed nor denied it.

She merely shrugged her shoulders.

“Suddenly curious about this political marriage, are we?”

“Nothing much. I just happened to see that young man from their family, and he’s my type.”

The voice of a woman who had fallen head over heels for someone was surprisingly dry, but Idor hadn’t caught on.

“Hmm…”

A man being her type?

That’s a pretty simple reason.

But that’s also a vital motivation when it comes to relationships between men and women.

“As far as I see, I’m not really sure, but there are rumors among the noble ladies about you. Must mean their eyes were right if you’re saying that. By the way, I never imagined you’d be interested in a man.”

“And why would I be? Should I be interested in women instead?”

“I didn’t mean that, but—well, I guess it doesn’t matter. You’re at the age where you’re bound to be interested in men, after all.”

“…So, we’re done talking, right?”

“Actually…”

Only then did Idor decide to let her in on the behind-the-scenes of this political marriage.

“Truth is, this union was formed through the strong will of the Dintal young lady.”

Loera furrowed her brows, tilting her head in confusion.

Her expression clearly stated her lack of understanding.

This was just an extension of her previous logic.

Ricir was handsome. Judging solely on looks, he wouldn’t lose to the infamous young men from the Dintal family.

But he’s a bastard.

Above all, that’s a factor that noble folks absolutely can’t take lightly.

“…Why?”

“Don’t know why, but it seems she has personal feelings for Ricir.”

“Pfft.”

Loera scoffed in disbelief.

“That’s a weirdo. What does she know about that guy?”

“?”

“Well, anyway. I’ll ask again; we’re done talking, right?”

“…”

After a moment of contemplation, Idor nodded.

“I’ll give this matter a positive push to the Dintal family.”

“Sounds good. I enjoyed the fruitful conversation.”

Satisfied with his response, Loera left the room with a smile.

“Phew…”

After parting with her father, Loera stepped outside to catch her breath.

The suffocating feeling that was driving her crazy was slightly lifted.

Yeah. Just slightly.

“Marriage…”

Not long ago, she couldn’t care less about getting married.

In fact, she still felt the same way now.

She was still utterly uninterested in marriage.

Same goes for that good-looking punk from the Dintal family.

He’s probably an annoying brat, just like noble folk tend to be.

And on top of that, is he only riding on his looks?

“Damn it.”

Living to please other nobles from different families, just imagining it was infuriating.

She was satisfied with her current life.

Unconstrained by family or rank. Not caring about others’ opinions.

If possible, she wanted to keep living this way.

But now she chose to get married.

Not under anyone’s pressure. Simply her choice.

Regrettable? Yes, regrettable.

If her heart had any say, she would take it back instantly.

Yet she didn’t.

“…This is right.”

She didn’t want to allow her father to meddle with that guy’s life anymore.

She wished that guy would find his own life.

And the only one who could help him with that was herself.

She knew it.

That guy had never once asked for such help.

Perhaps, he might not even want it.

So this was just self-satisfaction.

“…”

A struggle to atone for her mistake that day.

Or perhaps a shallow hope that he would recognize her efforts and change his mind.

Suddenly, that thought crossed her mind.

Wouldn’t it be better to just sincerely apologize instead?

“…Ugh—”

Loera scratched her arm in disgust.

How embarrassing.

It was an utterly pointless act.

She had already come too far.

With an unfeeling expression, she recalled the image of a young Ricir tearing up her letter.

Once, she had often thought about how to receive his apology.

What could she do to be forgiven?

She had agonized endlessly, yet with no answer.

Just a single word of apology. If that could resolve everything, she wouldn’t be here now.

‘Speaking of which, what is that guy up to these days? I keep seeing him hanging around outside.’

She suddenly became curious.

How would Ricir react if he found out she had somewhat sacrificed herself for him?

Would he be shocked to see her again?

Not a chance.

He’d probably just disregard it, thinking it’s none of his business.

Or he could even resent her for taking away his chance to look good in front of their fathers.

“Damn—”

Thinking about it raised a valid possibility.

Loera envisioned Ricir misinterpreting her intentions and blaming her for the situation.

That picture seemed easy to draw with minimal effort.

“…”

But something felt off.

It wasn’t coming together as easily as she thought.

-…After all, there’s no one who worries about me other than Loera.

Instead, memories of her conversation with Ricir before arriving here resurfaced.

How Ricir had oddly changed recently.

She knew it was nonsense.

He surely meant it as a joke.

“You do know… I’m the only one…”

Yet, for some reason, Loera couldn’t help but smile slightly.