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Because of Leo’s presence, Johannes never actually thought that he would get married.
He had initially identified Leo as his successor and had no intention of giving birth to another child who would threaten that position.
Besides, he was too busy chasing after the “blue ruby” to live with a normal family. For him, the presence of his entourage was enough to keep things going when he was away from the duchy.
However, not long ago, the imperial family had been pressing him to marry, and the result was

“I think Your Excellency might be looking forward to it. It’s the first time you’ll see each other since the wedding.”
Fagan raised his eyebrows as if it was a little fun. No, it was obviously fun.
“I don’t know anything about Madam, so I can’t recommend anything great.”
Of course, Johannes did not know anything about the ‘Madam’.
Johannes was still unfamiliar with the existence of a woman with the title ‘Madam’ in the duchy.
She was obviously a beauty, but it was hard to get a proper image of her face because he had only seen her for a little while. It was a marriage where he was forced to do work that he didn’t want to do.
Although her approach was questionable in many ways, his marriage to her was not a bad choice for him either.
All that remained of his memory were her long, shiny blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and the gentleness of a puppy.
Johannes shook his head once more, recalling her slender body and small stature, which seemed difficult to lift even a sword.
She said her name was Heloise Renault. Oh, isn’t she now Heloise Noavik?
Well, it didn’t really matter. Johannes thought it was unlikely he would see her again.
According to what was agreed upon during the marriage, the divorce could easily be carried out on their own.
It was a good condition. If he just waits naturally, the divorce will be established.
Johannes sincerely thought he might never see Heloise again.
The duchy was not a place where an immature aristocratic lady of the South could survive for long, whose skeleton itself was different from that of the northerners.
The north, exhausted from fighting evil spirits, did not hold fancy parties every day like the peaceful south, and there are no salons that show off each other’s wealth.
The weather was always cloudy, and there were only large-bodied people carrying weapons all the time with tense expressions on their faces.
“An evil spirit? It’s alright! It’s a place where people live. Just marry me. I’ll take care of myself.”
And above all, evil spirits are not fine. She could have been so easy-going without knowing anything.
“Fagan, let me give you a warning.”
Said Johannes, looking at Fagan loosely. Contrary to his languid expression, his eyes were cold.
“If you’ve already had a good feeling about that little lady in the North, you’d better take it back. I’m sure you’ll be very disappointed.”
“Well, I’m afraid
”
Fagan did not deny the fact that he liked her, but scratched his chin awkwardly.
“In the capital, you only hear the words, ‘honestly, the North is terrible, and how can you live there?’ But, well, seeing someone who doesn’t show it at all, it’s nice.”
“It’ll still be worth seeing.”
The letter from the North contained only a brief evaluation of Heloise: Nothing suspicious yet.
Unsurprisingly, Johannes did not ask the people of the estate about Heloise’s well-being. He only ordered them to watch her.
“And even a higher evil spirit has appeared
 Well, I don’t think she’s really going to stay.”
Johannes clicked his tongue as if he had understood it now, and continued insincerely.
“Is the spirit a joke? By the time we get there, she will be able to pull herself out to the South.”
It has been about a month since he had a quick wedding with a woman he first met for two days.
Johannes’ face was wrinkled as he recalled the story of the absurd marriage.
~*~
Johannes Noavik, whom people knew, had only two faces.
First, a competent tracker chasing the ‘blue ruby’.
Secondly, a father who loves his son, Leo Noavik, whom he left behind in the duke’s estate.
Therefore, no one had considered Johannes’ marriage. It was the same even for himself.
Johannes was consistently not interested in women, as even Fagan said, “How did the Duke make Leo?” was the biggest mystery of his life. The fact that he had no intention of being seen well by anyone was a fact that anyone could tell by his peculiar indifferent and arrogant appearance or by the words he uttered at any time.
He had lived such a life that all his people could expect, and was given an unexpected order this fall at the age of 28.
“Why don’t you get married now, Duke Noavik?”
At the founding banquet attended by all the nobles of the empire, Diego, the crown prince, issued a proposal-like order.
“The North has long been separated from other regions, making it difficult to reconcile. Is there anything else that symbolizes harmony as much as marriage? I think it’s appropriate for it to be someone not from the North.”
Johannes stared at Diego for a moment with a dry look on his face, and then nodded.
“I understand, Your Highness.”
It was inevitable that all the aristocrats present at that time had their eyes glistened.
The northern part, ruled by Johannes, was a place where evil spirits frequently appeared where life was on the line, but it was a place that anyone could covet because of its abundant resources and vast territory.
No matter how terrible the North was, they could ask him to build an estate in the capital after he got married. In fact, there were not many aristocrats who stayed in the estate in the north. Don’t Johannes alone wander around the capital without going to the territory to catch the “blue ruby”?
At the age of 20, he said he had an illegitimate child born by mistake on the battlefield, but once he gets married and the duchess takes control of the family, she could have her own child as the successor.
Besides, aside from everything else, Johannes was one of the most handsome men in the empire. His arrogance with sarcasm made his sense of intimidation stand out more.
“I’m glad you helped me with the work of the Empire. I hope there will be a celebration soon.”
Pls read only at pinkmuffintl.
Diego spoke satisfactorily, and the atmosphere of the banquet ended peacefully.
However, the problem began the day after the banquet when Johannes, who was staying at a luxury inn in the capital, nailing at the conditions of his marriage to the approaching aristocrats.
“It always bothered me that Leo doesn’t have a mother. As much as I’m wandering around the capital after the Blue Ruby, I hope the duchess will stay with Leo in the north.”
Staying in the north meant no more trips to the capital, the center of society.
Above all, the attack of evil spirits took place day by day in the north. Unlike other evil spirits that usually exist on remote forest roads, it is said that evil spirits in the north also appear in private estates and houses.
Most of the aristocratic had never encountered evil spirits. While everyone paused, Johannes’ conditions continued.
“And the people in the North are very rough and distrustful of outsiders. I don’t want you to mess with the authority of people who have been working in their own system for a long time.”
In the end, he meant for the future duchess to stay in the North’s operational fortress, but not touch the management of the territory.
He also said that he would not give any authority to the duchess, so that she should only exist in the castle.
“Oh, and I’ll make Leo Noavik my successor. I don’t want any more children.”
Johannes added without changing his expression.
“I don’t have the ability to do that.”
It was words that even Johannes’ closest aides were astonished at.
In the end, to become Johannes’ wife, she had to deal with the task of ‘being stuck like a doll in a northern castle where evil spirits roam, and becoming the wife of a man who has no reproductive ability unlike what it looks like’.
The scope of the marriage was already limited because the crown prince nailed it as a “noble love” at the banquet.
Where in the capital would a young noble lady want to go to such a place with such conditions? And there was no aristocrat to push someone into such a position of no nourishment.
“Duke, you are truly amazing.”
On that day, Fagan looked at the indifferent Johannes, who was reading the eighteenth report on ‘Blue Ruby’.
“I can’t believe you’re getting away from the sly tricks of the Crown Prince.”
“What do you mean?”
Johannes replied with a furtive look at the report he was reading.
The report deduced the process of the ‘blue ruby’.
In fact, there was no properly known information about “Blue Ruby.” Except that he was a capable evil spirit hunter who, until recently, belonged to the illegal dark organization Ace, and could fight evil spirits at once.
And not long ago, “Ace” was naturally dismantled in an unexpected explosion, killing all important members at once. However, blue ruby’s activities were still independent, perhaps because he was not one of the important members of Ace.
“It’s of no use.”
He gave Fagan a report that he had read quickly and spoke.
“Throw it away.”
“Sir, do I have to throw it away? I thought you’d look for it again sometime.”
“Security is fundamental. This is not my place.”
They were staying at a luxury inn in the capital, so it was natural for Johannes, who was cautious about everything, to get rid of any information. Fagan accepted the report and began to rummage through it. Johannes did not point out the act, apparently not to that extent.
“Duke.”
As he read the report, Fagan murmured sulkily.
“In fact, I don’t think the Duke has any reason to pursue the Blue Ruby with all his might. Why are you so serious about this pursuit?”