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At the entrance of the palace, where my family, as well as Iris, were standing, the visiting family just disembarked from their carriages. From what I could see, their number was quite large. The four of them, which consisted of a third of the group, were members of the Arcenciel family, excluding Iris. The rest were their servants and guards.

One of the members of the family who was present here was the current Imperial Court Mage of the Dixon Empire. She was the younger sister of Count Arcenciel, which meant she was Iris\'s aunt, and she was the one who cast Long Teleportation to transport the family.

"Good morning, Count Arcenciel. Welcome to the Queendom of Raevender."

"Thank you for personally receiving us, Queen Mylene," Count Arcenciel, as well as the other members of the family, graciously bowed before Mother. "And thank you for taking care of our daughter."

"It is fun to have Iris here, so you don\'t have to think about it. How is your trip?"

"Well, the experience with your trains was great. It was fast, stable, and smooth. I never thought that we shortened the supposed weeks of travel into hours. Not everyone has access to instant transportation like teleportation, and this new means of transportation is truly convenient and revolutionary for the masses. It is our honor to have an opportunity to experience that firsthand."

"I am glad that you are satisfied with our services. We have a lot of things to talk about, so let\'s go inside, everyone."

◆◇◆◇◆◇

Once we were inside and settled in the hall, my family engaged in a conversation with the Arcenciel family. Many topics had been discussed, such as establishing a diplomatic relationship with one another and so on, until we entered the topic of my relationship with Iris.

"I was kind of surprised when you stated in the letter that you love His Highness Raphael," the count said with a low voice. "And when we got here, you were saying that you wanted to be engaged with him?"

"Yes, Father. I am asking you to bless our engagement. Could it be that you are against it?"

"..."

Ever since we brought up this topic, Count Arcenciel has been serious, and her face seemed to be shrouded in discomfort. From the looks of it, it might be possible that he was not happy with the idea.

"Be honest with me, Father, do you hate the idea of me getting married?"

"Um, honestly, I don\'t want you to get married yet."

"So you really hate it, huh?"

I did not know if I was right, but I thought I saw Iris just fake her defected smile. Of course, it had a massive effect on her father.

"?! I-I can explain, Iris. You see, our family, Arcenciel, is known for being a family of skilled mages, so we mostly generate the most court mages for the empire. Since you are not the heir of the family, you have been selected as the best candidate to be the next Imperial Court Mage.

His Highness Raphael is a royalty from another nation, and marrying him would invalidate your spot on the imperial court."

Most likely afraid of being hated by his only daughter, Count Arcenciel reasoned why she should not marry. It might be his desperate move, but what he just said actually made sense.

The Arcenciel family had been consistent in the empire\'s magical department. It was their pride, and there was nothing wrong with him defending it.

"I already knew about that, Father, but now I changed my mind. I wanted to be with Raphael. I hope you understand me, Father."

"But how about the legacy of our family...?"

"Brother."

As if she could not take it anymore, the current Imperial Court Mage, the count\'s sister, lost her patience and raised her voice. If I remember correctly, I thought her name was Maryjane Arcenciel.

She was like thirty years old, with hair as pink as Iris\'s and magenta eyes. Her level was quite high, almost half a thousand, and so was her magic power. Not only was she greatly skilled in magic, but she also showed interest in alchemy and science and had been assisting with the empire\'s research and development. That was why she was interested in our trains.

"Do you have something to say, Maryjane?" The count glanced at his younger sister.

"I don\'t like how you are being stubborn about that tradition, Brother. My niece already made a decision, and as her father, you should be supportive of her."

"But..."

"No buts, Brother. I know that you are a doting father to your daughter. However, there is a limit to how you can control her life. Just tell me you don\'t want someone to take away Iris from you."

"N-no, I didn\'t mean that...!"

"If you really want our family to continue its legacy, I can prolong my term for years or decades if you wish. I am not that old. There\'s no way I can let you sacrifice my niece\'s happiness for something she isn\'t fond of. Just let her go, Brother."

It seemed like she did not agree with her brother\'s ideas and went against them. That alone made me so grateful for her. Thanks for the support, my future aunt-in-law.

"Even if you say so, how about after your term?"

"Father," Alexander chimed in. "If Aunt Maryjane is in the service long enough, let\'s hope that one of my children wants to become one. I am supporting Iris on this one. Besides, Raphael is now a royalty. Didn\'t you request that I should court Her Highness Louise in order to gain a connection with their family? It is happening in front of you, but you don\'t want to take it?"

"Well, about that..."

"Father." As the count was about to reason again, Iris called her father out. "If you don\'t want to accept our engagement, then I will hate you...forever."

"Ack—!"

As if the final nail on the coffin had been struck, Count Arcenciel was taken aback by her words, and she probably broke her heart. Knowing that he was a doting father to Iris, there was no way he could sustain that amount of emotional damage. I might possibly have suffered like him too if my daughter were to hate me.

"How about that, Brother? Do you want to continue with your stubbornness?" Maryjane grinned at the dejected count. "Traditions are not always meant to be followed, and I am still here to serve the empire as long as I can. If you don\'t want your daughter to hate you forever, just accept their engagement already."

"...Sigh." After thinking for a while, he let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, I am accepting Iris\'s engagement with His Highness Raphael."

"Thank you so much, Father." Iris smiled. "I know you would say yes. You are the best!"

To show her appreciation, Iris jumped off her seat and cheerfully approached him before giving him a hug.

"Thank you for blessing us, Count Arcenciel," I said.

"If you make my daughter cry, you will see what you don\'t want to see."

"I promise I won\'t hurt her."

With his approval, my engagement with Iris had been secured.