Omniscient POV:

The Arcadia Kingdom, Axolotl Continent

A fancy white horse-drawn carriage was heading towards Hale’s manor in Steelton. Inside it was a handsome man with silver hair and a small girl. He smiled towards the little girl.

“We’re meeting with your fiancee’s family, remember to maintain proper etiquette.” said the handsome man.

“Yes, father.” the girl replied.

“Count Hale holds a high prestige within the kingdom, our family should keep a close friendship with his family.”

“I know, father.”

After a short silence, the girl speaks up.

“Will I be happy with my partner?” the girl looked nervous as she asks her father.

“The oldest heir to the Count was said to be a nice young boy, although a bit playful. But considering his bloodline he would surely grow up to be a great person.” the man reassured her daughter.

The girl didn’t say anything for the whole trip after her father’s positive remarks.

***

Richard’s POV:

Swish

I swung a wooden sword in the training field by myself. Beads of sweat formed on my skin but I kept swinging.

“I think that’s enough training, young master.” Henderson tried to stop me from swinging my sword any further.

“No.” I denied firmly.

I applied the tiny bit of qi into my last swing and a somewhat strong wind formed across the sword path.

“To think the young master is this talented,” Henderson muttered behind me.

What do you mean talented? That small amount of qi left me exhausted.

I sat down breathing heavily.

The qi imbued sword swing was the result of a week of training.

With Harry’s help, I successfully cultivated qi in my body through countless trials and errors.

Although an established method hasn’t been created yet. Therefore I could only use a small amount of qi lingering around in my mana veins without storing it in the dantian.

Harry kept calling me a genius while we’re coming up with a cultivation method but I ignored him. All of my ideas were plagiarized from the light novels in my previous life but there’s no way I could tell him that.

More importantly, the reason I’m training so hard was because of this morning...

***

“You wanted to see me, father?”

I was summoned to my father’s room for some reason. He started talking.

“Duke Franz is coming to meet us with your fiancee today, be sure to prepare and behave during his visit.” he casually said.

“Alright, father.”

Wait a minute. Did I hear that right?

“You said, fiancee?” I asked hastily.

“Yes.” my father confirms my doubt.

“Since when?”

“They offered us a marriage contract last month.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like what?”

“Did you just decide my marriage partner without asking me? And besides, aren’t I still a child?”

“This is common in noble society, don’t worry about it. Anyways, my decision is final. Anything you have to say will have to wait after meeting them yourself.” my father said calmly.

I can't fight him after he said that so I left the room quietly.

...

***

I didn’t argue with my father because there’s no point but I’m still quite frustrated.

There’s already so much going on but now I have to worry about a fiancee I have never met.

In the first place, I can’t have feelings towards a child like myself. That’s just wrong.

*Sigh*

Nothing can be done about it. I stood up.

“Are you still going to train, young master?” Henderson said worriedly.

“No, I need to get ready to meet the Duke,” I said before heading towards my room.

Henderson breathed a sigh of relief watching me leave the training grounds.

***

“Thank you very much for trouble coming here.”

“It is only natural. There’s no trouble at all.”

My parents and the guest started conversing naturally. I examined my future father-in-law.

A handsome face with a sharp chin and defined jawline. A truly perfect look. No matter how you look at it, he’s not human. There’s no way a human could be that dazzling to look at.

I turned towards the little girl beside him. Long and flowing silver hair. An adorable face that convinces you that she’ll grow up to be a gorgeous woman.

She noticed me looking at her and turned away shyly. What’s with her?

“I’m sorry, Elise was very nervous about this meeting.” Duke Franz said while laughing.

I understand that feeling. Suddenly having your engagement decided and having to meet your supposed fiancee. Why wouldn’t a child be nervous?

“Don’t worry about it. It’s only natural to be baffled having your marriage partner decided at such a young age, Richard was the same too.”

This old man, don’t just casually tell a lie like that! And why did you do it anyway knowing how ‘baffled’ I’m going to be?

I grumbled in my mind when my mother said,

“Well, since we have met like this, why don’t we leave Elise and Richard so they could know each other better?”

“Oh! That would be good!” Duke Franz jumped in.

“Right, Richard, why don’t you show Elise around the manor?” my father made an absurd suggestion.

Now you’re leaving me alone with this little girl?

Sigh

I helplessly followed along with their request.

***

“That’s Henderson, he acts like an idiot but he’s a reliable commander.”

I brought Elise to the training grounds and showed her Henderson while being generous with my praise by calling him reliable although that is not true at all.

“Young master! Is that your fiancee? *sniffle* To think that the young master that always plays alone would find a friend his age...”

Henderson noticed the both of us and started to sound like he’s about to cry again. Truly an idiot.

I shouldn’t have come here, in the first place, what should I even show Elise? Should I bring her to the tree where I fainted last week?

“Young master!”

Oh, what a coincidence.

Harry was calling me while scampering towards us like an excited child.

“That’s Harry, he’s the family’s mage.” I introduced him to Elise.

Harry finally stopped to catch his breath.

“Nice to finally meet you, Lady Elise.” Harry greeted Elise.

The shy girl just nodded and looked away. What an adorable child.

“Do you just happen to know everyone you’ve never met?” I joked.

“It’s my responsibility to recognize the fiancee of the young master.”

That’s a fair point. Besides, even Henderson recognized Elise.

“So why have you looked for me so excitedly?” I ask for his purpose of running around.

“Young Master, your proposed theory yielded some unbelievable results. I managed to find a clue to the breathing techniques you talked about!”

“Really?!” I grew excited.

Harry and I hurriedly left for the tower. Henderson looked puzzled and yelled.

“Wait! Young master! What about the young lady?”

“Just bring her!” I told Henderson to come with us.

Elise looks confused as to what’s happening around her as she was brought by Henderson to the tower.

***

“This is awesome,” I said in amazement.

We’re currently in Harry’s lab with research papers scattered around the room. I’m reading through the complex formulas that hold the results to the breathing cultivation methods I envisioned when I proposed the idea to Harry.

“Harry, you’re a genius.” I mean it.

“This is all your idea, young master.”

“No, but you’re the one who made it possible.”

Besides, my ideas were stolen from those light novels after all. But there’s no way I could tell him that.

“Young master, what is all this?” Henderson didn’t seem to know what Harry and I were talking about.

“Henderson, rejoice as you’re witnessing history being made,” I said with full of excitement.

I’m going to pioneer a new path for the swordsmen of this continent.