Market value.
It was a concept Vanitas deeply valued.
Not in the materialistic sense, but in the value of individuals. How society perceived them.
How important they could become.
Could they influence the aristocratic circles?
Would they leave a mark in history?
That was the market value of people.
And Vanitas knew his market value was soaring rapidly after several incidents he was involved in.
That much became clear to him today.
“Another one, huh?”
Several postcards, envelopes, and letters from various aristocratic families flooded his desk.
Most were proposals for partnerships, invitations to events, or opportunities to establish connections. But none of those were what truly caught his attention.
What stood out were the proposals for arrange engagements—introductions to their daughters with the intention of securing him as a future son-in-law.
In other words, a potential fiancée.
“I’ve made it, huh?”
He was in his popular phase.
“Should I even bother….?”
He was a dying man. If he accepted such proposals, it would all be meaningless in the end.
Worse, the other family would gain rights to some of his assets, which could cause trouble for Charlotte in the future.
But outright rejecting the invitations wasn’t ideal either.
Doing so would diminish their interest in him, and in the world of nobility, he wasn’t the only promising figure.
Turning them down too quickly would close doors that could be valuable later.
“….I’d look like the problem.”
To maintain their interest without committing, a better approach came to mind.
Meet their daughters, show polite interest, and then gracefully decline afterward.
This would shift the narrative. Instead of seeing Vanitas as uncooperative, they’d start to wonder, ‘Is something wrong with my daughter? Are we the problem?’
The blame would subtly shift back to them.
They’d question their own shortcomings rather than his. The idea that their daughters simply weren’t up to his standards, while leaving Vanitas’s reputation intact.
Accepting the initial invitation would at least show he wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea of an engagement.
“Oh?”
One of the invitations.
Lia Amygdala, of the Amygdala Marquess Household.
“Even the higher aristocrats are interested, huh?”
From their perspective, Vanitas Astrea was a rising Viscount with the potential to climb the aristocratic ladder.
Traditionally, higher-ranking aristocrats would align themselves with families of equal or greater status to ensure their prestige remained intact.
However, Vanitas understood their true motives.
These were not merely families seeking to consolidate power.
They were aristocrats facing financial troubles. Most probably, their influence was waning, or were facing internal strifes.
Eitherway, an alliance with someone like Vanitas could solve many of their problems.
Engagements, after all, came with their own set of advantages.
“There’s not much to do during the festival anyway.”
The festival was primarily for the students.
Professors, on the other hand, could treat the entire event as a chance to enjoy the festivities and relax while the students showcased their efforts.
“The play isn’t scheduled until the second day anyway.”
With nothing pressing to occupy his time, Vanitas made up his mind.
…..
Vanitas sat inside a cozy café, passing the time as he waited for the first prospect to arrive.
“Excuse me. Are you perhaps, Lord Vanitas Astrea?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t need to wait long either as the first woman entered shortly after, all dolled up for the date.
She had flowing blonde hair, vivid blue eyes, and a soft cardigan draped over her shoulders. She was a beauty, that was for sure.
“Ah, nice to meet you,” she said, settling down on the seat across from him. “I’m Lia Amygdala.”
“Vanitas Astrea. The pleasure is mine.”
Lia smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Of course, even in this world, women had their own ways to heighten their appeal.
Vanitas had encountered plenty of women with similar subtleties before.
And he wasn’t entirely clueless, either. Given the experiences as Chae Eun-woo, he’d developed his own strategies for charming women.
The meeting went on for about two hours before Vanitas decided he had seen enough.
The Amygdala family was on the verge of financial collapse, and they were clearly looking for a lifeline with minimal risk.
“This was great, Lady Amygdala,” Vanitas said, standing up and offering a polite smile.
Lia returned the smile, but there was a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
“I’m glad you think so, Lord Astrea. Perhaps we could—”
“Perhaps,” Vanitas cut in. “But for now, I believe we both have much to think about.”
Her expression faltered for a brief moment before she regained her composure. “O–Of course…. I understand.”
As he headed for the exit, he could’ve sworn he heard her mutter, ‘Ah, shit. Where did I go wrong?’
Shaking his head, he moved on. Another engagement was lined up, and though he was running about ten minutes late, it didn’t concern him.
“Apologies for my tardiness, Lady Atthill.”
“Ah…. Lord Vanitas Astrea?”
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Seated before him was Priscilla Atthill, a young lady from the Atthill Earl Household.
Humans tend to talk more when the topic was about themselves.
Vanitas knew this well and let her speak freely about her interests. Her demeanor held a certain innocence, accompanied by moments of flustered stammering.
“Ah, n–no…. I mean….” Priscilla’s cheeks turned a light pink as she stumbled over her words, clearly nervous.
It became apparent to Vanitas that, while her family’s intention was to secure an alliance and fortify their standing, Priscilla herself seemed genuinely interested in him.
The occasional blushes at his subtle, witty remarks gave it away.
“Perhaps, you’ve been reading romance novels for inspiration. That’s definitely not where that idea came from, right?” he asked.
Priscilla’s eyes widened, her face turning a deeper shade of red. “I–I haven’t been! I mean…. maybe just a little….”
After another hour of polite but engaging chatter, Vanitas decided it was time to wrap things up. He had one more date for the day.
“I appreciate the time, Lady Atthill,” he said, glancing at his pocket watch. “But it seems as though I have another matter to attend to.”
“The pleasure was mine.”
Just as he turned to leave, he felt a light tug on his sleeve. Turning back, he saw Priscilla looking down, her face flushed beet red.
“Yes?”
“Could we, perhaps….” she hesitated, glancing away nervously before mustering the courage to finish. “Could we meet again sometime?”
“….”
Vanitas paused, studying her for a moment before responding.
“I’ll consider it.”
He wasn’t.
* * *
“See you again, Dad,” Karina said softly, nodding before turning to leave the hospital room.
As she walked toward the exit, she paused when a commotion broke out nearby.
——William Camus! Is he not here?!
——Sir, as I’ve said, we do not have a patient admitted by the name of William Camus.
——That doesn’t make any sense! He told me. ‘If something happens to me, I’d be admitted here.’ Here! This is the place! It may have been years, but I know what happened to him!
Karina sighed and shook her head, stepping outside into the cool air. Some people just had no respect.
“Hoo….”
When she arrived at the university, the second day of the festival was in full swing. Crowds bustled about, enjoying the festivities.
The main attraction for today was the Drama Club’s play. But the excitement wasn’t just for the play itself.
For some reason, several celebrities were attending.
Even the Imperial Prince, Franz Barielle Aetherion, was rumored to be in the audience.
* * *
“So he really isn’t here, huh?”
Franz adjusted the party glasses perched on his nose and tugged the frog hat down a little tighter as he scanned the lively festival crowd.
It had been six years since he last visited Silver University Tower due to important matters.
To the public, it was to enjoy the festival. But truthfully, Franz had come to see one person.
Vanitas Astrea.
“Should I just infiltrate as a stud—Hm?”
His thoughts were interrupted when he caught a glimpse of golden blonde hair and familiar golden eyes in the distance.
“….”
The figure seemed slightly out of breath, as if she’d just rushed over.
“Brother.”
It was Astrid. Her flushed face and slight panting suggested she had just wrapped up her shift managing one of the festival activities.
“Ah, Astrid,” Franz greeted her, walking over with an amused smile. “Are you free now?”
“Y-Yes, sorry,” Astrid said, still catching her breath. “I was…. running a booth earlier. Didn’t expect it to be that busy.”
Franz reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her face. It had been stuck on her nose, and Astrid blinked at the unexpected gesture.
“I heard what happened in Mori Forest,” he said. “I’m glad you didn’t get caught up in it.”
“Yes. It was…. unfortunate.”
Franz remained silent for a moment, studying his little sister’s expression. She was cute—like cattle. That was all humans ever were. Astrid, Irene, his father, even that dead mother of theirs—nothing more than cattle.
As they walked through the lively festival streets, Franz casually asked, “That Professor of yours. Vanitas Astrea. Is he around?”
“No, he hasn’t come to the university today,” Astrid replied. “Why do you ask?”
“Perhaps to extend my gratitude,” Franz said. “For taking care of my little sister. I know how it feels to sit through lectures from an incompetent professor. It seems he’s very much competent in that regard.”
“Yes. He is.”
Franz had already seen the records. This year, the first-year students’ overall grades had risen by a remarkable 13% compared to previous years.
The increase was primarily tied to Vanitas Astrea’s course and the interconnected improvements in related subjects taught by other professors.
“But should you be here, brother?” Astrid asked. “Shouldn’t you be busy with—”
——Excuse me!
——Ah, Lord Franz!
A sudden commotion cut through their conversation. Franz and Astrid turned to see a group of nobles approaching, seemingly eager for the rare opportunity to meet the Imperial Prince himself.
“….”
Franz stopped walking. His gaze shifted to the nobles, and as they opened their mouths to speak, a cold smile spread across his lips.
“Do you not see who I’m with?” he said. “The Imperial Princess. My sister.”
The nobles froze, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
Franz took a slow step forward, locking his cold gaze onto them.
“I assume you understand what that means. Or do you need me to explain why it’s unwise to disturb us?”
The nobles paled, and they dipped their heads into hurried bows.
“O-Of course, Lord and Lady Aetherion. Forgive the intrusion.”
“Leave.”
They stumbled back, muttering apologies as they hurried away.
Franz turned back to Astrid as if nothing had happened.
“Shall we continue?”
“….I don’t think that was necessary.”
“Nonsense,” Franz replied, his tone calm but firm. “Power is meant to be used. That’s why it’s called power in the first place.”
“But still. They only wanted to talk to y—”
“And I wanted to spend time with my little sister.”
“Ah.”
“Astrid,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “These aristocrats… It might not seem like it, but our influence over them has waned over the years. The Imperial Family has been reduced to little more than law verifiers.”
Astrid blinked, unsure how to respond.
“We have the final say,” Franz continued. “But we lack the means to act freely because of this so-called equality. If we silence the people, we’d be branded as tyrants.”
The history of a neighboring empire—one that wasn’t part of the Four Great Empires—was the reason the Parliament was established.
That empire had been ruled by tyrants, and their downfall came in a single night.
Astrid let out a quiet sigh. Franz was at it again, going on and on about politics and power.
She wasn’t completely ignorant. She understood the basics. But it wasn’t where her interests lay.
Her goals were different. All she wanted was to become a respected mage and a skilled doctor.
“So, Astrid. What I’m trying to say is—”
“Stop.”
“….?”
“I’m sorry to say this, brother,” she said with a straight face. “But you’re a certified yapper.”
* * *
Inside, yet again, another cafe.
“Did you actually go through all those dates?”
“Yes.” Vanitas nodded. “Well, there are still two more scheduled for tomorrow. But you get the idea.”
Charlotte’s eyes lit up, and she quickly sat across from him, leaning forward eagerly.
“Tell me! Tell me!” she said. “Did you find someone suitable?”
Vanitas raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm. “What are you so excited about?”
“I’m curious!” Charlotte grinned. “You’ve been swamped with all these invitations. Surely, someone must’ve stood out.”
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. “If you’re asking whether someone caught my interest, the answer is no.”
“Not even one?”
“Not even one,” he said bluntly. “Most of them were shallow. Their families were more interested in my assets than in me.”
“So…. they’re just gold diggers?”
“Well, not all of them,” he said. “There were some who seemed genuine.”
“So did you give them a chance?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“They’re not my type.”
“….”
The simple, straightforward answer caught Charlotte off guard. She had a feeling this would happen.
After all, there were no records of Archmage Zen ever having a spouse. She doubted he had any interest in marriage now either.
From what she knew, his focus had always been on advancing his career and building his wealth.
No, from his words, ‘Our wealth.’
——Ah, Vanitas? Charlotte?
A sudden voice interrupted their conversation. Turning toward the sound, they saw Margaret Illenia standing nearby, dressed in an elegant outfit instead of her usual light armor.
“….”
Charlotte’s eyes narrowed as she alternated her gaze between Margaret and Vanitas. Without missing a beat, she pointed directly at Margaret with a straight face.
“What about her?”