Chapter 171 Max Hard Life - Side Tonia -
Tonia was the daughter of a knight. Since her grandfather, a baron, had passed away before she was born, she never had the chance to attend high-society gatherings as a noble. Her father worked as a bureaucrat in the royal palace and had inherited her grandfather's estate, making their household relatively wealthy.
Although she didn't have a title, Tonia was the only daughter, which meant she was set to inherit her father's assets, including a mansion in the capital. Her mother had passed away when she was 13, and her father, who had married late, never remarried. As a result, Tonia and her father had a close relationship.
One day, her cousin, who had inherited the baron title, brought up a marriage proposal to Tonia. It seemed that her aging father was worried about her future and had asked her cousin Baron family to find her a suitable partner.
The suitor who showed up was the third son of a count's family. He was about 2 years older than Tonia and had an unremarkable appearance, but he wore flashy clothes. To Tonia, he was just an average guy.
As the daughter of a knight, she felt that she couldn't easily turn him down, especially since he was the son of a count and had been introduced by the head of the main family. As a result, her engagement was settled, although she wasn't thrilled about it.
Her fiancé was the type to frequently attend social gatherings. As his fiancée, Tonia also attended a few balls. However, as the daughter of a knight, she was in a ambiguous position in high society, and since she wasn't a noble by birth, she wasn't treated as a formal debutante.
Being the daughter of a powerful noble's second or third son might lead to an official debut in high society. In such a case, formal adoption by the main house would follow. Her cousin brought up the topic of adoption with her, Tonia, but even if it's a Baron, becoming the adopted child of a noble family with a title isn't that simple a matter.
Adopting a child into a noble family requires the royal family's permission. Even with all the formal procedures, the processing fee is high, probably because they don't want to make it easy for people to increase their noble ranks.
If the permission from the royal family is granted, the adoption is finalized. However, when a noble family takes in an adopted child, they have to host a "coming-out party." It's not an obligation, but it's an unspoken rule in high society.
In short, becoming the adopted daughter of a Baron requires a lot of money and effort. Even as the fiancée of a Count's son, who's only a Knight, she couldn't see the point of going to such lengths for her.
A woman who hasn't officially debuted in high society is treated like an accessory to the guests. Whether she's a wife or a mistress, it's the same. Maybe it's even better to be a high-class courtesan, who gets invited to dances by men and gets to show off their dresses and accessories, even if they're looked down upon by women. As for her, Tonia, she couldn't even get anyone's attention and was left standing alone in the corner of the party, as if she didn't exist. After attending a few times, she got tired of it and stopped accompanying her fiancé to social events.
At one point, Tonia discovered that her father was shouldering the social expenses of her fiancé. When she questioned her father, she was told that it was a condition for marrying her. Tonia was shocked by her father's words. It's true that her appearance is ordinary. But is it really so bad that she needs to be paid to marry her?
If the partner were to inherit a title, it would be understandable for the marriage condition to involve financial compensation. However, her fiancé, although from a Count's household, is only a low-ranking knight. Or, if marrying her would bring benefits to the main Baron household, she could accept it as a strategic marriage. But this marriage doesn't bring any benefits to the Baron household either.
Shocked, Tonia decided to consult her close friend Cordelia, a female educator who had married into a merchant family. Cordelia, one year older, has been her close friend since childhood.
"Hey, Lia. I know I'm not a beauty, but do you think I'm that ugly?"
"Suddenly, what's with that? You're perfectly cute, aren't you?"
Tonia explained the situation with her fiancé to Cordelia.
"What, that? It's completely about the inheritance, isn't it? I mean, how does that guy earn his income, anyway?"
Pointed out by Cordelia, Tonia re-examined her thoughts about her fiancé.
Her fiancé has a job as a bureaucrat, responsible for managing the Count's lands. However, Tonia realized that she had never seen her fiancé visit the Count's lands, even though he's always busy socializing in the capital city. The only times he leaves the capital are when he attends events like hunting tournaments hosted by powerful noble families in their territories, or when he goes on trips with his friends who are also young nobles.
"Maybe, I've never seen him at work?"
"I knew it! That's what most nobles are like. They pretend to have a job as a bureaucrat just to save face. In reality, they're just freeloaders."
"Really? So, after I get married, I'll have to support him with my own assets?"
"Probably."
"Why is Father trying to marry me off to someone like that?"
"Maybe because if your Father passes away, you'll lose my noble status. But as the wife of a knight, you'll still be considered a noble."
"What's that all about? I don't care about being a noble or not. Besides, I have 0 interest in the noble social circle. What's the point of all that?"
"I used to be a noble's daughter too, but my family was poor, so I didn't get to debut. I guess it's a place where families can strengthen their ties and find marriage partners."
"Wait, what's the point of a jobless knight like him attending those events?"
"Yeah, none at all. He's just trying to show off, that's all."
That night, she made a declaration to Father.
"Father, I refuse to marry someone like that, no matter how much money you're willing to pay. He's just a lazy, show-off noble. If something happens to you, he'll squander our entire fortune in just a few years. Do you think he'll still care about me then?"
In reality, Tonia's father and cousin had thought, "This guy is too greedy for money," and so the engagement was cancelled without a hitch. However, right after the engagement was called off, Tonia's father suddenly fell ill and passed away.
With neither a father nor a husband, Tonia had to rely on her cousin's help to inherit her father's estate. As she was going through the various documents, she discovered that her father had invested in Elma Farm in Grandchester territory before he passed away.
She had visited Grandchester with her father before, and remembered how delicious the Elma was. Her father had bought a lot for her back then.
'Ah, Father, you were thinking of me, weren't you?'
And so, Tonia decided to move to Grandchester and take over the farm herself. Her cousin opposed her decision, calling it reckless for a 10-year-old girl with no work experience to try to manage a farm. But Tonia's determination was unwavering.
Besides, she thought that if all she could attract were men after her wealth, she'd rather be single for life. But her expectations were betrayed in an instant.
One day, a blacksmith who was delivering tools to the farm came to her with a small bouquet of cute wildflowers that didn't match his large build, his face bright red as he confessed his love to Tonia.
At first, she thought he was just after her wealth and rejected him, but he kept coming to the farm every day with a bouquet. When she explained what had happened in the royal capital, the next day he brought a vow not to accept even a single dal of her wealth, along with the farm's ledgers to prove that his workshop was not in the red, and proposed to her.
About half a year had passed when Tonia finally gave in to the marriage proposal of the big, bear-like man. She was completely swept off her feet.
And so, the two of them, now a loving couple, came to have 2 sons and one daughter.
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