Chapter 191: Marriage Requires Discussion
After hearing the priest's words, Leon chuckled softly. “Sometimes I really feel like you're an old father worrying about a daughter who can't get married.”
“If you're talking about that, her real father, Viscount Arend, is far more anxious than I am. I've already sounded him out for you. As long as you, this promising young Inquisitor, are willing to repay the Viscount family's debts, he's ready to marry his daughter to you at any time and cooperate with all the necessary procedures to make you the third-generation Viscount Arend. If you were to refuse now, he'd probably come over and cling to your legs while begging you in person,” Father Auden said.
“But I doubt Miss Adele has any intention of doing that,” Leon replied.
“Her opinion isn't important. Haven't you already brought her under your control? Just use a little coercion and temptation. That's your specialty, isn't it?” the priest said meaningfully, deliberately tapping the tabletop with his knuckles.
Leon smiled. It seemed Father Auden was still brooding over how he had been "coerced and tempted" into joining the struggle against the Earl.
“Fenrir, when we discussed this before, you could treat it as a joke. But this time, you really can't brush it off anymore. You don't just need to become a noble now—you need complete control over all of Arend Island to deal with the Church's investigation, which could begin at any moment.
“You know that yourself, which is why you've been stepping up your control over the Viscount's family, haven't you? If you become Viscount Arend and obtain noble status, your legal standing will be completely different. The Church's investigation into you will be subject to many more restrictions, especially within your own territory,” Father Auden said slowly.
“You do have a point, but... the Viscount's debts aren't exactly a small amount,” Leon said.
The Viscount owed more than thirty million Fenni. After a year's worth of revenue, deducting all operating costs and the various assets he had purchased, Leon could currently mobilize only around forty million Fenni in liquid funds. At such a perilous time, spending that much money just to buy a title would be a serious blow to his finances.