A lone rider traveled on horseback—a young man dressed in quality riding attire, a sword at his hip. He maintained a steady trot that didn’t overly tire the horse, and he himself seemed to be in good shape.

  He arrived early at the mansion owned by the Counts of Esaton in Hosca, introducing himself to the gate guard as Marco Lacor, heir to Baron Lacor and Bianca Esaton’s fiancé. His purpose was to see her and inform her that he intended to break their engagement.

  Strictly speaking, there was no need to talk to her, but out of courtesy, he wanted to explain his reasons before making it official with her father, the count.

  When Marco was a child, their parents had arranged the marriage. As the heir, he would gain the prestige of marrying a count’s daughter, along with a generous dowry. Meanwhile, Bianca would secure the title of baroness, since the countship would go to her older brother.

  However, Marco had trained and studied hard throughout his childhood and adolescence. By the time he turned eighteen, he chose not to take the academy entrance exam. Instead, he shouldered part of the family business responsibilities.

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  Their barony’s lands were primarily agricultural and through his studies, Marco realized they could increase their yields and improve the soil’s quality by diversifying crops and negotiating with the neighboring barony to draw more irrigation water from their swamp.

  Thanks to these changes, the barony was flourishing, and Marco no longer needed Bianca’s dowry. Since she was rather dull and lacking in personality—always fawning over whoever she thought she needed to impress—it was actually a relief to be able to end the engagement.

  Of course, Marco planned to marry in the future, but only to someone with whom each day wouldn’t feel like a chore.

  However, the guard informed him that the young lady had left at dawn. He didn’t know where she had gone.

  Faced with the choice of waiting inside or going to look for her, Marco chose the latter. He had no desire to waste too much time.

  Thinking she might have gone to the nearby village, he headed there on horseback. After asking around and realizing no one had seen her, Marco decided to search the surrounding fields and then the forest.

  His frustration grew with every passing moment. What was that airhead doing wasting time when she was supposed to be studying?