I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inheriting a Beautiful Wife and Estate Episode 001

1. The Doll Princess and the Barren Estate

The man was 20 years old, the woman was 18.

It was the age of adulthood in the Kingdom.

It was also the time to become independent from one’s parents.

Upon reaching adulthood, men would establish branch families, and women would marry.

Cliff had also reached that age of 20.

‘…Am I going to be kicked out?’

Cliff wore a bitter expression.

Twenty years of living without worrying about food or shelter, born as the child of a wealthy noble. That would end today.

Normally, he would have received an annex or nearby manor and lived while maintaining contact with the main family. But Cliff’s situation was different.

There was no way the family would welcome him, a bastard child.

“…Lord Cliff. His Grace the Duke is calling for you.”

Even the way they addressed him had changed. From ‘young master’ to ‘lord’ just like that.

At least they still used an honorific title.

‘Though I’m in no position to claim nobility anywhere now.’

Following behind the servant, Cliff wore a self-deprecating expression.

He organized his thoughts about what to say when meeting his biological father.

He didn’t even expect to receive an estate or manor like the other children.

‘A pouch of gold coins! A pouch of jewels! I must at least get some money before being kicked out.’

This was what Cliff considered the best outcome.

However, what the Duke, his biological father, offered him was something completely different.

“What is… this?”

A portrait.

Inside it was a beautiful young girl.

Beautiful silver hair and a slender face, with expressionless blue eyes staring straight ahead.

It was just a painting, but even as a painting alone, it was a prettier face than any girl of that age he had ever seen.

So why was the Duke suddenly offering him a portrait?

‘Considering there’s nothing similar between this and my reflection in mirrors or water, it doesn’t seem to be a picture of my mother…’

Then was there any reason for the Duke to offer him this portrait?

It couldn’t be telling him to sell it at the market for a few silver coins.

Of course, there was another possibility that came to Cliff’s mind.

“…She looks exactly like a lady just before marriage, and giving this to me makes it seem as if the lady in the portrait is my fiancée.”

He was an adult.

And the girl in the portrait also seemed to be approaching marriageable age.

In noble engagements, it was customary for the woman’s side to send a portrait to the man like this. That’s why he could make such a joke.

‘It would be nice if it were true… but the possibility is low, right?’

If it were real, it would be too late.

Noble men got engaged at 15.

But an engagement for a son who was now an adult and leaving?

It didn’t make sense.

“Correct.”

Still, sometimes common sense was proven wrong. Just like now.

“Correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Don’t you like her?”

The Duke’s question didn’t seem to expect an answer.

The Duke’s continued words came faster than his own reaction.

“Even if you don’t, accept it for now. If you don’t like her, you can take concubines.”

Cliff stared blankly at the Duke.

As if trying to penetrate his father’s inner thoughts. The Duke calmly received that gaze and continued speaking.

“Her name is Priscilla Elimis. She’s the eldest daughter of the Elimis Family and is now 17 years old.”

“The Elimis Family… I’ve never heard of them.”

Cliff murmured the name of his wife-to-be that his father had chosen.

The Elimis Family.

It was unfamiliar.

And this was natural.

‘There’s no way the daughter of a well-known noble would marry a bastard without even maternal relatives.’

So it was understandable that the daughter of an unknown local noble would become his bride.

Cliff examined the portrait again.

Though she had a somewhat youthful appearance in his perception, the girl with her pure radiance would certainly grow into a considerable beauty.

‘With looks like this, even if she’s from a family with nothing to boast about… she could easily secure a position as a high noble’s second wife.’

That’s why he became curious about something.

“If I may ask.”

“…”

“Does Lady Elimis have any other siblings?”

He directed his curiosity straight to the Duke.

Only then did the Duke’s stoic facial expression change.

“Tsk. You really should have been born from Helena. No, even if not that, it would have been good if only you were pure-blooded…”

The Duke even clicked his tongue, showing regretful eyes.

The word ‘pure-blooded’ mixed in those words still sounded strange.

‘It’s not like we’re talking about Seonggol and Jingol of Silla…’

The pure blood the Duke spoke of was exactly that.

The term pure-blooded was used when both parents were nobles. And naturally, Cliff’s mother was not a noble.

That’s why the Duke felt regretful.

“It’s as you judged. She has no other siblings.”

Even though Cliff didn’t ask in detail, the Duke understood the intention behind that question.

Cliff could also understand the circumstances from those words.

In this country, women could not inherit titles. So if there was only one daughter, the son-in-law could inherit the title.

Simply put, an adopted son-in-law.

‘I’m going to become the adopted son-in-law of the Elimis Family.’

This was the Duke’s consideration.

As a bastard, he originally couldn’t receive anything from the Duke.

He couldn’t be kept close and given work as he might cause family discord. So the Duke had secured a manor (estate) for him in a different way.

“You won’t need to worry much about your father-in-law, Ellemis Baron. He won’t be at the estate.”

This meant the Duke had called the Baron, who had ambitions in central politics, to the capital.

In exchange, Ellemis Baron had handed over his daughter and estate to him.

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

It wasn’t like he had become Hong Gildong, so Cliff couldn’t call the Duke ‘father.’

Now they were complete strangers.

From the moment he accepted this portrait, he was no longer part of the Duke’s house that commanded central politics, but belonged to the local House of Elimis.

Still, his thanks were sincere.

‘I know you… made great efforts.’

Usually, bastards weren’t even brought into the family.

But the Duke had brought him into the family. And until now, though there may have been discrimination, he provided servants, food, and clothing.

He even received the same education as his other siblings.

Finally, he had given him an estate just like when sending off a legitimate son to establish a branch family.

This was enough to fulfill his role as a father.

“Enough. I’ll take responsibility for the escort and travel expenses on your way there. But that’s all I can do for you. From now on, you are no longer my son.”

The Duke, known as the Iron-Blooded Chancellor, drew a line toward Cliff.

“You may go.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Cliff left the room.

The Duke stared at the door for a while.

“Tsk.”

Then he clicked his tongue.

It was regrettable that he had no talent for swordsmanship or magic.

But such things didn’t really matter.

He was the son who resembled him more than anyone else.

‘There was no one as clever as that child…’

His remaining sons all resembled their mothers instead of him.

They had talent for swordsmanship due to their maternal influence, but the family was scholarly, not martial.

A family that had produced chancellors for generations.

Yet none of his remaining sons had the qualities of a chancellor.

“They only pursue strength in their heads. Knowing how to use a sword is less important than judging where and how to use it.”

The fact that he had no child who learned politics.

The Duke found this fact too regrettable.

Then he opened his mouth.

“…Handle Baron Ellemis properly. Make sure no problems arise later.”

His shadow rippled.

Twenty-three days by carriage from the Capital City.

After heading south for nearly a month, the Yusta Peninsula appeared.

A place with a massive river between it and the Kingdom, and forests and low mountains in the center of the peninsula.

The Ellemis Domain was located in the center of such a peninsula.

The basic terrain was a basin surrounded by mountains.

The mountains weren’t high, so they weren’t difficult to cross.

‘It’s isolated!’

There was only a narrow path leading north.

Movement to other places was possible, but no one knew what magical beasts might lurk in the mountains and surrounding forests.

The forest itself was extremely vast, making it dangerous or easy to get lost except for the northern path.

‘And…’

Cliff examined the estate’s farmland.

Most of the existing farmland was in poor condition.

He didn’t know the exact reason. It could be that wheat and barley didn’t suit the soil or climate here, or there might be some pest problem.

Or perhaps this year alone, drought or conversely heavy rain had ruined the crops.

‘But this doesn’t seem like a problem of just 1-2 years…’

On his way to Baron Ellemis’s manor, he saw the farmers.

Many of their bodies were so frail they looked ready to die.

Bodies that hadn’t eaten properly.

“Wow, this seems serious?”

From now on, this would be his estate.

For a detailed assessment, he would need to call an administrator to listen. Cliff headed to the Lord’s Manor.

There, as if they knew he was coming, people had come out to greet him.

“Huh?”

The most eye-catching was a silver-haired girl who appeared to be in her late teens.

She was the girl he had seen many times through the portrait in his pocket.

“Oh?”

Looking at the portrait, he had thought it would be fortunate if she were even half as good.

But seeing her in person rather than in the portrait, she was even more beautiful.

Also, the portrait had made her look quite young, but seeing her directly, that wasn’t quite the case.

She had the figure of a mature woman.

However, there were parts that resembled the portrait too closely.

That face. More precisely, the expression.

And those quiet eyes that were difficult to read.

‘I thought it was just because it was a painting…’

He had expected her to be standing with a somewhat more displeased expression.

In such rural areas, the lord’s power was absolute.

As the only daughter of that lord, she would have no experience waiting outside for anyone. That wasn’t all.

‘Even in a situation where her father has left home and she must give everything to a husband whose face she didn’t even know… she’s calm.’

Even noble family daughters would find this difficult to accept.

Noble marriages are especially significant events for women.

But she was more composed than daughters of prestigious families.

Like a painting, with an unreadable expression, she watched his arrival with quiet eyes.

‘It feels like looking at a well-made doll.’

Yes, my wife was a doll princess.

A doll princess and a poor rural estate.

My domain started from here.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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