Chapter 162 Better to Find Friedel
Morris nodded too, "I keep remembering what it was like cutting people down on the battlefield after I fall asleep. It's completely different from regular duels."
Samira just shrugged, "Anyway, my shooting skills have definitely improved, and that's enough for me."
Anne looked at the four friends who were about to leave her, "Alright, alright, if something big like this happens again, I'll write to you guys. You have to remember to come."
"Of course."
"You better remember to call me." Cynthia gave her a slightly annoyed look, then hesitated before speaking, "But Anne, about His Majesty telling you to find a husband within three months - have you figured out what to do?"
Anne shook her head. She'd been thinking about it, but had no good options—she couldn't just marry anyone.The five of them fell silent. Cynthia looked left and right, her gaze sweeping over Morris and Duncan's faces, "These two aren't right for you. They'd look like twigs next to you."Morris felt a bit indignant, "What kind of talk is that? At least say we'd be like trees?"
"Pfft, with your scrawny frame?" Cynthia pretended to turn her head away in disgust, then joked to Anne, "Why not go find Friedel? He's a prince, so his status matches yours. He's the commander of the Lion Knights in the army, which also fits well. And after he shaved his beard, he actually looks pretty decent. Taking him out wouldn't embarrass you."
Anne froze, quickly waving her hands, "No, no, he's not suitable. And Lord Friedel doesn't seem like the marrying type."
Samira sighed, "I was just about to say Cynthia's suggestion made a lot of sense, and you shot it down that fast. Man, this is really hard to choose."
"Anne, if you find a suitable husband, don't forget to tell us!"
Anne waved her hand helplessly, smiling at the four people mounting their horses, "I know, be careful on your way back!" Watching her companions' figures disappear, Anne let out a breath and unconsciously placed her hand over her heart.
When Cynthia had suggested she find Friedel as a husband, although she'd refused quickly, she'd clearly felt her heartbeat speed up in that instant.
What was that about?
Anne couldn't come up with a good reason to explain it, so she could only chalk it up to feeling awkward - after all, Friedel was her superior and a comrade she'd fought alongside. Suddenly pairing them together, feeling awkward was pretty normal, right?
After returning, Anne discussed it with Elisa and Kyle.
Kyle thought His Majesty's order seemed like he already had someone in mind, just waiting for the three months to pass before forcing a husband on Anne to seize the duke title.
Elisa thought that perhaps His Majesty felt that since Anne controlled the Ivy Knights and was the Duke of Virlet with a reputation to match, if she found a husband with bad intentions in the future, he might secretly do bad things behind the scenes. That's why he wanted to quickly arrange someone to be with her, who could also help manage the Virlet family's territory.
Anne thought both made sense, but she felt there shouldn't be such simple reasons behind it.
If His Majesty really had someone in mind, why not arrange the marriage directly instead of giving her three months first?
When Anne had Kyle spread the word that she was willing to receive visitors, the stream of carriages in front of the Virlet family estate barely stopped.
Some were people who had followed the Virlet family in the past - their family heads came to visit one after another, expressing their submission and loyalty to Anne, who had now officially become a duke through a ceremony held by His Majesty.
Others were people who chose to follow her after seeing her bright future - she was still young but had already achieved great merit on the battlefield and become the commander of the Soth Empire's first knights, the Ivy Knights. Although the position of Ivy Knights commander was almost reserved for the Kivara family, no one could deny Anne's abilities.
And everyone could see His Majesty's appreciation and support for her - he'd given her the position of knights commander early, which showed such great trust!
So those who'd doubted Anne could lead the family alone changed their minds—she'd proven she could restore the Virlet family to glory.
After all, Anne was a duke's daughter. Although she often followed her father to military camps, as a noble young lady, she hadn't neglected any of the etiquette she should have learned. So when it came to dealing with people, she was poised and gracious. Even facing people much older than herself, she remained calm and steady. This made those interested in following her even more certain that the current Virlet family wouldn't be any worse than when Duke Skoda was alive!
As for those who came to inquire about husband candidates, most were young noble sons or their mothers.
Elisa had originally suggested holding a ball to select a suitable husband, but Anne quickly rejected it - as a duke now, there were too many things to pay attention to when holding a ball. By the time they went through the normal procedures, the three months would probably be down to a month and a half.
And if she really did that, the rumors outside would probably be "Duke Virlet holds ball inviting noble men, suspected of selecting a consort."
Anne still wanted to save herself some face, so she absolutely couldn't do that.