I Was Summoned To Be Sold as a Son-in-Law

2 – Meal Time

“… Well, they say she’s very charming.”

I thought the answer would be positive right away.

She’s not the most beautiful woman of this era, but I thought at least ‘beautiful’ would be mentioned.

But there was a significant delay before the reply came, what kind of answer is this.

It’s a typical comment made to ‘lift’ someone who isn’t pretty.

“hehehe, youngsters these days don’t know anything. What’s important about women is their ability, ability!”

An old man added to the conversation.

Damn, maybe the heroine is unattractive.

Wasn’t it a given in otherworldly materials that heroines are always beautiful!

The current situation certainly deviated from the typical development in otherworld situations.

I haven’t received the legendary sword, can’t start a journey to kill the demon king, and ended up being sold off as a son-in-law.

“Well, you’re right. How important can a woman’s appearance be? Beatrice has been praised as a once-in-a-hundred-years genius with her swordsmanship skills. How reliable is that!”

A middle-aged man passionately argued.

It sounds like something one says to console an unpopular man who’s skilled but gets little attention.

Understood that such consolation apply to women in a gender-reversed world.

I had a dissatisfied expression on my face, but I was startled and hid it when the old man suddenly moved.

“This old man is going to go in and rest now, Lord. My body aches from using such a large spell after such a long time.”

He patted himself on the shoulder as he exited the reception room.

A sigh of relief was drawn. That old fool should not be messed with carelessly.

“You’ve worked hard, Grandfather. Please rest well.”

The Lord said, placing a hand on the old man’s back in respect.

As soon as the old man left, a woman entered like clockwork.

“Is this our new son, Ted?”

She was a beauty in her mid-thirties.

Tall with a slender figure tightly wrapped up, golden hair and copper skin. Her face was a little thick, an attractive woman with cool vibes.

Imagine a typical white Hollywood actor. Or perhaps she seemed like a handsome golden sun turned into a woman.

I took my gaze off her and shot it at the middle-aged man.

“Maria. Why just now…”

Ted, the name he was called by, looked quite flustered.

He’d been ranting just now about how abilities matter more than appearance, but here his wife was, a beauty.

“Oh dear, was I not supposed to hear that conversation?”

“No, it’s not that, huh…”

Lord Anderson sighed and turned his cold gaze toward me.

“The important thing is that you have to get married, not the appearance of the bride.”

Although his tone was strong, it seemed a bit forced.

Well, in fact, I didn’t really care.

I am not the type to fuss over someone’s looks.

I also don’t know what will happen if I kick up a fuss.

Still, it stings a bit that even after being summoned to another world, all cliches are twisted.

I decided to follow along for now. It’s not like they’re asking me to die.

“I understand. So what should I do now? When is the formal meeting?”

“First, a marriage proposal will be sent to a duke’s family immediately tomorrow. The Duke’s family… they have a bit of a special situation, so they will definitely accept the proposal. And manners education will be provided to you in the meantime.”

I wanted to ask what he meant by a “special situation,” but I decided to pass since my fate seemed unchangeable anyway.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

“Oh, we’ll need a portrait too. I’ll immediately send a message to our exclusive painter.”

The Duchess Maria said this and then left the reception room.

“A portrait… Are you talking about my portrait?”

I asked the master of the house.

“Yes, when men send marriage proposals, they usually send two of their portraits, one face-on and one profile.”

“Do women not send them?”

“If the woman wants, she can send one.”

This is ridiculous. This world is full of gender discrimination.

As I was mumbling to myself, all of a sudden, I felt a pinch in my stomach.

Ah, this feeling…

-Gurgle…

My stomach made a noise as if it was thundering for food.

I smiled coolly and caressed my stomach.

“hehehehe, it seems you are hungry. We’ve wrapped up our conversation for now, so you should eat. It’s almost time for dinner.”

This time I was courteously escorted by the maidservants without being grabbed by the arms.

And the male servants, dressed oddly in maid outfits with aprons, followed with slippery steps.

This outfit also now makes sense.

Those men would probably be playing the role of the maids.

Should I be grateful that they’re not wearing skirts?

The place we moved to was a more spectacular dining room than the previous reception room.

A long marble dining table that I had only seen on screens. A chandelier spanning eight spaces on the ceiling.

Many dishes were already laid out on the table, and the servants were busy moving the remaining dishes.

The master of the house sat at the head of the long dining table, obviously his usual seat, and the Duchess sat at the corner to his left.

“Good evening, Father, Mother.”

As I was being guided to the seat across from the Duchess, I heard greetings from a pair of young men and women.

One of them was a dark-haired boy who seemed to be in his mid-teens, and the other was a dark brown-haired girl who looked to be in her early teens.

“Welcome, Eric, Chris. Greet Thomas. Starting from today, he’s going to be a part of our family.”

The master of the house introduced me.

“Please take care of me, Brother Thomas.”

“Nice to meet you, Brother Tom.”

Seeing how smoothly the introductions were going, it seemed that the family had been fully briefed about the summon.

So it seems from now on my name is Thomas. They didn’t even ask for my actual name.

The girl already bestowed a nickname upon me. Hmm, it feels like a nickname that would suit a brown rat hustling around.

“Our daughter has quite a sense for names~”

Mrs. Anderson complimented her daughter.

“It’s a nickname used by a kid with the same name in our grade!”

“Oh really?”

Chris must be going to school.

Perhaps an academy? I’ve seen a fair amount of academy dramas but given my age, I won’t be going there anytime soon. Quite a shame.

Then the meal started, and Mrs. Anderson and Chris asked me about this and that.

Eric, on the other hand, continued to eat in silence without uttering a word.

At his age, a boy in puberty would tend to be quite shy around strangers.

As I was glancing at Eric, a question came to my mind.

“But don’t you think people might find it strange if Eric were replaced all of a sudden, even if I lied about my age? Won’t the neighboring noble families think that it’s unusual?”

If the second son or a younger son had been hidden, they could have made up some excuse about a hidden child. But hiding an eldest son seemed suspicious.

The house owner gulped down a sip of wine and started talking.

“We don’t have to worry about that. Our family is considered a strategic weapon of the kingdom. Except for the king, nobody knows the intricate details about our family. That includes our family composition too.”

Well, if they can call a person from another world, they must be quite formidable. That old geezer.

While they might not know everything, they could at least guess a few things.

“Furthermore, we were planning to explain everything to the Tyler Duchy.”

I was taken aback a bit by this, furrowing my eyebrow.

“Do you mean you intend to inform them that I’m not only a non-noble but also not from this world?”

“Can you perform as a man?”

The house owner asked something out of the blue.

He probably was referring to my reproductive capabilities.

“I’ve never impregnated anyone, but I don’t foresee any issues.”

“Then, it’s all right. The Duke house is not looking for noble blood, but simply a son-in-law that can provide a heir… Oops!”

He hastily covered his mouth as if realizing his slip of the tongue, but it was already too late.

He might appear to be a cynical middle-aged man, but he’s quite funny the more I get to know him.

It didn’t take much to figure out that if they didn’t care about the man’s qualifications and only wanted someone who would father a successor, there must be something wrong on their end.

Since the Duke himself is from one of the finest families in the kingdom, the problem is likely with the bride.

What exactly was the problem?

I was told before that if I brought up a matchmaking proposal, it’s likely to be accepted instantly.

What kind of problem does it take for the heir of a top-ranking family to be treated like this?

It was frightening to even ask, but I supposed it was better to know as it was my own issue.

“What exactly is wrong with the young lady? Please let me know since I’ve decided to follow you anyway.”

The head of the family sighed softly.

“Hmm… all right.”

The head of the family scanned his family members.

“The story about Beatrice is a public taboo in the social world, so we might as well tell it here. We were talking about her appearance before, right?”

“Yes.”

“Actually, she’s not very… How should I put it? She’s not favored by men.”

“…”

The comment was stated politely, but I could fathom the insinuation. When it was told in a jesting tone before, I didn’t perceive any seriousness. Just how unattractive can a person be? But if they’re this desperate for a marriage proposal, how serious could it be?

“Beatrice was not of a strong disposition. She grew up into a sullen child who had no friends and only trained in swordsmanship.”

Was she a complete loser who turned into a sword-obsessed otaku?

“The duke, who suddenly panicked, tried to find proposals everywhere.”

“Were all the proposals rejected?”

“Not really. But it might have been better if they were. The ones who accepted the proposals were only from low-ranking nobles who wanted to take advantage of the duke’s power.”

“But didn’t you say it doesn’t have to be a noble? Even if it’s low-ranking, it’s still nobility, wouldn’t that be rather better?”

The head shook his head.

“The problem is what happened next. In the position to become the groom, they all expressed their refusal.”

At this point, I was beginning to feel sorry for Beatrice.

But this doesn’t quite match the concept of noble marriages that I know.

“If the person refuses, the parents can still push for it, can’t they? That’s what I thought nobility meant.”

I ask the question that suddenly comes to mind.

“Not quite. No matter what, if they refuse at the matchmaking stage, that’s the end. By that point, they’ve prepared to stain their own family’s honor.”

To be prepared to that extent, and to still face rejection…

“Was their refusal due to my appearance?”

“Their response was er… They said I didn’t feel like a woman.”

A cold sweat trickled down my back.

Was it time to test my potential level…