His father's stern voice instantly made Ervin flinch. However, what made everyone wonder was that Ervin suddenly bowed his head in silence and did not dare to meet his father's gaze.
"Ervin!" Duke Melvin called out demandingly, staring sharply at his second son. "Are you truly serious about your words just now that you have fallen in love with her?"
"I am very serious, Father! I like her very much!" Ervin answered without the slightest hesitation, his voice sounding steady even though his face was still bowed before his father.
"If you are indeed serious, that means you can finally forget Arvin, whom you have stubbornly wanted to make your husband all this time, right?" Duke Melvin pressed, deliberately bringing up his son's past in front of everyone to test his feelings.
"It is impossible for me to forget him!" Ervin answered firmly. This time he mustered the courage to lift his head and look straight at his father's face.
Hearing that debate, many questions suddenly arose in the minds of the Red Sands mercenary members. However, seeing the tension between the father and son of the ruling noble family, none of them dared to interrupt the conversation.
"So, you still expect your biological brother to be your husband?" Duke Melvin asked again, truly wanting to confirm how Ervin felt about his biological brother right now before he gave his blessing to his relationship with Melisa.
"No, Father!" Ervin answered with a slightly trembling voice but full of acceptance. "I just gave up on being able to have him as my husband! But, it is also impossible for me to forget my own biological older brother, the person I love and admire the most!"
The honest words Melisa had just heard felt like a hard slap to her face. Not because she just found out that Ervin was in love with and obsessed with Arvin, but because the sentence about giving up on something impossible to reach deeply touched the recesses of her heart.
It seems... from this second on, I also have to truly give up on having Young Master Arvin in my heart. Melisa thought, making a firm decision and letting go of all her remaining feelings. Even Young Master Ervin, who is his own biological younger brother and loves him so much, gave up on making Young Master Arvin as his husband. Even though the two of them have known each other far longer than anyone else in this world.
"Answer me one more time! Will you love Melisa sincerely?" Duke Melvin asked, this time his tone much firmer and more pressing than before.
"I swear I will love her sincerely!" Ervin answered loudly. "I am very certain, she is the person deliberately chosen by brother Arvin for me, right? My brother's choice is definitely the most fitting and best one for me! How could I possibly waste the best choice that is currently right in front of my eyes!"
Duke Melvin stared intently into his son's eyes for a few seconds. He did not see the slightest hesitation in his son's eyes at all. Ervin was truly serious about his oath.
The Duke then turned to Gaile and his group, who still looked confused by the direction of the conversation just now.
"You all must be wondering what we were talking about, didn't you?" Duke Melvin said, explaining to the mercenary group. "This foolish son of mine once recklessly proposed to his own biological older brother and desperately wanted Arvin to be his husband when he grew up. But of course, he was rejected outright!"
Duke Melvin let out a soft sigh, then continued his words. "And the reason is very simple! No matter how handsome or beautiful someone's face is, Arvin has strong principles. He will never want to marry his own biological siblings."
After hearing the brief explanation from Duke Melvin, Gaile, Rayand, and the others finally understood completely. They finally knew the reason why back in the capital that time, Arvin had said firmly that it was impossible for him to say taboo things to his own biological younger brother.
After the awkward atmosphere began to subside, the Duke remembered that there was still one more letter in his hand. He broke the seal of the second letter from Arvin and began reading it in silence.
However, only a few seconds after his eyes read the lines of text in the letter, the area around the mansion courtyard suddenly froze. The air temperature plummeted extremely in the blink of an eye. The grass around the Duke's feet began to be covered in a thin layer of ice.
Everyone standing in the mansion courtyard reflexively hugged themselves, shivering from the cold due to the pressure of the ice magic aura radiating uncontrollably from Duke Melvin's body, who was struck by shock and anger.
Seeing her husband suddenly lose control of his magic because of a letter, Duchess Olive did not stay silent. She immediately stepped closer, forcefully took the letter from her husband's hand, and then read it herself.
In stark contrast to her husband's reaction, Duchess Olive's eyes actually widened and her face immediately radiated a very excited and happy expression after reading the entire contents of the letter.
And the letter apparently contained a notification from Arvin about his marriage plans with several teenager boys who would become his spouses.
Duchess Olive folded the letter, then looked at her husband, who was still emitting a cold aura, with a sharp glare.
"Don't you ever do that again and scare everyone here, or I myself will punish you, Melvin!" Duchess Olive stated firmly to her husband, ignoring the cold air piercing her skin.
"B-But Olive, in that letter Arvin said that he—" the Duke tried to argue, his voice sounding frustrated.
"I don't care what you think!" Duchess Olive cut in firmly, her voice accepting no arguments. "As the mother who gave birth to him, I only want to see my son's happiness! Whether in the end he decides to marry a man or a woman, I absolutely don't care about all those rigid worldly rules! As long as he feels happy with his choice, I will always support him wholeheartedly!"
Feeling that her husband still harbored rejection in his heart, Duchess Olive stepped even closer. Without the slightest hesitation, the beautiful woman grabbed the collar of Duke Melvin's clothes tightly in front of everyone, delivering a very serious threat.
"Listen to me carefully, Melvin. If you dare to oppose him and cause our son heartbreak because of your actions in rejecting all his spouses, I swear I will never forgive you for the rest of my life!" hissed Duchess Olive, her eyes flashing with a warning.
Receiving the direct threat from his wife, the ice aura radiating from the Duke's body instantly vanished without a trace. The Duke could only swallow hard and nod in agreement quickly after seeing and hearing his wife's words filled with deadly pressure.
And inevitably, for the sake of the harmony of his household and also for the sake of his own son's happiness, Duke Melvin finally gave his blessing to Arvin's decision to marry men as his spouses.
All the mercenary members, including Gaile, Tresia, and Melisa, could only gape in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. Duke Melvin Vedegra, who was a highly respected, honored, and feared high-class noble, turned out to be very submissive and so afraid of his wife's anger.
Realizing that the situation around them had been very tense and awkward all along because of his family drama, Duke Melvin cleared his throat softly to restore his somewhat crumbled authority. He immediately turned toward the line of soldiers standing in the mansion courtyard.
"Immediately prepare proper living quarters for everyone chosen by this son of mine!" Duke Melvin ordered in a loud voice.
Hearing the direct order from their lord, all the soldiers in the mansion courtyard swiftly bowed, paying respect to the Duke before they finally turned around and ran quickly towards the merchant guild in the city to order and arrange many new houses to be bought by the ruler of the Vedegra territory for all the members of the mercenary group and their families.
A few moment later, all matters regarding the placement and facilities of the mercenary group outside had been quickly taken care of by the Vedegra family's subordinates.
After ensuring everything went according to orders, Duke Melvin, Duchess Olive, and Ervin finally stepped back inside the mansion, leaving the commotion in the front yard behind.
However, from his very first step into the mansion hallway, Duke Melvin's sharp instincts began to react. He realized something was amiss. There were several foreign presences continuously watching their movements in secret from behind the shadows.
Even when they were already deep within the mansion's private area, he could still feel the presence of those invisible people very clearly. They moved soundlessly, blending into the darkness behind the pillars and the ceiling. Furthermore, the Duke's instincts caught that most of these mysterious individuals always positioned themselves not far from his wife.
Who exactly are these people? Duke Melvin thought curiously, his eyes glancing slightly toward the shadow of a pillar without turning his head. They have been keeping a very close watch on my family since we were still outside the mansion earlier.