Vol 3 Chapter 57: Marriage arrangement

In the courtyard garden of Ashford’s house, there is a small fountain with a diameter of several meters. Maria was sitting at the edge of the pool, staring at her feet wearing women's sandals in a daze.
These days, she often looks like this.
"Miss, lord, please invite you to the study." I didn't know when the maid stood next to her and said to her politely.
Maria looked up. "Do you know what it is?"
"Master did not say, but he seemed very happy." The maid replied.
"Happy?" Maria thought of something, and the expression in her blue eyes gradually recovered, becoming bright and charming.
After a few minutes, coming to the closed study door, Maria stopped still. She recalled that banquet night, it was here, she had a fight with her father
At that time, she explained her father and his thoughts with her longing for the future and marriage. But instead of giving her blessings, her father shook his head and said to her, ‘If you sign a marriage contract with him, the Ashford family will really be over. ’
Then, her father explained to her incomprehensible.
It turned out that the Ashford family entered into a marriage contract with him, relying on the relationship of the Chinese Federation, and could temporarily retain the family title. However, once the empire and the Chinese Federation started the war, the first thing to bear was the Ashford family, and the emperor would take it. The war between the Empire and the Chinese Federation is a matter of time.
In other words, once the marriage is established, the Ashford family will perish at the moment of renewed war.
Maria could understand this, and her face became pale. However, she quickly cheered up and explained to her father that Jingyu would certainly find a way, and Jingyu would not ignore the Ashford family from which she was born.
Of course my father disagreed with this view. Tell her, how long have you known each other, how can you understand what kind of person he is? Maybe he just wants to use you to get the knightmare manufacturing technology of our Ashford family. He didn't do that at first, probably because Mariana didn't want him to do that.
Yes, Maria didn't know the shiny Mariana until that moment. The beautiful and graceful round table knight was not actually dead.
According to his father, Jingyu may not have done that to get Mariana’s full allegiance. Now, he does not have such preferential treatment for her Maria, because she is just a noble lady, and there is no such value at all.
Why did my father think of Jingyu so deeply? Maria is not incomprehensible, because the father's shoulders carried the entire Ashford family. Since Mariana's defeat, her father has been sad all day long, and even her white hair has increased, which she sees in her eyes.
But she couldn't help shouting to her father, "He wouldn't do that, he valued me because he helped me."
Then, no matter how surprised and frowned the father's reaction was, she rushed out of the study
Standing here again, Maria has understood that she did not refute her father, but lacked confidence.
She really wanted to see him and listen to his own denial.
Now, she pushed open the door of the study. She was banned, maybe here, she can get some surprises that surprised her.

The Duke of Ashford is a man in his fifties. He had short blond hair and a gentleman's beard with a taste. He was sitting on the sofa in a black suit with his hands crossed on his abdomen.
Today, his appearance is indeed much better than before. The creases on the cheeks that have only recently increased have also opened a lot.
auzw.com When he saw Maria, he said lightly, "You are here", and he was temporarily silent.
Maria approached his desk and looked at her father's face curiously. He seemed to be thinking about how to tell her that she suppressed her inner anxiety and waited quietly.
After a while, the old prince said: "Today, I received a notice of visit from His Royal Highness Prince Schneizel. You attended the banquet that day, and you know that he was the chief representative of the Imperial Peace Talks. I think he asked me The purpose of this is probably related to the peace talks."
"Then, say that" Maria's heartbeat accelerated, and she wanted to ask quickly.
The old prince raised his hand to stop her, "This is just a guess, it can't represent anything yet."
He paused, "If, I mean if if the move of His Highness Schneizel was mobilized by Long Jingyu in some way"
In a word, he paused again and again and couldn't help shaking his head a few times, showing how incredible he was. However, as the Duke has long lived, after all, he also has a very high political vision, can understand what he said, and how valuable it is.
"Maria, then he would be a very remarkable person." The Duke exclaimed: "And, you and him are not completely without chance, and they can even keep our Ashford family."
"Really? Father" Maria ran to the table, pressed her hands on the table, and asked excitedly, "Can I really be with him?"
The old duke laughed and looked at his daughter without answer. Maria felt her shame and flushed with blush.
The old duke straightened his face and said, "Specifically, it depends on how tonight. The most important thing is that it must be personally contributed to this marriage contract by the empire, preferably His Royal Highness Prince Schneizel, you don’t Understand politics, as long as you know that this is first mentioned by the Chinese Federation, and then the Empire promises that it will be many times better.
Also, in any case, this news can only stop within the family, and must not be leaked. You better not meet His Highness Schneizel, lest the shrewd prince see the flaws. "
"I see, father." Maria nodded solemnly.
After walking out of the study, Maria could hardly hide her joy. She forgot the etiquette of the lady and ran happily in the corridor. The silver bell-like laughter even returned to the study, causing the old prince to shake his head
Later, the old duke agreed with Schneizel. For Schneizel, the peace talks went against time, and he came to Ashford's house that afternoon. The old prince personally led him into the study, and after sitting down face to face on the hospitality couch, Schneizel first expressed condolences to the Ashford family.
For example, not using ganemede as a model for mass production machines, it is not that the empire did not attach importance to the Ashford family, it was entirely considering the convenience of training drivers on a large scale; the empire did not die because of Marianna’s "war dead". The Ashford family has lost confidence, and hopes that the Ashford family will make persistent efforts to serve the empire and the like.
After waiting for this, I entered the topic.
"In order to promote relations with the Chinese Federation, the empire intends to select a woman and draw up a few places with the dragon representative and the pro representative of the Chinese Federation, including my sister Cornelia and Miss Ling Qianjin, Daughter of the Duke of Kiev"
Schneizel said several names in a row, "I will go to several other houses later and tell them this thing in person." He paused, "I don't know Ashford Secretary, Is there any objection to the marriage of Miss Maria and the Dragon Division?"
"This Highness, the other party does not necessarily choose the little girl?" The old prince said embarrassedly: "What's more, the little girl just released Xia Yinggeqing's marriage contract, and she said it again. Something went wrong and discredited the empire, and I even banned her feet these days."
He didn't really think that Schneizel even included Cornelia in the quota. In this way, he was a little inaccurate, and Schneizel really wanted his daughter to be married to Jingyu.
Schneizel smiled politely, "It doesn't have to be Ashford Secretary. I think that that night, the Dragon Division took care of Ling Ai, and Ling Ai's impression of him was excellent as long as you and the other secretaries No objection, in the past few days, I will arrange them one by one to meet with the dragon division."
"Since Your Highness said so, I will try my best to convince her," the old Duke assured.
Schneizel nodded in satisfaction, made a few remarks with the old duke, and left Ashford's house.
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