Chapter 198 The Type Who's Weak To Provocation
"Mister Thomas, Adam is already 14 years old. Next year, he'll be taking the academy's entrance exam, but there's only half a year left until the exam. Can he make it?"
When Sara asked Thomas, Thomas's expression turned extremely stern.
"...It's going to be very tough. If he doesn't have the motivation himself, it's impossible. But I don't sense any motivation in Adam-kun to study. I don't know how to teach a student who doodles during the exam."
When Sara tried to flip over Adam's answer sheet, Thomas hastily stopped her hand.
"It's not just any ordinary doodle that ladies see."
Sara more or less understood what was drawn. It wasn't like she didn't think it would've been better if he had drawn on the back of the problem sheet, but either way, it was foolish.
"I didn't understand any of the questions, so I had plenty of time to spare!"
"At least review the questions you answered correctly. There are many careless mistakes in the basic calculation problems. There are also many spelling mistakes in your writing. And to top it off, your handwriting is messy, so it takes time to determine if your answers are correct or not. If this were the academy's entrance exam, you'd be judged as incorrect, and you can't complain."
'I didn't think it was this bad. This is beyond my expectations.'
"Adam...this isn't just a matter of being disappointing. It's a crisis situation."
Christopher was also shocked by these test results. He had always thought his brother was disappointing, but the reality was far worse than he had imagined.
"Sara, what should we do? At this rate, it's impossible for Adam to become the lord..."
"What are we gonna do...there's no way out, right? Isn't it your job to do something, Chris?"
"Ugh, I don't wanna be the lord! I'm not gonna take that kind of responsibility!"
"Then how about Chloe marries someone and takes over?"
"Don't push that onto me, okay? I can't handle the lord's responsibilities!"
Then, Sara, Christopher, and Chloe all looked at Adam at the same time.
"Since the person themselves wants to do it, let's just let them try?"
"But isn't it way more ridiculous than we thought?"
"I mean, is there even a lady willing to marry into the family..."
Of course, the 3's conversation was loud and clear to Adam's ears.
"H-hey, you guys, cut it out!"
"Why are you yelling at me? It's not my fault you're an idiot, Adam! You've been tutored for 9 years, and you're still worse than me, what's going on?!"
As Adam shouted, Chloe shouted back without backing down.
"How about Sara becomes Adam's wife, then?"
"Why do I have to take care of that guy? He's an idiot, arrogant, and perverted--a triple threat of annoying qualities!"
Just then, Rebecca approached them.
"It's okay, Ms. Sara. There's no way Lord Rob would ever approve of Adam's marriage."
"That's right, isn't it?"
"And don't you think your fans would be disappointed if they saw this?"
Thomas, Scott, and Blaze nodded silently. If Daniel were here, he would've nodded the same way.
"Still, this is a problem. I'll report this to Ed and Liz too... Hey Adam, the Grandchester family is a prestigious Marquis family. You can't stay as the heir with a tainted reputation, you know? And there's an excellent second son too?"
"That's...true..."
"If Christopher is no good, we still have Rob. If I were to give birth to Rob's child in the future, there's a possibility that kid could become the future Marquis Grandchester."
"You're planning to take over the main family, aren't you?!"
"I'm just talking about possibilities. By the way, Scott also has enough qualifications, don't you think? Ed and Jeff are cousins, after all. If Marquis Grandchester were to adopt Scott, Ed might have to give up his position as Young Marquis."
"Stop spouting nonsense! Do you want to be accused of treason?!"
"--No, Adam, this isn't nonsense."
A new voice was heard. It was Marquis Grandchester himself.
"Grandfather, you've arrived."
"Sara, please tell those golems about me. It was embarrassing to be carried around by them until Alicia (Alchemist Girl) helped me out."
"Unauthorized men are not allowed, so it's a rule. Even Grandfather needs permission in advance. This is Maiden's Tower, after all."
"Got it, got it. From now on, I'll make sure to contact you in advance."
Then, Marquis turned to face Adam.
"Adam, a foolish lord is not needed to govern Grandchester's territory. I'll have to disinherit you. I won't hear any complaints from Edward or Elizabeth."
"No way!"
"Christopher, if you don't want to be the lord, I won't force you to take the position. Of course, Chloe feels the same way. Sara... well, it's clear you won't inherit it. And considering Edward and Robert's ages, Edward's successor would be Scott..."
"But, Your Excellency the Marquis, I'm planning to join the Knights' Order!"
Scott replied with a dignified expression, reminiscent of his father.
"Hmm... If that's the case, there's another option: you could become Marquis Grandchester and marry Sara. You'd have to allow Sara to do business freely, though."
"That's quite an attractive option."
"Wait, Grandfather, don't decide for me!"
Sara raised her voice in protest, not wanting to be forced into marriage.
"Do you not want to marry me, Sara?"
"It's not that I don't want to, but I just can't bring myself to think about it!"
The Marquis smiled slyly at Sara.
"Of course, if Sara becomes my adopted daughter and inherits Grandchester, you can choose your husband as you please. Even someone like Thomas Tyler or Blaze would be fine."
"Grandfather! But they're commoners, aren't they?"
Adam loudly protested.
"Bloodline is just a trivial thing, after all. You, too, have half of your mother's blood flowing through you, which makes you half of Grandchester's blood, doesn't it?"
"But my mother was a noblewoman..."
"That's right. After her uncle passed away, Elizabeth became a noble lady. Otherwise, she would've been just a knight's daughter, not much different from Sara now."
"But I've heard that Sara's mother was a merchant's daughter. My mother's blood is of a different nobility!"
The Marquis gazed at Adam with pitying eyes.
"Noble blood, you say...? Yes, it's possible that there's a certain quality to it. But that's nothing compared to the abilities one cultivates through their own effort. The idea of aristocracy and the superiority of noble blood is something that was planted by the likes of Arthur and Adelia's marriage not being allowed, if you ask me."
"Grandfather..."
With a deep sigh, the Marquis continued.
"Sara, there's something I haven't told you. Your mother, Adelia, was from the royal family of Florence, one of the Coastal Union's states. Florence became a republic after a coup, and the exiled royal family started a merchant guild in Genoa, another Coastal Union state. It's an old story, about 3 generations ago."
"Hmm, I didn't know that."
"I didn't know about it either until after Adelia passed away. I contacted her relatives to bury her alongside Arthur. Your mother's parents had already passed away, but her relatives inherited the merchant guild. The guildmaster is your cousin, I suppose. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get too caught up in it. Sorry about that."
"No need to apologize. I wouldn't say it doesn't bother me, but I don't have any attachment to a cousin I've never met."
"But when Adam talks about the nobility of blood, it's a different story. Adelia's parents were the exiled prince and princess. They're so aristocratic that even the Grandchester family can't compare."
"There's no meaning to being a former royal family. We shouldn't put too much stock in the nobility of blood. No matter how prestigious a family is, if you trace its roots, it's all about climbing the social ladder."
"Hahaha. No matter how noble a family is, if you trace it back to its roots, it's all about rising to power. But, your enormous magical power is probably due to your mother's bloodline. In that sense, it's hard to deny the talent that lies in one's blood. That's why Adam values the nobility of blood."
"I see. In that case, I should be grateful to Mother's bloodline."
Marquis gazed at Adam again.
"Adam, can you understand this even with that pitiful brain of yours? Sara has nobler blood than you and higher abilities. Although she can't inherit a title as a woman in this country, she can effectively control Grandchester by marrying a capable husband. At the very least, it would be more beneficial to Grandchester than having you inherit it now."
"U..."
"Even Scott, Jeffrey's parents are both nobles. Jeffrey's late wife was the daughter of a knight, but considering her grandfather was a Marquis, it's fair to say that Scott has nobler blood than you. I think I can hold on to my position as Marquis for another 10 years if I try hard. By then, Scott will be a 23-year-old young man full of energy. Don't you think he's suitable to be the successor of Grandchester?"
Tears like pearls were already welling up in Adam's eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.
"So, you're going to cry again? Are you satisfied with running back to Elizabeth and having her console you? How long do you plan to hide behind Mother's skirts?"
"I'm not hiding."
"It looks that way to me. If there's something you don't like, you tell Mother and have her keep it away from you. If there's something you want, you beg Mother to buy it for you. And when you get scolded or blamed, you cry and sulk in bed until Mother comes to comfort you, right? You're not a child anymore!"
'Ah, unexpectedly, Grandfather was watching Adam's situation.'
"When you were young, I could overlook things. But now that you're 14, you still can't even get into the Academy, and you're just a spoiled kid who only knows how to spend money. I won't leave Grandchester to someone like that, who can't take responsibility."
But Sara felt Marquis's scolding was unjust. He had thought the same thing about Edward, but if he was going to blame Adam now, why didn't he say anything earlier? If he had a problem with Elizabeth, why didn't he pay attention to it? Sara couldn't understand why he was suddenly bringing up the issue of disinheritance now, after leaving it until it was almost too late.
"But, Grandfather, there's no one who wants to inherit Marquis Grandchester more than Adam. And it's not like it's been decided that he can't get into the Academy. You said 'even at 14 years old,' but he's still 14 years old. If Adam is serious about becoming the lord of Grandchester, I'll support him with all my might."
"Sara...you..."
"Of course, if he's not serious, I'll abandon him the next instant. I'll even shave his head and kick him out."
"If Sara says that, then let's wait until the next Academy entrance exam results. If he doesn't pass, then he'll be disinherited for sure."
"What about you, Adam? What will you do?"
"Yeah, I'll do it! I'll get into the Academy and show you!"
"Hmph. If you can do it, then go ahead and try."
With that, Marquis left Maiden's Tower.
Rebecca approached and whispered softly into Sara's ear.
"Ms. Sara, His Excellency the Marquis has come to provoke you. He cleverly manipulated Adam, didn't he?"
'Oh noooo! It was Grandfather's scheme, after all!!!'
By the time she realized it, it was already too late.
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