I took my glass of wine and left the crowd of nobles as they celebrated the end of the war against the recent demon invasion. It was funny how they were patting each other on the backs, when it was me who did all the work.

What's worse, was that despite the fact that this party was celebrating my return, I couldn't actually enjoy any of it! How the hell was I gonna get wasted when all the nobles are trying to shove their daughters to me?

I frowned as I continued to drink my glass of wine, barely feeling anything at all. The wine here was made out of the best materials possible, an obvious flex from the royal family, but to me, it tasted like grape juice.

Sure, having the bloodline of a dragon gave me much more benefits and was worth the cost, but damn did I miss the days that I could just get drunk and ask questions later. Now, as a proper duke and a respected war hero, I was expected to be elegant at all times and display the manners that someone of my station should. 

So instead of kicking them out, I had to go in a roundabout manner and politely imply that they should leave as I was way out of their league. Of course, I didn't say that directly, as saying something like that would be crass and below my rank.

Thankfully, I had managed to get past the throngs of unmarried woman and escaped into the Imperial Garden. They couldn't actually follow me in here, as only members of the Royal family could enter. I was only allowed since I was descended from the Ashford's, who were distantly related to the Eslinger family, the ruling family of the Loen Kingdom.

I looked into the night sky and saw the array of unfamiliar constellations flashing back at me. One of the only things that was an improvement from my world was the lack of pollution in the air. As a part dragon who was more attuned with nature then most ordinary people, this garden was like a haven for me.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching me from behind. Damn, did someone actually dare follow me in here?

I turned back and was stunned by what I saw. A lady had followed me all the way here, but it wasn't someone I was expecting.

She had long hair with the signature grey color of the Eslinger family, marking her identity as a princess, yet she definitely did not look like one. Her dress, although beautiful, looked worn out with a closer inspection, and her makeup was definitely done by an amateur. Though I didn't really understand why she wore it in the first place, since she looked better without the makeup.

She was Clarissa Eslinger, the Seventh Princess of the Royal family. 

Yeah, you heard me right, she was the seventh princess. Apparently, the king had no idea what the word restraint meant, as he had a massive harem of women, and even more children.

Of course, he didn't recognize most of them, mostly paying them off and officiating only those who were spawned from important noble woman. Clarissa Eslinger, however, was the unfortunate exception.

Her mother was a maid that served under the king, who was eventually taken advantage of by her employer. Despite that, she still gave birth to Clarissa and had continued her job as a maid. Her tenure had ended shortly though, as she had blocked a blow from an assassin sent to kill the king, leaving her daughter behind in the world alone.

The king was moved by this and granted her daughter the title of princess, making her the only member of the Royal family that was born from a commoner. One could guess that with no backing or support, what her fate had been.

She was practically invisible, and no one gave her the time of day. No knights had been sworn to her, and she didn't have any authority or assets. All in all, she was a miserable princess who is forced to be low profile to protect herself from her royal relatives.

Now, she had risked all that just to follow me here. What could possibly be so important that she would risk her invisible cover to come talk to me?

Clarissa looked away sheepishly when she noticed I was staring at her and straightened herself before bowing resolutely. 

"Pardon the intrusion Duke Ashford, I am Clarissa Eslinger, the Seventh Princess of the Loen kingdom. I have a very important matter of which I would like to discuss with you. Could you spare me a moment of your time?" Clarissa asked with a very polite tone.

I quickly helped her get up from her bowing position. Despite the power difference between us, allowing a member of the Royal family to bow to you was disrespectful.

"Greetings, Princess Clarissa. I am currently unoccupied and have no problem hearing you out. Since you have reached out to me despite us not knowing each other, the matter must be quite important, right?"

I honestly had no idea what she was going to say. We had never met before, and all I knew about her was in rumors. Maybe the king sent her as a messenger? Or maybe she needed my help? Well, as long as it wasn't too big, I could lend her a favor.

But I definitely did not expect the words that came out of her mouth. 

With a look of conviction on her face, she looked me directly in the eyes and spoke

"Duke Damien Ashford, I would like to establish a marriage contract with you."

What?