CHAPTER 670: A MONSTER’S MATCH

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

The blonde froze, fiddling with his fingers in confusion.

Wait.

Wait just one moment.

Was the Marquise... laughing?

Oliver Astrea Mylor—who had just poured out his heart and soul in the most pitiful, dramatic disparagement of working culture ever delivered by a trembling cadet—was utterly at a loss.

Was she actually laughing at him?

His mouth opened. He tried to say something, anything, to explain himself further, only to be silenced when the Marquise leaned back in her seat, eyes glinting with something he could not quite read, and said a single word.

"Good."

"...Good?" Ollie squeaked, his eyes widening as if reality had just betrayed him. "Good???"

Surely he had misheard. Surely this was one of those hallucinations people suffer due to hunger or constipation.

But Marquise Evelyn only tilted her head slightly, as if she had expected such a reaction. She lifted a hand and patted the chair next to her.

"Come, sit here," she said with a smile. "We can talk better this way. Besides, if you stay on the floor, I’ll be too tempted to keep patting your head."

Ollie blinked, his body stiff as he scrambled upright and sat down gingerly in the offered seat, antenna flopping in shame. His back was straight, but his eyes darted nervously as though he might be scolded at any second.

The Marquise smiled faintly before continuing. "I am well aware of what people say about House Nox. That we are the home of the Empire’s best aides, advisors, and ministers. More importantly, the most workaholic family in Solaris, second only to the Imperial family."

"..."

Ollie swallowed. That sounded about right.

"They call us competent. Loyal. Diligent." Evelyn’s voice softened. "But what most people do not know is how rigid the people of House Nox are. If anyone were to perform an autopsy on someone from House Nox, I swear they would likely find the word ’work’ engraved into our veins."

Ollie choked on air. She sounded so serious that he actually believed it.

"It is the oddest thing," she went on, almost wistfully. "None of us actually enjoys working all the time. But if my husband or my sons were actually given long stretches of true rest, they would go mad. To them, structure is life. Work provides that structure. When things collapse, when everything falls apart, we Noxes do not crumble. We search for new tasks, new duties, new responsibilities. Provided there is work, there is a path forward, however unclear."

The young cadet gawked at her, his lips parting. That... actually explained a lot.

His mind instantly conjured the image of Kyle, grumbling and complaining about paperwork or duties, yet still doing them without pause.

Especially before they were together, Kyle had practically lived at his desk. If no one came looking, they would have found him asleep on top of his reports, tablet still clutched in hand.

"!"

Marquise Evelyn’s smile deepened at the sight of the realization dawning on the boy’s face.

"You thought of something, didn’t you?" she asked knowingly.

Ollie’s face flushed red. He fumbled with his hands. "B-but My Lady... if that’s the case, then why would it be good that I-I don’t exactly like work? Wouldn’t that be... wouldn’t that be a disgrace to House Nox?"

"..."

The silence that followed made his heart pound.

"Ah, Oliver... you see, there could only be a disgrace to House Nox if House Nox is still standing. What could be disgraced when there’s no remaining member?"

The words fell so casually from Marquise Evelyn’s lips that Ollie’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

"My Lady! What do you mean?!" he squeaked, his whole body jerking upright in alarm.

She only tilted her head at him, serene as ever. "I think you can tell by how hard they work, right?"

"..."

Ollie’s mouth flapped.

"Do you really think it would be possible for a family line to continue if everyone had tunnel vision for work?"

The blonde’s eyes fluttered as he stared at her smiling face. It was relaxed, too relaxed, especially given the fact that her husband was still recovering beside her. How could she say such terrifying things while looking that calm?

"Do you think patriarchs with the same personality would even remember to arrange marriages for their adult children in the face of mountains of work?" she asked lightly. "Moreover, with evaders like Killian, would it even be possible to get anyone married off when everyone already knows they’re married to their work?"

Ollie blinked.

Oh.

"OH!"

Marquise Evelyn grinned, clearly pleased that the revelation had finally dawned. "That’s why, to balance those workaholics out, the only way for House Nox to survive is to make sure they end up with someone who isn’t a clone or a copycat."

Her eyes sparkled. "In life, and in love, it is better to have a balance."

She leaned back, her tone more thoughtful now. "Most noble families rush to arrange marriages early. But tell me, what kind of marriage would the members of House Nox have if they married someone exactly like them—or worse, someone who wasn’t like them but tried to become like them to fit in?"

Ollie swallowed.

"Like you said, you don’t like working, right? Imagine if I forced you to work like Kyle so that you could be married to him. You’d probably do it, wouldn’t you?"

The blonde nodded solemnly, his golden antenna drooping with conviction. "I would."

"But?" she prompted, her eyes narrowing with quiet expectation.

"But if I did it," Ollie admitted, shifting in his seat, "maybe after a while, I’d grow resentful. Because I really don’t like working."

The woman nodded once, satisfied.

"Yes. While we can’t generalize everyone, most would at least have regrets after realizing they signed up for overtime with maybe a part-time marriage."

"And that’s only the tip of it. If there is no foundation for the relationship, how could they ever expect to weigh more than work?"

"So, those who dreamt of arranged marriages where the husband would accommodate all their dreams, how likely would that be with an uninterested Nox?"

"If so, who would like a lifetime of that kind of relationship? How unfair would it be for both people to have to sustain a marriage built on false assumptions about what it takes to really be a member of House Nox?"

Yeah. Ollie thought so, too. He could even remember how Lyka reacted when she heard that all her hard work was for nothing because she’d worked so hard to be the best fit for Kyle.

But just because she wanted Kyle, it didn’t mean she was entitled to have him return her feelings.

Then, if this were the case, then the House of Nox wasn’t only looking for the most skilled?

The blonde’s musings, however, were cut when the Marquise continued.

"I see you can tell just how bad that would be, right? But just as it would be best to respect other people’s personality, it’s also only proper to respect the personalities of the members of House Nox."

"They’re competent," she said softly. "They have a sturdy identity. They are self-aware, and they know exactly what they’re doing. It’s why they’re aware of what they’ll have to do to make up for all their misdeeds." She had a smile that promised a world of pain, and the little mop figured it was only lucky his secrets were discovered by his parents early.

But her words sounded remarkably like a description of Kyle. Confident, assured, a monster at work. Only sometimes, he would take the politically correct road when a bomb or two would have easily solved the problem.

Ehem.

But maybe that’s what makes him his own person.

Although in Ollie’s opinion, and definitely solid experience, Kyle wasn’t all just work. But his work ethic was something he brought even when dealing with other things in life.

He was cunning and would always manage to get extras of everything from him, the gullible and generous star.

So he definitely agreed to the Marquise’s next words.

"However, competence doesn’t necessarily mean they’re always right. Or that their methods are always the best. And sometimes they could get a little too fixated and would need occasional reminders."

Ollie’s lips twitched because she was definitely right!

"But just the same, even if they’re like that, aren’t they really inspiring to see?" chuckled the Marquise.

Ah. Yes. Really inspiring. Kyle was also really handsome and was really nice to see!

"But here’s the problem," Evelyn continued smoothly. "If they mesh with people who are still trying to figure out what makes them happy, those people might assume it’s best to copy them. Because if it works for Kyle, then surely it should work for them."

Her lips curved wryly. "But you said it yourself, didn’t you? He’s a monster."

Ollie startled. "Y-yes!" he blurted, then immediately flushed. "I-I mean, not in a bad way!"

Evelyn’s laugh was low and knowing. "It’s not bad at all. It’s his identity. Which is exactly why it’s best for him to be with someone who cannot be corrupted by his personality."

"Someone who understands him, meshes with him, but does not become him in the name of feeding their presumed ideals about House Nox."

"And then occasionally, when things become too much for him to handle, that person, his partner, can maybe remind him that there are other things to do outside of work."

Her eyes gleamed, the glint so sharp and brilliant that Ollie sat ramrod straight.

"Now tell me, Oliver. What do you say to keeping a Nox sane?"

Ollie blinked, his mind a blank. Then his hands clapped together with sudden fervor, his eyes blazing with renewed energy.

"I’m definitely in, My Lady!" he declared with a grin so wide it nearly split his face.

The wilted mop had bloomed again, although maybe they shouldn’t have giggled like that.

Because now, one minister could feel a chill in his bones.