The new Duke of Lionheart was indeed... not very noble...
Watching from afar as Leon, carrying the old butler who was foaming at the mouth, hurried towards the enormous carriage, the middle-aged noblewoman couldn't help but pull her lips into an extremely speechless expression.
Although she didn't know what exactly was said to cause the old butler to faint from anger on the spot, she vaguely heard the "either...or."
At this moment, the only thought in the middle-aged noblewoman's mind was that the Ryan Family was truly out of luck. Having gotten such an unconventional new Duke, the Ryan Family was probably counting down to its doom.
*Hmm... thinking about it this way, Princess Veronica actually wasn't too bad.*
Although she sometimes lacked decorum and couldn't help but do some outrageous things in private, at least she could communicate normally most of the time. In important situations, she could listen to advice and wouldn't run herself ragged like the Duke of Lionheart did to that poor old butler...
"Haha, this trip was truly worth it!"
Unlike the somewhat gloomy middle-aged noblewoman, after closely witnessing this farce, Princess Veronica quickly pulled herself back, promptly shutting the carriage window with a forceful and "tempestuous" laugh.
After quite a while, once she'd laughed enough, she raised her hand to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes and, while gently rubbing her flat belly through her dress, complained:
"Ouch... my stomach hurts from laughing. This new Duke of Lionheart indeed knows how to drive people crazy... *Hmm... but he's not a bad person overall.*"
Looking back through the gap in the window and seeing that the Ryan Family was indeed paying compensation and even helping right the overturned wagons at the new Duke's request, a trace of admiration flashed in Veronica's eyes. She then smiled and said to the middle-aged noblewoman:
"To be honest, if he hadn't inherited the title of Duke of Lionheart but some other title, it would have been great. If he were a Marquis from the Silver Chalice or Light Shield family, maybe he could even be my prince; what a pity~"
Upon hearing the princess's words, the middle-aged noblewoman couldn't help but shiver violently, then replied stiffly:
"Your Highness? You're... you're not joking with me, are you?"
Seeing the middle-aged noblewoman's terrified expression, Princess Veronica couldn't help but smile, shook her head, and replied:
"No, I'm serious, I really think he's quite good. Putting everything else aside, if I had someone like him as my prince, life would certainly be interesting."
*Interesting... more likely life-threatening! If he really became your prince and passed on his penchant for turning things upside down to you, I'd probably lose at least ten to twenty years of my life!*
Watching the princess with bright eyes, realizing she was actually quite interested in the Duke of Lionheart, the middle-aged noblewoman quickly spoke to prevent her fate from aligning with that of the unfortunate butler:
"He's really not suitable for you! Even if the Ryan Family turns into an empty shell, they are still the nominal leader of the old nobility. All of the old nobility with marital ties to the Ryan Family wouldn't tolerate the Ryan Family getting close to you!"
"Hehe, don't worry, I understand that."
Through the carriage's rear window, Veronica looked regretfully at the lion-engraved carriage. Seeing the nervous expression of the middle-aged noblewoman opposite her, she joked with a smile:
"Look how tense you are... those words were just said in passing. I wouldn't casually choose someone to be my prince.
"Well... speaking of choosing a prince, my father actually leans more towards marrying me off compared to letting me pick one. He has mentioned quite a few candidates to me recently, like the fourth prince of the Kingdom of Morna, the grand duke from the Kingdom of Heisen, or possibly the leader of the Labor Party from the Kingdom of Orleson.
"So unless something goes wrong, I should end up choosing one out of these few... Hehe, to be honest, purely on the conditions alone, they don't necessarily beat the Duke of Lionheart."
Hearing the princess's words, the middle-aged noblewoman's expression froze slightly, then she fell into a deep silence.
If Princess Veronica got married off, not only would she be far away from home and the kingdom, but the candidates selected by His Majesty, though all grand nobles with immense strength, were almost all pushing forty years of age.
Moreover, that fourth prince of Morna was once married, but his wife died in childbirth; the grand duke of Heisen had a leg that was crippled in a falling accident when he was a child and seemed to have a somewhat extreme and sinister demeanor; and the leader of the Labor Party from the Kingdom of Orleson was also said to be difficult to get along with.
Though with Princess Veronica's abilities, even if she were married off, she would likely not suffer losses and might even seize the opportunity to steer their backing forces towards the kingdom.
But a political marriage solely maintained by interests, given such a great disparity in the conditions of both parties, would naturally be devoid of happiness. So if she indeed got married into such a situation, Princess Veronica's latter half of life might not be very pleasant...
"Hmm? How come as we were talking, you're starting to worry about me?"
Seeing the face full of concern and reluctance on the middle-aged noblewoman, the princess couldn't help but feel a slight warmth in her eyes, then smiled and comforted:
"Don't you know my capabilities? It's not just in the neighboring kingdoms, places where I can easily lean on forces; even if I went alone to marry across the sea, I could still live quite comfortably. Rest assured!"