Warhammer Divine Throne

"Don’t make such lifelong requests so casually!" Laine said with a face full of black lines.

"But I feel like I have no chance like this." Alfred was still painfully conflicted: "An annual income of 800 Gold Crowns, no less than a 150 square villa or castle, and a Kingdom Knights title, I might not achieve that even if I work hard for twenty years."

"Mr. Alfred, by your standards, how many nobles in the entire Old World can meet her demands?" Fidmund tried to comfort him: "If I brought a woman working as a maid in the State Guesthouse back to Bodlukes and told my father I wanted to marry her, he’d probably throw me off Manannan Dry Dock to feed the sharks!"

"Of course, it’s also possible that Miss Claudia simply doesn’t like Alfred and intentionally set an unacceptable condition to make Afu back off." Laine said with a frown: "An annual income of 800 Gold Crowns? Even the Empire’s Great Alchemist Biersaze Gaert’s yearly salary is about 800 Gold Marks, and speaking of the Empire, the top-level officials, like Grand Judge Nuer Theodore Brookner, have an annual salary of just 2000 Gold Marks."

Alfred shook his head painfully.

The Templar Order is a knight corps under the Justice Church, established primarily to deal with the Undead and Chaos. The income of the Temple Knights depends on their diocese, the donations they receive, and the salary issued by the Justice Church.

Counting everything, Alfred’s annual income fluctuates between 100-150 Gold Crowns (Gold Marks), which is a middle-level income for a Temple Knight.

But it is still far from what Miss Claudia expects.

Thinking of this, Laine decided to advise his childhood friend: "Afu, calm down. If you really like women who look like maids, there are plenty in Estalia who would be willing to go with you. I’ve said it before, the maids here at the State Guesthouse have seen too much. They entertain various great nobles, big merchants, and famous mercenary leaders of the Old World daily, sometimes even High Elves and Dwarfs..."

While there was still time, Laine, Fidmund, and Alfred had a chat about this issue.

Even though the possibility of marrying into nobility as a maid is very slim, it’s not nonexistent. Throughout the Empire’s history and Brittania’s history, there have been such lucky individuals who gained the favor of great nobles and became noble ladies, of course. Their stories were turned into poems by minstrels and widely sung, giving these maids a certain illusion—they believe their chances are big, that they can not only marry into wealth but also choose one they’re satisfied with.

"In this circle, the most feared thing is not an overly high vision, but comparison." Laine said to Alfred: "I can guarantee, as soon as one maid in this State Guesthouse successfully marries an ideal man within five years, the rest of the maids will naturally raise their standards significantly, making it very hard for them to marry... Of course, as I said, maybe she just doesn’t like you."

"Mr. Alfred, you’re a Temple Knight, and you’re only in your thirties. With your legendary strength, you can live for at least another hundred years. There’s no need to rush." Fidmund also advised with a smile: "I’m over fifty and still considering whether to hurry onto marriage. You can have multiple girlfriends and find the right one."

"Laine, you know me. Since I failed to confess to the maid next door when I was a kid, I haven’t met any woman who moved me again." Alfred was still somewhat stubborn, but the Temple Knight finally pulled himself out of that mindless frenzy: "I don’t want to give up so easily."

"But right now, Miss Claudia’s price is already set." Laine intentionally struck Alfred: "Whether it’s worth the price or not, she has put herself up for auction, and as a participant, you don’t even have the qualification to call a starting bid, it’s that simple."

"The situation is that way; if you want to win Miss Claudia’s favor, you have to work hard enough to meet her requirements, which may take ten or twenty years." Fidmund also nodded and said: "But during this time, Miss Claudia may change over time. She might hold this standard for twenty years, or she might lower her demands and go with someone else in just two years. That’s out of our control. Mr. Alfred, you don’t need to insist so much."

"Laine, I know you’re the most popular with women. Can you give me some advice?" Alfred was still making final efforts: "In such an auction floor, how do you win the hearts of so many women?"

"Because I never buy things in auction halls." Laine calmly said, with a faint hint of disdain in his tone: "Auction items are always overpriced, especially these maids, their profession makes for high markups and low returns."

Thinking for a moment, Laine said meaningfully: "Afu, I hope you understand, truly good things never enter the market."

"Like you?" Alfred mused, jokingly saying in the manner of a Temple Knight: "Good friend, you never entered the market; you were reserved early on by Mr. Francois and the Lady of the Lake as Lady Surya’s husband."