[Bellemonte Castle]
A blonde man dressed in a crisp white suit stood on the balcony of a glorious castle. His blue eyes shone brightly, reflecting the vast land and trees surrounding the estate. His thick lips curled into a smirk as he glanced over his shoulder.
"A wife?" he repeated, looking at the butler who had delivered the news. "Atlas Zorken brought home a wife?"
"Yes, Master."
"This wife... is a real woman?"
"She is a woman," the butler answered politely. "From what I heard, she is the mother of Sir Atlas’s children."
The blonde man’s brow arched before he burst into laughter.
"Really?" he mused, running his tongue along his inner cheek. "Those little devils actually have a mother? I thought they were hatched."
"Master." The butler lowered his head. "Our family needs to send them a gift as congratulations to maintain our friendly relationship with them."
The blonde man didn’t answer immediately. He turned away, taking in the view around him. A soft, amused chuckle escaped him.
"Any photos of what his wife looks like?"
"Unfortunately, Sir Atlas shut down all information regarding his wife before the news reached us."
"Try asking Marceline," Hendrik said, his blue eyes glinting mischievously. "She’s never gotten along with him. Knowing her, she’ll have a photo."
"Master."
"I’m not planning to cause trouble or risk our partnership with the Zorken Order," Hendrik added, glancing over his shoulder. "Although... I am curious about who was insane enough to marry a psychopath like Atlas Zorken."
The butler exhaled softly, then bowed and excused himself to reach out to the House of Monreal. Meanwhile, Hendrik smirked and sipped his wine, tongue running along his inner cheek.
"A wife..." he murmured. "This is going to be interesting."
*****
[House of Monreal]
Marceline sat on a divan placed inside a pavilion of her grand mansion. The pavilion floated over a still lake filled with blooming lotuses.
Slowly, her brow arched as the head maid whispered something into her ear.
"Atlas Zorken is back?" she hummed. "And he brought home a woman?"
Her lips curved downward as she leaned against the armrest. "How strange. I thought he was going to marry Scarlet eventually. I guess I was wrong."
"Madam," the elderly maid called quietly yet firmly. "The butler of the Bellemonte reached out. It seems the master of Bellemonte wants information about Sir Atlas’s wife."
"If I knew, you wouldn’t have had to deliver the news of his marriage," Marceline scoffed, her sharp eyes narrowing. "The Zorken already welcomed one outsider as the head of their Order, and now another outsider as their matriarch. How troublesome."
She rubbed her fingers together thoughtfully. After a second, she snapped her eyes toward the maid.
"Summon Cooper," she ordered. "And let the Bellemonte butler wait. Tell him I’ll think about how giving Hendrik that information will benefit me."
"Yes, Madam."
The head maid left promptly to execute her orders. Meanwhile, Marceline frowned, clicking her tongue.
"It’s no use trying to find anything on the Zorkens’ new matriarch," she whispered. "Atlas shut down information before it could reach any of us."
Otherwise, she would’ve known the moment Atlas tied the knot.
"Is this a real marriage?" she wondered aloud, tilting her head. "Or just another one of his strategic ploys?"
Meanwhile, in a local bar somewhere in the world...

Meanwhile, on Zorken Island...
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