After the war, Mercedes accompanied Lorenz back to his homeland. There, the young heir petitioned his father, Count Gloucester, to permit the couple to marry. Though the count initially disapproved of Mercedes's status as a commoner, he was persuaded by her virtues as a person to change his mind. In fact, he praised Lorenz for having a taste in character superior to his own. After Lorenz succeeded his father as lord of the territory, the couple finally wed. With Lorenz's stern approach to governance, and Mercedes's open mind, House Gloucester flourished under their rule.