The Marchioness of Gosville stared at her son in disbelief before asking,
“Are you asking for my permission to marry, or are you asking for my cooperation?”
“If the result is the same, either is fine.”
She let out a scoff, completely dumbfounded.
“Miss Claisey must be quite something. To make someone like you, who never even spared a glance at any of the wonderful young ladies, act like this.”
“I think so, too.”
A blue vein throbbed on the Marchioness’s forehead.
“That was not a compliment.”
“But she is a truly wonderful person.”
The Marchioness snorted sarcastically.
“In what way? Her face?”
“Appearance is not important.”
“For someone who says that, she was quite pretty.”
“That is just a coincidence.”
The Marchioness searched for any change in her son’s expression with narrowed eyes, but as always, Kishin remained almost expressionless.
Seeing his resolute attitude, the Marchioness decided to look at the bright side for once.
“Fine. Since she’s a woman liked by a block of wood like you, she must have some merits. Significant ones. I hope it’s not just her face.”
“Of course.”
The Marchioness crossed her arms, leaned back into her chair, and asked,
“In other houses, children wouldn’t dare say, ‘I am going to marry such-and-such.’ If they did, they would be kicked out immediately.”
“You shouldn’t kick me out.”
At Kishin’s calm response, the Marchioness burst into laughter for a moment before putting on a stern expression again.
“I am the mother who raised the youngest Duke, so I will grant you a fair chance. Recite the merits of the girl you like. There must be at least ten. Ten objective reasons. To let you know before you call it unreasonable, I can recite ten merits of my husband.”
Kishin rolled his eyes for a moment before asking seriously,
“Can I include her face as a merit?”
“I thought you said you didn’t meet her for her face.”
“Because I have to fill ten.”
“Fine. Leave out the face and give me nine.”
Kishin fell silent, deep in thought. The Marchioness rested her chin on her hand and waited for her son to organize his thoughts.
Finally, Kishin opened his mouth.
“She has many dreams. But they aren’t preposterous; she is clever. She is motivated in everything she does, but her greed is not excessive. She charges forward with courage and clearly expresses her own opinions. She is honest enough to say what needs to be said, but she also has the patience to endure the rudeness of others. She is positive, but not unrealistic.”
Having filled the nine spots, Kishin paused before adding,
“And she is pretty.”
“Hard to fill ten with just personality, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“Nine is quite a lot, too. Hearing it like this, she sounds fine. Judging by your words, she seems to be a well-rounded young lady without any major flaws.”
Kishin stepped a little closer.
“Will you give your permission?”
“How long have you been seeing that young lady?”
“I have known her for about a month. We confirmed our mutual feelings on November 20th.”
That was the day of the Grand Duke’s banquet. They seemed particularly close to each other, so that must be what they were referring to.
The Marchioness calculated the dates and sighed. In any case, this boy is trying to get married to a woman he’s only known for a month.
Of course, in a political marriage, one marries a person they have never even dated, but this was a different case.
Not only do people usually not marry right after getting engaged, but it is also highly probable that they would have known each other’s faces since their social debut.
She sighed.
“She’s a woman you’ve been watching for a month, but I’ve never even met her. I can’t just give my permission based on your word alone. I haven’t even met her parents yet.”
“They will be coming here soon.”
“That’s good. Regardless, I know your opinion, so don’t pester me any further. I need to form my own opinion, don’t I? I will find out more about what kind of woman she is. And I will meet her parents as well.”
* * *
Even after Florence left, Claisey had to spend the New Year in a downcast mood.
As Claisey, who had been overjoyed upon receiving the proposal, wandered around with her shoulders slumped, the entire house grew gloomy in tandem.
“Miss Florence visited, and this is the first time I’ve seen you like this, my lady.”
The maid said with concern while setting the table for breakfast.
“I suppose so.”
Claisey replied listlessly and picked at her salad absentmindedly.
Now that the Marchioness of Gosville knows about the rumors, Kishin must know by now too, right? She must have told him.
Will Kishin be disappointed? Will the Marchioness of Gosville fiercely oppose the marriage, asking how he could marry such a woman?
Having lost her appetite, Claisey stood up without finishing even half of her salad.
With every bite, negative thoughts surged, leaving her breathless.
“My lady, aren’t you going to eat more?”
Claisey checked the clock. Kishin sent a letter every morning at 8 o’clock. It was currently 7:50.
“I have no appetite.”
Claisey sat back down and muttered.
Then, a particularly slow ten minutes passed. Claisey sat with her hands clasped tightly, and as soon as she heard the sound of the door opening, she bolted out.
The butler was just closing the door as he came in. Spotting the letter in his hand, Claisey ran toward him.
Without even catching her breath, she unfolded the letter, and the contents immediately mentioned the Marchioness of Gosville. Claisey froze in place.
-I have spoken to my mother about us. She would like to meet Miss Claisey’s parents.
But the following content was not the horrific story Claisey had imagined.
‘Huh?’
Furthermore, Kishin did not mention anything about the rumors to Claisey.
‘Did the Marchioness not say anything? ……Why?’
Claisey stared blankly, flipping the letter back and forth.
“My lady? Is something wrong?”
Only after the butler asked in a worried voice did Claisey make an excuse and return to her room.
‘Florence said the Marchioness didn’t seem like the type to be swayed by rumors. If so, is she trying to judge for herself whether the rumors are true or not? That must be it. If she believed the rumors, she wouldn’t have even tried to meet my parents.’
Claisey leaned against the wall, as a hope—one that felt more like fear than joy—surged within her.
After taking a moment to calm her breathing, Claisey changed her clothes and stepped outside.
She took a carriage straight to the Guard Station, where a guard she recognized greeted her politely.
“Miss Claisey, isn’t it? You’re here to see the Deputy Commander, right? Shall I tell him you’re here?”
His voice was kind.
When Claisey smiled awkwardly and nodded, he quickly headed inside.
A strange guard looked back and forth between his colleague and Claisey with an intrigued expression before staring straight ahead, expressionless.
Not long after, the guard she knew came back out.
“You may go inside, Miss Claisey. By the way, I am Will, a member of the 1st Platoon under the Deputy Commander. Please feel comfortable with me. Let me know if you need anything.”
As soon as he said that, the strange guard looked at Claisey with a look of surprise.
‘I guess there’s talk going around about Sir Kishin and me.’
Claisey smiled awkwardly and quickly headed inside.
Kishin was at his desk in the office, and as soon as Claisey entered, he rose and strode toward her.
The guard who had led her in flinched and stepped back as Kishin kissed the back of Claisey’s hand.
‘Sir Kishin doesn’t look angry.’
Claisey felt relieved as she scrutinized Kishin’s face.
“You came in person today, not via letter.”
Kishin said as he took Claisey’s hand and led her to the sofa.
Claisey burst into laughter when she spotted a pink cushion sitting all alone in the achromatic room.
“What is that?”
“Do you not like the color pink?”
“How did you know?”
As Kishin walked to his desk and opened the drawer, Claisey’s flower-pink envelopes appeared, stacked high inside. Claisey felt embarrassed and quickly closed the drawer.
“I like pink, yellow, and light green, too. But I used pink often because you are someone I like.”
Kishin brought the pink cushion and let Claisey hold it.
“Others… they are not allowed to be used.”
Claisey hugged a cushion, glanced up at Kishin, and laughed. At that, Kishin chuckled in a low voice and said,
“I get fluttery when Lady Claisey looks at me like that.”
“How am I looking at you?”
“As if you know you are the most lovely person in the world and are showing it off.”
“What was that!”
When Claisey lightly tapped Kishin’s arm with the cushion, Kishin pretended to run away.
Claisey played by chasing him around, but when someone knocked on the door, she quickly returned to the sofa and sat down.
“I’ve brought something to drink.”
The guard who brought the coffee was also a face Claisey recognized.
“Lady Claisey, I am Phils, the adjutant to the deputy platoon leader.”
As their eyes met, he grinned and greeted Claisey first.
Claisey felt her spirits lift for no reason.
It made her happy that the people who used to look at her like some strange guest now treated her as if she were part of Kishin’s family.
Claisey sipped her coffee and smiled quietly.
“But Lady Claisey, what brings you here?”
However, the fluttering feeling vanished instantly at Kishin’s question. As the purpose of her visit resurfaced, tension surged within her once more.
Claisey placed the coffee cup on her lap and looked at Kishin.
Seeing the expression on Kishin’s face, as he knew nothing, she felt a sudden impulse to just have a pleasant conversation and head back home.
Claisey hesitated for a long while, and Kishin waited for her. After a long moment of hesitation, Claisey finally managed to open her mouth.
“It’s a baseless rumor, and it’s absolutely not true, but I came here because there is something I must tell you in advance.”