Gazing absent-mindedly at the stars in the night sky, I had been doing so for hours.
On the balcony table was an early harvest wine. Unlike aged wine, it was young, vivid, and had a clear red color.
Just like Marie Chedelan’s... my fiancée’s hair color. I sighed.
"...Beautiful..."
"What’s beautiful, my lord? Stop escaping reality."
With a thud, Mio placed the water jug roughly and spoke in a stern voice.
I glared at her, taking the water obediently while doing so.
"I’m not running away into alcohol. In fact, I’m in a very good mood."
"That’s exactly the proof that you’re not facing reality."
When I asked what she meant, Mio frowned deeply, placed her hands on her hips, and showed no mercy.
"Mademoiselle Marie refused the engagement."
"Ugh... But... I did send a proposal letter to Chedelan. And she came. At this point, the engagement should be valid, right?"
"There’s no way. Besides, you completely missed the mark."
I couldn’t retort and silently drank the water. Mio showed no mercy.
"You proposed to Anastasia Chedelan, the late eldest daughter of the Chedelan family."
"...Ugh... But... That’s..."
"And she is Marie Chedelan, Anastasia’s younger sister."
"...Yeah."
"So, the first proposal is invalid. You have never proposed to Mademoiselle Marie."
"But, it can’t be helped, right!?"
I raised my voice.
"---How could the main guest of the party be crouching alone in the dark!?"
"...It’s a fact, so it can’t be helped."
Mio also sighed and, unusually, looked troubled.
Yes, it wasn’t just me. She had also misunderstood.
The positions and names of the sisters.
The blonde lady was Marie. That night—when I fell in love at first sight, the red-haired girl was her sister, Anastasia Chedelan.
The Chedelan baron’s family was rumored to be in financial distress even among the nobility. They didn’t attend social events, making various excuses because they couldn’t afford the travel expenses.
And the invitation to the daughter’s birthday party. It was only sent to eligible bachelors.
In the early spring social season, my friend Louisphon was laughing while holding the same invitation.
"Wow, it’s refreshingly obvious. They clearly want a wealthy or high-ranking noble marriage."
"...Absolutely, it’s despicable."
I sighed, took a chocolate from a nearby noble girl, thanked her, and turned away.
Louisphon chuckled.
"But apparently, the Chedelan daughter is quite beautiful. I’m already engaged, but Cyrus, you should go."
"...I’m not interested in noble women."
When I said this, Louisphon snorted.
"Sure, sure, I know. Ordinary noble girls think the east is a barbaric land."
"...They don’t say it out loud, but it’s obvious they despise my skin and eye color."
"Still, you’re popular."
"For their status, money, and looks. Apart from the color, there’s nothing to criticize about my appearance."
"You say it yourself."
"Frankly, it’s easier to ignore if they insult me directly. They smile and approach, but their eyes show disdain for me and my mother. I can’t bear to make a child with such a repulsive person! I don’t even want them in my garden!"
"Ah, there you go again. That’s why you have few servants and friends."
"Mio and Louisphon are enough for me."
When I replied, my friend shrugged and smiled wryly.
"...You’re a good man, Cyrus. I’m really looking forward to the woman who will win your heart."
I fell silent and bit into the chocolate, inwardly deciding that such a day would never come.
Still, I had no choice but to remain single for life.
As the Earl and the only son of the Duke’s family, I couldn’t inherit the dukedom as a bachelor, and I had the obligation to have children. The woman had to be from a suitable family.
The women were after status and money, and I was after duty and responsibility. It was mutual. I had no hesitation about a loveless marriage.
But... I didn’t want a concubine. Even in a loveless marriage, I wanted only one wife.
I knew about the conflict between my mother, Liu Liu, and my father’s first wife.
My father, Duke Alfred Granado’s first wife, Lady Laura, was a noble daughter, and it was also a political marriage. She seemed to have accepted it. After giving birth to three children with my father, she lived brightly in the ducal castle without any further conversation with him.
But after my father took a concubine, she changed. She intensely despised Liu Liu, insulting her with harsh words and violence.
It was still better. Eventually, Liu Liu gave birth to my father’s child, a boy with strong Iphsandros features.
The ducal family decided to make this boy the heir—
The next day, after Lady Laura heard this... she committed suicide.
All her children with my father were girls.
After that... my father elevated Liu Liu to the position of first wife, but my mother left the ducal family. She received a small retinue and an old castle, used her connections from her former traveling performer days, and made a fortune through trade with the Eastern Republic. She only performed the unavoidable duties of a duchess, as if to show that she was still just a concubine.
That’s the history of me and the Granado family.
To be honest, I found the ducal castle uncomfortable. I disliked gatherings of nobles. I made excuses to avoid social events and, especially, marriage proposals from noble daughters, which I had been running from with all my might.
I disliked—no, I was even afraid of them.
Loving someone, being loved, getting married, and having children.
The more I thought about it seriously, the more afraid I became.
I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t need to fall in love in my life.
I carefully read the envelope in my hand—the invitation to the birthday party.
Marie Chedelan. Eighteen years old, the second daughter of the Chedelan baron’s family.
I heard that the baron’s family was in dire straits. Their title was not high.
...It might be just right.
If she was an incompetent and arrogant noble daughter, it would be easier to handle.
They said she was beautiful, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t need to see her face again after having a child.
I went to Marie Chedelan’s birthday party with such complete calculation.
And—before meeting the ‘main guest,’ I met ‘her.’
Her skin was far from lustrous, and her red hair was like a tangled mess.
She was wearing a cheap, gray, and unattractive cotton dress.
She hunched her back like a frightened donkey, crouching.
What is this person... What is she doing in the courtyard on the night of such a party? She looked suspicious even as a servant. I asked her the way to the mansion with a suspicious eye.
Mio said she might be the Chedelan lady, but my doubts were not cleared. Could she be a thief? I would catch her by the tail. Smirking, I tried to trick her.
She looked at me. Instantly, her expression changed.
—Could you be from Iphsandros?
To be honest, I was confused at that moment.
The Eastern Republic, as its name suggests, is a large country that encompasses several countries and small ethnic groups in the eastern part of the continent. This black hair and brown skin are common in the east. However, being identified as Iphsandros was a first. It was probably due to my eyes, which shone even in the dark.
But without knowledge, it would be impossible to know.
I tried affirming in Iphsandric, and she responded in Iphsandric. She knew the true nature of the Eastern Republic, which most capital residents didn’t know. Her level of education was beyond my expectations. More importantly, I was surprised by the change in her expression.
It was completely different from her previous gloomy face. She opened her eyes wide, which had been cast downward, and spoke clearly, opening her mouth vertically to pronounce Iphsandric.
She straightened her back, trying to get closer to me.
—Ahaha, you are stylish—
...She was beautiful. Up close, I could see the quality of her features. A slender jaw, a small, elegant nose, and almond-shaped eyes. Lashes that trembled with each breath. She lacked charm, but her features were perfectly symmetrical.
She crinkled her face into a full smile, laughing like a young girl.
Her hazel eyes sparkled above the faint freckles, looking up at me straight.
—I love the stories of Iphsandros—
...It didn’t matter who she was, as long as she was from a suitable family and could bear children. It would be nice if she understood Iphsandros.