Not Even a Husband - Chapter 1.3

“How can it be so radiant and beautiful?” “I want it so badly.”

Inside the carriage carrying a group of young ladies. They had just returned from winter shopping, their carriage laden with purchases, yet somehow, their faces were filled only with regret.

The topic of conversation was singular. The pale pink pearl, whose sale had been announced three months prior, had become the talk of the town, its fame spreading from the North all the way to the capital.

“I wanted to at least see it to my heart’s content. I couldn’t even get a proper look!” “Who could have bought something so expensive already?” “It must have been someone from the capital, where all the gem enthusiasts gather. It’s a price I couldn’t afford even if I saved my allowance for over ten years!”

The young ladies had finally come today, the official sales date, having eagerly anticipated it. But they had been thoroughly disappointed. They had waited in line for two hours just to see the famous pearl, only for it to be taken down from display just before their turn.

It turned out the pale pink pearl had already been sold last night, before the official sales began this morning. The jewelry store employee hadn’t known and had put it on display.

The young ladies, who had only managed to catch fleeting glimpses from afar through the crowd, sighed.

“How wonderful it would be if Leo proposed to me with that pearl.”

“Haa, if Martin did that, I’d marry him immediately.”

Despite the biting cold wind, the young ladies, natives of the North dressed in single winter dresses, lamented. Isabel, who had been listening intently to their conversation from the center, suddenly glanced down at her own attire.

A woolen dress, twice as thick as theirs. Her solitary ensemble of a fur cloak and scarf felt out of place. It was so cold that her skin would turn red if she didn’t bundle up, so how could they be so comfortable in such light clothing?

Though she could have felt self-conscious about looking different, Isabel resolutely tightened her white fox fur scarf.

What does it matter? As long as I’m not cold.

“I’m so envious. They say you’re eternally happy if you receive a proposal as a token of love.” “I wonder who that lucky woman is who received it?”

By the way, the topic hadn’t changed yet. Isabel tilted her head and asked, “Is that pearl nicknamed ‘token of love’? Does it really work?”

“Oh my, it’s true!” “Don’t you believe the Northern legend that it grants eternal love?”

The young ladies’ eyes gleamed with a touch of madness.

Ah, I misspoke. Isabel’s mouth opened slightly in surprise.

But it was already too late. In the end, she was subjected to an extended session of fervent praise for the pearl, a consequence of her careless question. They spoke of how it had topped the most popular jewelry catalog on the continent for years, and how receiving it as a proposal gift would spread one’s fame even to foreign lands.

“Wow. That’s so romantic! I want it so badly.”

“Right? Right?”

Only after Isabel had enthusiastically played along for a while did the ladies’ fervent praise finally subside. Isabel secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the conversation in the carriage soon shifted to the upcoming winter banquet.

“By the way, Isabel, why have you been so busy lately?” “Ah, it’s because of the banquet preparations. We’re changing the decorations this year, so there’s a lot to attend to.”

“You manage all of that yourself? The pattern on the newly hung tapestry is also in the traditional Northern style, isn’t it? My family, who manages ceremonial attire, would be the only ones to know that.”

“Isabel, you’re more like a Northerner than us now!” “Really?”

It was the highest compliment. Her crimson eyes were filled with joy. It was worth it to have been rooted in the North for ten years, from the age of eleven until her current age of twenty-one.

The North was once a remote region of another country, with a history of being incorporated into this Trua Empire after a war of conquest. In such circumstances, Isabel had taken her first steps into the North as the fiancée of the newly appointed young lord.

At the time, it had only been ten years since their subjugation, and the Northerners harbored strong feelings of alienation and exclusion towards the Trua Empire. Over the past decade, she had made countless efforts to get closer to the Northerners, who initially viewed her with suspicion simply for being from the capital.

Even the young ladies chatting like inseparable friends in the carriage now had treated Isabelas an outsider at first. This included not only them but also the butler and head maid who had worked at the lord’s manor their entire lives, and the retainers who had served the ruling family of the North for generations.

To reach this peaceful and welcoming present day, Isabel had made strenuous efforts to gain favor in the North, even clinging to the Emperor’s robes.

During that process, she had faced many misunderstandings, such as being accused of having ulterior motives or trying to make the North a pawn of the imperial family, but those were all stories of the past now.

Isabel had not a single drop of Northern blood. Yet, they said she was more like a Northerner than the Northerners themselves. Just as spring eventually comes even to the frozen land of winter, her lonely yet brave efforts to establish roots in the North had borne fruit.

Isabel’s cheeks flushed a faint red.

“Thank you. I really wanted to hear that.”

Screech—

At that moment, the carriage heading towards the lord’s manor suddenly stopped. It was strange, as they didn’t seem to have arrived yet.

“What’s going on?” “Miss Isabel, could you please step outside for a moment?”

When Isabel called out, the coachman’s flushed voice replied from outside. Isabel looked out the window with a bewildered expression.

Outside, knights in armor and warhorses were grandly arrayed on either side of the manor’s main gate. It was a scene that felt like a dream.

“My goodness, the expeditionary force has returned!” “We heard they were coming next month, but already…”

Isabel, who hurried outside, and the four young ladies who alighted from the carriage with her whispered excitedly.

High banners fluttering in the clear blue sky announced the expeditionary force’s earlier-than-expected return. The sturdy warhorses and knights, drawing a vanishing point along the horizon, were truly a magnificent sight.

Clank!

A colossal black horse broke through the assembled crowd and approached. As the horse passed, the knights, standing rigidly, saluted with disciplined precision.

Isabel’s eyes widened.

A man in a cloak dismounted from the stopped black horse. The metallic friction of weapons and armor clashing.

His towering height, broad and solid shoulders, and an unbent, upright posture exuded an overwhelming presence, like a god of war.

He took one step, then another, drawing closer. The feeling of reality began to fade. The ladies behind Isabel also fell silent.

Isabel stared blankly at the owner of the heavy footsteps approaching at a steady pace.

“Isabel.”

Brilliant sunlight shattered above the man’s head. His hair, a cold silver that held the winter light, and his eyes, a frigid blue that mirrored the deep Northern sea.

Her crimson eyes wavered.

Perhaps it was the sunlight overhead, or the cold, heavy voice that reached her ears, or perhaps it was the unfamiliar sight of him armed with armor and a sword.

To her surprise, her body stiffened.

Isabel, with her naturally bright and kind disposition, easily befriended anyone. Her cheerful personality and pure, unpretentious nature meant that even the most prickly individuals would eventually be softened by her.