The Story of a Modest Young Lady Who Formed a New Engagement the Day After Her Engagement Was Annulled - Chapter 5

“—Would you consider entering into an engagement with me?”

The son of the Margrave of Lotus made this sudden proposal while looking at me. My mind couldn’t process this abrupt topic, but I thought with what little emotion I could muster. As a noble, it wasn’t a bad offer, just as he said.

Few families could casually refuse a request from the very person who led the resolution of the Twenty-Year War, let alone the Narcissus family, who only held a mere earldom and above all, I, who was merely the daughter of an earl, had no right to make a decision about a proposal from the Margrave’s family here and now.

“Won’t you give me your answer?”

The Margrave’s son leaned his face close to mine and smiled. His demeanor and the atmosphere he carried were so gentle it was hard to believe he was praised as a god of war.

Would it be alright to give my answer? If we could form a connection with the Margrave of Lotus family, the Narcissus earldom’s reputation would skyrocket. I felt guilty, as if I were taking advantage of his kindness, but this might just be a convenient excuse to get through this situation. It was unthinkable that someone with his soaring reputation would propose engagement to a plain woman like me. If I could just get through this moment, I’d probably never speak with the Margrave’s son again for the rest of my life.

“W-what do you mean, suddenly bringing up such a thing! Eleanora is the fool who had her engagement annulled by me!”

While I was lost in thought, wondering whether to respond, Lord Caius cut in ahead of me.

“That’s none of your concern. As I’ve been telling you, you shouldn’t speak to a woman that way.”

The Margrave’s son, having turned his gaze from me, exchanged sparks with Lord Caius. Someone stepped in to extinguish those sparks.

“Lord Fels, wouldn’t you find me more appealing than such a black-haired, black-eyed woman?”

Lady Annabella released the arm she had entwined with Lord Caius and took the Margrave’s son’s arm instead. At her sudden, almost courtesan-like behavior, the Margrave’s son, Lord Caius, and I were all taken aback. It was far too unrestrained behavior for a noblewoman.

“My apologies, but I’m not interested, nor do I recall giving you permission to use my name. —This isn’t the place to continue this conversation. Let’s change locations.”

The Margrave’s son pushed my back and suddenly began walking. Taken by surprise, Lord Caius and Lady Annabella couldn’t stop him, and though they called out belatedly with “Wait!” and “Oh, please wait!”, we were already too far away for them to stop us.

“U-um!”

Perhaps due to our height difference, our strides didn’t match. While he probably intended to walk slowly, I couldn’t keep up with his pace.

“Hm? What is it?”

“If you could slow down a little.”

I could have matched his pace in military boots, but now I was wearing high heels. I also had to be mindful of the fluttering hem of my dress. The ballroom was completely different from a battlefield.

“My apologies. It seems my consideration was insufficient.”

His hand, which had been on my back, withdrew, and we faced each other directly. In the sparsely populated corridor, the sight of a man and a plain woman standing still without any particular purpose must have looked strange to anyone around. Indeed, people who noticed us would turn their faces away as soon as they recognized the Margrave’s son.

“Not at all, I’m grateful for your help. I apologize for the delayed introduction. I am Eleanora Narcissus, born into a family holding an earldom.”

If I were the daughter of an influential noble family, he might have known my name, but while our Narcissus family holds an earldom, our recognition is quite low.

Newly ennobled baronial families or upstart viscount families are more famous in social circles. The Narcissus family, with its long lineage alone, rarely becomes a topic of conversation. The last time was probably when my father fell in battle. The matter of my broken engagement with Lord Caius might become a topic, but whether it’s still a little way off or currently being amusingly spread among the nobles, I don’t know.

“The feeling is mutual, I’m sure. I’m sorry for barging into your conversation uninvited. I’m Fels Lotus.”

We both gave small bows to each other, and his long silver-thread hair cascaded softly from his shoulders. His ash-silver eyes firmly captured the image of my black-haired, black-eyed self and wouldn’t let go.

The fact that he didn’t mention his title—was it because he wanted to convey his feelings as an individual, regardless of family? Unable to bear his sweetly smiling, beautiful face, I inadvertently averted my gaze. Realizing it might be rude, I looked back to find the Margrave’s son raising one eyebrow with a broad smile.

“Don’t be so tense. If you’re like that, it’ll make me nervous too. We stood on the same battlefield, so there’s no need to be so guarded.”

The Margrave’s son grinned. It seemed he knew about me from the battlefield, though we never crossed paths there. Besides…

“The difference in status between someone praised as a god of war and myself is too great.”

“Modesty is a virtue, but I don’t approve of belittling yourself. —Well, never mind, I want to talk. Let’s go.”

Having said that, the Margrave’s son extended his hand to me. I hesitated for a moment about whether to take it. If he was proposing engagement, then he probably didn’t have a fiancée.

While monogamy is the basic principle in this country, exceptions sometimes occur with royalty and nobility. Royalty takes both a queen and consorts to secure male heirs, and noblemen with financial means keep mistresses. Noblewomen also sometimes have young attendants—it’s truly free, or something like that. Anyway, when I took his hand, he showed a relieved expression, and we proceeded down the corridor together.

“This is the room. You might be a little surprised, but please make yourself comfortable.”

The Margrave’s son told me with an indescribable expression. Guards stood watch before the door, and I tilted my head, wondering what this was all about. After the announcement was made and the door opened, we entered together to find someone I never expected to see.

“…………!”

Seeing me speechless, the Margrave’s son gave a wry smile, while the people seated inside beckoned us over with “come here, come here” gestures.