Chapter 4: The Proposal
That day, I had gone out to run an errand for Papa by horse, so the sun had already set by the time I returned home — Papa’s house was built right next to the walls of the marquisate residence. When I entered the yard, there was a black horse tied to one of the trees. It was drinking water from a bucket. It also looked slightly muddy and exhausted. Was a guest here? After I guided my horse into the stable, I brought some hay to the black horse.
I entered the house after I brushed off stray hay from my clothes. Mama called out to me with a slightly anxious expression.
“Ral, there’s a guest for you, my dear.”
For me? I tilted my head in confusion as I entered the living room that was lit by a lamp. There, Papa and a young man were sitting across from each other, separated by a table. As soon as the man saw me, he stood up, rattling the chair in the process.
“Ral!”
…Who? That was all I could think of.
He was one head taller than me, meaning he was a pretty tall man. With a well-toned body, he looked like an excellent warrior, but was probably a knight. He was well-dressed, and the black horse in the yard was a well-bred horse, so he’s probably not a soldier.
He also had a remarkably beautiful face. By this time, I was long acquainted with girl-talk with my female friends, so I knew what was considered good-looking. A slightly feminine, well-defined face fitted with a shapely nose, and sharp, big blue eyes that are intense yet not intimidating. A mouth that was curved upwards into a gentle smile. He was a beautiful young man, whose beauty could not be hidden even by his messy appearance from his journey here.
No such beautiful man existed around here, and he also looked sophisticated, so maybe he came from the Capital. But, the thing is, I don’t know anyone from the Capital… Musing to myself, I looked at his tousled hair. It was the color of freshly brewed black tea and had a shine. This triggered a memory. Huh? Surprised, I closely observed his face, and saw the semblance. This person, um, what was his name again?
“……….Mia?”
“You remembered me!”
“Uh, well, yeah, kind of…”
I was slightly scared of Mia, or Cermiane, whose face lit up with utmost joy, and I pulled up a chair next to Papa so that the small table was between Cermiane and me.
“It’s been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
I struck up a conversation while I flitted a glance at Papa. Papa usually looked aloof, but this day, he had a slight frown on his face. Mama, who had brought tea, also looked worried. What’s going on?
In response, Cermiane straightened his posture. However, he was smiling so happily, so much that his face almost couldn’t contain his smile. A beautiful man’s beaming smile had a tremendously destructive power to it. I could almost feel the temperature rise. And then, Cermiane said something completely outrageous.
“I have finally gotten Marquis Caliente’s approval. Please marry me, Ralphene!”
….What the heck?
Silence fell over the room. Of course. The proposal came out of nowhere. As a matter of fact, the only time we saw each other was during that one day of the debut. Two springs ago. No, to be more accurate, half of a day. That was our only meeting. We hadn’t seen each other ever since. I don’t know how to respond to being suddenly proposed to by such a man.
But wait a minute, didn’t Cermiane say something strange just now?
“…Father’s permission?”
Cermiane nodded and gleefully explained.
“Yes. These past two years, I had gone to the Marquis, again and again, to ask for your hand in marriage, and all my efforts bore fruit at last.”
“Did my Lord truly give his approval?”
Papa murmured. He didn’t seem very pleased. Cermiane nodded and took out a letter from his pocket.
“Yes. I asked him for an official letter since I would be put in a tough situation if you did not believe me.”
Papa opened the latter and after passing his eyes through it, let out a sigh.
“This truly is my Lord’s handwriting, and there is also the marquisate’s seal on it.”
I was shown the letter, and the letter had the same signature and seal as the official documents pertaining to governing the territory, there was a message that basically said “I approve of Cermiane Emilian and Ralphene’s marriage” written in the overly-decorative style of nobles. I guess Father really approved of my marriage with Cermiane.
While I was stunned into silence, Papa started questioning Cermiane.
“Although it no longer matters since my Lord has given his approval, where did you meet her Ladyship?”
It was the first time Papa had called me “her Ladyship” and I was shocked. I involuntarily stare at Papa, but he doesn’t look my way.
“I met her two years ago, during spring, at the debut. I was given the honor of escorting Lady Ralphene.”
“I had heard that it was a pretty shocking debut, but are you saying that you fell in love with her then?”
“Yes. I still can vividly remember the emotions I felt during that event. Then and there, I had sworn to myself that I will make Lady Ralphene my wife.”
How in the world did he conclude that he wanted to marry the monkey-like lady who made a huge ruckus at the banquet?! I strongly questioned this in my head. Anyway, a smiling Cermiane continued.
I had apparently left an intense impression on him during the banquet, and he apparently visited the marquisate to ask for my hand in marriage the next evening, strongly convinced that he had to make me his wife. However, I was not there since I had already headed back to the territory, and Father refused his proposal saying, “She’ll be marrying someone from the territory.”
Nonetheless, Cermiane couldn’t give up, and from that day, he went to the marquisate almost every day to ask for Father and Mother’s permission to marry me. Of course, he was a knight so he couldn’t come every day since he had assignments, training, and battles to head off to; but, when he was in the Capital, he would visit as soon as his work was done for the day, and when he couldn’t meet Father and Mother, he would ask the head butler to pass on his request and thus kept repeating his request for permission to ask for my hand in marriage like so.
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