The sun rose over the horizon, and the morning rays shone brightly on Anne’s soft, pale cheek.
Sitting atop her wagon, Anne gripped the reins of her horse. A cool breeze blew softly past the hem of her cotton dress. The lace on her hem, simple but clean, fluttered slightly.
Anne took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.
The previous night’s rain had washed all the dust out of the air. The autumn sky was clear and blue.
Today, Anne was setting out on her journey. Still gripping the reins in both hands, she gazed ahead.
The road was muddy, with deep ruts from the wheels of countless wagons.
Anne would be heading down that road alone. Her slender frame was taut with fear and anticipation.
But she felt a faint sense of hope in her heart as well.
Just then, a voice called out from behind her, “Anne!! Wait, Anne!”
Behind Anne’s boxy, horse-drawn wagon was a cluster of simple stone houses that formed Knoxberry Village. This village in the northwest of the Kingdom of Highland had taken care of her for the past six months.
Ever since Anne was born, she had lived her life traveling from one place to another with her mother, Emma. Her time in Knoxberry Village was actually the longest she had ever spent in one place.
A tall, blond young man came running out of the village. He was Jonas, the only son of the Anders family, which ran the confectionery in Knoxberry.
“Wah, I knew it!”
Anne ducked her head and whipped the horse. As the wagon started rolling, she turned back and waved.
“Jonas! Thanks, take care!”
“Wait, please. Anne, wait! Do you hate me?!”
“That’s not why I’m leaving— Don’t worry about that—,” Anne answered loudly.
Catching his breath, Jonas shouted, “Well—well then, wait up!!”
“I’ve already made up my mind. Good-bye!”
The distance between them grew quickly. Jonas gradually slowed his pace and came to a stop. Still panting, he watched Anne in a daze.
Anne gave one last big wave, then turned forward again.
“Watch over me…Mama.”
In early spring of that year, Anne’s lively and cheerful mother, Emma, had fallen ill. They’d been passing through Knoxberry Village when it happened, and that was where they had stayed.
The people of the village were very kind to Anne and Emma, despite the fact that they were outsiders. They had offered to let the pair stay until Emma was well. Jonas and his family had lent a room free of charge to both mother and daughter during that time, perhaps out of camaraderie for fellow artisans.
However, Emma never recovered from her illness. She had passed away a few weeks prior.
“Find your own path in life and walk boldly down it, Anne. You can do anything. You’re such a good girl, Anne. Don’t cry.”
Those were Emma’s last words.
Then came the arrangements for the funeral and the formalities of a burial with the state church. While she was being hounded by such duties, Anne had let her sadness slide right off the surface of her heart. She’d grieved, but she hadn’t been able to cry out loud.
Emma was now resting in a corner of the Knoxberry Village Cemetery. Thinking about it filled Anne’s heart with a dismal feeling.
Half a month after her mother’s death, Anne had finally finished all her various tasks and decided to begin her journey.
Three nights earlier, she’d informed the members of the Anders family, who had been taking care of her, that she was leaving.
“Anne, there’s no way you can continue traveling on your own. Shouldn’t you stay here with us in the village? And…you might…become my bride?” Jonas had whispered, grabbing Anne’s hand after she’d announced her decision. He had pushed his soft, golden bangs out of his face, smiled, and looked at Anne with his sparkling eyes.
“I’ve always had feelings for you, Anne.”
For half a year, Anne had been sleeping under the same roof as Jonas, but they’d never really had an intimate conversation. She never expected someone like him to propose to her.
Jonas was handsome, and his blue eyes were especially lovely. They were like the luxurious glass orbs imported from the kingdom in the south.
Even though Jonas was basically a stranger, she felt bewildered when he looked at her with those eyes.
Anne wasn’t unhappy to have received his proposal. But she was determined to go.
She knew that Jonas might stop her if she went to say good-bye. That’s why she had tried to leave the village stealthily, in the early morning. Even so, he must have noticed. Jonas had come after her.
“Marriage…” The word left her mouth absentmindedly. Anne felt the concept had absolutely nothing to do with her.
Jonas attracted a lot of attention from the girls who lived in the village.
Of course, one reason for his popularity was the fact that his family ran a prosperous confectionery shop.
Despite living in a provincial town like Knoxberry, Jonas was a descendant of the founder of the Radcliffe Workshop, one of the largest factions of candy crafters.
Anne had heard that there was a possibility he might be chosen as the Radcliffe Workshop’s next maestro.
Before long, Jonas would probably be headed to the royal capital, Lewiston, for his training. That was the big rumor going around the village.
As the leader of a faction, if he was lucky, there was a possibility he could even become a Viscount.
To the daughters of a village in the countryside, Jonas must have seemed like a prince.
On the contrary, Anne was petite, despite being fifteen years old. She was skinny, with long arms and legs, and had fluffy hair the color of barley. Everywhere she went, she got teased for looking like a “scarecrow.”
As far as her estate was concerned, she owned one old, boxy wagon and one worn-out horse.
The wealthy blond prince had proposed marriage to the poor little scarecrow. It was like some sort of dream.
“Well, whatever. There’s no way that the prince is truly in love with a scarecrow like me,” Anne mumbled with a bitter smile, then she whipped the horse.
Jonas had always been a playboy. He was especially sweet to all the girls. Anne was certain the only reason a boy like him would ever propose to a girl like her was that he felt sorry for her circumstances.
Anne didn’t want to get married out of pity. The idea of marrying a prince and living happily ever after—like a princess in a fairy tale—didn’t seem like much of a life goal.
Anne didn’t hate Jonas. But the thought of living her life with him didn’t appeal to her.
She wanted to stand on her own two feet and carve her own path in the world. That was the kind of life she wanted to lead.
Anne’s father had been drafted to fight in a civil war not long after she was born, and he had died.
But Emma had raised Anne as a single mother and lived on.