I was taken completely by surprise. The Republic of Ypsandros was located on the Eastern Continent. It was a large country encompassing multiple smaller nations and numerous ethnic groups, all centered around the eponymous city of Ypsandros. Black hair and tan skin were distinctive features of the people of the Eastern Continent as a whole, so I was surprised she’d managed to pinpoint Ypsandros solely based on the traditional embroidery on my clothes.
How had the daughter of a poor rural baron managed such a feat? And why was she able to speak Ypsandrian? For some reason, she even knew things about Ypsandros no one in the kingdom usually cared to learn about. I was already captivated by her sophisticated knowledge, but more than anything, I was mesmerized by the way she lit up when she was able to share her passion. Her eyes were no longer downcast but practically gleaming as she energetically spoke Ypsandrian and made sure to properly enunciate each and every syllable.
I straightened up my back and took a step forward. Somehow, I was desperate to get closer.
“You sure have a flair for fashion, my lord,” she said with a laugh.
She’s beautiful…
Now that I was seeing her up close, I could see she was an unpolished gem. Her chin was slender, and she had a small, refined nose with slightly almond-shaped eyes nestled above the bed of freckles on her cheeks. Her eyelashes were so full they quivered with every breath she took. She lacked the carefully orchestrated “charm” that most ladies displayed, but her features were refined and symmetrical—and it was my privilege to watch how, in this very moment, those lovely features could bloom into a radiant, innocent smile like that of a little girl. Right now, those amber-colored eyes of hers were shining brightly as they focused entirely on me.
“I love Ypsandrian tales,” she continued.
My plan of picking a woman of adequate status to bear the heirs I ought to produce flew right out of my mind. I no longer cared who she was, for I’d fallen in love.
I want to see her smile more.
But the moment this thought crossed my mind, all the happiness on her face seemed to shatter. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she pushed me away before fleeing. I went after her, naturally, but the Chandelan estate was large and poorly lit, so I soon lost sight of her.
Out of options, I went to the hall where the party was held, only to be completely taken by surprise once again. The baron and baroness were laughing, glasses in hand. It appeared they’d already had quite a few drinks. What truly surprised me, however, was their attire. The value of their luxurious partywear was leagues beyond the cheap ashen cotton dress their daughter had been wearing.
I approached the baron and asked him, “I’m looking for the young lady of the house. Where might she be?”
He hiccuped before slurring, “The young lady? Ah, you mean my daughter?”
“Indeed. I’d like to speak with her. Could you lead me to her?”
“You hardly need my help. Just go look for her! The star of the party is right over there! If you like her, ask me for her hand in marriage, good sir!” the baron offered before downing his glass.
He’d only just emptied it when a swarm of what I expected were hopeful son-in-law candidates scrambled to fill it up for him. The baron seemed to enjoy being waited upon like that, and he noisily drank another gulp.
“Darling! You’re drinking too much!” the baroness exclaimed with a strident laugh as she gorged herself on cake.
I did as the baron had suggested and went to look for her. Sure enough, I quickly found a noble lady. She wore a frilly pink dress, and her blonde hair was adorned with countless ornaments. She was surrounded by men and kept smiling at them. Every one of her smiles was empty and fake, only meant to please—the same ones I’d seen on the faces of many, many women in high society.
She was much smaller and thinner than the red-haired girl I’d met earlier, and she seemed a couple of years younger. The star of the party—or in other words, Marie Chandelan—was as uninteresting as the others.
I left the hall and searched the garden once more. I even asked Mio to check the ladies’ changing rooms and privies for me. She was nowhere to be found.
What in the world is going on?
Her father had almost drunk himself under the table, and her mother was a glutton. As for her younger sister… Well, I supposed it was only natural that she dressed up for her birthday. Even if the older sister had underdressed on purpose to help her sister stand out, that dress was too much. I also didn’t get why she’d seemed so scared of everything.
Where is she? Why wouldn’t she be at the party?
While it was polite not to attempt to overshadow her younger sister, she should still have dressed up to some extent and enjoyed food and drinks with the rest of the family and the guests. So why?
Her parting words echoed in my head.
“It’s because…I’m ugly. That’s all.”
“What a joke!” I shouted. I tore apart the marriage proposal I’d written for Marie Chandelan and threw it to the ground. I despised her. How could she smile and happily look for a husband while her sister was crying alone in the dark?
“This wretched house deserves to collapse!”
Mio scolded me for letting slip things I never should have said out loud. I stopped and stomped to my carriage.
As soon as I returned home, I picked up my writing tools. I wanted to marry that girl I’d met on the sideline. I wanted to marry Anastasia.
I chose a dress that I thought would suit her well considering her height and had it sent along with a heap of treasures I’d quickly gathered for the occasion.
I didn’t need to wait long for the reply. “With pleasure,” it’d said.
I was ecstatic. So ecstatic that the anger I’d felt toward the baron, baroness, and their younger daughter disappeared on the spot. They were to become my relatives, so I resolved to treat them right.
“I’m so happy! Anastasia is coming. She’ll be here soon!”
According to her father’s letter, she’d depart for my castle as soon as she was ready.
From that point onward, I became incredibly busy. Nobles needed their father’s approval to marry. While I thought it was ridiculous, there was nothing I could do about that rule, so I visited my father at the Ducal Castle of Granado. He told me he’d approve of anyone Liu Liu approved of because she knew me far better than he, who’d never lived under the same roof as me.
As soon as I told Liu Liu about Anastasia, she shed tears of joy. She’d apparently started to worry I hated women and might secretly be into men. How ridiculous.
To host my fiancée as she deserved, I had a guest room entirely remodeled. I ordered my carefree and somewhat rough servants to be on their best behavior around her. Then, I invited a dressmaker.
Considering what I’d seen at her sister’s birthday, Anastasia likely never got to dress up. In fact, I couldn’t help but wonder what they made her wear the rest of the time if that was the dress she’d been given to wear for such a party.
I’ll amaze her, I swore. I’d shower her with luxury and make her happy. I’d gift her dresses far more beautiful than the one Marie had been wearing that night. I’d even have her name embroidered on them!
I wanted her parents and her sister to be astonished by her beauty on the day of our engagement party. I wanted them to grind their teeth in jealousy as they watched her. And then, I wanted to tell them, “Serves you right!”
Everything was ready.
I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t sleep. It got so bad that I ended up buying a body pillow. And yet, only a flooded carriage and its driver arrived at my gates. He told me the carriage had fallen down a cliff on the way and that Anastasia had been swallowed by the muddy stream. He hadn’t been able to find her.
Liu Liu started crying while Mio cast her eyes down in silence. I fell to my knees and spent the following week in a daze.