I heard the man gasp as well before he said, “What’s wrong, my lady? Why are you crying?”
“Don’t mind me… I’m sorry…”
“Did I offend you in any way? If my mistaking you for a maid hurt your feelings, I’m happy to apologize again. Feel free to slap me if that will appease your anger. But please, don’t cry.”
“You did nothing wrong, my lord,” his servant interjected. “No one would imagine a baron’s daughter could look so unkempt, especially not on the day of a party.”
The man paused before asking, “Why are you dressed like this? Is Chandelan so poor he cannot afford to buy his daughter a proper dress?”
“It’s because…I’m ugly. That’s all.” After saying it out loud, I felt silly. I wiped away my tears and put on a forced smile. “Please don’t mind me. I enjoyed our conversation.”
I bowed and tried to leave once more, only for the man to grab my arm again. His grip was strong enough to frighten me a little as he pulled me toward him. Our faces were so close our breaths mingled, and he looked into my eyes.
“You are beautiful,” he said in Ypsandrian.
I pushed him away and blurted, “The star of the evening is in the salon! I hope you have a wonderful time in her company!” before running away.
I heard the sound of his shoes hitting the ground as he chased after me, so I ran as fast as I could without turning back. I took refuge inside the residence and snuck through a door before heading to my bedroom, a small room with gardening tools, cleaning supplies, and old pieces of furniture taking up most of the space. I hid behind a set of brooms and cried as silently as I could. I was devastated.
✦ ✦ ✦
A month after my horrible birthday, I stepped into the living room after finishing my morning chores and found my family celebrating.
“You’ve done it! You’re incredible, Anastasia!” my father exclaimed.
My mother was lavishing my sister with praises too, but Anastasia herself looked confused. Her eyes were fixed on the letter she held.
“But I don’t remember this man at all… He must have left without so much as greeting me,” she said.
“Love cares not for such things! He must have fallen for you at first sight,” my father replied. “And it’s no wonder when you’re so charming!”
“But…”
My father finally noticed me. He raised his arms happily and beckoned me closer.
“Marie! Your sister’s engagement has been decided! Here! Read this!”
The text on the parchment he pushed into my hand was brief:
To the beautiful Lady Anastasia, eldest daughter of House Chandelan,
House Granado would be honored to welcome you into the family as Kyros Granado’s bride at your earliest convenience.
“He’s a big catch! As rich and powerful as they come! I’d sent him an invitation convinced nothing would come out of it, but to think he’d actually bite! We must hurry Anastasia’s bridal training along and send her to the capital as early as next month! Marie! Write a reply to the count immediately! And take care to write as neatly as possible. You mustn’t hurt Anastasia’s image!”
My father started laughing heartily as my mother handed me paper.
“I’m counting on you to send notice to our relatives and the neighboring nobles as well, Marie,” she instructed. “Make sure to emphasize the fact that our Anastasia is about to marry Count Granado, of all people!”
I nodded and took the stationery from her. “Yes, Mother.”
I wasn’t surprised they’d found Anastasia a husband. My parents had been on the lookout for the perfect groom for her ever since we were children. Every time she made an appearance in high society, mountains of love letters arrived for her. However, my parents had always refused these men because they’d believed someone richer and of higher status would eventually come along.
That said, I wasn’t sure I understood what they were so excited about. Anastasia could do better than a count. Surely a marquess or even a foreign prince could have been better matches for her.
My father seemed to sense my confusion without me voicing it, so he happily clarified, “Sooner or later, Kyros Granado will inherit his father’s duchy. Not to mention, he’s tremendously wealthy. He has more money and influence than the king of a small nation!”
My mother was just as ecstatic. “Look at this dress he sent Anastasia, Marie! It’s a little big for her, but the fabric feels so nice! And the gold embroidery is so delicate! I’ve never seen anything like it!”
With that, I finally understood why he’d won the competition for Anastasia’s hand.
From that day onward, Anastasia was confined at home. My parents were terrified of any accident befalling her, so she was forbidden from going outside. They also did not want her to tan, so she was only allowed a few moments on the balcony a day. Even playing with our six-year-old brother was out of the question. “If you have time to waste, tend to your nails or something!” our father would tell her.
I was starting to worry that she would become restless when, one evening, she called me to her room. I hadn’t been there in a very long time. It was over three times bigger than mine and decorated with lavish furniture. Anastasia was seated on her bed, and she looked thinner than I’d ever seen her before.
“I’m finally getting married…to someone whose face I don’t even know. It still doesn’t feel real to me, but everything is moving so fast. I’m scared, Marie…” she said, looking to me for comfort.
“Don’t worry, Sister. That man will likely—no, I’m sure any man, no matter who they are, will treasure you dearly.” I’d been about to say that her future husband was surely a good person, but I had no idea what Kyros Granado was like.
“I’ve heard rumors about him,” Anastasia said with a shiver. “They say Count Granado has a difficult personality, that he’s an eccentric who hates women.”
“He hates women?”
“He almost never goes to gatherings and refuses every invitation to dance when he does—even from great beauties. They say he’s so hard to please that he only keeps a few servants.”
A residence with few servants sounded peaceful and comfortable to me, actually. After all, House Chandelan was so poor that we didn’t have servants to take care of day-to-day tasks, so that was all I knew. And since I had no other redeeming qualities, I did most of the housework, including mending socks. That had been normal for me ever since I was a child, so it didn’t make me sad—I was simply used to it.
Actually, given I was so shy, the prospect of a quiet home seemed even more enticing than the alternative…
I shook my head to get out of my reverie. Anastasia was getting married, not me.
Speaking of the bride-to-be, she let out a deep sigh. “I’m sure he’ll be just as severe with his wife. Ah… I’m not confident I can handle it.”
“You’ll be fine, sister. Even if you don’t always live up to his expectations, your beautiful smile will make him forget it in a heartbeat, and he’ll forgive you. Besides, you’ll have all the time in the world to study the proper conduct of a high-ranking lady after you ma—”
“I hate studying! I don’t want to do that! I’d much rather—oh! I know! Come look at this, Marie!”
Anastasia jumped to her feet and took my hand, pulling me toward her closet. It was as big as my entire room and filled with a myriad of colorful dresses. She brought out a wooden box from the back and opened it to reveal uniforms resembling those that knights wore.
“Wh-what are those?! Men’s clothes?!”
“No. They’re masculine clothes for women. I made them all myself,” she explained proudly as she took one set out and held it against my body. “A touch of femininity amid dignified, manly elegance. How wonderful is that?” She looked overjoyed having me try out her designs. “Ah! It truly is wonderful! These clothes suit you so well since you’re so tall, Marie! You’re superb!”
“Wh-what?”
Anastasia giggled. “I suppose we all want what we don’t have. I’ve always loved women who were as tall and cool as men, especially beauties in men’s clothes. I just adore them so much!”
She hugged the clothes tightly and looked at the ceiling.
“T-to think you had such an interest…” I whispered, astonished.
“You mustn’t tell Father and Mother, all right? They threw my entire collection away when they found it last time. They told me to ‘stop with that disgusting hobby’ of mine and do embroidery instead, like a proper lady. They’re so boring!” Anastasia laughed. She seemed to be having so much fun at this moment that it made me happy too.
“You’re in luck, Sister. Once you’re married, Father and Mother won’t be able to stop you from sewing what you like anymore.”
Anastasia gave a small cheer before nodding and closing her eyes with a defeated look. “Nothing will change,” she sighed. “The count will surely scold me for it too. A countess can’t have such a strange pastime.”
“Anastasia…”
“You know, I’ve always thought that, if our house finally crumbled and a time came when I’d have to work to support myself, I’d like to open up a shop in the capital,” Anastasia mused dreamily. She then put the outfit back into the wooden box and hid it at the back of her closet once more before closing the door. “I hope you can have something like that, Marie. I want you to find a job you love—one that lets you use your talents.”