I giggled at his honesty. He still seemed unaccustomed to high society.
“You’re a skilled dancer yourself,” he complimented me.
“Truly?” I asked, not concealing my happiness at his praise. “I’ve only danced with Stanley and my father, so I don’t know for myself.”
“I saw you dancing with Duke Reynaldo a little while ago. You were very…”
“Yes?”
I waited for him to finish his thought, but he went silent. During that time, the song ended, and another dance tune began. Though we stopped moving to the rhythm, Albert continued holding me close to him by the waist. As we stared into each other’s eyes, I could tell he wanted to say something to me. I waited for him to speak, but no words escaped his lips.
“I’ll escort you to the front gate.”
That was all he eventually said.
Most of the carriages lined up at the front gate belonged to nobles, but there were also rental carriages. These had been prepared for guests such as my brother and me, who were going home separately despite having come as a family.
Since other guests were waiting for carriages, I gave my name to the coach receptionist and stood at one corner of the front gate. Albert stayed with me while I waited for my name to be called.
“Are you okay with taking time away from your job?” I asked.
“I’ve entrusted all guard duties to my subordinate knights,” he answered. “I’m simply supervising them. If there’s a problem, I’ll take action. Waiting with you shouldn’t cause any issues. Speaking of which, did you talk to any of the knights during the ball?”
“Only a little. I greeted those I met inside the venue.”
“They’re all hoping for your return.”
With Nicky having gone back home, the chivalric order was once again lamenting their lack of handmaids. According to all the knights I’d spoken to tonight, they were calling for new employees or my return. That made me very happy. Part of me longed to return to my life in Edigma, but if the knights needed me, I wanted to work for them as well.
However, I could say the same for working as a handmaid in Rose. While staying in Stanley’s home, I received a polite letter from Lieber—a butler for the Rose Duchy. Rather than scolding me for my sudden disappearance, he showed concern for my well-being.
Apparently, Reynaldo had sent a letter to explain the situation, but I’d still sent my own letter of apology. Since then, Lieber and I have written to each other regularly. While he’d expressed his worries about Reynaldo’s prolonged absence, he’d also written about missing me. His thoughtfulness made my heart ache.
I wanted to visit Rose at least once to apologize, which I’d expressed to Reynaldo. To this, he’d promised to take me once the coronation had ended and he’d finished his top-priority work. Whenever the time came, I would probably go with him.
“And afterward, you can stay in Rose for as long as you like,” he’d said, attempting to woo me. I responded with a strained smile, feeling torn.
Did I want to return home, work for the chivalric order, or work for the Rose Duchy? As the new prime minister, Reynaldo told me to choose whichever option I wanted. “Don’t worry about the number of jobs you’ve been bouncing between,” he’d said. “Choose whichever one suits your fancy.”
In terms of workplace environment and payment, both jobs seem wonderful…
As of right now, I couldn’t choose so easily.
While I loved Edigma and longed for a peaceful life, being a handmaid for the knights I so admired had been fun. I didn’t dislike Rose, either, despite it being a distant land to the far north. Furthermore, I could work with Lieber and the other servants who’d treated me so well. Oh, and the food there was delicious.
Both Stanley and Father told me to do whatever I preferred. Before, I’d been considering the future of the barony, but when I brought this up to Stanley, he scolded me. “I’ll take care of everything there,” he’d said. “So do whatever you want.”
My brother had an awkward sort of kindness.
“What’s wrong?” Albert asked.
He spoke with concern. Perhaps I’d been letting my worries show while waiting for the carriage.
“I was thinking about the future,” I replied.
“The future…?”
“That’s right. I was wondering whether I should return to Edigma or remain in the palace and work for the knights. Or perhaps I could return to Rose with Duke Reynaldo and work there.”
I decided to be honest. I could use his advice since this matter concerned him as well.
“Where do you most want to be?” he asked.
“Good question. All of them are appealing, but…to be honest, I’m also worried about something other than work.”
“What’s that?”
It was somewhat embarrassing, but after a moment’s hesitation, I decided to continue being honest.
“Well, I need to start thinking about marriage at my age,” I said. “So I’m wondering—what’s the best decision to make while taking that into consideration?”
Yes. Right now, the idea of marriage was causing me more grief than deciding on a job. Eighteen was the perfect age to tie the knot, after all. Stanley told me not to worry about producing an heir, but if an unmarried woman planned to work for a long time, she needed to think about finding a husband.
“If I married someone in Rose, I would probably end up living there,” I speculated. “The thought of being so far away from Edigma makes me feel lonely.”
Albert remained silent at that.
“Call me a daddy’s girl if you like, but I can’t bear the idea of being so far away from home,” I continued. “On the other hand, returning to Edigma would mean bringing my husband back to the countryside. Where would I even find such an eccentric man? Perhaps it would be better to marry someone from my hometown… But I’ve known everyone there since I was a child. I can’t imagine marrying any of them.”
At that moment, the coachman called my name. He’d finished preparing the carriage.
“Looks like my ride’s here,” I said, embarrassed about unloading my peculiar worries onto Albert.
With that, I hurried towards the carriage, told the coachman the location of Stanley’s home, and had him open the door for me. While the coachman grabbed the horse’s reins and prepared to drive, I looked up at Albert. Without a word, he held out his hand and helped me into the carriage. Once I’d boarded the vehicle, I tried to let go of his hand to sit down. However, he didn’t release his grip. Finding this strange, I studied Albert as he gazed at me from the carriage door.
“Thank you for everything today,” I said.
After that, I tried to say goodnight and let go of his hand, but he interrupted me.
“Mary.”
An all-too-serious look clouded his dark brown eyes.
What’s wrong? I wondered, waiting for him to speak.
And then…
“Will you marry me?”
He proposed to me.