We received notice that a carriage from the Sevensworth family had arrived at our gate. Everybody from our household waited in the entrance hall. We could hear the carriage coming to a stop just outside. Our servants opened the heavy wooden double doors, and in came three members of the Sevensworth family.
My first impression of them was that they were indeed nobility—they exuded dignity and elegance. First, the duke and his wife introduced themselves, and then a woman with silky silver hair and eyes the color of grass spoke.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m the eldest daughter of the Sevensworth family, Anastasia,” she said, curtsying.
Her curtsy was so graceful, enough to leave me in awe. So this is the woman who I’m going to be engaged to? I’ve never seen anyone as pure, kind, and gentle as her.
The outfits the duke’s family had arrived in weren’t too flashy, likely due to being travel attire, however their clothing was especially reserved, even by high-class standards. That said, while the travel dress Anastasia wore might have seemed simple at first, it was made of premium materials that were extremely expensive, and it was adorned with sizable jewels. The embroidery was also very high-quality. I tended to notice these kinds of things as a merchant and could tell the rough value with just a glance. The price tag of her clothes really made me feel the difference in our respective houses’ wealth.
After introducing ourselves, we chatted a little, falling into the normal conversation topic of those meeting for the first time: the weather. Her responses were kind and gentle. I got the same refined feeling from her as I would from a finely crafted piece of merchandise. This marriage might be an unexpected stroke of good fortune for me.
Our guests from the Sevensworth family were exhausted, so they retired to their rooms for a rest. We decided that the marriage talks would begin once they were refreshed. After they were gone, my sister came to me.
“Are you really okay with her?” she asked in a worried tone.
I guess she’s concerned about Lady Anastasia’s appearance. She’d been wearing a dress that covered her neck, leaving only her face exposed. There were rocklike bumps on her face, her ears were sharp, and her skin was green.
Goblins were a type of monster in this world. They had sharp ears and noses, green skin, and hard lumps on their bodies. It was these features that had earned her the nickname “Goblin Maiden.”
“Well, I’m sure her appearance is due to a curse of some sort. But the same blood of her handsome parents runs through her veins, so once the curse is lifted, she’ll become beautiful,” Davy, my older brother and heir to the family, said as if he was trying to console me, patting my head with his large hand.
“I don’t have a problem with how she is now,” I said. “As I’ve said before, I don’t care about appearances at all. If anything, her gentleness makes me think that she’ll be a great wife,” I said, fixing my hair after my brother had ruffled it up.
Though I’d merely spoken my true feelings, both my sister and brother looked at me with pity.
“Allow me to introduce myself once more. I’m the eldest daughter of the Sevensworth family, Anastasia. It’s an honor to meet you, and I’m grateful for your hospitality,” Lady Anastasia said, displaying a wonderful curtsy.
Marriage talks between us were beginning. Currently, she was wearing a high-necked dress and long sleeves. The skirt of her dress was layered with lace, as was the current fashion trend, and she wore a pink overskirt. Wearing white and pink was the standard for marriage talks and thus very commonplace. But even still, the grandness of her gown was unusual. The dress she was wearing, with countless large gems sewn into it, could have paid for this mansion many times over.
Once I saw her necklace, I froze. Wait, is that Purest Love? It was the very same gem that had been sold in an auction not too long ago and had become a big talking point even among merchants who didn’t deal in gems.
For rubies, the more red and uniform the color was, the more expensive they were. The ruby known as “Purest Love” was large, but the red was not so deep and the inside of it had uneven tones of crimson. Usually, this would mean the bid price wouldn’t be as high as a ruby that size typically warranted, but the crimson tones perfectly formed the shape of a rose, as if it’d been crafted that way by a veteran lapidarist. The fact that this miracle of an artistic product had been achieved without any human interference resulted in it selling for an astronomical price.
Her introduction had ended while I’d been staring at her necklace, and she sat down on the brand-new sofa that we’d bought specifically for this day that obviously didn’t match our ancient drawing room.
Anastasia’s and my parents were there with us as well. We were seated in between our respective families facing each other. When the tea was served, my father urged them to try it, which led to the duke opening up a pleasant conversation. Perhaps the duke and his family were used to dealing with lower nobles who’d freeze up in front of them due to nerves, but he was a skilled talker able to loosen up and relax the very nervous family he was visiting. The duke took the lead on the conversation, and eventually, we were able to talk naturally without any tension.
From the conversation, I could tell that they deeply cherished their daughter, Lady Anastasia, and that she felt a strong sense of admiration and love for them as well. It was surprising. In contrast to our poor noble family who hadn’t even had enough money to hire a wet nurse while the children were young enough, I’d expected that there’d be more distance between parent and child in higher noble families who’d leave most of the child-rearing to their nanny.
Lady Anastasia had her hands folded in her lap, and she sat with her back straight. She’d laugh at her father’s jokes, even if they weren’t funny, and would patiently wait without making a single sign of annoyance as my nervous mother tried to force her words out. Despite being just sixteen years old, she was already in charge of several public institutions in the Sevensworth territory such as orphanages.
There were many types of noblewomen. There were those who wouldn’t even go near territory politics, and others who would assist their husbands with work. Lady Anastasia seemed to be the type who cooperated in territory politics. I couldn’t be more grateful for that fact.
Unlike the aristocrats from my past life who lived off the taxes they collected, the nobles of this world were far busier due to not only managing their territories but also running their own businesses. It’d be extremely helpful if she could lend a hand.
She could speak on the same level as adults when it came to national politics and foreign trade since she’d already been involved in them before. She was also very familiar with music and art. Just from the small amount of conversation we’d had, I could tell that she was very highly educated. Plus, she didn’t try to laud her knowledge over others, but instead spoke in a way as to not make the other person feel uncomfortable. The fact that she gave thoughtful answers while still elegantly drinking tea was a testament to how she was truly the daughter of a duke.
But there was one thing that nagged at the back of my mind. When Lady Anastasia wasn’t participating in the conversation, she wore a gloomy expression. It made me think that she was forcing herself to act cheerful.
“All right. How about we leave the young ones to get to know each other?” the duke said, prompting both sets of parents to head out together.
Now it was just Lady Anastasia alone with me in the room. The shadow on her face grew darker and she seemed more downcast. I couldn’t help but remember my previous life. Even girls who were all smiles would make looks of disgust due to my repulsiveness. Even if I tried smiling at them, every last girl’s expression would sour. After experiencing that over and over, I became someone who didn’t smile very much.