Though I hadn’t experienced that in this world, I was in a very important situation, facing marriage. Would I be rejected by a woman in this important stage of my life? No, I need to stop thinking so pessimistically. Giving up here will just be me repeating my past life. It’s not every day that a good match like this comes along. Even if these marriage talks fall apart, I’m going to make sure I’ve at least done everything I can. Even if I can’t get married this time, it’ll be good practice for my next talks. My entire focus in this life is marriage. I will not live out my old days alone again.
“Would you perhaps like to take a stroll around the garden?” I asked. “It’s not nearly as impressive as the Sevensworth’s grounds; however, this is the perfect time to see the shethes. I don’t believe these flowers grow in the royal capital.”
“Oh my, shethes? I’d very much like to see them!” she said, her face filled with surprise and then a smile.
I offered my hand in order to escort her.
“Th-Thank you,” she said.
After being a noble in this world for many years at this point, even I could escort ladies. Lady Anastasia was deeply involved in noble society, much more than me, so being escorted shouldn’t have fazed her at all...or so I thought. I noticed that she became flustered when I offered her my hand.
A graceful woman suddenly showing an adorable side like this made my face relax into a smile before I realized it. As I took her hand, I noticed that she was wearing something that resembled a braided bracelet. Though everything else she wore was very high-class, this was made of cheap string that commoners would use. The weaving was rough and the dye job was inconsistent. It wasn’t something that I could imagine a professional making. I had questions, but I didn’t voice them. After all, it was something that’d been hidden under her dress sleeve. As a gentleman, it behooved me to not say anything even if I saw it, just as if it had been underwear that I’d glimpsed.
“Oh my! What is this flower called?! I’ve never seen it before!” Lady Anastasia exclaimed.
“It’s called the ‘white-violet Gemini starflower.’ It’s not native to this country, but I obtained these seeds, so I tried growing them as a test, hoping that if they could grow in our country’s soil so I could sell them. I would’ve been more confident in showing you these if there were more, but so far, this is as many as I can make bloom.”
The white-violet Gemini starflower had a similar star shape to the balloon flower from my previous life. Though balloon flowers had five petals, this flower had six. It was a two-tone flower with the inner part of it being white while the outer part was purple. Unlike the balloon flower, the purple and white weren’t mixed, but distinctly separate. The flower got its name from this separation; it looked like it was a purple flower with a white flower blossoming on the inside.
Lady Anastasia listened to my explanation with a gentle smile. Including my past life, this was the first time I’d spent such a long time alone with a woman besides my family. I’d no idea that speaking with women could be this much fun!
She truly was cute as she crouched down with a smile to look at the flowers. Despite being a dignified woman with perfect movements, her showing me this kind of cuteness really gripped my heart.
It felt like her loveliness had increased since our first introduction. What is this emotion called? Is it possible that I’m elated? In any case, there’s no doubt that I’m enjoying being with her.
“Please wait. Allow me to get that,” I said, quickly picking up the rock that she’d begun reaching for in the corner of the flower bed.
Everything she was wearing was frighteningly expensive. I couldn’t have the lace on her sleeves or her white gloves get any dirt on them. I wiped the dirt off the rock with my handkerchief and then held it out for her to see.
“It has an uncommon color,” she remarked.
It was true that bright blue feldspars weren’t very common. But even so, it was still nothing more than a pretty stone. One could probably find something similar if they searched the river for an hour. Still, it was surprising that the daughter of a duke would take interest in this.
“Do you like minerals?” I asked.
“Not exactly. I’ve recently befriended a young servant boy and he enjoys them.”
“If it’d please you, I’d be honored to gift you this stone. Would you like to take it as a souvenir for him?”
“Oh my, that would be wonderful!”
She explained that a few days before heading to the Adolni territory, she’d gone to visit a servant boy who’d broken his leg. When she’d asked him if he’d like a souvenir from her trip, he’d asked for an uncommon rock. That was why she was so happy when I proposed she take the mineral.
Live-in servants stayed in the same houses as the nobles they served. Since they were allowed to live in the house rent-free, they revered the families they served just like the regular servants. But for young children who didn’t yet understand differences in status, there were instances where they’d be too casual with the children of the noble families. The boy who liked collecting rocks was one such individual.
“Why do you look like that?” the kid had apparently asked Lady Anastasia.
The boy’s mother, who’d had her head lowered as she stood next to him, must’ve felt her heart stop.
“It’s the kind of curse I have. I’m sorry. Are you frightened?” Lady Anastasia had asked, crouching down to be on eye level with him.
Most children were scared of her appearance and stayed away from her, but sometimes there’d be curious kids who’d call out to her. She liked children, so she would always be gentle with the ones who approached her.
I’m sure of it. I’ve hit the jackpot with this marriage talk. She is a wonderful person! The only problem left is whether I’ve earned her displeasure or not. I need to do my best to make sure that this marriage goes through!
After walking down the garden’s small path, we reached a short flight of steps leading downward. I took the hand that she had placed on my forearm with my other hand, turned my body to the side, and guided her down the steps.
This was the basics of escort etiquette regarding stairs. The skirts of the noble women in this world were puffy and long enough to hide their ankles, so they couldn’t see their feet at all. It was no issue when escorting a lady on flat ground because all the man would do was offer his elbow for her to hold, but since stairs came with a risk of falling, he had to go down first and hold the lady’s hand to help her descend.
I’d thought I was doing the entire “gentleman escorting a lady” business by the book, but when I took her hand, she made an expression of surprise and her face turned slightly red before she thanked me. Her cute reaction really stood out, especially when she usually conducted herself with such grace. As soon as I noticed myself starting to smile, I panicked and pushed it down. I didn’t want her to be creeped out by me grinning here. I needed to make sure my feelings were kept close to my chest.
During our walk, when there was a break in our conversation, Lady Anastasia brought something up as if she’d been waiting for this opportunity.
“Sir Ginorious? I’d like to speak with you about something,” she said.
“Let’s talk over there. I’ll have tea prepared.”
There was a white gazebo not too far from the shethes flowers, which were in full bloom. I guided her there, and we sat opposite one another. After a servant brought our tea, I made sure nobody else was around to overhear us.
“What would you like to discuss with me?” I asked.
“I’d like to apologize. This marriage talk is something that my father decided on his own. I’ll speak with my father and come up with some excuse. Please allow me some time to do so.”