Descriptive:
Iorite was worried. It was supposed to be a white marriage, but it didn’t happen at all. *This is a story about a poor noble’s daughter who is completely tied to and won over by an extremely cool and stubborn knight.
title: Wasn’t this a white marriage?
Copyright: Syosetu
Author: Miyabi Kagawa/香川みやび
The place was filled with tasteful furnishings and all the furniture was likely first class, with chests of drawers and tables with smooth curves and intricate carvings on their surfaces and legs.
A gorgeous chandelier hangs from the ceiling, made of crystal rather than glass. It will sparkle and shine beautifully when lit.
However, the chandelier was not functioning as intended, and the room was dimly lit with only one candle. The candle holder supporting the candle was not plated or stainless steel, but made of real gold, and even the candle holder was a luxurious item. Everything in this room was the kind of high-end item that royalty or the wealthy would use.
In the dimly lit room, there was a woman sitting with her back hunched in a similarly luxurious looking single-seater chair.
The woman looked down, and upon closer inspection, her shoulders were shaking slightly.
One would have expected the owner of such a luxurious room to be a lady of a certain age, or an aristocrat, or a socially successful and self-confident hostess, but she was actually still a young woman.
She seemed to be slightly older than a young girl, and from her youth and appearance she seemed out of place in this room, or rather out of place.
Her long, black hair was well-groomed and shiny, without a single split end. Her skin, reflected in the candle flame, was the same vermilion red as the rest of hers, revealing its smooth, even texture and beauty. She was wearing a thin negligee, so the fullness of her breasts was clearly visible. Her plump breasts moved up and down slowly with each breath. Her eyes were downcast, so her eye color was unknown, but her long eyelashes were striking, her nose was small, and her mouth was closed, obscuring the color. The woman bit her lip in frustration, as if trying to endure it.
“Ahh, what should I do…”
The woman covered her face and bowed her head, and a strand of her long hair fell and wrapped around her arm like an ivy.
Her voice conveyed a sense of urgency and sadness, and her trembling, thin voice was certainly not suited to this stately room.
Rather than a mistress, she seems more like a trapped bird. Is this room a birdcage, if you will?
“That person is coming back… what should we do…”
There is no one to answer her voice.
She opens her eyes to reveal wet, dark eyes that reflect the vermilion light of the candle and flicker gently.
The anxious voice was drowned out by the sound of the candles burning.
*
Iorite Riverside was a local nobleman whose father was a viscount.
Though they are nobles, they are poor, living in a rundown mansion that has been thoroughly repaired, cultivating their own fields, and living a self-sufficient life.
Since it was a rural area with no particular specialty products or famous places, the nobles did not act arrogant or set themselves apart from the people of their domain just because they were nobles. Instead, they made it their motto to help each other out, visiting each other’s fields and helping each other out, and they interacted almost like relatives.
If there was one thing to be proud of living in this territory, it would be our unrivaled unity.
Iorite was born as the eldest daughter of Viscount Riverside, and even though she was about to turn 18, she still had no fiancé. If you’re an aristocrat, you’d have a fiancé at that age, and it wouldn’t be unusual for you to be married.
However, since she lives in the country, she can hardly go to parties in the capital where aristocrats gather, and even if she did go, she has never been invited, and she has no connections or prospects, so she doesn’t have a dress to wear. She doesn’t have the money to buy a new dress, and there are no stores in this area that sell such dresses. Even the small change it costs to go to another town just to buy a dress is a waste.
Of course, she had never received an engagement proposal or anything like that. Iorite hadn’t been able to get on the marriage-hunting bandwagon at all.
It was normal for local nobles to have several villas in the capital where the royal family lived, and it was common for them to hold social gatherings, balls, and tea parties there, but Iorite’s family was poor and didn’t even own a single villa. Unusually for a local noble, they stayed in their territory all year round.
In addition, Iorite was extremely busy taking care of the fields and her younger brothers and sisters, working hard every day and living a life that was far from that of a lady.
Although he had attended the aristocratic school for the minimum required year, he only remembered a little about manners and such, and instead spent most of his time holed up in the library studying about territory management, since books were free to read in the library.
The aristocratic school in the capital had accommodations for local aristocrats like Iorite, or poor aristocrats who did not have a villa, and it was possible for them to commute from there, but both attending school and renting a room in the accommodations cost money, so although Iorite would have liked to continue studying, she quickly retreated from the capital after taking all of her exams, with a heavy heart.
Iorite had made a few friends here and there, but now that she had retreated to the countryside, she no longer had any contact with them. However, she continued to correspond with one person who she could call a close friend, but she stopped receiving replies and all contact with her was cut off. She didn’t even know if she was doing well at the moment. That was her only worry, but Iorite was a true country girl, and was finally able to take a breather after getting away from the crowded and busy capital city.
Iorite has an older brother who is also still unmarried, and it seems that her parents are having more trouble finding a wife for their eldest son, who is the heir to the family, than they are for Iorite.
Her brother is a fairly good-looking man, but he is unrefined, unfashionable, and shy. In addition, it is unlikely that there would be many women who would be willing to marry into a rural area with no entertainment, and even if they were related to the Riverside family, it would not be much of a gain for them, as the family is a poor viscount. Iorite thought it would be best to do something about her brother, who was the heir, first, and that her own marriage was secondary, as it was still a long way off.
However, when Iorite received a letter of engagement proposal from Marc Seasalt, the second son of the Marquis and commander of the Second Order of Knights, the Riverside family received a shock. It was as if they had been struck by lightning.
The Seasalt Marquis family has strong ties to royalty, with males belonging to the Knights and being a warrior family responsible for protecting the royal family, and females marrying into their own country’s royalty or into the noble families of other countries; it is a high-ranking noble family with many relatives who are members of the royal family.
Mark himself has been promoted steadily, and is now the commander of the Second Division at the young age of 26. The Second Division’s main duty is to provide personal guardianship to the royal family.
To receive a letter from such a being above the clouds asking if she would like to become engaged, her parents were openly flustered and asked “Why?”, and her brother, with a troubled brow, asked “Do you know him?” but Iorite quickly denied it. Mark was famous, so she had heard his name before, but had never met him.
Even though it is such a rural area, familiar peddlers come by and tell me amusing tales of events, gossip, and rumors that have happened in the capital, so there is a fair amount of information available.
I’ve heard rumors that Mark has a girlfriend.
Mark’s lover is Princess Henrius of this country, the long-awaited daughter finally born to the King and Queen, and the youngest of four siblings. She is said to be very fond of by her parents and three older brothers, so much so that they even issued a commemorative banknote for Princess Henrius’ birthday.
It seems that Mark always escorts Princess Henrius to parties she attends, and the King does not seem to be against Mark and the Princess’ relationship. Although they have not openly declared their relationship, it is said that they are counting down the days until marriage. Mark’s family is a marquis, so there should be no problem if the Princess marries him.
I wondered if there must be some mistake in the fact that Mark had approached me about an engagement. I couldn’t understand why he wanted to marry a poor country nobleman when he already had a wonderful lover, Princess Henrius.
Iorite calmly drew her conclusion.
“It seems like this letter was addressed to the wrong person.”
“Huh!”
The messenger who delivered the letter was shocked by Iorite’s unexpected response.
Both her parents and older brother tried to scold Iorite by saying, “That can’t be true…”, but Iorite replied, “The Marquis of Seasalt would not go out of his way to want the daughter of a poor noble family like us as a bride. For one thing, our family status would not match, and she would not have the money to provide a dowry.” To which they replied, “That’s true.”
Mark was also known as the “Lone Wolf Knight,” and was living a thrilling life with the strongest family, the best looks, and the best brains, his job was going well, and he even had the perfect girlfriend, Princess Henrius, so there was no way he would want such a country girl.
It is unclear how they mistook Princess Anrius and Iorite, complete opposites, but the Riverside family, led by Iorite, came to the conclusion that the letter from Mark was a “misdelivery.”
The messenger was reluctant to back down, saying, “No, I was certainly told by Lord Mark to deliver it here…”, but he was taken aback by Iorite and the others’ (unusually aristocratic) dignified appearance, which made them certain that “it must have been a mistaken delivery”, and he gradually lost confidence.
The Lord had certainly said “Riverside,” but if this was a mistake, with that scary Lord, I don’t know what would happen if I went back. I would be punished, and in the worst case scenario, I might have to pay with death.
The messenger decided to check it out first, and bowed to Iorite and the others before heading back the way he had come. Iorite and the others sent the messenger off with smiles on their faces.
“Oh, I’m surprised. Even a Marquis can make mistakes.”
“Mother, there’s no need to be surprised. There’s no way we’d receive a letter from the Marquis, much less an engagement letter.”
“That’s true, it’s impossible even if heaven and earth were turned upside down.”
“But father, my sister Iorite is beautiful and smart, so maybe there are rumors about her somewhere.”
“Even if she’s beautiful, she’s still just a potato. How rude of you, brother.”
“No, no, this time I meant to say it had the length of limbs like a courgette, not a little head like a potato. Look at this freshly picked courgette.”
“Well, that’s rude!”
“Ahahaha!”
As if the typhoon had passed, the Riverside family’s peaceful daily life returned to its usual composure, and each member of the family prepared to return to work.
“Mommy.”
“Big sis.”
“I’m hungry”
But my brothers had woken up from their afternoon nap, so I had to get something to eat first. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, the story of Mark’s proposal was quickly forgotten.
*
It was three days later that a messenger from the Marquis of Seasalt arrived again.
To put it simply, the messenger said, “The addressee was correct.” In other words, the engagement proposal from Seasalt was definitely addressed to Iorite, not Princess Anrius.
Something even bigger happened.
Accompanied by a messenger, Marc Seasalt himself arrived at the Riverside residence.
As a basic rule of etiquette, when visiting someone’s house, you should send them a letter to inquire about their availability and make an appointment in advance. The more noble the person, the more it is not against the rules to say, “I was in the area, so I stopped by☆.”
And yet, Mark simply apologized for his sudden visit and sat down on the ragged, patchwork sofa as if he owned the place, glaring at Iorite, who was sitting across from him with a confused look on his face, and at Iorite’s father, who was pale and hunched over, with his sharp gaze.
From his perspective, he had no intention of glaring at him, but his natural evil eyes, the nobility of an aristocrat, the imposing presence of his splendid physique, and the imposing attitude of a knight were enough to overwhelm his opponent. Looking closely at his father, he could see beads of sweat on his forehead and tears in his eyes. To top it off, he had a hallucination saying “Help me.”
After taking a sip of the weak black tea that tasted like used tea, Mark moved his well-shaped lips.
“I have come here to ask for your reply regarding my recent proposal of engagement.”
It was a low, pleasant voice.
Iorite finally got a good look at Mark’s face. He had short black hair, silver eyes, and was wearing black knight clothing. If he were an animal, he certainly looked like a wolf. He thought that the nickname “Lone Wolf Knight” was not entirely wrong. His posture was good, and he looked straight ahead with dignity, and his figure was manly and beautiful.
I remembered that my estranged best friend would often ask me, “What do you think of Lord Mark, Iorite?” Perhaps she was also one of those who had feelings for Mark. Although Mark has an official partner, Princess Anrius, he is extremely popular with the ladies, and I had heard that he was “the number one person in the rankings who would like to spend a night with him, even if it was just out of pity.”
As I was thinking about these things, my father finally spoke.
“Uh, yeah, but, you know…”
“What is it? Is there a problem?”
“Whoaaaa!”
Mark leaned forward and turned to his father, wanting to hear if there was any problem, and his father spoke in a pathetic voice. Mark may not have been on the battlefield, but he was always on the lookout for anyone who might harm the royal family, so his gaze was sharp and first class. It was a powerful display that was too much for a country boy like his father, who had grown up in a land of peace.
“There’s no need for a dowry, and we’ll even provide the bride’s attire.”
“Uh, yeah…”
“Is there anything else?”
“Well, well, I guess I’ll have to ask my daughter… you see, she’s getting married.”
“Huh?”
Her father was terrified of Mark and used his daughter as a shield. The rest depended on Iorite’s answer, so Mark stood up, knelt in front of Iorite, took her hand, and kissed the back of her hand, saying, “I will make you happy, so please marry me.”
Her mother cried out from behind her, “Oh, how lovely!” It was like a scene from a romance theater. If this had been Princess Anrius instead of Iorite in a shabby dress, it would have been a real romance scene, so it was a shame, Iorite thought, as if it were someone else’s problem.
As I was watching his long, lowered eyelashes, Mark raised his head and our silver eyes met. Even looking into those eyes that seemed to draw me in, I couldn’t see his true intentions.
So Iorite came up with a hypothesis.
“Maybe I’m just a cover?”
Mark has a lover named Princess Anrius. However, something happened between Mark and Princess Anrius that prevented them from marrying, right? If so, then later on, the two of them will have to find a new wife or husband. After all, as the second son of a marquis and a princess, they can’t stay single forever. And the higher the nobleman, the more they can’t afford to neglect her, so they’re planning to make a suitable weaker person into a bride and have her flirt with Princess Anrius behind the scenes… or so I assume. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that Mark would go out of his way to propose to Iorite, a poor noble.
The Riverside family was also able to receive loans from the Seasalt family with no obligation to repay, and they even helped pay for their younger siblings’ education. Furthermore, this year they were troubled by a poor harvest, but they were offered to hand over wheat, potatoes, and other crops to the people of their domain free of charge.
Moreover, if he could prepare his daughter for marriage without paying a dowry, it would kill not two birds with one stone, but three or four birds with one stone.
Iorite had always believed that since she was born into an aristocrat, she should think of her subjects and marry for the good of her family, so she didn’t expect love, romance, passion, or anything like that from her partner.
Perhaps it was just a cover, but the proposal came from someone of a higher status, and it came with the added bonus of being a handsome, wealthy, competent businessman named Marc who had been promoted at breakneck speed.
Riverside is unlikely to ever get such a good deal again.
And so, Iorite decided to marry Mark in a win-win contract.
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