At the urging of my parents, who had obtained a brief moment of peace by sacrificing their daughter, I was somehow obliged to show the Duke of Beardsley’s son to my family’s garden.
I was a little angry, so I entrusted the bouquet of roses I was going to give to the maid of honor to my mother.
She was teary-eyed, but who cares?
Even if I were to give a tour, our yard has neither rare flowers nor a large area that needs to be guided.
And they had just finished flowering at the right time of year.
The roses were an early-blooming variety, and the elderflowers were soaked in syrup.
“It’s a small garden, so there’s not a lot of interesting stuff ……”
“No, it’s a nice place, very calming. It’s lovely, like Chelsea.”
The care of the Duke of Beardsley’s son, who turned “plain” and “narrow” into a nice expression, is appreciated but a bit empty.
It is difficult to stall for time on a property that looks like the garden of a commoner’s house, only a little bit larger.
I want to go back to the mansion as soon as possible, but I’m sure Father and Mother will be angry with me.
“Would you like to sit down?”
He calls out in a pained tone.
The old wooden couch has white paint peeling off in places.
I wonder if I should let the duke’s son sit on such a tattered chair after suggesting it.
While he was hesitating whether to withdraw, the Duke of Beardsley’s son approached the chair.
The handkerchief on his chest is quickly spread out on the chair.
My eyes go black and white as he is shown, “Here you go, lady.”
(Are you sitting on this expensive looking handkerchief ……?)
I don’t want to. But I also understand that I have no choice but to say no.
I wish I had never looked directly at it if this was the case.
I didn’t want to notice that the pattern in the corner was the Duke’s crest. Fearfully, I sat down.
I whipped my abdominal muscles, which were so dull from normal use, and tried as hard as possible not to put any weight on them.
In contrast to my humorless appearance, the Duke of Beardsley’s son kneels before me with graceful movements.
His body shakes as it is gently taken to scoop up his hand.
Seeing me brace myself, the Duke of Beardsley’s son lowered his eyebrows as if he were troubled.
“You’re still mad at me …… for something like this happened yesterday, aren’t you?”
“…… No.”
He looks up at me, as if peeking at me intently.
It’s like a dog waiting to be scolded, and I can’t help but feel out of tune.
If he had threatened me with his position, I could have been angry.
“I’m just surprised. If last night was the reason, why did you have to take the step of getting engaged?”
Her amber eyes twinkled at my words.
“If you are not comfortable with just a verbal promise, we can provide you with a written pledge. If you break it, we can make any conditions.”
“Wait a minute! No, it’s not!”
I was amused this time by the flustered look on his face.
“I don’t expect Chelsea would break her promise. You’re a serious and honest person, so I’m sure you’ll keep your promise. I didn’t ask you to marry me to keep you quiet.”
“Then why?”
“I want you to be my wife. There is no other reason.”
He squeezes my fingers tightly. I can’t look away from those beautiful golden eyes.
My face turns red on its own.
No matter how withered I am, it is impossible for me to keep my composure when such a handsome man makes a sincere proposal to me.
“Why me? You deserve better than an ordinary woman like me.”
“Chelsea is mediocre?”
I pretended not to notice my racing heartbeat and tried to sound as calm as possible.
The Duke of Beardsley’s son repeats my words as if he had heard something unexpected.
“What is so ordinary about you that you were not afraid of me even when you knew my secret? Your kindness in caring for me without fear or loathing is not something to be taken for granted. A normal daughter would have run away and never come near me again.”
“Dear Duke of Beardsley’s son……”
“Solomon. That’s what I want you to call me.”
The expression on his face changes from one of cruelty and indifference. He smiles softly and beamingly.
When I saw it, I understood.
(This person is scared, isn’t he?)
You love someone and you are afraid that they will reject you.
So you are concerned about me accepting it without being frightened.
I know I sound like a miracle, but perhaps there are other women besides me who can accept his black color.
Even though the custom of ‘dark hair and dark eyes are an abomination’ remains strong, there are probably people like me who don’t care about it because they think it’s just a pigment. Or many women would be fine with that if they were so handsome and strong.
But not necessarily the woman he loved like that.
And what he is carrying is too big for great to just try something without any hope.
(No wonder you’re compromising that it’s okay with me.)
He is good-looking, capable, and the heir to a high-ranking noble family.
He seems more blessed than everyone else, but in reality, he is so crippled.
I felt sorry for him, and I felt a sense of pity for him.
“I prefer Chelsea. But I don’t want to force it on you. If you don’t like me and you just can’t accept me, then ……”
Her divine beauty is crumpled and distorted.
I touched his cheek, not wanting to look at him like a child trying to hold back tears.
His eyes, slightly moist, look up at me.
“I don’t hate it.”
“!!! Then go to ……!”
“I can’t say I like it.”
And we have only just met.
“Can we take a moment to get to know each other?”
If you reject the Duke of Beardsley’s son here …… Solomon-sama, it will only add pain in his heart.
Then why not put it on hold and help him fall in love in the meantime?
Maybe if I, who have accepted Master Solomon’s secret, were by his side, he might feel more or less stable.
And gradually, he will gradually slide into the idea that beings like me are not uncommon.
Once he finds the love of his life and get married, that’s where my role ends.
“How much is that ……?”
“How about in a year or so?”
Anything more than that would be detrimental to my marriage.
“One Year ……”
Solomon-sama’s face looks difficult.
“The longest I can give you is a year. If we are lucky, it will be sooner.”
“So it’s depends on my efforts.”
“Yes.”
“I understand ……. I’ll do my best.”
He lets out a long breath and then nods with a dignified expression.
“Can Chelsea help out too?”
“Yes, of course.”
I was relieved to hear that he was convinced.
But as soon as I agree, Master Solomon’s eyes light up sharply.
He smiles at me like a model, and I have a very bad feeling about it.
“Then I want you to stay at the Duke’s house for a while.”
“…… what?”
The corners of my mouth twitched.
According to Solomon-sama had not intend to neglect our efforts, but since we have a one year limit, even a small amount of time is too precious.
If we lived separately, we would only be able to see each other on holidays, but if we lived together, we could see each other between jobs and in the morning and at night.
(You don’t have to meet every day. I mean, you can use the time between jobs as a break.)
I don’t think even a new girlfriend would go that far.
As I was struggling to find a way to refuse, Solomon-sama looked at me with a face like an abandoned dog.
“You said you’d help me, right?”
(I said it though……)
I was taken at my word, and I was paralyzed with a desire to cry.
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