Chapter 15
The carriage ride to Evanstein Castle was oppressively quiet.
Feeling uncomfortable, I shifted in my seat.
Even the faint rustle of my clothes seemed unnaturally loud.
This time, I stole a glance at the man sitting across from me with one leg crossed over the other.
His gaze rested outside the window, filled with quiet boredom.
Is that really the same man who proposed to me just moments ago?
“Miss Edith Prim… I formally ask for your hand in marriage.”
The Duke of Schultz had truly acted like a man in love.
I’ve lost my mind.
I definitely had.
No matter how desperate I’d been, how could I make such an impulsive decision?
Well…
Because there hadn’t been another choice.
Even if I were put in the same situation again, I knew I would make exactly the same decision.
I found myself absentmindedly admiring him.
Then our eyes met.
I immediately snapped back to reality.
He was handsome enough to steal someone’s breath away.
Not only that, he was tall enough to be intimidating, with the solid physique of a career military officer.
If someone claimed I’d accepted his proposal based solely on his appearance…
No one would find it strange.
“Is there something you’d like to say?”
Johannes asked after meeting my gaze.
The boredom that had lingered in his eyes moments ago had completely disappeared.
There were plenty of things I wanted to ask.
Plenty I was curious about.
Even now…
Part of me wondered whether everything he’d done had simply been out of pity.
Of course receiving Johannes Schultz’s help would benefit me.
But…
If that help came from sympathy alone…
I didn’t want it.
It was nothing more than my own pathetic pride.
I finally spoke.
“Your Grace… forgive my boldness, but…”
“Was the proposal you made earlier simply an improvised way to get us out of that situation?”
I asked calmly.
Johannes narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.
“I meant every word.”
“And Miss Prim accepted.”
“I think…”
“I must have lost my mind for a moment.”
“At the time, I just…”
The words refused to come.
Even so…
He seemed to understand exactly what I was trying to say.
That I wished we could pretend none of it had happened.
“There were many witnesses.”
“Most of my subordinates saw everything.”
“And Miss Prim accepted while fully aware of that.”
His chin lifted slightly.
“I trust you aren’t suggesting we withdraw from something that now concerns both my honor and my family’s reputation.”
Then those emotionless blue eyes quietly met mine.
There wasn’t the slightest indication that he intended to change his mind.
Clearing my throat, I continued,
“To be honest… I truly don’t understand.”
“Why would someone as perfect as Your Grace propose to someone like me, who has absolutely nothing?”
“Because you do not have nothing.”
My eyes widened instinctively.
The way he said it…
It almost sounded as though I possessed something he needed.
“…My parents are gone.”
“I have no dowry.”
“There are countless women far better suited than I am.”
Though I tried to remain calm, my voice trembled.
Clutching the folds of my skirt tightly, I continued,
“And yet…”
“You’re saying you’ll still gain something by marrying me?”
“Of course.”
“And it’s something…”
“That only you can provide.”
That…
Must be why he’d proposed to me.
Johannes nodded.
“So…”
“May I understand that to mean you need Edith Prim specifically?”
“In other words…”
“I can accept this absurd marriage without feeling guilty because I’m not the only one benefiting?”
“Exactly.”
I pressed my lips together.
Then…
I wouldn’t be the only one receiving help.
For a moment I wondered if he was lying.
Yet his eyes remained calm, as though speaking nothing but the truth.
It felt strange that such an important matter as marriage had been decided in an instant.
But ever since Father died…
I’d already believed marriage was no longer part of my future.
No matter how peaceful Müsen was…
A woman couldn’t survive alone forever.
The days when Father protected me would never return.
I was alone now.
Always vulnerable to criminals.
There was no guarantee what had happened earlier would never happen again.
This marriage…
Was an opportunity to secure my safety.
Perhaps an opportunity that would never come again.
Even if Johannes Schultz eventually realized I had nothing useful to offer him…
That regret would belong to him.
Fine.
Whatever happens, happens.
He was the one who proposed.
I’d asked him repeatedly if he was certain.
Only a fool would let such a brilliant opportunity slip away.
Concealing my thoughts behind an expressionless face, I nodded.
“Then that’s settled.”
“Your Grace saved me.”
“So I’ll do everything within my power to fulfill my part as well.”
Outside the window…
Evergreen trees and leafless branches rushed endlessly past.
The servants had already lined up outside Evanstein Castle to welcome the carriage carrying the Duke of Schultz.
Gradually slowing down…
The carriage came to a stop beneath the enormous stone eagle overlooking the entrance.
Just as Johannes reached for the door handle…
I quickly grabbed his hand.
“Um…”
“Yes?”
One perfectly shaped eyebrow lifted slightly.
I answered in a hurry.
“Won’t the servants be surprised?”
“I mean…”
If the master they’d served stepped out of a carriage with a woman…
And that woman happened to be one of the servants who worked alongside them…
I’d certainly be shocked.
As I frowned awkwardly…
He replied,
“That won’t happen.”
I soon understood what he meant.
Even after stepping down from the carriage while holding Johannes Schultz’s hand…
Not a single servant looked surprised.
“I have some unfortunate news.”
“It seems returning to your home won’t be possible for a while.”
I heard those words after Sir Fret returned to Evanstein Castle, having finished dealing with the aftermath.
“Every daily newspaper…”
“Every weekly magazine…”
“Every monthly publication…”
“They’re all talking about you and the Master.”
“Even the special editions—the ones only published for major stories—are coming out one after another.”
I’d already expected articles to appear.
After all…
The incident had caused such an uproar.
So I calmly asked,
“How long?”
Even if people didn’t officially know Johannes Schultz’s face…
Anyone who had seen so many naval officers surrounding my house could easily guess who had been riding in that carriage.
“Well…”
“I’d say at least ten days.”
“The Navy will watch over your house in the meantime, so you needn’t worry.”
The answer wasn’t exactly reassuring.
But I had no alternatives.
Slowly, I nodded.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll leave it in your hands.”
Before long…
Winter had fully arrived.
Light snowflakes drifted gently through the air.
It had already been ten days since I’d come to Evanstein Castle.
Just as Sir Fret predicted…
New articles were published every single day.
First—
Banux had visited the home of a common woman drowning in debt.
Second—
Johannes Schultz had finally appeared in public after officially being missing.
And not just anywhere…
He had appeared in front of that very woman’s home.
Third—
Johannes Schultz had left the house together with that woman.
It was the perfect material for sensational journalism.
Every newspaper spun its own version of the story.
Most of them linked Johannes Schultz and me together.
A moneylending company had attempted to sell a young woman.
Then the Duke of Schultz appeared at just the right moment and took her away.
Perhaps…
She was his secret lover.
Not exactly his secret lover…
But we are about to get married.
That’s surprisingly close.
Naturally…
The reporters weren’t about to let such an exciting story go.
The rumors only became more exaggerated.
The woman was said to be astonishingly beautiful.
Some claimed she’d deliberately lured the Duke to her.
Rumors about my background spread just as quickly.
As a result…
For days, newspapers were filled with nothing but stories about Johannes Schultz and me.
The main narrative praised the Duke’s kindness and generosity.
Still…
It left me with mixed feelings.
A duke falls in love with a pitiful common girl who lost her father.
Meanwhile…
The embezzlement rumors that had occasionally surrounded him disappeared entirely.
Everyone’s attention shifted instead to Johannes Schultz’s love story.
Only then did I begin to understand why he’d wanted to marry me.
A woman he already knew.
Someone whose circumstances naturally inspired sympathy.
Someone sensible enough to know her place.
Someone easy to persuade.
That’s me.
Finding someone like that probably wasn’t easy.
Yet strangely…
I wasn’t upset.
He’d already helped me more than enough.
If anything…
I felt I was merely accepting the choice I’d made.
Though…
I still disliked seeing Father dragged into the newspapers.
Fortunately…
There were no problems with the servants.
I’d expected them to look down on me for overstepping my station.
Instead…
Their attitudes never changed.
If anything…
We grew considerably closer.
Other than that…
Very little had changed.
I continued performing my duties.
And the man who was soon to become my husband remained endlessly busy.
If there was one noticeable difference…
It was that Sir Fret seemed to be losing weight by the day.
Between handling the court case and educating me…
Even the little fat he had left seemed to be melting away.
“As I mentioned before…”
“Your etiquette is already nearly perfect.”
“I don’t believe you’ll require any further instruction.”
“The Master hasn’t expressed any concerns either.”
Sir Fret spoke while I watched the snow falling outside the window.
Turning slowly toward him, I listened.
“The only thing you really need to practice…”
“Is dancing.”
“I already know a little.”
“My father loved dancing.”
“That’s excellent.”
“In that case…”
“May I ask how many dances you’ve learned?”
“I know the quadrille, the waltz, the polka, the mazurka, and the polonaise.”
Sir Fret blinked in surprise.
Then he slowly nodded.
“…Then I suppose dancing won’t require instruction either.”
“That is… assuming you can perform them properly.”
“I don’t know whether I’m perfect…”
“But Father and I danced together often when I was little.”
“I didn’t have any friends…”
“Or much else to do.”
I answered matter-of-factly.
For a brief moment…
Sir Fret’s expression tightened.
He almost looked at me with pity.
Then he spoke.
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Starting today…”
“The Master will be joining you for meals.”
