Previously
Emma returns to the Brow estate and reflects on her successful trip to Tesis and her interactions with Ash. Melinda Brow presents three potential suitors, highlighting Arthur Gottfried as the best option for his family's wealth and political ties.
I offered my greetings exactly as I had been taught at the Count’s estate: ‘soft and humble, yet never subservient.’
Then, following their invitation, I took a seat opposite Arthur.
He had fine chestnut hair and a face that looked as if it had been drawn with perfect lines. His hazel eyes seemed ordinary at first glance, but they suited his calm and tidy atmosphere perfectly.
‘He feels like a model husband candidate.’
While he might not be a head-turning handsome man like Ash MacCallan, he looked like the type who would be faithful to his home and society without ever stepping foot into anything dangerous or reckless.
I felt a bit sorry for our police officer, but in the marriage market, this kind of man was always more popular.
The two ladies, acting as facilitators, spent about ten minutes engaged in trivial conversation. They talked about the weather, the current economy, and which acquaintance had recently gotten engaged.
By the time I had taken a couple of sips of the black tea in front of me, they seemed to gauge the mood and subtly made their move.
Mrs. Gottfried gave her son strict instructions, and I stood up with Arthur to see them off.
At the last moment, Mrs. Brow looked back at me with a slight twitch of her eyebrows, and I could almost hear her voice.
‘You must secure Arthur!’
In truth, thanks to Count and Mrs. Brow, the marriage already felt like more than half a fait accompli, but if this man decided he absolutely hated me after talking, the match would go up in smoke.
‘If that happens, I don’t think Count Brow will let me be.’
Personally, living alone in Tesis was more appealing, but that seemed difficult. My departure from Mulberry hadn’t exactly been a peaceful or beautiful conclusion.
Considering that, staying in Herona was safer.
‘They won’t imagine I’d be in the capital.’
Therefore, I needed a justification to stay here and a sturdier fence to protect me. The Gottfried family was reliable enough for that.
‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll make that man fall for me!’
Is that something that happens just because one decides to do it? Well, it probably will.
As I mentioned before, the members of the Mulberry troupe were all criminals. Among them were quite a few who specialized in enchanting the opposite sex to extort money, and I had learned the secrets of seduction from them since I was young.
Back then, I learned it to become a charming leading lady on stage, but in the end, I was using it just like them to seduce someone for money.
Regardless, I smiled without taking my eyes off him. It was the smile I had worn when playing Lavietta, the princess of an enemy nation who received the knight’s passionate love in the play ‘Knight of Suleiman’—a smile mixed with curiosity, favor, liveliness, and caution.
At that, Arthur, who had been stealing glances at me, spoke up.
A good start. In fact, I had yet to see a man who didn’t waver at this smile.
We maintained a pleasant tension as we conversed slowly.
I had worried it might be agonizing to sit there, but he led the conversation, making me feel comfortable while occasionally mixing in jokes.
About two hours passed. As a result of focusing on every single word to grasp his tastes, I discovered a few facts.
First, he was a pacifist to put it nicely, and indecisive to put it bluntly. He didn’t seem to have the will to fight for anything.
Was it because he was so affluent that he didn’t need to?
Also, he mentioned a ‘childhood friend’ about three times, and I could bet my entire fortune that the friend was a woman.
However, it was ambiguous whether it was romantic affection, so I reserved judgment on that part for now.
Finally, this man was currently looking down on me from quite a height.
‘It’s only because I’m better than his expectations that we’ve gotten this far; if the real Rosaline had shown up, this marriage talk would have been scrapped long ago.’
I had roughly expected that from the moment I first saw him. Even when his mother stood up to say goodbye, he only pretended to greet Mrs. Brow and didn’t even glance my way.
He was acting quite gentlemanly now, but I wondered—perhaps this man had no intention of marrying me at all.
If I were an ordinary, faint-hearted noble lady, I might have had my pride wounded and grown sullen.
But I wasn’t a real noble lady, I wasn’t faint-hearted, and I had no intention of failing this negotiation.
I hadn’t lived a life easy enough to give up on a goal over something like this.
It seemed the suggestion to meet for the sake of those who arranged the meeting, rather than out of personal desire, was a bit surprising. Arthur’s expression shifted slightly.
Ending the sentence there wouldn’t be impressive at all. I added a smile that looked tinged with regret.
At my confident declaration, the corners of his mouth slowly curved. Unlike his polite smiles until now, this one held clear ‘curiosity.’
‘People like you need a fresh shock. How about it? Are you already starting to feel regret that we only have three meetings left?’
I was likely a style of woman he had never encountered before. Furthermore, I had made a brazen proposal that an obedient lady would never dare to make. Yet, it wasn’t outside the bounds of etiquette, I had left room for him to refuse, and the reason for the proposal was understandable.
Therefore, this man would accept my offer.
At his response, which flowed out readily as expected, I didn’t say more and simply gave a beaming smile.
That man probably didn’t know yet—exactly what kind of trap he had just stepped into with that answer.
The corkboard belonging to Ash, who had returned from Tesis, was covered with even more notes than before.
He had gained quite a lot from his few days of business travel.
First of all, facts slightly different from what was known had trickled out through the mouths of several people.
A head maid who had quit working at the Baron’s castle poured out a story that she might have heard by chance or by eavesdropping.
According to her, the Baron couple intended to sell off the title for a large sum of money. Their trip to Herona was ostensibly for Rosaline’s marriage, but the real purpose was to look for someone to buy the title.
At those words, a realization struck him like a blow to the back of the head.
The families trying to proceed with marriage talks with Rosaline would also be calculating that they would hand over a corresponding amount of money instead of her bringing the title.
However, that was strictly the property of Rosaline and her future husband.
Even if the Baron himself could use a portion of it, he would clearly have to be mindful of his son-in-law or his in-laws when spending the money. The reason the other family would give a large sum was so it would become their son’s wealth.
‘The Baron wanted money that he could hold entirely in his own hands.’
If so, could it be that Rosaline, who only learned of those intentions after going to Herona, was unable to suppress a momentary flash of rage and set the fire?