“Rose, you look pretty today.”

Pout. Rose’s face, which usually brightened when she saw me, looked unhappy today. Still, it was like her to not miss securing the seat next to me.

“I came all this way to see Rose. Since I’ve come so far, let me at least see your face. If you don’t like it, just refuse, okay?”

Today was the day Rose Temery’s ‘prospective’ fiancé was visiting Inkhart Castle.

Darius and I decided to attend together, worried about Rose.

“Pleased to meet you.”

‘Oh.’

“I am Alexander, heir to the Eastern Russilof County.”

“Welcome. Was the long journey tiring?”

I felt the nervous Rose tightly grip the hem of my skirt.

The heir to the Eastern County, rumored to be quite something, was taller than his peers, and perhaps because of his height, his body looked a bit thin. His expression, like Rose’s, showed signs of nervousness.

“I’m grateful for the Grand Duke and Duchess’s hospitality.”

‘He seems quiet but diligent. First impression is good so far.’

“Come now, Rose. You should greet him too.”

“…I’m Rose Temery.”

‘Oh my, how cute. Look at her, absolutely refusing to make eye contact.’

Rose was biting her lip as if upset and turning her head sideways, but I knew. That was the expression she made when she didn’t want to admit she was interested in something new she’d learned.

“Rose, really. How can you greet someone while hiding behind someone else? Come forward and greet him properly. This gentleman came all this way to see you.”

I couldn’t help but grin as I felt Rose’s little head busily working to combine the newly encountered boy’s voice, impression, and appearance.

“I apologize. As we have no daughters in the Inkhart ducal family, we’ve raised her like a little sister, so please be understanding if her behavior doesn’t quite match etiquette.”

At Darius’s words, Alexander nodded without much change in expression, saying, “I see.”

‘No, you should say that’s not the case here. You should praise her, even if forced!’

Though here for a matchmaking meeting, Alexander was still a shy fifteen-year-old boy. It was rather fitting for a boy his age to not know the right things to say.

If that was the case, Darius and I had no choice but to help break the awkward atmosphere between the two.

“I thought you might be tired from your long journey, so I’ve prepared some tea. Let’s have a chat while we drink.”

We moved to our seats at my invitation. Darius didn’t miss that brief moment to plant a light kiss on the top of my head.

“This reminds me of the day I first met Anette.”

“Oh my, Grand Duke, please.”

A natural display of affection, me pushing him away as if embarrassed. It was all pre-arranged.

“Ahem, ahem. You two seem close today as well. As expected!”

Sure enough, Rose reacted just as we had anticipated.

Good, the response has been positive so far.

‘She wasn’t a child who was negative about marriage to begin with.’

Darius emphasized that this engagement absolutely must happen.

If Rose gets engaged, the Temery family will meet the conditions to become a count family, and when the Temery family becomes a count family, the ducal family also becomes stronger. The unity of the North that comes with it!

It turns out Rose’s engagement was such an important matter.

“Before I had a wife, I didn’t know, but living together, I realized how important it is to have a lifelong companion.”

“I understand now that we’re living together too. That I can’t even imagine a day without the Grand Duke anymore.”

Darius sat next to Young Master Alexander, and I sat next to the shy Rose. Sitting across the table, we held hands tightly as if we couldn’t be apart even for a moment.

“I also went all the way to the South to welcome Anette. And I knew the moment I first saw her. That I had gained the most valuable treasure in my life.”

“Hohoho, that’s right… The… tingling sensation… I felt when I first saw the Grand Duke… still makes my whole body tremble.”

“I’m always trembling, Anette.”

The day we first met, Darius wore a mask and even altered his voice, showing every sign that he didn’t want to see me.

He refused my invitation to have a cup of tea, and when we had our first proper conversation after the official dinner…

‘I was generously pulling the hair of my annoying half-sister.’

If he fell for me at that sight, it’s quite fitting for an aggressive Northern man. I’m at a loss for words.

“Marriage was already decided, and I was only nervous about what kind of lady would end up living with me.”

‘The lie grows longer.’

“Even though the South is said to be mild, flowers don’t bloom in the dead of winter. Yet, the journey to bring Anette felt like secretly bringing a flower that bloomed alone in the South.”

“I did bring a flower, didn’t I?”

Of course, I still haven’t managed to bloom the cotton flower as promised.

“With Anette, I don’t need any garden.”

“I see the Grand Duke likes that I hired a new gardener and overhauled the garden. Is that why you’re praising me like this?”

After hiring back the gardener that Lady Egritte had fired to save on castle expenses, I worked with that gardener to create a cotton field in one corner of the garden.

Unlike the garden that regained its lush appearance under the gardener’s care, my cotton field was only boasting bare soil despite all the fertilizer poured on it.

Feeling preemptively guilty about that, I was grumbling that I knew, when Darius lifted my hand and lightly kissed it.

“Getting a good companion enriches one’s life. The world before knowing that person becomes boring, and you start looking forward to what kind of future you’ll create with this person.”

I was about to stop Darius as his words and actions became increasingly exaggerated, feeling uneasy.

“Grand Duke.”

But Darius continued his act undeterred, smiling brightly.

“You proposed first, didn’t you?”

You mean that declaration of revenge, saying you’d surely ruin my family after marrying in?

“It was truly a brave proposal.”

Looking back, it seems more like a declaration of revenge than a proposal.

“I think that’s when I really fell for you.”

Where exactly?

“You remember too, don’t you? Anette.”

Eek! Rose let out a small exclamation. Contrary to the increasingly strange atmosphere, Rose said to me with sparkling eyes.

“I want to receive a proposal like that too.”

“You haven’t even heard the proposal lines yet. And I was the one who did it, not received it.”

“Whatever it was, it must have been super romantic and cool! If it’s Lady Anette, it surely was!”

At Rose’s reaction, Darius grinned and immediately continued.

“You said you’d make sure I wouldn’t regret marrying you.”

“I was overwhelmed.”

Darius smiled softly. That smile was so bright and radiant that it was hard to believe it was just an act.

Whoosh, I felt my face burning up.

“You remember quite a lot.”

“I could never forget. Because Anette kept that promise.”

Darius answered like that and then turned to the young couple about to be engaged.

“I’ve never regretted marrying her for a moment. And I have no intention of letting go of the woman who said she’d take responsibility if I took her as my wife.”

The tense Alexander turned his head and was now staring intently at me.

His face showed doubt and expectation, wondering, ‘Could a political marriage also become a couple like this?’

‘It’s… going according to plan.’

To tell the truth, our first meeting was closer to thrill and suspense than Romeo and Juliet falling into burning love.

If I were to say that the marriage contract is something that strangles you with strict conditions, without dreams or hope, not only Rose but this boy would run away immediately.

So we need to show a good image in front of these two people who are about to be bound by an engagement relationship, to help them relax.

That’s why we planned all this in advance.

But why do I keep feeling like I want to stop it?

I kept drinking tea, feeling anxious.

“Anette, drinking too much tea isn’t good either. Have some snacks too.”

“Ah, so a good husband should also watch what his wife eats.”

“You learn quickly, so you’ll likely make a good fiancé and husband. I think I can entrust Rose to you with peace of mind.”

Rose pouted at Darius’s boasting in response to Alexander’s admiration.

I’m pouting too.

* * *

I made an excuse to show Alexander around the castle and got up from my seat.

Of course, my real purpose was to sound out this serious young man’s feelings.

“We said all sorts of things in front of someone we just met, didn’t we?”

Alexander answered my question as we walked slowly.

“Not at all.”

“So, what do you think of our Rose?”

The boy was silent. He looked deep in thought. I asked in as casual a voice as possible.

“Was my question too early? I suppose you can’t know a person in just one day.”

“She seemed lively. I heard she was the daughter of a renowned knight family, and indeed she seemed spirited.”

The assessment isn’t bad. I secretly rejoiced.

“She seemed to have a lot of romance about love, so I was worried if I would be up to her standards.”

“Oh my, such worries?”

The boy is silent, and Rose is aloof. Human relationships are difficult enough when just one person isn’t honest, but like this, it might be hard for both of them to get to know each other.

“I think it will work out well. If you two spend more time together. The Grand Duke and I really didn’t get along at first either.”

Chuckling, I parted ways with the boy, encouraging him.

Now that I had gauged Alexander’s feelings, it was time to ask about Rose’s side. Although I was a bit annoyed at Darius’s boasting earlier, I quickly returned to him to exchange opinions.

“What did Alexander say?”

“He seems to have a fairly good impression. For a first meeting. How about Rose?”

Darius shrugged.

“Is there anyone in Inkhart Castle who can’t read Rose’s expressions?”

I see, so that prim little lady doesn’t dislike him either.

I felt relieved as there were signs that the first matchmaking I hosted might not turn out badly. Then another thought occurred to me.

“Earlier.”

I glanced at Darius, fidgeting with my fingers.

“You didn’t need to go that far, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, saying you fell for me at first sight, that your heart was pounding…”

“I only spoke the truth.”

“And when did you say taking me felt like bringing a flower from the South… Ugh, just trying to repeat it gives me goosebumps!”

“It’s true that you proposed first, and that you said you’d make sure I wouldn’t regret it when you proposed… When did I ever lie?”

Darius hurried ahead. He added one more thing, as if knowing I would chase after him to give him a smack.

“Don’t forget, Anette. We have many eyes on us now, so we need to act like the most affectionate couple in the world.”

“Oh, really! Just prepare to get the cold shoulder when everyone leaves!”

Come to think of it, the army assembled for the monster subjugation was about to head to the Northern mountains soon. Though I was worried about the arduous journey…

Was it because Rose’s engagement issue seemed to be working out well?

For some reason, I felt like everything was going to turn out fine.