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ORIGINAL AUTHOR/S: Saera Shiina & 椎名さえら

“Clarisse, Your marriage partner has been decided.”

She had thought that it was unusual to be summoned to her fathers’ office, since he had never done so before, but after listening to what he said, Clarisse Farenheit blinked her violet eyes.

“My marriage partner ..?”

“Yes.”

Her father did not even make eye contact with Clarisse, as he explained the situation in a businesslike manner.

There had been a battle with a neighboring country on the border.

When the king had asked his vassal what he would like as a reward for his remarkable war achievements, he asked for marriage to the “Jewel of Farenheit” who was rumored to be the best in the kingdom, and the king granted the request on the condition that the vassal pledged eternal loyalty to the royal family.

The “Jewel of Farenheit” was the title given to Matilda, the eldest of the two daughters of Viscount Farenheit.

Matilda was beautiful from birth, her blue eyes charmed all who saw her, and her voice was as pretty as a bell and made all around her embarrass themselves by tripping over themselves when they saw her. After she came of age this had not changed, and she was constantly receiving offers of marriage from all the families around the kingdom. She was a daughter that her parents were proud of, and they felt happy just by looking at her.

Clarisse, on the other hand, had violet eyes and when compared to her elder sister, her appearance was average and there was nothing special about her. She was always seen as an insignificant presence in the Farenheit family. If you looked at her, you could see the intelligence in her eyes and her lady-like manners, but even that was overshadowed by Matilda’s beauty.

Her parents gave Matilda whatever she wanted and gave the leftovers to Clarisse.

The butler and other servants had no choice but to follow the parents’ attitude.

Clarisse was actually treated very kindly behind the scenes by those who felt sorry for her, but since they knew they couldn’t go against her parents, as they were their master, they only did it in the shadows.

Clarisse knew that her parents would probably arrange her marriage to some nobleman sooner or later, but she had never thought that she would be offered to a Frontier Margrave, whom she had never met, for the sake of her sister.

They had not the slightest intention of offering the lovely Matilda to a stranger  who was living far away near the border, although the Frontier Margrave undoubtedly had meant her sister.

However, the Frontier Margrave had not specified Matilda by name, so they weren’t disobeying the royal order.

“I have heard that your partner, Margrave Gutenberg, is a great man.”

Her mother, who was sitting next to her father, remarked, but Clarisse, who was fond of books and secretly read the newspapers, knew that the Margrave Gutenberg was rumored to be a cruel man with the appearance of a wolf and the temperament of a tiger. The nickname he was given was the Cannibal Margrave.

‘Neither father nor mother loved me… until the end…’

Clarisse, who hid her disappointment to the fullest extent, had no choice but to say yes.

After Clarisse returned to her room, her sister Matilda came in.

“What should I wear to the ball tonight?”

Clarisse looked at her sister, who looked like a beautiful porcelain doll.

“…A ball?”

Matilda saw the surprised look on Clarisse‘s face, and said in an apologetic tone .

“You may not have been invited. Just me…”

‘Again…’

Her sister always used to make sarcastic and mean remarks  like this, tormenting Clarisse constantly and in the past, she used to cry a lot because of that, but now she has gotten used to it since she knew that her sister was that kind of person, so she tried not to take it personally, but on days like today, when she was already feeling down, it was hard to bear.

“I’ve heard from our father that your marriage partner has been chosen.”

The voice of her lovely sister cornered Clarisse, although her voice was as soft as a ringing bell, her words were laced with poison.

“He said he couldn’t bear the thought of letting me go, so he will send you instead of me. I’m so happy for you, I think it’s a wonderful match for you. You get to become the wife of a Margrave. Well, it’s my hand-me-down though. Fufufu.”

Clarisse felt the pain of a sharp knife slicing through her chest. She stared at her sister who had a beautiful smile on her face as if she was pleased with making her suffer.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about him, apparently he eats people, right? …I wonder if he took you to be a sacrifice.”

Matilda finally left after she was satisfied with her verbal tormenting of her, Clarisse hugged her cold body in an attempt to warm herself up.

“—My Lady.”

Mary, the kind maid who had been in the room before Matilda came in, called Clarisse’s name softly in a caring manner. Clarisse came back to her senses and tried to smile at her.

“What is it?”

“Would you like me to get you something warm to drink?”

After being treated so coldly by her family, those kind words almost brought tears to her eyes.

“Thank you. But that’s okay. Can you leave me alone for a while?”

“As you wish, My Lady.”

Mary left the room with a worried look on her face, and Clarisse sat quietly on the couch by the window until night fell. In the midst of the silence, Clarisse slowly made up her mind.

‘Yes, it will be fine.‘

The king of this country was reputed to be a wise king, and there’s no way that the Margrave that he valued was a man-eater.*

One thing that concerned her was whether the Margrave had met Matilda somewhere and had then taken a liking to her. Matilda has been to many more soirées than Clarisse, and with her good looks, there was a good chance that was what happened.

In that case, he might be furious once he realises that Clarisse was sent in her place. If that happened, the only thing she could do was to apologize so that he might forgive her, and she would have to bear the guilt of her family.

Once she had made up her mind, her previously frozen body finally began to move.

Early Fall・Clarisse Farenheit・Nineteen years old.

According to her father, the matter of Clarisse’s marriage had been arranged quietly behind the scenes and it was to be kept as private as possible at the Margrave’s request.

She was allowed to bid farewell to a few noble ladies she was close to, but the future marriage was never announced publicly to the aristocratic society.

The Margrave had sent word through the royal family that Clarisse would be welcome to arrive at any time.

However, he could not come to the capital to pick her up because the current condition of the border was too unpredictable and he needed to remain to keep it secure.

“It’s a pity there won’t be a ceremony.”

Matilda, who was still trying to bully Clarisse, said.

However, on the contrary, Clarisse was rather pleased that things were proceeding quietly.

She thought it would be worse if the Margrave came to the capital for the ceremony and found out that she was not the wife he had wanted.

It was unlikely that her selfish sister would have gone to that remote area just because she had been ordered by the king and if they were not careful, the Farenheit family would probably be ruined as a punishment for disobeying a royal decree.

Clarisse couldn’t think of much to take with her, so she just packed a few of her favorite books in addition to her daily necessities, along with a few items that she treasure which were kept in a wooden box.

The winter in the remote area was said to be very cold, however she thought it would be better to buy winter clothes there, so she didn’t bother to prepare them.

The only maid she was taking with her was Mary, who had volunteered. Although Mary wasn’t the only one who volunteered to go with her, she had to comply with the order from the Margrave that she could only bring one personal maid.

Mary was four years older than Clarisse, and she had been Clarisse’s maid since they were both little, so having her for company was reassuring.

The preparations proceeded smoothly and the departure date for the wedding was set, and the only thing left for her to do was simply to keep quiet and do everything she was told.

When the morning of her departure finally arrived, her parents and Matilda bid farewell to Clarisse at the mansion’s entrance.

“Take care of yourself.”

As her father said this, her tearful mother nodded next to him.

“I will miss you, Clarisse. Be sure to write to me.”

Matilda said with the face of a sister who was grieving over the fact that her beloved sister was moving faraway. There was no one better at this kind of acting than her.

It was hard to believe that she was the same person who had been sitting in Clarisse’s room a few minutes ago, saying how refreshing it was to see her leave.

Once their parents arrived Matilda had quickly changed her to a gloomy expression. She had always been this quick to change her expressions since childhood, and Clarisse had no intention to say anything about it now. She just thought, vaguely, that her sister seemed happy to get rid of her.

“Father, mother, sister Matilda, take care.”

That was the end of the conversation.

After a quick farewell, Clarisse walked out of the house with Mary and was surprised to see all the servants lined up outside.

“You all…”

They were all the people who had served Clarisse well since she was a child. Seeing them felt much more sorrowful than saying goodbye to her parents and sister.

“Take care of yourself, Lady Clarisse. Mary, you must serve Lady Clarisse well.”

The head maid looked at Mary with teary eyes.

“Of course I will, even if it costs me my life.”

The head maid, the butler, the head chef, and the other servants all expressed their grief at Clarisse’s departure and their concern for her future.

“Thank you, everyone. I wouldn’t be who I am if it weren’t for you. I hope you will continue to support the Farenheit family.”

As the sound of sobbing echoed through the air, Clarisse fought to keep from crying as she and Mary walked out the gate.

The Margrave had sent them a carriage for her to travel in.

It would take three days by carriage from the royal capital to the border where the margrave residence was located.

The coachman of the Gutenberg family was surprised at the small amount of luggage she was bringing with her. He glanced quickly at the other young man next to him, who nodded as if to say he understood.

“My Lady, the daughter of Viscount Farenheit.”

The young man opened his mouth.

He was a tall man with pale golden hair and a kind face.

“My name is Marius, the eldest son of Viscount Shtok, in the service of the Margrave Gutenberg. I am here to escort you on behalf of the Margrave.”

As he looked at Clarisse’s face, he saw that her blue eyes widened as if she was startled, but she quickly blinked to hide her shock.

“Lord Marius.”

Clarisse greeted Marius with a smile.

“Marius is fine.”

“‘Then, by all means, call me Clarisse as well.”

“Very well, My Lady, then, please come this way, Miss Clarisse.”

Marius assisted Clarisse and Mary into the carriage and then sat down next to the coachman.

‘What a beautiful person!’

Marius thought back to Clarisse’s beautiful face as he leaned back against the swaying carriage. Those violet eyes… there’s nothing quite like them.

Marcus thought back to the scene he had just witnessed, and she seemed to be adored by the servants as well.

There was less luggage than he had expected, and from what he caught a glimpse of, the contents were relatively modest. No wonder the coachman was surprised.

Marius came from a similar family as the Farenheit family, as both families hold the title of Viscount. Still, his mother and sister always made a fuss over trips that lasted for a few days, and as he recalls, the luggage they always packed him was more than Clarisse’s today.

‘She’s a strange one, Miss Clarisse…’

Meanwhile, Mary, the maid, was suffering from severe motion sickness in the Margrave’s luxurious carriage. It hadn’t been long since they’d left the mansion, yet she was extremely ill when they arrived.

“Oh, Miss… I’m sorry…please forgive me for going before you…”

Clarisse giggled at the maid, who appeared to be dying and was out of breath.

“You’re exaggerating, Mary.”

She then showed Mary a small glass vial that she had hidden in her skirt pocket.

“I brought you some motion sickness medicine, just in case this would happen.”

“As expected, my lady is always prepared…”

The servants surrounded Mary after they parted. They tearfully asked her to take care of the young lady. Still, even before doing anything, she had already caused trouble…

Mary reflected on how she shouldn’t have pretended to be calm and said, “Even if it costs me my life.”

She should have died immediately to apologize and make up for this situation – but instead, she’s already dying of motion sickness!

“Yes, it doesn’t smell great, but drink it all at once.”

Clarisse, with her angelic smile, handed her a black liquid with a strong odour. The smell alone made Mary think that if she drank it, she might die anyway.

It smelled like a sweaty shirt that hasn’t been washed in three days after working outside every day in the middle of summer. It’s one of two options: does she want to keep having motion sickness ? Or, will she take this medicine? Does she have the courage to take it?

Mary took the vial with trembling hands and looked at Clarisse. She was watching her with a smile plastered on her beautiful face – making Mary fall in love with her.

‘Oh, my Lady, these clear eyes of yours…they are dazzling….’

‘Eeeeew, whatever!’

Mary slurped down the contents of the vial in one gulp.

Suddenly, violent coughing came from within the carriage, and Marius, startled, turned around.

There was a small frosted glass window between the seat outside where the coachman sat and the inside of the carriage. Still, it could only be opened from within for security reasons, so he knocked lightly on the window.

Though the intermittent coughing was still going on, the window opened a few moments later, and Clarisse’s beautiful violet eyes peeked out.

“What’s the matter, Mr. Marius?”

“No… um… there was a coughing sound…”

“I’m sorry, but Mary is coughing.”

It’s not possible to see where Mary, the maid, is sitting through the small window, but since Clarisse could talk normally, the coughing could only belong to Mary. And while Marius and Clarisse were talking, the coughing seemed to have finally subsided.

‘Hmm? What’s that…strong smell…?’

For a moment, the scent of condensed sweat drifted around him. Still, Marius decided to believe that the wind was changing direction and that he smelled the scent of the coachman. It was a cool, early autumn day, and he didn’t think that someone would sweat that much.

When the window closed, the pungent smell subsided, and Marius forgot about it for the rest of the day.

“My Lady… the motion sickness is definitely gone… but the other side effects are terrible.”

Mary opened the small window behind her; as she was seated in the back, the window faced away from the coachman. She had a hunch that if she didn’t aerate the carriage then she would definitely find herself dead. She heard coughing from the coachman of the second carriage behind them, which carried Clarisse’s belongings, after being hit by a scent bomb.

‘I’m sorry, coachman… it’ll go on for a while, get used to it… but I promise you won’t get motion sickness…’

Mary apologized in her heart.

“That medicine is very effective, but it smells… I think I’ll add some dates to it next time, just to make it more fragrant.”

“What, you’re going to add dates to that medicine? Won’t it make it smell even weirder?

“I know, but there isn’t any other material that smells so good and won’t compete with the benefits…”

Mary imagined a version of the sweat she had just smelt with a sweet smell added to it. She was confident she could vomit from that alone. They say sweetness together with sweat brings memories of sweet youth…

Clarisse’s wooden box, which she had placed on her cart.

Having been isolated at home since childhood, Clarisse’s interest was in gardening. She became friends with the gardeners. As they shared their knowledge with her, she began to study them: focusing on medicinal herbs.

She now knows so much about medicinal herbs that she can mix and create her own natural remedies. Of course, this is Clarisse’s hobby and skill that no one in her family knows about. However, all the servants working for the Farenheit family knew about it, and her knowledge had saved them many times.

Clarisse, of course, has brought with her to the Margrave mansion a guide to medicinal herbs, a medical book, and a notebook containing all the medicine she has created so far and the methods used to prepare them. It was the first thing she had packed away, for it was the only thing she was absolutely determined to bring along.

‘I hope the Margrave will be open to the idea of Lady Clarisse handling medicinal herbs… I don’t even know if he will give his wife that kind of freedom in the first place… I’ll have to be careful…’

Mary made up her mind after her motion sickness had subsided entirely.