"How am I doing? Am I well?"
"Yes sir, you're looking splendid indeed!"
"Thank you."
"Such beautiful flowers, for whom might they be?"
"I... I'm not quite sure, Irene."
"Haha, you don't know who you're giving the flowers to?"
"It's somewhat like that. Now, I must be going, I can't tarry."
I called for a carriage since riding horseback would wrinkle my clothes. All along the way, I ponder over how to speak with her, and her family? What will I say?!
"Hello, I am Archduke Tomas and I've come to prevent your daughter's marriage. She sends me letters every day and I don't even know why I'm doing this."
I’m beginning to regret my decision, my body seized by a massive wave of anxiety. I don’t know what to say; this will be embarrassing!
"We have arrived, sir!"
Startled by the coachman exclaiming our arrival, my hands are sweating. I am sweating. I can't believe I am really doing this...
I step out of the carriage and ask him to wait—if things go awry, I simply get back in the carriage and pretend nothing happened.
I stand before the door for a few minutes, unsure of how to introduce myself, what to say?!
Finally gathering courage, I knock on the door, and as it opens...
"Tomas! Dear Archduke Tomas, how fare you?"
"...Duke Castiel..."
"Please come in, do come in!"
I enter, uncertain of what to do, not expecting her to belong to a well-known family. I sit nervously on the couch.
"Then, to what do I owe the honor of your visit? Is there an issue with our partnership?"
"No, our partnership remains solid and flourishing."
"And so?"
"Duke Castiel, I'm more perplexed than you... well... it may sound odd, but... I've come to speak with your daughter."
"My daughter? Which one?"
Oh no! I don’t know!
"You have more than one daughter?"
"Yes, God has blessed me with three beautiful girls."
"Duke Castiel, well... I... I have come to speak with the eldest, I presume."
"Ema?"
"Could you kindly call her for me?"
"Forgive my asking, but what is it that you wish to discuss with my daughter?"
"For some time now, I've received her letters, but I haven't been able to respond, only having discovered her address recently."
"Heavens, are you my daughter's suitor?! I thought she had no interest in older men!"
"Well, I'm not that old, I'm only twenty-five years old, sir."
"Of course! Where did you meet her exactly?"
"At the castle, I saw her in the garden once and was charmed by her."
"Naturally, she has captivating beauty."
"Yes..."
"I'll call her, just a moment."
I haven’t even seen her, how will I converse with her?
I hear him calling out for his wife, requesting she prepare a pot of plain coffee.
My hands are sweating; what if those letters were nothing but a mistake? A wrong address?!
Trying to distract myself, I look toward another part of the room where a young lady, who seemed not to have reached majority age, was standing.
"Hello, my name is Clenir!"
"Hello, young lady, I'm Tomas."
"Are you a friend of my father's?"
"Yes."
"A business friend."
"Yes, haha."
"You're quite handsome!"
"...um... thank you."
"You're welcome!"
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Updated 88 Episodes
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