The Duke of Charles Sadie's daily routine was seemingly simple. He woke up in the morning, brushed his teeth and washed his face, had a simple meal of toast and coffee in his bedroom, and then read the day's newspapers.
Then, with the help of the servants, he called the butler and checked the schedule for the day while changing clothes.
It was the same that day. Until Charles, who was drinking strong black coffee, caught sight of an article.
<Marquis Starr! Rob the Jewelry Store for Your Lady>
The actual content was not that Killian stole the jewels, but rather that he bought a lot of them as if he had robbed them.
But Charles didn't even like that kind of behavior.
“It’s an eyesore.”
He hated to admit it, but he deeply disliked Killian, whom he felt was his rival. No matter how much he thought about it, Emily couldn't marry a man like that.
Charles remembered the day he first met Emily.
On the day he went to the Sinope territory by order of the Emperor, the first thing Charles saw was the flustered Count of Sinope.
“Your Excellency, it is a great honor to have you come all the way here, but I am distraught over my daughter’s disappearance.”
Charles looked at the Count, who was dressed in an uncharacteristically frugal manner.
Count Sinope was a man of deep loyalty to the Emperor, but of a weak and kind heart.
Perhaps, if the Emperor had known he was this kind of person, he would never have entrusted him with that task... Charles thought, but he put aside his regret and listened to the Count.
“Have you seen my daughter on your way here?”
He's heard that Emily was famous in high society, but Charles, who guarded the North, wasn't the type to leisurely attend palace parties.
“What does she look like?”
“It’s a striking appearance that you can’t help but recognize even if you don’t know what she looks like.”
He thought it was a joke, but the Count's expression was serious. And so, for the first time in his twenty-six years, Charles found himself speechless.
“...It’s not a very impressive description, but I’ll go out and take a look.”
“I’m sorry to ask you this before you even unpack.”
"No."
Charles put his hat back on and went outside.
“Where should I go from here?”
He felt like he was moving just as the Count wanted.
It's true. Count Sinope deliberately used the ominous word "missing" to move Charles.
Anyway, to find the young lady of Sinope, Charles also released the knights he had brought with him.
The Count's men were already searching the territory, and Charles, unfamiliar with the place, had no confidence in finding Emily.
Still, the reason why he was running around so diligently was that he was curious about Emily, who was being watched by the Emperor.
The Emperor, who had been trying to get Sinope and Lucius engaged for some reason, kept delaying the decision for some reason.
During this inspection, instructions were given to look into Sinope's young daughter, Emily, in more detail.
As Charles was walking along, listening to the sound of the stream with a complicated mind, he heard a curse from somewhere.
“...let a dog shit on your face!”
What is this? The rough tone of voice, incongruous with the gentle nature of the words, piqued Charles's curiosity.
Charles went up to where the sound had come from, and there, beneath a large maple tree, was a woman whose appearance was truly striking, just as the Count had described.
A shabby crown was worn over her roughly tied hair, and the hem of her simple lime green dress was wet and shabby.
Nevertheless, her pure white skin and cherry-red lips were cute and beautiful without any special effort.
Above all, there was an aura flowing from her deep and clear eyes that seemed to captivate men.
Charles approached the woman cautiously, as he felt she was somehow the Lady of Sinope.
What on earth was she staring at so intently that she couldn't even notice the sound of footsteps behind her?
“...Ramis grabbed Lola by the back of her neck and kissed her?”
He happened to see the writing and, after reading it, he thought, 'Wow, what on earth is this girl reading?' The girl was startled by Charles's voice, turned around, and ended up banging her forehead against his chin.
Charles was a gifted student who passed the highly competitive exam to become a member of the Imperial Guard as a teenager, and his specialties were horseback riding, fencing, and tennis.
Moreover, he enjoyed fighting games as a hobby and never lost a duel against anyone. Even among the mercenary guards, he was tall, muscular, and fit.
And above all, he is the Sword Master of Vancent.
The reason he says this is that he wants to emphasize that the woman's headbutt was so painful.
“...Who, who are you?”
Charles rubbed his chin, frowning.
“You have a very strong head.”
“I’m sorry, but why are you reading a novel out loud when other people are reading it...?”
Emily's blushing face was quite adorable. Charles was embarrassed, as it was the first time he'd ever felt this way about a woman.
Charles asked Emily, trying hard to remain calm.
“Are you the Young Lady of Sinope?”
Emily nodded, pondering Charles' question.
As expected, he was right, Emily. Charles had no choice but to admit that the Count of Sinope's explanation was accurate, not insincere.
“Your father asked me to look after his daughter, who had disappeared.”
“I only lost three hours?”
Just as Emily was being bewildered, the Count's family came up to find her. Charles chuckled as he saw her throw the book into the bushes and hide it.
“Thank you for coming to see the young lady, Your Excellency.”
Emily was startled by the butler's words and asked back.
“Your Excellency, the Duke?”
“You don’t know yet, young lady. This is Duke Charles Sadie.”
He could feel Emily's gaze, flustered and at a loss at the butler's words.
Just as Emily was about to grab the hem of her dress and bend her knees, Charles stopped her.
“You don’t have to be formal all of a sudden.”
"But..."
Emily's heart grew anxious as her perfectly decorated social appearance was threatened with collapse in an instant.
Charles also noticed that Emily was worried as she took off the crown on her head and kept trying to smooth out the wrinkles in her dress.
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on going anywhere to talk.”
Emily smiled bashfully, embarrassed.
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
That was the first time Charles remembered meeting Emily.
Even as Charles stayed in the room the Count had given him that day, he couldn't stop thinking about Emily. In fact, having been on the battlefield since a young age, he was rather insensitive to others.
Although he had many followers, he had few close friends, and he was not particularly interested in the opposite sex, so he had no woman he could say he had truly dated.
The mere fact that he was curious about someone was highly unusual.
"Ha."
Charles became increasingly concerned about what kind of report the Emperor wanted.
And the next day, after finishing his morning work and looking around outside the castle, he spotted Emily again.
This time, she was sitting on the floor, her long, wavy hair roughly braided, wearing a simple lemon-colored dress that reached her ankles.
Charles approached her, calling her out happily without realizing it.
“Young Lady, were you here?”
Unlike Charles, who was happy to see her, Emily's face hardened when she found him.
“Is my father looking for me again?”
Emily sighed in relief as Charles shook his head.
"It's different from the rumors I heard in the territory. Why is a noble lady pulling out carrots?"
Emily, who had already been exposed to Charles, answered honestly with a feeling of resignation.
“Because it’s fun.”
Charles tilted his head.
“Is it fun to pull out carrots?”
“No, that’s not it. These people don’t treat me like a noble lady.”
To see if that was true, an old woman called out to Emily nonchalantly from a distance.
“Emily! Come eat some carrot soup later.”
“That doesn’t taste good.”
“Do you want to get hit with a carrot?”
It wasn't something one should say or do to a noble lady. Emily laughed out loud at Charles's shocked expression.
"Isn't that tone so funny? It's something you'd never hear in high society."
“Do they know that you are the lord’s daughter?”
"Yes, they know. But I asked them to be comfortable with me. I don't want to make people uncomfortable by bringing up the fact that I'm the lord's daughter."
“...That’s unusual.”
It was certainly unusual, but it wasn't at all awkward; it was endearing. Charles usually hated the blurring of boundaries between commoners and nobles, so this was quite strange.
During his few days at the Sinope estate, Emily's unique charm gradually captivated Charles.
Contrary to the Emperor's fears, there was nothing particularly suspicious about Count Sinope, and his ledgers were remarkably clean.
There was no reason to disqualify Emily as a bride, but the Emperor was already busy trying to change Lucius's marriage to someone else.
So he thought there wouldn't be any major problems with making this request.
Unfortunately, this was not what the Emperor had intended, and it only served to heighten the wariness of Sinope.
After finishing his recollection, Charles tapped his finger on the desk and called the butler.
“I need to write an invitation, so bring a pen and some stationery.”
Then, with the help of the servants, he called the butler and checked the schedule for the day while changing clothes.
It was the same that day. Until Charles, who was drinking strong black coffee, caught sight of an article.
<Marquis Starr! Rob the Jewelry Store for Your Lady>
The actual content was not that Killian stole the jewels, but rather that he bought a lot of them as if he had robbed them.
But Charles didn't even like that kind of behavior.
“It’s an eyesore.”
He hated to admit it, but he deeply disliked Killian, whom he felt was his rival. No matter how much he thought about it, Emily couldn't marry a man like that.
Charles remembered the day he first met Emily.
On the day he went to the Sinope territory by order of the Emperor, the first thing Charles saw was the flustered Count of Sinope.
***
“Your Excellency, it is a great honor to have you come all the way here, but I am distraught over my daughter’s disappearance.”
Charles looked at the Count, who was dressed in an uncharacteristically frugal manner.
Count Sinope was a man of deep loyalty to the Emperor, but of a weak and kind heart.
Perhaps, if the Emperor had known he was this kind of person, he would never have entrusted him with that task... Charles thought, but he put aside his regret and listened to the Count.
“Have you seen my daughter on your way here?”
He's heard that Emily was famous in high society, but Charles, who guarded the North, wasn't the type to leisurely attend palace parties.
“What does she look like?”
“It’s a striking appearance that you can’t help but recognize even if you don’t know what she looks like.”
He thought it was a joke, but the Count's expression was serious. And so, for the first time in his twenty-six years, Charles found himself speechless.
“...It’s not a very impressive description, but I’ll go out and take a look.”
“I’m sorry to ask you this before you even unpack.”
"No."
Charles put his hat back on and went outside.
“Where should I go from here?”
He felt like he was moving just as the Count wanted.
It's true. Count Sinope deliberately used the ominous word "missing" to move Charles.
Anyway, to find the young lady of Sinope, Charles also released the knights he had brought with him.
The Count's men were already searching the territory, and Charles, unfamiliar with the place, had no confidence in finding Emily.
Still, the reason why he was running around so diligently was that he was curious about Emily, who was being watched by the Emperor.
The Emperor, who had been trying to get Sinope and Lucius engaged for some reason, kept delaying the decision for some reason.
During this inspection, instructions were given to look into Sinope's young daughter, Emily, in more detail.
As Charles was walking along, listening to the sound of the stream with a complicated mind, he heard a curse from somewhere.
“...let a dog shit on your face!”
What is this? The rough tone of voice, incongruous with the gentle nature of the words, piqued Charles's curiosity.
Charles went up to where the sound had come from, and there, beneath a large maple tree, was a woman whose appearance was truly striking, just as the Count had described.
A shabby crown was worn over her roughly tied hair, and the hem of her simple lime green dress was wet and shabby.
Nevertheless, her pure white skin and cherry-red lips were cute and beautiful without any special effort.
Above all, there was an aura flowing from her deep and clear eyes that seemed to captivate men.
Charles approached the woman cautiously, as he felt she was somehow the Lady of Sinope.
What on earth was she staring at so intently that she couldn't even notice the sound of footsteps behind her?
“...Ramis grabbed Lola by the back of her neck and kissed her?”
He happened to see the writing and, after reading it, he thought, 'Wow, what on earth is this girl reading?' The girl was startled by Charles's voice, turned around, and ended up banging her forehead against his chin.
Charles was a gifted student who passed the highly competitive exam to become a member of the Imperial Guard as a teenager, and his specialties were horseback riding, fencing, and tennis.
Moreover, he enjoyed fighting games as a hobby and never lost a duel against anyone. Even among the mercenary guards, he was tall, muscular, and fit.
And above all, he is the Sword Master of Vancent.
The reason he says this is that he wants to emphasize that the woman's headbutt was so painful.
“...Who, who are you?”
Charles rubbed his chin, frowning.
“You have a very strong head.”
“I’m sorry, but why are you reading a novel out loud when other people are reading it...?”
Emily's blushing face was quite adorable. Charles was embarrassed, as it was the first time he'd ever felt this way about a woman.
Charles asked Emily, trying hard to remain calm.
“Are you the Young Lady of Sinope?”
Emily nodded, pondering Charles' question.
As expected, he was right, Emily. Charles had no choice but to admit that the Count of Sinope's explanation was accurate, not insincere.
“Your father asked me to look after his daughter, who had disappeared.”
“I only lost three hours?”
Just as Emily was being bewildered, the Count's family came up to find her. Charles chuckled as he saw her throw the book into the bushes and hide it.
“Thank you for coming to see the young lady, Your Excellency.”
Emily was startled by the butler's words and asked back.
“Your Excellency, the Duke?”
“You don’t know yet, young lady. This is Duke Charles Sadie.”
He could feel Emily's gaze, flustered and at a loss at the butler's words.
Just as Emily was about to grab the hem of her dress and bend her knees, Charles stopped her.
“You don’t have to be formal all of a sudden.”
"But..."
Emily's heart grew anxious as her perfectly decorated social appearance was threatened with collapse in an instant.
Charles also noticed that Emily was worried as she took off the crown on her head and kept trying to smooth out the wrinkles in her dress.
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on going anywhere to talk.”
Emily smiled bashfully, embarrassed.
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
That was the first time Charles remembered meeting Emily.
Even as Charles stayed in the room the Count had given him that day, he couldn't stop thinking about Emily. In fact, having been on the battlefield since a young age, he was rather insensitive to others.
Although he had many followers, he had few close friends, and he was not particularly interested in the opposite sex, so he had no woman he could say he had truly dated.
The mere fact that he was curious about someone was highly unusual.
"Ha."
Charles became increasingly concerned about what kind of report the Emperor wanted.
And the next day, after finishing his morning work and looking around outside the castle, he spotted Emily again.
This time, she was sitting on the floor, her long, wavy hair roughly braided, wearing a simple lemon-colored dress that reached her ankles.
Charles approached her, calling her out happily without realizing it.
“Young Lady, were you here?”
Unlike Charles, who was happy to see her, Emily's face hardened when she found him.
“Is my father looking for me again?”
Emily sighed in relief as Charles shook his head.
"It's different from the rumors I heard in the territory. Why is a noble lady pulling out carrots?"
Emily, who had already been exposed to Charles, answered honestly with a feeling of resignation.
“Because it’s fun.”
Charles tilted his head.
“Is it fun to pull out carrots?”
“No, that’s not it. These people don’t treat me like a noble lady.”
To see if that was true, an old woman called out to Emily nonchalantly from a distance.
“Emily! Come eat some carrot soup later.”
“That doesn’t taste good.”
“Do you want to get hit with a carrot?”
It wasn't something one should say or do to a noble lady. Emily laughed out loud at Charles's shocked expression.
"Isn't that tone so funny? It's something you'd never hear in high society."
“Do they know that you are the lord’s daughter?”
"Yes, they know. But I asked them to be comfortable with me. I don't want to make people uncomfortable by bringing up the fact that I'm the lord's daughter."
“...That’s unusual.”
It was certainly unusual, but it wasn't at all awkward; it was endearing. Charles usually hated the blurring of boundaries between commoners and nobles, so this was quite strange.
During his few days at the Sinope estate, Emily's unique charm gradually captivated Charles.
So he ascended to the imperial court and submitted a report to the Emperor regarding the Sinope territory, making a request. To unite Emily with him.
There was no reason to disqualify Emily as a bride, but the Emperor was already busy trying to change Lucius's marriage to someone else.
So he thought there wouldn't be any major problems with making this request.
Unfortunately, this was not what the Emperor had intended, and it only served to heighten the wariness of Sinope.
***
After finishing his recollection, Charles tapped his finger on the desk and called the butler.
“I need to write an invitation, so bring a pen and some stationery.”
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