MDCHC 05

Chapter :〈005〉

“Pardon?”

I couldn’t quite grasp what Lord Winchester had just said.
Even from the start, his letter and sudden summons had puzzled me.

I had guessed—perhaps—he had fully confirmed my identity and wanted to apologize for his rudeness that day.
That was why I had come to the Camellia estate.

And maybe… maybe I might see Daniel again.

“Marriage?”

Marriage? All of a sudden?

“Who exactly is marrying whom?”

Lord Winchester certainly hadn’t called me over just to talk about someone else’s wedding.

But still… surely not—surely? Surely!

“This is a proposal from Baron Pomotz,” he said.

Instead of answering directly, he pulled a piece of paper from a drawer and handed it to me. I snatched it up quickly.

It was from my father, Baron Pomotz himself, expressing his wish that his second daughter, Neary de Pomotz, should marry Count Lorinus de Winchester.

It even included a subtle rebuke, saying that if he were a man, he should of course take responsibility for his actions, and that, as a knight, he should not act like a coward by shirking his duty.

“What does he mean by saying that if I’m a man, I ought to take responsibility for you?”

“Yes, well… it seems there’s been some sort of misunderstanding—”

And that was when it hit me.

I suddenly recalled Sophia’s flustered fuss a few days ago, my mother’s pale face… and that mealtime conversation when Father told Mother a reply would come soon, that she shouldn’t worry too much, and that it might actually turn out for the best.

Just like fitting together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the events slotted into place in my mind, forming a single, ridiculous picture.

Their massive, absurd misunderstanding!

“I’m terribly sorry, Lord Winchester. There’s been a huge misunderstanding. I’ll take care of this matter, so please don’t worry.”

I hastily crumpled the proposal letter and forced a smile at him.
He only looked back at me with that stiff expression, as if my fluster and my smile were none of his concern.

‘Well, it is none of his concern, after all.’

For a brief moment, I almost felt resentment toward his detached attitude, but I calmed myself.
To him, this must feel like a bolt from the blue.

Young, handsome, wealthy—a count.
True, he had a child, but he was still officially single.
As my mother often said, he was one of the most eligible bachelors in the entire empire.

There was no way someone like him would be interested in a plain baron’s daughter like me—especially one who had been caught wandering around his home in secret.
Or, even worse, a fool who came to the Camellia estate beaming with excitement because she thought she might just happen to see Daniel again, without even knowing why she’d been summoned.

“How did such a misunderstanding happen?”

“Well…”

I couldn’t very well say, It’s because you put a bandage on my neck after cutting me, and my sister thought it was to cover up a kiss mark. That would ruin my sister’s dignity as the lady of the Gofort barony.

Nor could I say, It’s because they thought I had a one-night stand at the ball. That would call my family’s upbringing into question and force me to admit my parents had insulted Lord Winchester by assuming he was such a shameless man.

And heaven forbid this ever became a rumor—the Pomotz barony would never live down the shame.

‘No, I can’t let that happen. Everyone’s been far too kind to me.’

I thought back to my time in the Pomotz household—
Mother, crying with relief that I’d survived when I first opened my eyes.
Father, patting her back as he shed tears of his own.

My brother, thanking me over and over for living, and my sister-in-law, holding my hand tightly.
My little niece, with her clear eyes, asking, “Commo, Commo, no more ouchie ouchie?”

My sister, tending to me with great care, and my brother-in-law bringing me armfuls of nutritious foods.
Even my younger brother, silently plucking flowers to place by my bedside.

That care and love had been so precious that I couldn’t bring myself to tell them I wasn’t truly their daughter.
Even this misunderstanding had happened because they worried for me and wanted the best for my future.

I couldn’t bring shame upon them. I couldn’t humiliate them.

“The truth is… I’ve been in love with you, Lord Winchester.”

And so, I ended up confessing my love to the man before me.

He didn’t react.

Was he… not buying it?

“I’ve been unable to sleep and hardly able to eat, crying constantly just thinking about you. My father must have worried, which is why he sent this proposal.”

Ah, whatever!

I decided to embellish the story further.

“When have you even seen me?”

“At the last ball. I fell in love at first sight. The moment I first saw you, my heart started pounding wildly.”

“If you have a sword pointed at your throat, anyone’s heart would pound wildly. Are you sure you didn’t mistake that for something else?”

“It wasn’t just then! Even after I went home, I couldn’t stop thinking about your face. My heart kept racing, and the thought of never seeing you again hurt so much that I cried through the night!”

I threw every symptom of unrequited love I could think of at him, desperately hoping he would believe me.
If he did, it would make sense for my father to have stepped in on behalf of his lovesick daughter.

After all, not every proposal was accepted.
This was a proposal, not a duel.

So if Lord Winchester rejected me, it would simply be remembered as a little story about a baron’s daughter who foolishly fell for a count far above her station.

He frowned slightly, a crease forming between his brows. His eyes narrowed, as if questioning my sincerity, and in his otherwise emotionless blue eyes, something flickered briefly.

“Very well.”

‘Thank goodness!’

Relieved, I prepared to ask him to write a polite rejection letter that I could take back to my parents to clear up the misunderstanding without disgracing the Pomotz name.

“Let’s get married.”

“…Pardon?”

The breath I had just exhaled in relief came rushing back in all at once.

“I said, let’s get married, Miss Neary.”

Seeing my blank stare, he repeated himself.

“W-wait a second!”

Stop! Stop! All stop!

His sudden proposal—no, his sudden acceptance of the proposal—was a thunderbolt out of nowhere.

“Marriage? Between me and you, Lord Winchester?”

“Yes. Let’s marry.”

His expression held nothing remotely romantic.
He could have been dismissing a maid from service rather than proposing marriage, and people would have believed it.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you marry me?”

“You were the one who asked first, were you not?”

“Well, yes, but…”

That was a misunderstanding.

“Did you not say you loved me?”

“Yes, but…”

That was a blatant lie.

“Then there’s no problem, is there?”

There were so many problems!

“But wouldn’t marrying me be a huge loss for you? My family is only of baron rank, not wealthy, and compared to the Winchester earldom, we’re far beneath you.”

“Marriage is not a business. So there’s no such thing as a loss.”

Too… too noble-minded. How was I supposed to argue with that?

“Also, I’m not particularly pretty. Very plain, in fact. Sometimes people even forget I’m there.”

“A person is more than their appearance.”

Again—too moral, too correct! Couldn’t he just reject me for some shallow, worldly reason?

“There’s an important point here. While I may love you dearly, you do not love me, do you?”

At last! His mouth closed.

Why did that hurt my pride? Never mind—my pride didn’t matter right now!

“I…”

And then… his mouth opened again.