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2. The Fiancé
Behind the door, Father was already facing me. Mother sat beside him.
This was—most likely.
Probably.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. What is it you need?” I asked.
“Sit down.”
I did as I was told and lowered myself onto the guest sofa. Father sat opposite me. Mother took the seat beside me.
Silence fell.
So this is what it feels like to wait for a guillotine blade to drop.
No—surely it wasn’t that serious. No matter what they said, no matter what happened, I wouldn’t die. It would probably be far better than dying.
Stay positive. Things will work out as they will. Stanley said that once.
“Florence.”
“Yes.”
“You are now formally engaged to Stanley Aris.”
At the word engaged—something I had been bracing myself for—and the name that followed it, a name I never imagined I would hear in the same breath, I tilted my head in confusion.
Stanley Aris.
There was only one person I knew who bore that name.
The same Stanley I had just been speaking with. The same Stanley I was supposed to have tea with later.
No, that couldn’t be right. My nerves must be playing tricks on me.
“Could you repeat that?” I asked.
“You are engaged to Stanley Aris.”
“…Once more, please.”
“…You are engaged to Stanley Aris.”
It didn’t seem to be a misunderstanding.
Flustered, I asked again.
“You mean that Stanley?”
“The Stanley you are thinking of, most likely.”
“The Stanley waiting outside right now?”
“Yes. That Stanley.”
I frowned, completely at a loss.
Stanley was a commoner, yes—but he came from one of the wealthiest merchant families in our domain. As one of Father’s attendants, he handled duties akin to a secretary, standing apart from the other footmen and maids in this household.
Even so, he was still someone employed by Father.
No matter how exceptional he was, wasn’t it improper for a noble’s youngest daughter—one who couldn’t even bear children—to marry a servant?
Father answered my unspoken doubt without hesitation.
“Have you heard that Stanley will soon be taking over the family business?”
I shook my head in surprise. This was the first I was hearing of it. He had never said a word to me.
Stanley was the second son. His elder brother, several years older, was still alive and well. That brother’s sons—Stanley’s nephews—were said to be quite capable despite their youth, attending prestigious schools in the capital. I had assumed the succession line was already firmly established.
“His father’s health has recently worsened,” Father continued. “It seems he has decided to pass the business not to the eldest son, but to Stanley instead.”
He paused.
“I’ve met the eldest son a few times. That man would not be able to sustain the Aris Trading Company. His father made the correct decision.”
With that, Father exhaled and buried his face in his hands.
“It’s a shame to let go of the Stanley I’ve raised… but we cannot allow the Aris Company to collapse.”
Now I remembered.
Two months ago, Stanley’s father and his elder brother’s family had visited this estate.
It had been just after my illness was discovered, and I had not had the mental capacity to consider the reason for their visit. But now, it was obvious—that must have been when everything was decided.
His father and sister-in-law had been polite and respectful. The eldest son, however, had worn a permanently sulky expression and barely met anyone’s eyes. After they left, I recalled Stanley bowing deeply and apologizing profusely.
That alone wasn’t enough to judge a person’s character—but at the very least, Stanley, who was trusted so closely by Father, the lord of the vast Chamberlain domain, was more than capable of supporting a merchant house like that—even at his age.
“However, the eldest son isn’t willing to simply step aside. After negotiations, it was decided that his three sons would be appointed executives upon reaching adulthood, and one of them would become Stanley’s successor.”
“In other words, Stanley does not need children as heirs.”
Only then did I begin to understand.
A man destined to become head of a major merchant house, who did not need an heir.
A perfect match for the youngest daughter of a lord who could not bear children.
“…Does Stanley already know?” I asked.
“He does. And he has agreed to the engagement.”
“…So this is already decided?”
“Yes. We have already spoken with his parents as well—they have begun preparations on their side. The formal engagement will take place after he leaves his current position. The ceremony will be held when the weather warms a little.”
I fell silent.
Then Mother’s hand, which had been quietly resting beside me all along, reached out and gently touched mine.
“Stanley will not let you live in hardship,” she said softly. “He will not make you unhappy.”
“We love you, Florence,” Father added. “This is the most we can do for you.”
I squeezed Mother’s hand tightly. Then I pressed a kiss to her cheek, stood up, and wrapped my arms around Father’s neck. I looked between the two of them in turn.
“…I understand, Father. Mother.”
There were still so many things I should have asked. So many things I should have said.
But my mind was in chaos. I would deal with it later.
I bowed once more, then turned and walked unsteadily toward the door.
It felt heavier than when I had entered.
On the other side, as always, Stanley stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
As always, he smiled when he saw my face.
He must have known why I had been called in.
And yet he looked completely unchanged.
So unchanged that I almost wondered if he truly knew at all.
“I’ve been told I’m to marry you,” I said.
“Yes. I have been informed of that as well,” he replied.
There wasn’t even the slightest hint of surprise in his expression or voice.
So he really did know.
I thought he might have told me quietly, since he had seen how much I had been worrying—but then I remembered Father would have ordered him not to speak. And perhaps it was precisely because his lips were so tightly sealed that both my parents and I trusted him so much.
“Shall we have tea, then?”
His voice pulled me back to reality. I realized I had been staring down at the floor.
“…Yes, let’s.”
“Very well. I will go and have it prepared.”
He bowed and left.
Once his figure disappeared from sight, I made my way unsteadily toward the greenhouse.
