(Take a hint, who is this?… I’ll leave the answer at the end)

….

I’m currently counting the stars in the night sky from the window. I had been doing so for a few hours.

There’s wine on the balcony table. Unlike aged wines, it has a young, bright and clear red color.

It’s like Mary Sharon … my fiancée’s hair color. I sighed.

“……Beautiful……”

“What are you, master doing? Escaping from reality?”

Mio says, while violently dropping the jug on the table.

I stared at her.

“I haven’t escaped to alcohol. Rather, I’m in a really good mood.”

“That’s proof that you haven’t seen reality.”

When Mio asked me, she had an angry expression on her face and laid her hand on her waist. She has no mercy for such cases.

“Mary refused to get engaged with you.”

“Well …, but … I certainly sent a letter of courtship to the Sharon’s family, and she came. I wonder if it’s not that… the engagement has been made at that moment.”

“Good lie. And what benefit has that –engagement- if you don’t get her approval? Will she marry you? Or will you use the Sharon family for that?”

Uhhhh. I can’t answer. Mio has no mercy.

“You’ve been courting Anastasia Sharon, the late daughter of the Sharon family.”

“… yes … but… that’s not it.”

“And she’s Mary Sharon, sister of Anastasia.”

“……Yup”

“That’s why the first courtship is invalid. You have never courted Mary before.”

“Well, there’s no help for it!”

I raised my voice.

“Because the protagonist of the party was crouching alone in the dark !?”

“… In fact, that’s right, so it can’t be helped.”

Mio also sighed and had a rare, bitter look.

Yes, not just me. She also misunderstood.

The sister’s position and her name.

That night, I fell in love at first sight, with the red-haired girl who chatted with me in the garden. But the confusion came when I entered the main hall. The birthday was for “Mary” the youngest daughter of the Sharon’s, but Anastasia was the protagonist of the party and receiving the greetings and gifts instead. I instantly thought that “Mary” the protagonist of the birthday party, was the girl in the main hall, and that the girl I fell in love with, at the garden, was Anastasia…

The distress of not knowing which girl he talked to, came because of the rumors within the aristocracy. The reason why he doesn’t come out into the social world is just because of this so called rumors.

An invitation to noble daughter’s birthday parties only applied to outstanding single men.

In my early social life, a friend, Louis Fon, came to me laughing with the same invitation I had just received to a party.

“Well, the more outstanding you are, the more they offer you their daughters.”

“… It’s quite lowly.”

I sighed. He receives chocolate from practically all the aristocratic girls of the capital. I find repulsive that behavior, I just say thanks, and turn my back.

My friend laughed at my comment.

“But, in fact, she’s a pretty woman, and she’s a daughter of Sharon’s. I can’t go because I already have a fiancée, but why don’t you go, Cyrus?”

“… I’m not interested in noble women.”

Louis laughed until he had tears in his eyes.

“Yes, I know, ordinary noble girls hate east men thinking that they are a barbaric tribe.”

“… Don’t put those dirty words in your mouth. It’s just that they hate my skin and eyes.”

“But they still come for you? “

“They’re looking for position, money and face. Except for the color, my appearance is impeccable. That’s why they still come.”

“Say for yourself… “

“I can’t ignore those who insult me. They speak lovingly with their mouths and look down at me and my mother with their eyes.”

“Oh, say that again. You’re so choosing of people, that’s why you have so few servants and so few friends?”

“Mio and Louis are enough.”

My friend shrugged and bitterly smiled.

“… You’re a good man, Cyrus. I’m really looking forward to seeing a woman who will catch your heart.”

I went silent and chewed the chocolate. While deciding in my heart that such a day will never come.

Still, I don’t have the option of being single for life.

I’m a Count, the only boy of my family. If I continue single, I cannot succeed my family, because I have the obligation to have children. And my woman must be from a decent family.

The woman is in charge of social relations and managing the finances. This is her duty and responsibility. I have no hesitation in getting a loveless marriage.

But … I don’t want to have a concubine. Even in a marriage without love, only one wife is good in the room.

Because I know the feud between my mother, Liu Liu, and my father’s first wife.

Mrs. Laura, the first wife of Duke Alfred of Granado, was the daughter of an aristocrat, married to him in a political marriage. She had three children with my father, and after that she never spoke again to father and spent her time in the Duke Castle.

However, she changed after a concubine arrived. She hated Liu Liu and violently mistreated and insulted her.

Eventually Liu Liu gave birth to a son. He was a boy with strong characteristics of the eastern people.

The Dukedom will eventually be inherited by this boy–

The day after Mrs. Laura heard about the boy being born… she committed suicide.

Because all of her children were girls.

Then … my father upgraded Liu Liu to the position of legal wife and duchess, but my mother left the duke. She inherited only a few servants and an old castle, and made a fortune trading with the Eastern Republic using her former position as a merchant. She just does the duties that a Duchess cannot avoid. She still thinks of herself as just a concubine.

That is the history of me and the Granado family.

To be honest, I am uncomfortable with the Duke’s castle. I also disliked noble gatherings. I continued to flee from the social world with all my might, including the use of laughable excuses and ruining all attempts of marriage with noble daughters.

Dislike—No, it’s even worse than that. It’s scary for me.

To love and be loved. Getting married and having children.

The more serious is the proposal, the more scared I was.

I don’t want to think about that. I don’t have to love.

I read the envelope in my hand … the birthday party invitation.

Mary Sharon. An 18-year-old, second daughter of Baron Sharon.

According to reports, the baron is in great need of money. The rank is not high either.

…… It might be just right.

Anyway, if she’s an incompetent and arrogant noble daughter, it is easier to control her.

I was impressed to see that she was beautiful, but I don’t care. It’s a face I’ll never see if I can have a child.

I went to Mary Sharon’s birthday party with just such calculations.

And, earlier than meeting the “leader”, I met her.

Skin that cannot be said to be dark, but tanned under the sun. Red hair like a ragged hairball.

She is wearing a gray ugly dress, probably of poor quality cotton.

Her back was curled up and shrunk like a frightened donkey.

What’s this… What does she do in the courtyard at night in a birthday party like this? This behavior is suspicious even for servants. I doubted her and asked how to get to the mansion.

Mio said she was Sharon’s daughter, but my suspicions remained. Isn’t she a thief? I’ll grab her if so! I smile while studying her intentions.

“She” saw me. At that moment, my face changed.

――Maybe you’re from the eastern tribe? Ipsandros?

To be honest, I was confused at that time.

As the name implies, the Eastern Republic is a country on the eastern continent, a large country with many people. This dark hair and brown skin are characteristics of the whole eastern tribe. But this was the first time he was identified as –Ipsandros-. Probably because of the eyes sparkling in the darkness.

But without knowledge, she can’t understand the difference.

When he affirmed in Ipsian language, she responded in Ipsian language. She knew the true nature of the Eastern Republic, which most royal capitals did not know. Culture beyond imagination. And above all, I was surprised at the change in her expression while talking about it.

It is completely different from the cloudy face just before. She opens her eyes wide, her eyes shine and smile, she opens her mouth to pronounce the Ipsian language beautifully, and speaks happily.

She stretches her back unknowingly, trying to get closer to me to speak.

…… A beautiful woman. If you look closely, you can see the goodness of the material. A thin chin, a small and elegant nose, and big pupils. Eyelashes rich enough to tremble when breathing. There is no charm, but she’s like a gem in brute.

Her full yet simple and honest smile balanced all her imperfections and she laughed like a little girl.

On the slightly freckled face, bright yellow eyes shimmer, and she looks straight up at my face.

–I love the story of Ipsandros–

…… Anyone who is just right for my family status and can give birth to a child is fine. I would be grateful if she could understand Ipsian.

All such calculations were blown away.

It doesn’t matter who she is.

I fell in love with her.

— This is Cyrus feelings and thoughts!

Translated by Djurasico (dot) home (dot) blog