“This is the man I’ve promised to marry!”
From the central balcony on the second floor of the grand banquet hall,
a woman linked her arm with Leonard’s and gently leaned her head against his stiff shoulder.
No one found the affectionate gesture strange.
The large crowd gathered in the banquet hall below erupted into applause.
“Congratulations on your engagement, Marquis!”
“You two look perfect together!”
Perfect? Me and this woman?
Apparently, no one realized that the two had only met twice before today, let alone were actually engaged.
And understandably so. Even Leonard himself felt like a lunatic pretending to be Marquis Blair’s fiancé at this colossal event.
How did things even come to this?
Leonard could hardly believe it all began with a single sunflower.
As gazes rained down on him from all directions, he escaped into memory—
to that moment in the capital plaza, in front of the fountain, when he had received a sunflower.
* * *
A broken cart with a missing wheel, and flowers scattered all around it.
No one stepped in to help the tearful young girl.
Instead, passersby simply trampled the fallen flowers and walked on.
Clicking his tongue at their indifference, Leonard stepped forward to help the girl pick up her flowers.
“Thank you, sir knight. I don’t have much, but… as a token of gratitude, please take this flower.”
“No, it’s fine. You should try to sell whatever’s left.”
“No! Please, let me repay your kindness. Will you take it?”
Even as he refused, the girl stubbornly held out the sunflower.
Eventually, he gave in and accepted it. The girl beamed and said:
“That flower will bring you a good match, sir knight.”
He had assumed it was just a sweet saying.
What Leonard didn’t know was that, in the capital, a man holding a sunflower by the plaza fountain was essentially advertising that he was looking for a date.
By the time he realized and threw the flower away, more than five women were already following him.
“Hey, handsome! You’re looking for a date, right?”
“Damn it, I told you, it’s a misunderstanding!”
“Oh, shy boys are the cutest! I love a guy who plays hard to get!”
“Or is getting chased by women your kink? I’m in—I love a good hunt!”
“Let’s play tag! Whoever catches him first gets the date!”
Their giggles sent shivers down his spine.
He felt like a deer being hunted.
To escape them, Leonard darted into a dark alley.
“Stop right there!”
But the women followed him, undeterred by the gloom.
What is with these women?
If they had been men, he might’ve fought his way out.
But with women chasing him, all he could do was run.
Twisting and turning through the alleyways, he finally saw an open path ahead—
like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.
Standing in the middle of the path was a woman.
Leonard slowed in surprise.
What the—
In front of a run-down house, the woman wore a large bonnet tied with a thick ribbon, hiding her face.
Only her delicate jawline was visible, but an otherworldly aura surrounded her as she turned toward him.
“There he is!”
“This way!”
Startled by the voices behind him, Leonard flinched.
The woman—perhaps amused by his rabbit-like reaction—brought her gloved hand to her mouth and laughed softly.
What is with this woman…
He’d endured all kinds of ridicule in his life, but this was the first time someone’s laughter made him feel oddly bashful.
While he stood there blushing, the mysterious woman walked over and gently placed a hand on his arm.
“Need some help, my lord?”
“Help with what…?”
“There you are! Huh?”
One of the pursuing women rounded the corner and shouted.
The bonneted woman chuckled and looped her arm through Leonard’s.
“You’re too late, ladies. I caught him first.”
“Oh, come on! He was such a good catch, too!”
Good catch?
Looking for a date, they’d said.
Leonard shuddered to imagine what might have happened if she hadn’t stepped in.
Fortunately, the women backed off once they saw the lady with him.
“Come, this way, my lord.”
With her help, Leonard safely returned to the capital plaza.
He exhaled in relief and politely thanked her.
“Thank you for your help, my lady. I was in quite the predicament.”
His speech became more formal—
her poised posture and elegant gait made it clear she was of high status.
Despite holding his arm, her touch had felt more like a noble escorting gesture than flirtation.
She smiled and said, “If you truly see this as a favor, may I ask for a return?”
“A return, my lady?”
“Yes. A small one.”
She released his arm, held out her skirt, and curtsied deeply.
“You, who brought honor to Anup—I’ll send someone to your lodgings soon. Please, don’t refuse my invitation.”
“…Do you know who I am?”
“Of course.”
She nodded but offered no explanation, then turned and walked away.
If it was all intentional, she was a sly one indeed.
He ended up thinking about her for two whole days.
* * *
On the third day,
an older gentleman arrived at his lodgings with an invitation—and a large box.
“A carriage will arrive at the specified time. We hope you’ll wear the attire we’ve prepared. Please try it on.”
Introducing himself as Daimond, the man helped Leonard into the clothes.
A black formal outfit with gold embroidery and ruby buttons.
It fit like it had been tailored exactly to his measurements.
“Perfect fit. Any discomfort, sir?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Please, no need for formality.”
Daimond seemed very satisfied and left.
Afterward, Leonard’s aide Edward, who had helped him dress, whispered anxiously,
“They must’ve done background research to get your size this perfect. You think helping you was all part of a bigger plan?”
“How could they have known I’d run into that alley?”
“They probably hired those women too!”
“Stop spouting nonsense. Do you even know what kind of party this is?”
Edward looked again at the invitation and exclaimed,
“It’s being held at Marquis Blair’s estate! I read she’s announcing her fiancé after three years of nonstop work since inheriting the title!”
Marquis Blair…
Just hearing the name brought Leonard a swirl of emotions.
Among them—an odd sense of kinship.
“She inherited after her parents died in a carriage accident, right?”
“Yes. There was a scandal about her uncle trying to steal the title, but she stopped him.”
After defending her family’s title and fortune, she jumped into business—
risky ventures that had the whole empire watching, waiting for her to fail.
‘Running a business isn’t for amateurs. I bet she loses everything in a year.’
‘Might as well donate it all and feed the poor.’
That year, the nobility treated her like the butt of every joke.
But she silenced them.
Every venture she touched turned to gold.
She bought iron and coal mines, then heavily invested in the emperor’s railroad project.
With military support, she wiped out pirates along the southern coast, opened new sea routes, and began trading with Milos and Parodia.
She even resolved a disease outbreak in Parodia and gained the royal family’s trust.
Using that connection, she expanded trade to the Kon-Ail-Tem Union and the polar region’s Illum.
Eventually, she started a cruise line and turned the seven islands off the Deborah coast into the empire’s top tourist destination.
From desserts to international brokerage, everything she touched prospered.
Her merchant house, Blair Trading Company, became one of the empire’s Big Four.
“I read she said her future husband would never lift a finger and live in total luxury. I wonder who the lucky man will be…”
Edward rambled on, but Leonard had only one question.
So… who is the mysterious lady that asked me to escort her?
* * *
And finally, the promised day arrived.
“We’re here, my lord!”
The carriage slowed and stopped. The door opened.
Leonard stepped out and gawked at the mansion before him—
it could easily pass for a palace.
No wonder. She did amass a fortune, after all.
“Are you Count Elpheus?”
A neatly dressed footman bowed and confirmed his identity.
Once Leonard nodded, he was guided inside.
“This way, sir.”
The lady had already arrived. Leonard fiddled with his outfit, feeling uneasy.
“My lord, are you sure about this?”
“What now?”
“I’ve warned you—you might get roped into something!”
Edward clutched his chest in frustration, but Leonard scoffed.
“I’m sure she’s not that reckless.”
A single, unmarried man escorting a single lady—it could spark rumors.
But Leonard had three strikes against him: illegitimate birth, former mercenary, and massive debt.
No sane noble would consider him for marriage.
He had learned that lesson the hard way, three years ago.
A request to escort someone at a banquet—not even a masquerade—at Marquis Blair’s estate? That lady must have no one else to ask.
Leonard felt a twinge of sympathy.
For five minutes.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Sir Leonard.”
Likely in the drawing room.
The lady curtsied in a lavish gown, just like before.
But this time, she didn’t hide behind a bonnet.
Silver hair coiled in braids, adorned with sparkling jewels.
Eyes as blue as the deepest ocean.
Seeing her face fully revealed, Leonard understood why she had hidden it before.
And he wondered—
Why would someone like her ask me for an escort?
With looks like hers, any man would drop everything to be by her side.
“…The pleasure is mine. Thank you for the invitation.”
Caught off guard, his voice trembled slightly.
Thankfully, she didn’t sneer or mock him for his background.
Instead, she smiled gently.
“No need to thank me. I owe you more than I can say. But may I ask—would you escort me now?”
Even as she asked, she held out her hand.
Without time to think, Leonard took it.
“If you’ll have me, I’d be honored.”
As they walked toward the banquet hall,
Leonard caught sight of Edward trying to say something, looking panicked.
What’s his problem now?
He figured he’d ask later.
But Leonard didn’t know—
“This is the man I’ve promised to marry!”
That tiny favor he had offered would soon ensnare him, tightly, in her grasp.
LMAOOOO this is so funny
XD
Oh my gosh. Poor bewildered guy