Chapter 74

The day after next, Zahar Antoire visited Teresa’s house.

He descended majestically from a four-horse carriage emblazoned with the Antoire family crest, exuding an air of authority, a true scion of a noble family.

His features were rugged, his gaze sharp, and the prominent nose and thin lips characteristic of the Antoire family gave him an unapproachable air. However, under the bright sunlight, a healthy youthfulness emanated from him, making him look more like twenty-seven or twenty-eight rather than in his thirties, Teresa thought idly.

After a brief conversation with her parents and brother, Zahar expressed his desire to speak with Teresa alone. Lord Zattenheim then led Zahar to the conservatory, which offered a view of the garden.

This garden room had two walls entirely made of glass, providing a panoramic view of the Zattenheim family’s well-maintained garden. Since it was out of sight from others, they could talk privately without the need for a maid.

“Lord Zahar, I’ve heard that you have taken a fancy to me, and I’m quite bewildered by this.”

After the butler, who had been serving them, left, Teresa, now alone with Zahar, asked him directly.

“I apologize for surprising you,” Zahar said with a small smile, his gaze wandering as if unsure where to begin.

“Have you heard about the reason why my marriage negotiations have not progressed?”

“...I heard that the Antoire family had someone they wanted to marry into the family.”

When she answered honestly, Zahar nodded lightly. “That’s correct.”

“The Antoire family is currently in a delicate position, and my marriage was intended to be used as a political card. Therefore, even if I found a woman I liked, I kept my distance. I believed it was my duty as the heir of the Antoire family to treat the woman I married through political arrangements with respect.

“However, things did not go as my father planned. I can’t go into the details, but the other side proposed a highly humiliating marriage alliance.”

In other words, the side of the Crown Princess had presented a marriage alliance that the Antoire family could not accept. This indicated that Crown Prince Yorm strongly disliked the idea of forming a connection with the Antoire family.

“My father, to save face, announced that he would choose my wife from within the family. I didn’t know which women were being considered, but if I agreed, the marriage negotiations would have been settled immediately. So, as a final act of self-indulgence, I told my father that I wanted to marry a woman I liked.”

“Eh? You had someone you liked?”

When Teresa looked up in surprise, Zahar slumped his shoulders and said, “It sounds like it’s none of your business...”

“I clearly told you when I first took a fancy to you and proposed marriage.”

“Was that serious?”

Teresa couldn’t think of any other way to put it. There was no romantic atmosphere at all, and at the time, this man seemed more interested in cats than in her.

“I don’t remember doing anything that would make Lord Zahar like me.”

Teresa spoke honestly. She recalled trying to make conversation to ease the tension, but she couldn’t remember doing anything particularly charming as a woman.

“Also, when I said I liked dogs, I felt like you said my sensibilities were off...”

“That’s a different matter. This is a separate issue.” Zahar dismissed Teresa’s objections.

“You didn’t make a big fuss or mock me when you saw me in that state. You subtly changed the topic to make me feel comfortable, and I appreciated that kindness.

“Many women approach me because they want to be the wife of the heir of the Antoire family. They use sweet voices and seductive gestures to attract my attention and lavish me with excessive praise. While some of my peers find such women cute, I find their pretentiousness unbearable.

“Moreover, if those women had seen me in the state you saw me in the other day, they would have been easily disillusioned. It’s not unusual for someone with my build to like cute things to be laughed at.

“But there was no contempt in your eyes that day. That’s why I could talk to you naturally.”

“I don’t mind if a man likes cats.”

When Teresa said this, Zahar smiled a little.

“That’s true, but I can’t let it be known.”

Zahar lowered his head slightly, and when he raised it again, the soft smile was gone.

“The knight corps is a meritocracy. However, as the heir of the Antoire family, I am different. After graduating from the knight corps, I will become an assistant to the commander and then a formal deputy after two years.

“What is needed is the authority and ability to make my subordinates devoted and obedient. I need to make them truly believe that they would give their lives for me as their commander.

“Fortunately, there is no war now, but when the time comes, I will lead the knight corps on an expedition. In any disadvantageous situation, even in a situation where resistance means certain death, my role is to rouse my subordinates with fierce determination and lead them into battle.

“That’s why I can’t show my weak side to others.

“I was raised to be strong to protect the country. I was not allowed to show weakness and had to always act strong. But before I knew it, I was showing my true self to you.

“...That space felt good. I wanted you to stay a little longer, so I tried to keep you there, but you easily escaped, and I was quite disappointed.”

Teresa was surprised to learn that he had tried to keep her there. She had thought he was stopping her to keep her quiet.

“...As you know, there is a difference in status between our families, the Zattenheims and the Antoires. Did you face any opposition from your relatives?”

“Originally, my father planned to have me marry a girl from within the family. Since your father and brother were both from Antoire, there was no problem.”

“I see.”

Teresa was satisfied with that answer, but there was still something weighing on her mind. It was a wound that had not yet healed, and it took courage to speak about it, but she felt she should be honest with someone who had shown her his vulnerabilities.

“...I was told by someone that I am a boring woman. I lack the charm that would make a man want to protect me, and I lack the allure that would attract a man, so he said he would look elsewhere.”

She was mocked by the man for making a big fuss over an affair with a servant and for her stiff personality, which would never attract a proper marriage alliance. This bad reputation spread at social gatherings, and in the eyes of society, she was already damaged goods. Even though she knew she had done nothing wrong, the situation was painful, and being told that she lacked charm as a woman was a significant wound for Teresa.

Unconsciously, she had lowered her head. As she stared at her hands in her lap, a calm voice spoke to her.

“I heard about the circumstances that led to the breakdown of your engagement. But the one who was wrong was the man who was unfaithful, right?”

“I think so, but...”

“Yesterday, I was invited to a friend’s salon, and I carelessly mentioned that there is a man who is not only unfaithful but also doesn’t understand the meaning of a political marriage.”

“Huh?”

“Since there was a well-known gossip-loving lady there, it might become a topic of conversation in various places soon. Well, it’s his own fault.”

Zahar said this matter-of-factly, and Teresa was taken aback. He looked so clean and upright, yet his actions were quite ruthless.

“What are you doing, Lord Zahar?”

When she couldn’t help but reprimand him, Zahar shrugged.

“Well, it’s good to praise him for being unfaithful and being left by you. He really did a good thing. If not for that, I wouldn’t have met you.”

Zahar said this nonchalantly, and Teresa burst out laughing. Indeed, if that engagement hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t have wandered into the garden. In that sense, she could show a tiny bit of gratitude to her ex-fiancé.

After that, they talked about various things while looking at the garden. The conversation with Zahar was more enjoyable than she had expected. She had thought he would be a rigid man who didn’t understand jokes, but he wasn’t.

They lost track of time in their conversation, and by the time Zahar stood up to leave, they had become quite close. The idea of getting engaged seemed to have naturally settled between them.

The news that the heir of the Antoire family had taken a fancy to a young lady at a social gathering quickly spread through the court. The young ladies were captivated by the story of a lady from a lower-ranking family being chosen by the heir, and Teresa became the talk of the town.

Teresa’s straightforward character and composed demeanor were well-received by those around her. If she had been the type of lady who pretended to be ignorant and weak to attract men, she would have received some backlash from other women, but Teresa lacked such pretentiousness. She was considered a suitable match for the heir of the Antoire family, who would lead the knight corps.

As the story of their romance gained more attention, the rumors about the Antoire family’s desire to form a marriage alliance with the Crown Princess’s family faded. The Antoire family managed to save face, and a month after their meeting, the engagement between the two families was settled. Six months later, Teresa married into the Antoire family.

Incidentally, when it came to the marriage, Zahar had one condition for Teresa: he wanted a kitten to be included in her dowry.

Teresa asked her aunt to give her the kitten named Desi, and she brought the kitten with her when she married Zahar.

The next story will be a bit darker.