The White Marriage of the Seamstress and the Ice Count

What did Lady Margaret mean when she said earlier that ‘Alexis has had a crush on Sarah for a year now’?

No way, did Master Alexis really….?

My face grew hot and I squeezed my hands in my lap.

No, no, that couldn’t be true.

He really did say the first time we met at the Archibald residence to my father that he had seen me at a garden party last year.

But that was only an excuse for the other so we could have the ‘white marriage’. I myself couldn’t remember that garden party, and besides, there was no way that wonderful Master Alexis would remember such a plain and unremarkable girl like me…

Oh no, I was getting selfish and delusional again.

“Sara.”

“Y-yes…!”

After he called to me, Master Alexis’s still body suddenly shook.

He was on the right of me, the two of us sitting on the same sofa. His profile showed only his usual icy expression. 

His ears, though, were flushed.

Master Alexis looked at me with a somehow troubled face and spoke.

“It’s like my great aunt said. You probably don’t remember that, but I think I started liking you at the garden party last year. Even more so since you came here. Every day, I am growing to like you more and more.”

“Wha-!”

I turned completely red from head to toe. 

Master Alexis’s cheeks were also dyed red, his guard no longer up.

He did not look like the “Ice Count” at all… But this earnest expression was very lovable.

“…I did tell you that I wanted a ‘white marriage’, so you probably don’t want to hear all that now that the curse has been lifted. If it bothers you, I won’t bring it up again. We can keep on living as before… But if you are willing to accept my proposal…”

Master Alexis turned his black eyes filled with sincerity to me.

“Will you marry me, in earnest?”

It was the first time in my life I’ve heard those words.

I knew I had deemed my desires unreachable and pushed them down.

Because this was a “white marriage”. 

Because I have signed that contract.

I thought it was impossible for him to ever love me.

I told myself I couldn’t have hope.

But deep down in my heart, I had always yearned for it.

To become a true, loving pair, a husband and a wife, with Master Alexis.

I was so happy I wanted to cry. Embarrassed, I smiled awkwardly with a bright red face.

I gave my reply with all my heart.

“…Yes. With pleasure.”

“Is that really alright with you?”

“Me… Me too. Am I really right for you?” I asked, suddenly unsure of myself.

Master Alexis smiled with a chuckle.

“Isn’t that obvious? I love you. It has to be you.”

A large hand reached out and touched my cheek.

My heart, which had been thumping loudly even before, raced even faster.

I was really about to have a heart attack, but before I did, I wanted to tell him one thing.

“I… Me too… I love you too.”

The moment I finished saying “too”, Master Alexis brought his mouth to mine.

It was a kiss like sweet honey, like a dazzling thunderbolt.

　✧✧✧

The clear sky was filled with the sound of the lively band’s performance and people’s joyful laughter.

It was the day of the autumn harvest festival.

The town square was brilliantly decorated, lined with stalls offering fruits, cheeses, sausages, pastries, and other delicious-looking foods.

There were puppet shows, street performances, concerts, a parade during the day, fireworks at night, and many other fun events. The usually tranquil town was now filled with people crowding everywhere.

Searfield was completely different from the Royal Capital — as a region focused on agriculture, I was overwhelmed since the morning by how everyone went all-out to celebrate the harvest. 

Miriam, Mother and Father would be so surprised to see such a grand festival, I thought to myself, my heart aching a bit knowing that I was the only one having this happiness.

After all the commotion from before, I received a letter from Miriam.

Miriam has separated from Master Conrad due to the arrest and his multiple extramarital affairs. It seems the stress has caused her to fall ill.

She wrote that our parents have also suffered because of that, seemingly aging suddenly. 

During the trial Master Conrad was found guilty by the local judge of Searfield and was only released after paying a hefty fine.

But after returning to the Royal Capital he was abandoned by Miriam and because he neglected to rehabilitate after his injury, he was unable to wield a sword as well as he should, meaning that the road to a return to the Knight Order would be a long one for him.

He had been slacking off in his training, and hiding behind his title as the “Miracles Knight” he had been running away and hiding on the battlefield. With his criminal record added to the mix, it seemed that the Knights would not easily allow him to return.

At the very end of Miriam’s letter, along with an apology, she wrote: “I’m going to divorce Conrad. I am looking for someone to remarry, so please introduce me to a single, wealthy, handsome, high-ranking aristocratic man from Count Middleton’s circle of acquaintances.”

After three days of deliberation, I asked Master Alexis about it, choosing my words carefully.

“I’m sorry, Sara, but I don’t think I know anyone I’d be willing to sacrifice to her,” he replied in a voice as cold as frostbite.

I immediately backed down.

I then wrote a letter to Miriam, saying as best I could that I approved of her divorce from Master Conrad, but that next time she should choose a person to marry based on who would treasure her, not appearance or social standing. 

I felt that even if she remarried, if she persisted in her ways, the result would be the same.

Miriam was yet to reply.

Rosie’s cheerful voice broke through my thoughts.

“Mistress Sara, let’s have some pastries from that stall later, shall we?”

“Yes, of course, Rosie.”

“Alexis, I’m thirsty. Get me some apple cider.”

“…Great aunt, didn’t you announce just the other day that you would refrain from drinking alcohol?”

The four of us — Master Alexis, Lady Margaret, Rosie and I — walked along the town square, the main site of the harvest festival. We didn’t bring any servants or maids with us. For this day only, Johnson and the other servants of the castle have been given leave to enjoy the festival at their leisure.

Afterwards, at the main stage of the town square, the lord of the land — that is, Master Alexis — was scheduled to make a speech. The people at the festival have been calling out to Master Alexis for a while now, all fidgety.

He smiled, as if from habit, when handing Lady Margaret the cider. Despite what he said, Lady Margaret was still his great aunt, dear to his heart.

All the while, the time for Master Alexis’s speech was approaching. 

People began to gather around the stage and the announcer started speaking.

We moved to the seats of honor under a tent.

“Now our lord, the Count of Searfield Alexis Middleton, will give his speech!” the host announced to a great round of applause. 

“Good luck,” I said. Master Alexis squeezed my hand.

“Let’s go, then.”

“…Eh? Ma-master Alexis?!”

Tugged by a hand I was brought on the stage by Master Alexis, for some reason.

In front of me, the town square was packed full of spectators.

All eyes were on us in complete silence.

Unlike Master Alexis, who was not a bit moved, I froze and turned pale.

“Master Alexis…”

“Don’t worry. I’m here.”

The gentle sound of Master Alexis’s voice, his gaze, his warm hand in mine. Even though I was no good at being in the limelight, my heart somehow calmed down.

He smiled at me and turned to the crowd.

He spoke to the spectators in a clear, sonorous voice.

“Everyone worked hard this year. Thanks to that, we have been blessed with a bountiful harvest and are now able to hold such a grand harvest festival. I hope you will enjoy yourselves to the fullest today.”

The crowd erupted in cheers and smiles.

I was filled with joy to see Master Alexis with such a bright and cheerful expression on his face.

Suddenly, Master Alexis looked at me.

He grasped my hand tighter and once again spoke to the crowd.

“Today, I would like to introduce you all to someone. This is my beloved wife, Seraphina. Please watch over her as tenderly as you watch over me.”

Once again, loud cheers filled the plaza.

Huh? What, what should I do?!

My blood was brought to a boil.

Panic set in, my face turned bright red, and my mind went blank.

Unable to think of anything, I bent my head awkwardly and looked up at Master Alexis.

He whispered softly into my ear. “They are all welcoming you, Sara. Smile.”

…Oh, it was all so strangely wonderful.

Alexis really gave me strength, as if by magic.

I swallowed and slowly turned to face the people gathered at the festival.

There I was greeted warmly by the sea of smiling faces of the people of Seafield.

I found the cheerful faces of Ben, Bernard, and Anna, too.

I saw the smiling faces of Johnson and the servants in their everyday clothes.

From the tent Margaret and Rosie were waving to us with pride. 

My heart was filled with a warm, sunny feeling.

Before I knew what was happening, I found myself waving to everyone with a smile on my face.

The person I loved was next to me, firmly holding my hand. 

Three months have passed since I married Master Alexis and came to the unfamiliar Searfield.

Now, as his wife, the view reflected in my eyes was so brilliant and colorful.

Under the beautiful autumn sky, I was truly grateful for the happiness of being able to stand next to Master Alexis.

–

AUTHOR’S NOTES: Thank you for reading.

The next chapter, from Alexis’s point of view, will be the conclusion to the story.