Heroine Popularity Vote Winner Side Story: Ashley
Ashley gripped the parasol resting across her lap.
She was accustomed to polite conversation with adults. Being introduced to a boy her own age was so unfamiliar that she didn't quite know how to respond.
Still, it would be rude to ignore his greeting.
“I see. Theorad… That's a lovely name.”
The boy seemed to relax.
“You flatter me. How could my name compare with yours?”
“No, I'm not flattering you. I truly think it sounds fine.”
“And I think Lady Ashley's name is beautiful.”
Her cheeks warmed.
Ashley lowered her eyes and tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear. Even in the shade, it shone like silk. Her natural color was lovely, but she had taken great pains to keep it neat.
“…Do you really think so?”
The question came out in a trembling voice.
Theorad nodded with a smile.
“Of course. I'll swear it upon my heart, if you'd like.”
“Wh-what? There's no need to swear an oath over something like that…”
“I'm joking.”
“You can't simply say a thing like that and then—”
“Actually, I mean it.”
Ashley pressed her lips together and glared.
What sort of boy teased someone he had only just met? And not just anyone, but the daughter of the count who governed the central territories!
She wanted to scold him. Yet he looked so innocently pleased that she couldn't find the heart.
“Lady Ashley! Where are you?”
Havid's voice rang from somewhere beyond the courtyard.
Ashley sighed and rose from the chair.
“…I ought to go. Father must be looking for me.”
“I still have work to finish. I suppose we should part here.”
“Yes. I won't forget your name. Until next time.”
Theorad stepped back and nodded.
“I hope to see you again very soon.”
Very soon?
The words seemed oddly certain. She didn't dwell on them, waving once before making herself leave. To her surprise, parting from him made her a little sad.
Havid led Ashley into a drawing room, explaining along the way that her father wished to introduce her to someone.
But when she arrived, neither Count Leonberg nor Wellion Deharem was there.
Something was wrong.
At her questioning look, Havid began to perspire.
The count and the head of House Deharem wanted their children to become friends. They had arranged for Ashley to meet Wellion's only son in this drawing room, and Havid had been sent to bring her here.
It was a thoroughly awkward scheme.
Nevertheless, it had been devised by her father and their host. Ashley could scarcely object, so she smiled and accepted a seat beside the window.
All I have to do is greet the boy politely, smile, and say a few pleasant things.
Her tutors had trained her for far more difficult conversations.
But why…?
Why was the person seated across from her Theorad?
Gone were the dirt-stained trousers and suspenders. His black hair had been combed neatly, and he wore the formal clothes of a noble heir, complete with a fine brooch.
He looked perfectly at ease dressed that way. In fact, it was the memory of him kneeling in the flowerbeds that now seemed strangely out of place.
The mistake had been hers all along.
“…You tricked me, young master.”
She spoke through clenched teeth, cheeks burning.
Theorad looked genuinely confused.
“Tricked you? In what way?”
“You never told me you were House Deharem's only son!”
“I would have been happy to tell you, if you'd asked.”
Ashley flushed deeper.
How much disrespect had she shown the heir of the household? She was annoyed that he hadn't volunteered his position, but she was just as annoyed with herself for never asking who he was.
She lowered her head, surrendering what remained of her pride.
“Please forgive me. I'll find a way to make amends for my rudeness—”
“You weren't rude.”
He spoke so gently that she looked up.
“I enjoyed our conversation very much, Lady Ashley. I'd be glad to speak with you again and again.”
Her heart gave a strange little flutter.
“I… didn't dislike it either.”
“I understand. You said you didn't want an arranged marriage. Our fathers may intend to discuss an engagement, but it wouldn't be right to force you. I'll tell them that I don't wish to proceed, so you needn't bear the blame.”
That's not what I meant.
Ashley's eyes widened.
“Don't worry,” Theorad added. “Even without an engagement, we can still be friends. Our fathers are on good terms, so I'm sure you'll be able to visit often.”
Tears began to sting her eyes.
He was offering exactly what she had said she wanted—a way out of a marriage chosen by adults. Then why did the thought of him refusing her hurt so much?
Of course, she had done this to herself. She was the one who had complained about arranged marriage. Theorad was only trying to spare her an unhappy future.
But these new feelings would not obey the neat rules her tutors had taught her.
Ashley caught the hem of her skirt between her fingers and drew a breath.
“Young master… Do you dislike me?”
“Dislike you? Not at all. I've come to think very well of you.”
“…Then don't cancel it.”
Theorad stared in silence.
“Don't cancel the engagement…”
It was the first time Ashley had ever confessed such a wish.
“Ashley.”
A cool breeze brushed the courtyard.
Ashley opened her eyes. She had been sitting on a bench in the garden, lost in memories, when Theorad approached.
“You've been staring into space for a while. What were you thinking about?”
“Nothing in particular. Sitting here reminded me of the day we first met.”
“Ah. That day.”
He smiled at the memory.
“I was trying to save the flowers when I heard your voice behind me. I looked up, and there was an angel standing in the sunlight.”
An angel?
He really ought to stop saying such embarrassing things.
Ashley glanced around to make sure no servants were within earshot.
Once she was satisfied they were alone, she leaned toward him.
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Tell me why I looked like an angel.”
She expected him to praise her hair or her face. Still, she wanted to hear him say it.
Theorad considered the question, then smiled broadly.
“For one thing, I noticed a patch on the corner of your parasol.”
“…My parasol?”
“Yes. It looked as though the cloth had snagged on a branch or a wall. The repair was rather clumsy, not the work of a professional seamstress. I suspected you'd done it yourself.”
Ashley's mouth fell open.
He was right.
“House Pelgaroin was wealthy enough to employ the best artisans. But instead of troubling someone else over such a small tear, you mended it with your own hands. That told me something about your nature.”
“Th-that's…”
“And you tilted the parasol toward me, to keep the sun off while I worked. You still believed I was a lowly servant, yet you were willing to help me without considering my station. I thought you had a generous heart.”
Ashley's cheeks grew hot.
She had wanted a simple compliment. Instead, he had remembered acts of kindness she herself had nearly forgotten.
She cleared her throat and hastily tried another question.
“Then… how did you know I was lonely?”
“It was fairly simple. You told a stranger your most private worries, believing he was a servant boy you'd never met.”
“That suggested you must have been carrying more than a child your age could comfortably bear.”
Ashley fell silent.
“I didn't know exactly how strict your father's lessons were. But I could see from your voice and expression that you wanted to escape them, if only for a little while. I wanted to comfort you.”
He looked at her fondly.
“You seemed such a lonely little girl.”
Ashley could not answer. Her face was burning.
“And that lonely girl has grown into…”
Theorad bent and kissed her forehead.
She started, then looked up. He smiled and brushed her hair with one hand.
“…A woman wiser than I am, and a wife I love very much.”
Her embarrassment reached an unbearable height.
How can he still make my heart race like this?
“Oh, it wasn't anything remarkable…”
She looked hurriedly toward the garden, mumbling words that made little sense even to herself.
Theorad took her hand.
Then he turned to watch the flowers with her, quietly enjoying the courtyard. In the peaceful silence, Ashley kept stealing glances at him and blushing.
This is terrible…
It seemed she was going to fall in love with Theorad all over again.