“Is this all the paperwork needed?”
As Count Maynard personally handed over the documents, the imperial office employee respectfully received them.
“Yes, it will be registered with the information you’ve provided.”
The adoption process was completed by submitting just a few documents.
This was because I was an adult and originally belonged to the Maynard family.
Even so, it felt surreal that it ended so simply.
This adoption process was one of the big events for me.
The fact that I, who was once a commoner, could now live as a member of the Maynard family made something in my heart flutter.
To think that the procedure for this would be so anticlimactic.
“Claire?”
The Countess called me, noticing that I was in a daze.
“Yes?”
Only then did I come to my senses and turn to look at her. The Countess looked at me curiously for a moment before smiling.
“Let’s go back now.”
“Yes!”
I got into the carriage following the Count, Countess, and Miss Veronica.
It still didn’t feel real.
It seemed like nothing had changed from before.
“Have you talked to the Duke separately?”
The Countess asked while I was blinking blankly.
“About what?”
“About marriage. Haven’t you talked about it separately yet? When he spoke with us last time, it didn’t seem like anything had been decided yet.”
When the Countess finished speaking, everyone’s eyes turned to me.
I hesitated for a moment before opening my mouth.
“Actually, yesterday, I received a proposal.”
“What? Is that true, Claire?”
Miss Veronica seemed the most interested.
As I was about to say such things with my own mouth, my face felt hot.
“Yes, he asked me to marry him.”
“So what did you say?”
“I said I’d like to…”
For some reason, my voice trailed off.
I glanced around furtively. Miss Veronica was covering her mouth with both hands, unable to continue speaking, while Count and Countess were looking at me with pleased smiles.
“Then how do you think we should set the wedding date? Even if we discuss it with the Duke later, I’d like to hear your opinion.”
Count carefully asked me.
“I did give the Duke a positive answer, but we haven’t thought about it in detail yet.”
“Is that so? Judging by how quickly the Duke moves things along, it seemed like he wanted to set the date rather soon. If that’s the case, what will you do?”
I fell into thought for a moment.
It was only yesterday that I accepted the marriage proposal, so I hadn’t seriously thought about the timing.
“But then… I might end up getting married before Miss.”
Regardless of when the wedding would be, I wondered if it was right for me to get married before Miss Veronica.
Shouldn’t Miss Veronica get married first, and then me, no matter what?
Although it still didn’t feel real, I had now been registered into the Maynard family, so I had become a member of the Maynard family.
Therefore, there was a need to follow the order of seniority.
“Claire, you don’t need to worry about that.”
Miss Veronica, who had been looking at me with a blank expression for a moment after my words, continued with a serious face.
“I don’t mind at all if you get married first. Besides, as I said before, I’m still in the stage of getting to know Duke Anstis. It’ll take some more time before marriage, you know?”
“That’s right, Claire. Don’t be so rigid.”
Following Miss Veronica, the Countess also spoke with a small laugh.
“Why would the order matter? There’s no need to follow such old-fashioned things.”
“Is it really okay?”
“Of course.”
Hearing those reassuring words, I let out a small sigh. Then I gathered my courage and spoke.
“Then I don’t mind about the timing. I’ll follow the Count and Countess’s wishes.”
“Alright, I understand.”
The carriage came to a stop at the portico of the Berzel ducal residence.
As I was about to get out of the carriage, a hand suddenly extended in front of me. When I looked up to check, Alex was holding out his hand to me.
I was surprised because I hadn’t expected him to come out to greet us, but I was pleased and satisfied that he had come to find me despite his busy schedule.
I carefully got out of the carriage, holding his hand.
Then suddenly, I realized that the Count, Countess, and even Miss Veronica were watching us, so I hurriedly let go of his hand.
Alex seemed a bit disappointed by this, clenching his hand that was left in the air before withdrawing it.
“Did you have a good trip?”
Alex asked Count Maynard first.
“Yes. It seems you’ve been waiting.”
“To be honest, I have.”
As Alex readily affirmed, the Count and Countess laughed silently.
“I used to think you were a bit cunning, but now I see that’s not the case. I must have misunderstood.”
Alex laughed silently at the Count’s jest. Then he stepped back and gestured inside.
“Shall we go in and talk?”
“Yes, that would be good.”
We arrived at the reception room following Alex’s guidance.
Refreshments were prepared as soon as we sat down. I quietly picked up a cookie and watched as the Count and Alex conversed.
“So from today on, Claire will be officially registered into the Maynard family, correct?”
“Yes, we’ve completed all the procedures, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
Alex’s gaze fell on me. Until recently, his gaze had been burdensome, but now it wasn’t. Rather, every time our eyes met, I found myself smiling without realizing it.
It would have been nice if I didn’t feel embarrassed showing such reactions in front of others, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case, so I tried my best to maintain my composure.
And I cleared my throat softly, signaling Alex to maintain his composure as well.
Only then did he turn his gaze back to Count.
“You may have heard, but I proposed to Claire yesterday.”
Alex bluntly stated.
Because he spoke so suddenly, everyone almost got surprised, but since I had already told the Count and Countess about it in the carriage, we were able to avoid seeing their flustered faces.
Because everyone already knew, they weren’t surprised by his words.
“We actually heard about it on the way here.”
“That’s good. I would like to marry Claire as soon as possible. So I’d like to set a date, what do you think?”
When Alex finished speaking, Count briefly looked at me.
I nodded again, indicating that I would follow his wishes.
Then Count also nodded at me. And then he faced Alex.
“Let’s do that. But we’ll need some time to prepare on our side as well.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m not saying we should do it tomorrow.”
“If you had said tomorrow, I would have flatly refused. For now, it would be good to set a date for the wedding in the near future. It will take time to make the wedding dress and fit accessories, so it’s better to start preparing right away.”
“How about a month from now?”
Count Maynard thought for a moment at Alex’s words, then nodded.
“That’s not bad. By then, the weather will have warmed up so it won’t be cold, and it seems like an appropriate time even if we invite guests.”
“Then I’ll prepare with that in mind. I’ll take care of the wedding venue and other details.”
The conversation between Alex and Count Maynard was proceeding smoothly.
Although I had guessed Alex’s desire to rush the wedding, I was stunned to think that the wedding would be held just a month later.
Even being adopted into the Maynard family still felt like a dream, and now we were immediately talking about marriage, which made it feel even more surreal.
Still, I didn’t dislike how smoothly things were progressing. I was just flustered because it felt like I was losing my sense of reality.
“The next month will be busy. Until then, I apologize, but would you mind staying here at the ducal residence a bit longer?”
“Let’s do that. If you need, I can arrange a separate townhouse in the capital for you.”
Alex readily agreed and made an offer to the Count.
However, Count Maynard shook his head, declining the offer.
“We’re also in the process of looking for a mansion to stay in the capital during that time. Please bear with us until then.”
“Yes, let’s do that then.”
After hearing Alex’s response, Count Maynard moistened his lips with tea. The sound of the cup being set down echoed softly, and soon after, he continued speaking.
“Please take good care of Claire.”
Alex hesitated for a moment and gazed intently at the Count. Then he slowly nodded and answered.
“Yes. You don’t need to worry.”
After finishing his words, Alex turned to look at me. His eyes, just like last night, were full of certainty. And they clearly reflected deep affection within them.
- ianthe
if you want me to complete the novels i'm currently working on, please consider leaving a rating on NU. thank you~ (๑'ᵕ'๑)⸝*