Chapter 13
Daisy hurried into her carriage and followed after him.
Although the magic was supposedly meant to last only an hour, Daisy’s carriage and horses remained exactly as they were, renewed again and again by her magic.
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Aaron brought his horse to a stop and walked beneath the shade of a large tree. Daisy stepped down from the carriage and quietly followed him.
The sun was beginning to set. Across the open fields, the fading light painted the landscape in warm shades of gold and crimson.
“You’ve only met three young ladies, and you’re already giving up? I didn’t expect you to surrender so quickly.”
“That’s not it. I’ve just… had a lot on my mind.”
Aaron sat down beneath the shade of the tree and looked up at Daisy.
Then he gestured beside him.
“Please, have a seat. Don’t just stand there.”
Daisy quietly sat beside him.
Aaron let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Watching Miss Garland refuse to give up the slipper reminded me of something you said.”
“Something I said?”
“About why she ran away… You said she probably fled because she knew I wasn’t the kind of man who would devote himself to a single woman.”
“Please don’t take my words too much to heart.”
“No. I think you were right. Today we met three young ladies. Every one of them became fixated on that slipper. Even though none of them had spent the night with me, they were all eager to claim it if it meant becoming my wife. Watching them, I couldn’t help wondering whether they wanted me… or simply the wealth and prestige that come with being Aaron Schmidt.
“They’ve barely exchanged a few words with me in their lives. It certainly isn’t because they’re deeply in love with me. They were simply trying not to let an opportunity slip away.
“And then it occurred to me… Perhaps I’m no different from them. They insist that a slipper which isn’t theirs belongs to them because they desire the status and privilege it promises.” And I’m wandering the kingdom searching for a woman whose name I don’t even know, intending to make her my wife simply to escape disgrace and fulfill an obligation. When I thought about it, I realized we’re not all that different.”
Aaron let out another sigh.
At the very least, I don’t think she—the woman from last night—came to my bed for such shallow reasons.”
Aaron’s voice was quiet.
“She wasn’t interested in my wealth or my title. She chose to be with me, the man himself. And yet she ran away. I suppose it’s because I didn’t seem worthy of her trust.
“No… the truth is, I simply wasn’t. As you said, Lady Daisy, I wasn’t ready to love someone. Perhaps her running away was only natural. Even if I found her now, what would really change? Perhaps I’d preserve my honor. Perhaps I’d free myself from the burden of knowing I’d fulfilled my responsibility. But I don’t think I could make her happy.”
“So you’re giving up? Without even meeting her and asking what she wants? Before abandoning everything, couldn’t you at least hear her feelings?”
“I’m still going to find her. But I’ll do it myself. I won’t rely on your magic anymore, Lady Daisy. I’ll remember her face with my own mind. At the very least, shouldn’t I be able to do that before I have the right to stand before her again?”
“You said you drank so much that you can’t remember.”
“The memories are coming back little by little. Sooner or later, I think her face will return to me as well. And if it doesn’t… Then I’ll keep trying until it does. No matter how long it takes.”
“Even if it takes years?”
“Even then.”
His answer came without hesitation.
“If nothing else, putting in that much effort is the least I can do to prove that I’m sincere.”
Daisy watched him silently for a moment. Then she asked:
“Do you truly believe she loves you?”
“At the very least, I’m certain she never desired my status or my wealth.”
“Then I suppose… this is where my help ends.”
Daisy stood, brushing the dust from the hem of her robe.
“I should return to the tower now. I’ve been away for far too long.”
As she reached up to pull her hood back over her head, Aaron raised a hand to stop her.
“You look much better without it.”
“Hm?”
“The hood. Don’t wear it. Lady Daisy, you look much better smiling beneath the sunlight.”
For a brief instant, Daisy’s cheeks blossomed into the soft pink of a rose. But only for a moment. Flustered, she hurriedly pulled the hood over her head and climbed into the carriage. Muttering that she had to leave before the magic wore off, she urged the carriage onward and quickly departed.
Seated beneath the shade of the tree, Aaron silently watched her go. Long after the carriage carrying Daisy had disappeared from sight, he remained there beneath the tree, gazing after it.
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