Finding the Hidden Cinderella - Chapter 8

“Sir Schmidt, may I offer you a piece of advice?”

“Of course.”

“If you truly do find the owner of that slipper, then from that moment onward, I think you should learn to love only one person.”

“…What?”

“I’ve heard that among the nobility, it’s common for husbands and wives to enter political marriages while each keeps lovers of their own. I imagine you think much the same way. That’s why you’re willing to marry this young lady out of obligation alone, even without any affection for her, isn’t that right?

But in my opinion, marrying without love out of nothing but a sense of responsibility, and then using ‘I’ve fulfilled my duty’ as an excuse to be unfaithful to your spouse… That seems the greater sin.”

“I don’t know how wizards conduct their marriages, but among the nobility of this kingdom, keeping one or two lovers isn’t considered shameful. What would you have me do?”

Aaron knew the remark might sound shameless, but it was the truth.

How many of the Kingdom of Peron’s great nobles didn’t have lovers?

Having a lover was simply part of noble society. What was wrong with embracing the customs of one’s own class? Was he supposed to act morally superior and become an outcast in high society?

He had no desire whatsoever to live like that.

Why give up an enjoyable life just to live under needless restraint?

“Have you ever seriously considered why that young lady ran away?”

“What?”

“You didn’t force her into your bed, did you, Sir Schmidt?”

“Force her? Absolutely not. It was entirely consensual.”

“Exactly. Which means she went to your bed because she liked you as well.”

“Naturally.”

That went without saying. He was Aaron Schmidt, the most sought-after man in the kingdom. There had never been a woman who hadn’t succumbed after he set out to win her over.

“Then why would a young lady who liked you run away?”

Daisy asked quietly.

“She had been given the perfect opportunity. As a maiden who had surrendered her chastity, she could have used that very fact as grounds to become your wife. Why would she throw away such an ideal chance and flee instead?”

“Well…”

Aaron had no answer. The truth was, he had been wondering the very same thing. Why had she run away?

If she’d intended to flee, why had she agreed to go to bed with him in the first place?

“Perhaps because she couldn’t trust you?”

“Couldn’t… trust me?”

“When she woke beside you the next morning, she probably knew that once you saw the proof she’d been a virgin, you would feel obligated to marry her. But that would only be a marriage in name. She also knew that, even after marrying her, you’d almost certainly continue taking other lovers. Perhaps she couldn’t bear the thought of living that way, so she ran.”

Daisy paused before continuing.

“Perhaps she was afraid of a loveless marriage. After all, becoming a wife who is never truly loved may be one of the greatest misfortunes a woman can suffer.”

Aaron couldn’t find a single flaw in Daisy’s reasoning. Perhaps she was right.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. There was no other reason the woman would have run away from him.

But if someone expected him to suddenly develop feelings simply because they had spent one night together…

That was asking the impossible. How could anyone create love by sheer force of will?

“I’ll ask her myself once I find her.”

In the end, Aaron brushed the matter aside with a vague reply.

He mounted his horse, then extended a hand toward Daisy.

“Would you like me to help you up?”

“No. I’ll be taking a carriage.”

“A carriage?”

Aaron blinked in confusion. There wasn’t a carriage anywhere in sight.

Just as he was about to look around to see where she meant…

As Daisy pointed her staff toward a few mice scurrying across the ground, they instantly transformed into a neatly dressed coachman and a magnificent white horse.

Then she plucked a single leaf fluttering overhead and tapped it with her staff.

In the blink of an eye, it became a small carriage.

“Oh.”

Aaron couldn’t hide his amazement at the incredible magic unfolding before his eyes.

He had always thought of wizards as nothing but gloomy, unsettling people, but seeing one at work up close was utterly fascinating.

To make a carriage from a leaf and a coachman from mice…

“Could you make gold coins out of leaves too?”

At Aaron’s transparently self-serving question, Daisy frowned.

“The magic only lasts for about an hour. Once that time passes, everything reverts to being mice and leaves again.”

“Even these slippers?”

Aaron held up the enchanted slippers that were supposed to lead him to the mysterious young woman.

“Those slippers are protected by a special enchantment, so they’ll last considerably longer.”

She paused before adding,

“At least until you’ve found their rightful owner.”

With that, Daisy climbed into the carriage. The coachman gathered the white horse’s reins, and the carriage began to roll forward. Aaron swung himself onto his horse and followed close behind.

Their destination was Viscount Alonzo’s estate.