♡ TL: Khadija SK
✧✧✧✧✧
Theodore smiled.
His friendly smile easily melted people’s defenses.
But Hazel was an exception.
She believed there was no kindness or smile in this world without a purpose, so his charming, radiant smile made her even more cautious and guarded.
“Yes, I do have something to say to you.”
All eyes gathered on Theodore’s mouth.
Theodore rose slowly, pulling a small box he had prepared long ago from the inner pocket of his coat.
It was unmistakably a ring box.
Holding it in his palm, he approached Hazel, then knelt on one knee with deliberate grace.
“Will you marry me, Miss Hazel?”
Hazel’s heart pounded so fiercely that she thought it might have stopped.
Her conversation with Charlotte flashed through her mind:
“I swear to you, this man is the one who’ll make your frozen heart race!”
Charlotte had been right. Theodore had indeed shaken Hazel’s heart.
But rather than love, it was out of shock.
In her utter astonishment, Hazel parted her lips slightly, clutching her stunned heart.
For a duke like Theodore to propose to her?
It was utterly shocking, and not in a positive way by any means.
“I’m sorry, my lord Duke, this may be out of place, but I must clarify something. That young lady is Hazel, not Charlotte.”
Lady Easton spoke with utmost caution.
Theodore blinked, as if he didn’t understand the reason for her words at all.
“Yes, I know. I believe I said ‘Miss Hazel’ quite clearly, or did I misspeak? If so, I beg your pardon, Miss Hazel. It seems I’m so nervous that I stumbled.”
Lady Easton frowned immediately.
She had been utterly convinced that Theodore would propose to Charlotte, not Hazel.
She wasn’t the only one who thought so; anyone in the Easton family aware of his visit would have assumed the same.
Lady Easton acknowledged that Hazel was a dutiful daughter, a good older sister, and an excellent lady of the house, but she wasn’t an ideal bride. In fact, Hazel herself had no interest in marriage to begin with.
Lady Easton loved her eldest daughter, and because of that, she knew her well.
Hazel wasn’t suited for marriage.
For this reason, Viscount Easton hadn’t pressured his spinster daughter to marry immediately, despite his underlying discomfort with her situation.
The couple was prepared to live with her forever if she chose not to marry, even until their deaths. Viscount Easton had even set aside a portion of the inheritance for her, considering she might remain alone after their passing.
Lady Easton wasn’t the only one concerned about Hazel’s future in old age. Even Andre would sometimes say he’d take care of his eldest sister for life. Hazel had laughed it off, but she appreciated it.
All of this was for Hazel’s benefit, but it was also in the best interest of the Easton family.
If Hazel were to marry suddenly and something went wrong, it would affect the Viscount Easton family.
Divorce, regardless of the reason, would leave a stain on Hazel and the family, and its impact would extend to her siblings.
Thus, Theodore’s proposal was supposed to be for Charlotte, not Hazel.
This was also why the Easton couple weren’t particularly invested in Hazel’s marriage, contrary to what one might expect from parents of a spinster daughter.
Of course, there hadn’t been anyone ardently pursuing Hazel, either.
But here he was.
A man saying he wanted to marry Hazel, though it was hard to say he was passionately yearning for her!
Let’s put things into perspective here.
To the parents, the three men who had proposed to Hazel in the past weren’t men—they were trash.
It was utterly astonishing, yet unbelievable.
That was why Lady Easton had asked, to confirm whether he had mistaken Charlotte for Hazel.
“I agree!”
Suddenly, Charlotte stood, pulling Andre up with her.
Andre, despite his efforts to appear composed, blinked in confusion as he tried to grasp the situation.
“You two really suit each other.”
“Thank you, Miss Charlotte.”
Theodore responded with confidence, as if he had never confused Hazel with Charlotte.
“The duke and my sister, you must have much to discuss between you, don’t you? I’ll take my leave now. I forgot that Miss Emily invited us to a tea party. Andre, you’ll come with me, won’t you?”
Hazel raised her eyebrows sharply.
Hadn’t attending Emily’s tea party been canceled due to Theodore’s visit?
“Mother, will you help me choose my outfit? Miss Emily has such refined taste, and since I’m invited, I must respect that.”
“Oh, ah, yes. Let’s do that.”
Lady Easton, still reeling, quickly rose at Charlotte’s urging.
Charlotte grabbed Andre’s hand with her left and clung to Lady Easton’s arm with her right, then turned to Hazel.
“Sister, take good care of our guest. Don’t forget we’re the Easton family.”
Her warning against rudeness carried an implicit pressure to take the proposal seriously.
“I’m on your side.”
Charlotte added her final remark with a sweet smile.
After the three left, Hazel nearly refused the proposal outright and returned to her book, but she found a reason to speak with Theodore.
It was her duty to tell her sister, who stood by her side, the details of how he proposed, especially since Charlotte had so clearly left to give them privacy.
“If you need anything, just ring the bell.”
Lady Easton concluded her farewell and exited, leaving the drawing room door slightly ajar.
Suddenly, Hazel and Theodore were alone in the spacious drawing room.
Hazel blinked, then belatedly realized Theodore was still kneeling on one knee, and quickly opened her mouth.
“You’d better sit down first, Your Grace.”
“I agree. My leg’s starting to cramp already.”
Theodore replied with light humor and sat across from Hazel.
Then Hazel noticed that the angle of their eye contact was the same as it had been at the start.
In other words, Theodore had been sitting directly facing Hazel even before the proposal, unlike the other men who visited the Easton family and typically sat across from Charlotte.
Hazel gazed at Theodore calmly. Naturally, his appearance was the first thing that caught her attention.
His flawless skin, devoid of any blemish, was like a porcelain doll’s, and the smooth lines of his face seemed more beautiful than masculine, though not feminine by any means.
His prominent nose and sharp eyes when he wasn’t smiling gave him the aura of a predator at the top of the food chain.
His lips, reminiscent of an unripened strawberry, were long and moderately full.
His Adam’s apple protruded distinctly, his broad shoulders and the chest that expanded with each breath appeared strong.
What lay beneath…
She couldn’t see well enough to assess, but she assumed it wouldn’t differ much from her current impression.
The man was a perfect specimen.
That was the highest praise Hazel, who had studied aesthetics for a time, could give.
‘Did someone like this really propose to me?’
She couldn’t believe it.
Her disbelief didn’t stem from humility or low self-esteem.
Rather, from an objective standpoint, there was no reason for a man like him to propose to Hazel.
Moreover, the Viscount Easton family had no direct ties to the ducal family.
Despite that, Hazel had expected Charlotte’s beauty might compensate for any lack in the family’s status, which had fueled her hopes for their connection.
As her thoughts reached this point, Hazel felt a slight irritation.
The primary reason was her ignorance of the man’s intentions, and the second was the difficulty of confronting that radiant smile to ask what he was planning.
“Are you feeling unwell? Shall I open the window?”
Hazel looked at him with a strange expression as he moved effortlessly to stand.
“No.”
Her voice came out dryly from her mouth.
It was the tone and response that men often complained about as being coarse and rude.
In aristocratic society, a woman expressing her opinion plainly wasn’t welcomed.
If Charlotte had been in her place, she would have refused to open the window in a roundabout way, saying something like: “Fresh air is lovely, but I’d rather not dilute the fragrance of this room just now.”
A sentence that required thinking twice to understand it meant not opening the window.
Hazel despised this approach, though it was customary in high society, even desired in aristocratic circles.
It was strongly recommended for women, especially in conversations between genders.
Naturally, Hazel neither understood nor used this approach, which was why men avoided speaking with her.
“I admire your straightforwardness.”
But Theodore was different.
It was hard to tell whether he was pretending or sincere because of his wide smile.
“If you have something to say, say it. I know my proposal surprised you, and I know it unsettled you, too.”
The man took care to make Hazel feel at ease to speak freely.
“Since you’re being considerate, I’ll speak frankly.”
Theodore nodded.
His gesture suggested he’d accept even insults with grace.
His body and slightly sharp eyes exuded authority and strength, but his demeanor was entirely different, which surprised her.
“Why did you propose to me?”
Hazel’s question was bold and direct.
✧✧✧✧✧
