He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 150

150. Unrequited Love

June 1781. Theo’s Marriage Agency, VVIP Consultation Room

“Nice to meet you. I’m Theo Sanderson.”

“Patrick Bogart.”

“Please, have a seat.”

“Yes.”

The man who had made a consultation appointment for the VVIP course was a young man who looked barely of age.

In all my time arranging marriages in London, this was the first time a young man had come alone.

Moreover, the VVIP consultation cost a considerable sum of 500 pounds just to book, making it a burden even for wealthy nobles.

‘If a young, unmarried man is applying for a VVIP consultation, he must either be wealthy enough not to care about the money or have a very urgent reason…’

Theo sat down and carefully examined Patrick Bogart.

A delicate and clean face with an arrogant and cold demeanor that seemed almost aloof.

At first glance, he looked like someone who was angry, but that wasn’t actually his emotional state.

Having seen so many overbearing nobles, Patrick’s expression and attitude weren’t that off-putting.

However, it seemed like someone meeting him for the first time might misunderstand.

But the emotions emanating from within him felt pure and warm, unlike his outward appearance.

The problem was that this warmth was hidden behind a cold exterior, making it imperceptible to most people.

“Did you come alone?”

“Yes.”

Feeling something was amiss, Theo asked cautiously.

“Did you, Sir Patrick Bogart, personally send the consultation appointment letter?”

“Ah… yes.”

In the consultation request letter, he had identified himself as the third son of Viscount Bogart, so I had assumed it was sent by Viscount Bogart or his wife, but it wasn’t.

“It’s rare for the person getting married to make the appointment themselves, so I asked.”

“…Yes.”

He lowered his eyes shyly and kept sipping his coffee.

Theo deliberately didn’t say anything and watched him quietly.

But he only glanced around, not opening his mouth.

If he had applied for an expensive consultation himself and come alone, he must have been feeling urgent.

Normally, someone would bring it up first, but due to his innate personality, he couldn’t even start a conversation.

Reluctantly, Theo opened the conversation.

“You live in London?”

“Yes.”

“Was it difficult to come all the way here?”

“No.”

“Ah… yes.”

In fact, Theo had noticed something strange from the beginning of their conversation.

No, ‘surprised’ was a more appropriate word.

It was his unique voice.

From the light greetings, I thought it was a beautiful voice, but I just passed it over because of the short answers and small voice.

But listening carefully, his voice was a unique and beautiful tone rarely found in adult men.

Since I started reading people’s minds from a very young age, my sensory organs such as sight and hearing had also developed.

To Theo’s sensitive ears, this young man’s voice came as a sound from another dimension.

Clearly, his appearance was masculine, but he produced a very clear and high-pitched sound that would only come from a woman.

And he was deliberately suppressing that sound, trying to speak softly.

I wondered if his short answers were also to hide his voice as much as possible.

‘He’s quite ashamed of his voice. He’s trying to make it sound like a deep voice on purpose.’

Fortunately, because it was such a high-pitched and clear sound, it didn’t sound mumbled even when he spoke softly, and it was quite clear.

‘It’s not a normal man’s voice, but it’s still a very good voice, so why is he so withdrawn and trying to hide it? Surely a castrato [a male singer castrated in boyhood to retain a soprano voice] wouldn’t come to a marriage agency.’

‘Castrato’ refers to a castrated male soprano from around 1600 to about 1750, during the Baroque music era.

The protagonist in the movie ‘Farinelli’ that Theo had seen in modern times was a castrato from the Baroque music era.

But it was impossible for the son of an English aristocratic family, let alone in Italy, to be a castrated ‘castrato’.

“Do you perhaps do opera as a hobby?”

“Opera… what? Why are you suddenly talking about that…?”

At Theo’s question, his face turned noticeably red. Patrick was very displeased, as if his weakness had been exposed.

It was clear that he was ashamed of his voice, beyond just being embarrassed.

“I not only don’t do opera, but I don’t even like singing! And of course, I don’t enjoy watching opera either!”

As he spoke at length for the first time, the uniqueness of his voice was fully revealed.

‘Now that he’s completely shed the pretense of being deep, his voice is really beautiful. His voice is so unique that people mistake him for a castrated castrato and keep asking, and it seems that this has built up into a great deal of stress.’

In particular, his expression and gestures strongly conveyed shame when talking about singing, suggesting that he had suffered from an inferiority complex about his thin, beautiful voice for a very long time.

In fact, just because you have a good voice doesn’t mean you can sing well.

There are many cases where people have good voices but terrible singing skills.

Theo himself was like that.

“I apologize if I offended you. I didn’t mean any harm; I just asked because your voice is so distinctive. I hope you don’t misunderstand. Anyway, the reason you made a consultation appointment is to find a woman to marry, right?”

He was embarrassed.

“Actually… I didn’t come here to be introduced to someone.”

“What? You didn’t come to be introduced?”

Patrick Bogart hesitated for a moment and then told the story of how he came to apply for the consultation.

“There is a woman I have a crush on. At first, I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just a passing feeling… but as time went on, the feeling kept growing, and now it’s become too much to handle.

Then, I happened to find out that she was registered as a member of this marriage agency.”

“So, the person you have a crush on is a member of our agency?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Theo nodded as if he understood.

From a modern person’s point of view, Patrick’s actions were absurd.

Who would spend a fortune to ask for such a favor?

If you went to a marriage agency and asked them to introduce you to a woman you had a crush on because she was a member there, you would be treated like a stalker and kicked out.

Most people would go through someone they know or convey their intentions directly to the other person.

But this was the 18th century.

It wasn’t a society where you could get a woman’s phone number or ask about her personal information if you liked her.

If you liked someone, you had to officially convey your intention to visit through the head of the household and get permission.

Of course, one-on-one meetings with the other person were impossible. Only meetings with family members were possible.

Under these historical circumstances, the best course of action Patrick could take was to come to Theo.

“I see. But are you not acquainted with this woman?”

“That’s… not true. She’s a friend’s younger sister.”

“What?”

If she was a friend’s younger sister, he could just ask the friend to connect them.

But I wondered why he had bothered to come to a marriage agency at great expense.

“The woman you like is a friend’s younger sister, but the reason you came all the way to me… wouldn’t it be easier to ask your friend to help you directly?”

As Theo looked puzzled, Patrick sighed briefly.

“Actually, I’m not close enough to that friend to ask him to introduce his sister. We just exchange greetings out of courtesy. Besides, that friend has been on a Grand Tour [a traditional trip of Europe undertaken by upper-class young men] for over three years, so there hasn’t been a chance to get closer.”

“Then, have you ever met and talked with your friend’s younger sister?”

“Yes, I have. When we first exchanged greetings briefly, I just thought of her as a beautiful young lady, but once, I had the opportunity to talk to her through a family gathering. But after that day, I think I fell in love with her.

But after that, there was no opportunity at all. She was so popular that she was surrounded by friends and didn’t pay attention to me.

While I was suffering alone like a fool, I heard that a man had gone to her house to make an official proposal.”

It became clearer why he had come to Theo.

If another man made an official proposal first, he wouldn’t have a chance for a while.

He had missed his chance because he hadn’t been brave enough to confess to the woman he liked.

“And as it turned out, that man was someone I knew well. After hearing that story, I felt so bad and couldn’t sleep at night.

So, after much deliberation, I made up my mind and came to Theo’s Marriage Agency, where she is a member, because I heard that you, Sir Sanderson, not only have Miss Perry registered as a member but also connect true love between men and women.”

Patrick said that he had received a considerable inheritance from his late grandfather, so he was financially comfortable.

So, he seemed to have urgently applied for the VVIP course instead of the regular course.

His sincerity was evident in his slightly trembling voice.

At that moment, Theo noticed that Patrick’s subtle expressions and movements around his mouth were creating a sense of depression.

‘…….’

The emotion Theo had felt when he first saw Patrick Bogart was pure, but also a ‘coldness’ that was almost aloof.

This cold emotion had likely masked Patrick’s purity and conveyed only coldness to Olivia, making her see him as someone she didn’t want to get close to.

Of course, Patrick’s expression had stiffened because he was trying to hide his unmanly voice from the woman he liked, but Olivia, unaware of this reason, might have felt that Patrick was treating her hostilely.

And Patrick would have become more intimidated and depressed by Olivia’s reaction.

‘Roughly speaking, the two seem to be a good match in terms of personality….’

Objectively looking at Patrick Bogart’s personality and appearance, he seemed to be quite compatible with Olivia Perry, who remained in my memory.

I don’t know what emotion it is, but there seemed to be something that strongly matched.

But I couldn’t rashly judge what it was with my old memories.

I would have to meet Olivia in person to figure it out exactly.

Because it would be an emergency for Patrick Bogart, who is deeply in love.

“I understand. Let’s end the first consultation here. I think I should meet Olivia Perry in person soon to discuss the matter before deciding whether to proceed.

I’m letting you know in advance that if Miss Perry is already dating that man or has feelings for him, this matchmaking cannot proceed.”

At Theo’s words, a look of sadness crossed Patrick’s face.

Even the words ‘dating’ with that man seemed to hurt his heart.

“Yes… of course… that’s right. I understand. Then I’ll be waiting.”

* * *

Theo finished the consultation with Patrick Bogart and went up to the 5th floor to the president’s office, where he immediately opened the list of female members.

As he ran his finger down the list of members, Theo’s eyes fell on the name ‘Olivia Perry’.

He quickly looked at the notes on the right that described her characteristics.

‘Bright and positive personality. Light brown hair, very kind eyes, slender face shape….’

As I skimmed through the notes, her image became clearer in Theo’s mind.

I wish Charlie had been there at the time; it would have come to mind more clearly.

‘Yes, there is no portrait, but I remember it clearly. She was a very feminine and charming young lady who got along well with everyone. She had a good personality too. Hmm….’

Theo, who couldn’t easily forget the feeling of first impressions when meeting people, felt that Olivia was very clear and pure.

‘On the surface, their personalities seem very different, but their inner emotions are similar. I’m sure they’ll get along well….’

If they were quite compatible in terms of disposition, they should have been connected on their own without Theo’s intervention.

Nevertheless, if they haven’t been properly connected so far, it means that something is blocking them.

It seemed that I had to meet Olivia as soon as possible to see what it was.

Because it would be an emergency for Patrick Bogart, who is deeply in love.

‘But, the biggest problem is the excessive inferiority complex about his thin voice. Because of that, he looks insecure and cold.’

If Olivia doesn’t have a boyfriend, I should start by instilling confidence in Patrick’s voice.