He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 168

168. The Princess’s Blind Date

Mayfair, London, Tae-oh’s Residence.

Tae-oh went straight to his study after work, engrossed in his work without even having dinner.

He was searching the member list for a suitable match based on the matchmaking survey results for Princess Maria.

He was quite taken aback by the unfamiliar feelings, but Tae-oh tried to handle it as calmly as possible.

‘Okay, I admit she’s my ideal type in terms of appearance. But external attraction doesn’t last that long. If I quickly introduce her to a good person and get her out of my sight, my feelings will fade away as if nothing happened.’

However, the princess’s tendencies, which he felt while talking to her, kept bothering him.

‘The values, goals, and perspectives that the princess has… why do they seem so similar to mine? Or am I just falling for Princess Maria at first sight and fitting her into my own mold…?’

It was absurd. He had always felt a bit frustrated while counseling and treating people suffering from lovesickness.

They showed symptoms similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression, thinking about the person all day, wanting to see them all day, obsessing and suffering.

Seeing them desperately clinging on, wanting to be with them even a little longer, trying to see them even once more, he was amazed at how love alone could make them like that.

But just like Eliza in Jamaica, who was dying of lovesickness, lovesickness is a terrible disease that can lead to death.

Thinking of the other person makes your heart flutter, but the fact that you can’t see or touch them makes you despair, and you lose your appetite, gradually weakening your body.

In severe cases, it can even lead to suicide due to extreme depression.

‘My lonely brain is causing this illusion. The emotions that were hungry for an ideal image that I didn’t even know existed deep in my subconscious are rising up.

Love is a two-way street, but it doesn’t make sense to unilaterally give my heart to someone I just met and fall for them. Get a grip, Hyun Tae-oh!’

He had always advised patients who were struggling with severe lovesickness to stop loving the other person first.

Because the desire for love is endless, and the more you try to satisfy that desire, the more severe the emotional waste becomes.

‘I have a lot of work piled up in front of me right now. Instead of wasting emotions on useless things, let’s just focus on solving the tasks given to me one by one.’

Tae-oh made up his mind, holding Princess Maria’s matching questionnaire.

‘Okay! Rather than this, it would be better to exclude emotions and objectively examine the matching scores to confirm that my heart is mistaken.’

He shouldn’t be doing this as the CEO of a matchmaking agency, but he wanted to confirm with objective scores that he was wrong.

Scribble- Scribble-

He started calculating the matching score with himself based on the questionnaire scores.

‘……’

After a while.

Tae-oh was speechless at the matching score results.

The total score recorded over 98% consistency.

That was the result from a much more detailed test than usual members, in order to receive harsh scores.

Princess Maria was the ideal type, perfectly matching not only in appearance but also in personality.

‘Ha- this is… really a big problem.’

It could be that his feelings at first sight were not a momentary illusion.

‘But it won’t work! I can’t love someone in my current situation. Besides, the other person is a princess of a kingdom who is about to have a political marriage.’

He lives in the 18th century, but he is a 21st-century person. Moreover, she is a princess of a kingdom.

All situations were blocking him like a huge wall.

‘I have to stop it somehow before my heart falls deeper and I can’t control it.’

He felt like he should find a suitable groom as soon as possible and avoid meeting her as much as possible.

A month later. A restaurant on Theo Street.

Tae-oh had arranged three meetings for Princess Maria over the past month.

A Count from the Stuart family, a Viscount from the Albemarle family, and a Marquis from the Coventry family.

The gentlemen, who had come out thinking of her as a naive daughter from a foreign aristocratic family and looking down on her, seemed greatly embarrassed by Princess Maria’s level of knowledge and culture.

The third candidate he was scheduled to meet today, Marquis Douglas of the Coventry family, was also the same.

The Marquis, who came out dressed in a flamboyant outfit, arrived at the restaurant much later than the appointed time.

The Marquis, who appeared with two servants, was very pleased with Princess Maria’s beauty.

“Oh, Viscount Sanderson! If she was such a beautiful person, you should have given me a heads-up! Then I would have come out earlier, haha.”

Princess Maria, who was upset that he was so late for the appointment, glared sharply.

“Does the Marquis set the time differently depending on the appearance of the other person?”

Marquis Douglas, who blushed slightly, soon apologized politely.

“Ah, how could that be? That’s definitely not the case. I think I made a mistake because I met the beautiful Maria. Please forgive me generously.”

Tae-oh couldn’t help but sigh at the Marquis’s attitude.

Of course, his psychological state and personality had already been verified, so it wasn’t too bad, but he couldn’t help but notice the unique arrogance and condescending attitude towards people of lower status that nobles of this era had.

In addition, Marquis Douglas showed such points more prominently in front of women, and the princess seemed very displeased with that.

Tae-oh tried to change the awkward atmosphere as much as possible and guided the conversation between the two to flow naturally.

Fortunately, as the initial cold atmosphere eased a lot, Princess Maria also relaxed her expression and began to actively share stories.

Various topics were discussed, from Shakespeare’s literature to Thomas Hobbes’ philosophy, but Princess Maria knew much more than Marquis Douglas, even though they were British writers and philosophers.

“Haha, how do you know so much about British culture and philosophy even though you are not British?”

“A country’s culture and history are important to understanding that country. The writings reveal how the people of that country think and how they live.”

Marquis Douglas, who nodded, subtly turned the topic to politics as if trying to make up for his shortcomings.

He seemed to think that she was a young lady from a small kingdom and wouldn’t know much about international affairs.

“……Recently, tensions between our Britain and neighboring countries have been heightened due to the French Revolution. In particular, the situation with France is not good.

There are rumors that Maria’s Kingdom of Naples will side with France if our Britain does not help.

But the French are very, very vile by nature. If the King of Naples hopes for favors from the French and sides with them, he will suffer a very harsh fate.”

Marquis Douglas seemed to be subtly showing off the power of the great power, Britain, and trying to intimidate her.

But the princess did not get caught up in his intentions.

“Yes, that’s right. Our kingdom is not a small country, but we are always forced to be aware of the surrounding great powers. But I think the rumors you heard are half right and half wrong.”

The Kingdom of Naples, surrounded by great powers, was once ruled by France, Spain, and Austria.

“Yes? In what… way?”

“Both Britain and France are trying to make deals with us and provide military assistance, so wouldn’t there be other purposes as much as that?

Our kingdom is the only location with the sea in the Mediterranean, so it is the optimal country geopolitically for waging war or trading, as ships or merchant ships can move freely.

Also, Sicily has abundant resources and a lot of grain, so if you import it through the Mediterranean, you can gain a lot.

I absolutely don’t think that Britain or France is doing us any favors without getting anything in return. Wouldn’t they be moving because there are more benefits?”

Marquis Douglas was embarrassed by the princess’s sharp answer, and Tae-oh smiled secretly.

* * *

Unlike the two people she had met before, she had a fairly long conversation with Marquis Douglas, but Princess Maria’s expression was not bright throughout.

After finishing the meeting with the Marquis, Count Dominici and Princess Maria moved to Tae-oh’s cafe.

“How was Marquis Douglas?”

“Well… just so-so.”

“You’ve met a total of three people so far, but haven’t you liked any of them?”

Princess Maria answered immediately without hesitation to Tae-oh’s question.

“No! There wasn’t anyone I was particularly drawn to.”

“……”

There may be something else besides what she answered on the matching questionnaire.

It seemed like he would have to ask more specifically about the ideal type the princess wanted.

“What kind of man have you always considered ideal, Princess? It would be helpful if you could tell me in detail.”

Princess Maria Anna answered without hesitation to Tae-oh’s question.

“I want him to be rich and handsome. Of course, he must also have power to be of great help to our kingdom, and I want him to be the kind of person who would jump out of bed and listen to me if I told him to.”

“……”

There was not a bit of sincerity in her words.

“Why are you deliberately saying that? Are you not at all interested in marriage, Princess? I’m sorry, but I’m not free enough to joke around with you right now! I’m taking time out of my busy schedule to see to your work. You are also receiving introductions while paying a large fee!”

The princess was sorry when Tae-oh became serious.

“I’m sorry…. But to be honest, I don’t think I want to get married right now.”

“Then why are you going to stay in London for a year to get married? From my point of view, you seem like a confident person who says what she wants and acts according to her beliefs.

If you hated marriage so much with your personality, shouldn’t you have not come to London in the first place?”

The princess replied with a bitter expression.

“Even if it’s not a big country and I’m just a princess… my position is not a place where I can do as I please. And I can’t abandon the people of the kingdom because of my own greed.

So, according to my parents’ wishes, I have to marry a man who is a little more helpful to our kingdom than a man I like.”

Not long ago, Tae-oh was able to meet a nobleman who knew the situation of the Kingdom of Naples well and hear the details.

King Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples became king without properly receiving the lessons to become king.

In comparison, Queen Maria Carolina, as the daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, received the best education of the time systematically and understood international relations well.

For that reason, Ferdinand IV entrusted the parts about politics to his wife and was only engrossed in his favorite hobbies.

Queen Maria Carolina strictly educated her children and tried to strengthen the position of the Kingdom of Naples through marriage with the surrounding great powers, especially focusing on relations with Britain.

Princess Maria, who was born with clear beliefs, could not disobey the strict will of her mother and came all the way to England to find a groom.

Perhaps she came to London for a year as an escape, thinking that she could be freed from her mother.

“Still, I think I came here very well. To be honest, I even feel like I want to get married quickly and live in London soon.”

Princess Maria said cheerfully with a bright expression as if nothing had happened.

Although she came to London for marriage, the princess was deeply immersed in the vibrant charm she felt for the first time when she came to Theo Street.

Every day was enjoyable as she saw the good environment, the coffee-filled cafes, bookstores and theaters, restaurants… and the vibrant citizens that she couldn’t see in the Kingdom of Naples.

“Viscount Sanderson? Shall we take a walk?”

“A walk?”

“Yes! Both you and I are stressed about marriage, right? In times like this, walking without thinking is the best!”

* * *

Princess Maria took a walk down Theo Street with Count Dominici and her maids.

The princess, who looked around the street here and there, such as cafes, dress shops, flower shops, theaters, restaurants, general stores, and bakeries, asked Tae-oh.

“Did the British government create this street entirely? It’s really amazing. It’s fun to walk along the straight street and look at the shops, not only around the company or cafe. The various sights give me a new feeling every time.”

At that time, a street sign with ‘Theo Street’ written on it came into Princess Maria’s eyes.

“Oh, that’s right! Theo Sanderson! Isn’t it so fun? Sanderson’s name is the same as the name of this pretty street. I was curious and asked people, and they said it was newly decided by His Majesty the King. I saw it last time and was going to ask because it was the same as Sanderson’s name, hehe.”

Princess Maria, who was having fun, tilted her head. Tae-oh’s reaction of being embarrassed was strange.

In an instant, the princess opened her eyes wide and asked.

“Could it be… this street? The street named after Sanderson… no way, right?”

The princess, who noticed that Tae-oh couldn’t answer and kept hesitating, was startled.

“Wow- is that right? Then, did Sanderson make this street?”

“Well, it was necessary to create a street for business purposes.”

Princess Maria pointed to the floor and asked.

“This too?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my gosh! Then did you plan all of this stone floor, restaurants, cafes, and hotels? Did you create this entire street according to the original plan?”

“Yes… well, it just happened that way.”

“I wondered why only this place was so well decorated, not the center of London….”

The excited princess shouted to Count Dominici, who was following behind.

“Count! Did you know? Sanderson planned and made this entire street! Oh my gosh! Isn’t it amazing? He planned this entire fairy-tale street!”

Count Dominici, who looked very tired, reluctantly responded.

“Ah, I see. That’s amazing, haha. By the way, Princess? Shall we go home now?”

Despite the Count’s pleading expression, the lively princess was busy looking around here and there without paying attention.

“Wow! Look at those clothes! Oh my- are they making them in advance and selling them like that?”

When the princess pointed to the clothes displayed in the dress shop, Tae-oh nodded.

“Yes, it’s ready-made clothes. A very skilled tailor makes them in advance and sells them after adjusting the size later.”

Princess Maria, who was sparkling her eyes, led the Count and moved to the dress shop.

“Count! It’s too early to go home yet, right? Let’s go into the dress shop and look at the clothes. They look better than the dresses in Paris just by looking at them!”

In an instant, fear was in the Count’s eyes.

“Yes? Princess, you’re going to look at the clothes? There are plenty of clothes at home. Just order clothes next time….”

“Oh, Count. This is not custom-made clothes. They say the clothes are already made? I think it’s a simple task to just go in and try them on and adjust the size. It won’t take long!”

The Count was dragged in by the headstrong Princess Maria like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

‘Even that stiff Count becomes a gentle sheep in front of Princess Maria.’

Tae-oh chuckled and followed the princess into the dress shop.