He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 177

< 177. Separation (Revised 10/25) >

The week flew by, and the day for their separation was fast approaching.

Princess Maria spent the entire week with Theo, cherishing every moment. Today, their last day together, was no different.

Yet, there was nothing particularly special about it being their last day. They didn’t want to dwell on the sadness.

As they usually did, they strolled down Theo Street, enjoyed a leisurely meal, and sipped tea at their favorite cafe.

They browsed a new shop and carefully selected a few gifts for her siblings, tokens of her affection.

In the evening, they shared a quiet farewell dinner at Theo’s house, a simple yet heartfelt meal.

As the night deepened, a wave of sorrow washed over Princess Maria, and Theo gently comforted her, his words a soothing balm.

“Don’t worry. As soon as I’ve completed this important project I’m working on, I’ll come to the Kingdom of Naples to be with you.”

“But they might not allow it,” she said, her voice laced with doubt.

“They will! I’ll persuade them. I’ll get their permission. Just trust me.”

“Really… will you truly come?” she asked, her eyes searching his.

“Yes, I promise. I will definitely come to you.”

Only then did a sense of relief wash over the princess, and she drifted into a peaceful sleep, lulled by the sound of Theo’s voice.

The next morning.

When Theo awoke, Princess Maria was gone.

In her place, a letter rested on the pillow.

He picked it up, his heart heavy, and slowly unfolded it.

“To my dearest Theo,

Please forgive my sneaking away without a proper goodbye. If I had looked into your eyes, I fear I wouldn’t have had the strength to leave.
.
.
.
I promise to obtain permission and return to London to marry you.

When I return, let us become husband and wife and live together forever, just like in the song you sang to me.

If you haven’t heard from me in two months, please assume that I was unsuccessful in gaining permission.

If that happens, you will come and find me as you promised, won’t you?

I’ll be waiting, my love. Let’s be patient and wait just a little longer.

Forever yours,
Maria”

Theo carefully folded the princess’s letter and walked to his study.

He carefully placed it in the drawer of his desk, a precious memento.

Theo knew, deep down, that the princess’s return to London wouldn’t be easy.

He realized that he would eventually have to travel to the Kingdom of Naples himself and negotiate with her family.

However, this was an era where merchants were often looked down upon. While England, with its burgeoning Industrial Revolution, was beginning to recognize the value of money and improve the treatment of merchants, the Kingdom of Naples still prioritized noble lineage above all else.

Marriage to the princess would be a difficult battle.

Frustrated, Theo shut himself in his study and began to drink. But no matter how much he consumed, he couldn’t get drunk. Only when he emptied the entire bottle into his mouth did he finally feel a slight buzz.

Then, he lost consciousness and collapsed.

* * *

Theo awoke to the sounds of bustling activity outside, feeling as if he’d been dead. He was lying in his bed, having been moved by someone.

“Ugh…”

His head throbbed with a terrible hangover, and his stomach churned, threatening to empty its contents. But the realization that Princess Maria was no longer in London flooded his mind, tormenting his heart anew.

Knock- knock- knock-

A hurried knock echoed through the door.

“Master?”

It was the butler.

“Come in.”

Thump-

“Master…”

The butler’s face was pale, his expression grave.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen at the company?”

Theo had been unable to go to work yesterday due to his emotional turmoil. He wondered if that was the reason for the butler’s distress.

“That’s…”

A sense of foreboding washed over Theo. The atmosphere was different from usual, suggesting that this was not related to company business.

Anxiety gnawing at him, Theo urged the butler, “What is it? Tell me quickly.”

The butler opened his mouth with difficulty, as if steeling himself to deliver bad news.

“There seems to be a problem with the ship that Miss Maria was traveling on… I felt it was my duty to inform you as soon as possible.”

He didn’t state it directly, but the butler was undoubtedly aware of the relationship between Theo and Princess Maria.

Stunned by his words, Theo leaped out of bed.

“Maria’s ship… the ship… what happened…?”

Theo’s voice trembled.

The butler recounted what he had heard.

“According to the coachman who just returned from his errands, the ship carrying the young lady… appears to have sunk in a storm. The details are unclear, but only a handful of sailors survived and have returned. The news has caused quite a stir in London.”

Theo staggered, a wave of dizziness washing over him.

The startled butler rushed to his side, steadying him.

“Oh my, Master! Are you alright?”

Theo grasped the butler’s arm, seeking confirmation. “So, the ship… the ship Maria was on… was wrecked… is that what you’re saying…?”

“…Yes, Master. That seems to be the case.”

A ragged breath escaped Theo’s lips.

Princess Maria’s ship had been wrecked and sunk. He desperately wished he was still drunk, that this was all a terrible nightmare.

But it wasn’t a dream.

Theo shouted, scrambling toward the closet. “Quickly! Prepare the carriage! Hurry!”

“Yes? Yes, yes. I understand!”

*

The harbor, which he reached in haste after hearing the shocking news, was teeming with people, all affected by the tragedy.

Men gathered in small groups, their faces etched with concern as they discussed the situation. Others wandered aimlessly, lost in their grief, while some wailed and beat the ground in despair.

The scene painted a clear picture of the magnitude of the disaster.

The ship was a large merchant vessel, carrying a significant amount of cargo and numerous passengers. The port was a hive of activity as officials scrambled to organize a response.

Theo hurried into the office that seemed to serve as a disaster control center.

Six or seven people sat at desks, meticulously checking lists with those who had gathered. They appeared to be verifying passenger manifests and cargo inventories.

Then, someone recognized Theo and approached him.

“Oh, Mr. Sanderson, isn’t it?”

It was someone he had met during his time running a trading company, now working as the port’s manager.

“Indeed, Mr. Sanderson! What brings you here?”

Theo quickly explained the situation and pleaded for assistance.

The port manager, who held Theo in high regard, immediately offered his help.

“Mr. Sanderson, let’s go to the inner office. The survivors from the wrecked ship are being questioned there.”

The port manager led Theo to another office and introduced him to the surviving sailors.

From them, Theo learned the harrowing details of the disaster.

“…Unlike our departure, the waves were unusually rough, and the weather felt ominous.”

The Mediterranean in August typically enjoys calm seas and mild weather, making it an ideal time for sailing.

However, about a day after the ship set sail, the wind inexplicably intensified, and towering waves began to crash against the vessel, posing a serious threat.

“We didn’t initially worry, assuming it would pass. But as time went on, the wind grew stronger. The captain ordered the sailors to furl the sails, but the wind was so fierce that they couldn’t manage it.”

Before the sails could be secured, the ship, battered by the relentless waves, was tossed about and slammed into a reef, causing severe damage to the hull.

The suddenness of the event left people with no time to react.

Subsequently, a massive wave engulfed the ship, and many passengers were helplessly swept into the sea.

“Then, what happened to the passengers who were on the ship…?”

The sailor lowered his head, his face clouded with grief.

“It was a sudden and violent storm, and the night was dark. Most of the passengers were asleep in their cabins. As the ship broke apart, seawater rushed in, and it began to sink rapidly…

Only a few of us who were on deck managed to survive by clinging to wooden planks. We were eventually rescued by a passing merchant ship.”

Theo’s legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed onto the spot.

The butler rushed to his side, his voice filled with concern. “Were there no survivors among the passengers?”

The sailors shook their heads weakly.

“No, I’m afraid not. No one could have survived in those conditions… The captain also perished.”

*

‘I killed her… I killed her…’ Theo thought.

In the carriage on the way home, Theo fought back tears.

If he had known she would meet such a tragic end, he would never have let the princess leave.

If he had foreseen this miserable future, he would have held onto Princess Maria, no matter the cost.

His heart ached with unbearable pain, and he endlessly blamed his own cowardly decision.

He resented and cursed the God who had brought him to this 18th-century past life, only to cruelly take her away.

*

The closed gate swung open, and the carriage carrying Theo entered Mayfair Mansion.

Tug-tug.

Theo, who had been leaning against the carriage wall in a daze, was completely overwhelmed by his emotions.

The only solution that came to mind was alcohol.

He felt disgusted with himself for having so easily offered advice to countless patients struggling with the loss of loved ones.

Theo desperately tried to suppress the terrible pain by burying his face in his hands.

But it was all in vain.

Theo knew better than anyone that only time… only time could heal this profound pain.

But he was already terrified at the prospect of enduring that agonizing period.

But…

It was then, as he was wrestling with his grief…

‘······?’

Theo, glancing out the window, questioned his own sanity.

Was that Princess Maria he saw in the garden?

‘Am I hallucinating…?’

He couldn’t discern whether it was someone who resembled her, or simply an illusion conjured by his grief.

It could be one of the hallucinations that sometimes plague those who have suffered a devastating loss.

‘Ha… why is this happening to me…’ he thought.

He shook his head violently to clear his mind and looked at the garden again.

But a woman who looked exactly like Princess Maria was still walking there.

‘······?’

Theo turned to the butler sitting next to him, seeking confirmation.

The butler, startled by Theo’s sudden gaze, exclaimed in surprise, “Oh! Master? Isn’t that… isn’t that Miss Maria over there?”

She was visible to the butler as well.

‘!’

Theo’s eyes widened.

If the butler could see her too, then this was no hallucination.

And…

The princess, finally noticing the carriage, waved her hand, and Theo felt his breath catch in his throat.

It wasn’t a dream, and it wasn’t someone else.

It was definitely Princess Maria.

His heart pounding, Theo leaped out of the carriage and ran toward her.

“Princess Ma… Maria? What… what is going on?”

“Mr. Sanderson…”

Theo embraced Princess Maria, who was weeping, holding her tightly as if he would never let go.

It was a bold act, unimaginable in this era, but Theo no longer cared about societal norms or judging eyes.

*

In the study, the two sat facing each other, holding hands tightly.

“So, you changed your mind at the last moment, just as the ship was about to depart?”

Princess Maria nodded silently. But her face soon clouded over.

“On the morning of departure, they said it was a perfect day for sailing. There was even an aristocrat I knew who was traveling to the Kingdom of Naples. And that person too… Ha- I’m so sorry.”

It was an incredible stroke of luck.

At the very last moment, the princess had defied her parents’ wishes for the first time.

She realized that if she left London, she might never see Theo again, and she no longer had the strength to marry someone else and live a life without him.

In the end, the princess decided to disembark from the ship she was supposed to travel on with her entourage.

“If you got off the ship, why didn’t you come to me right away?”

The princess responded with a resentful grumble.

“You didn’t actively try to stop me from returning to Naples in the first place, did you? So, if I had gotten off the ship and come to see you, I was hesitant because I thought you would worry about me and insist that I go to the kingdom first.”

During the time Theo was consumed by grief, the princess couldn’t bring herself to ask for his help and had been searching for a place to stay.

Then, after hearing the news that the ship had sunk, she ran straight to Theo’s house.

Theo instructed the butler to prepare a room for the princess and her maids.

* * *

A few days later. Mayfair, Theo Sanderson’s mansion.

In a room that Theo had beautifully decorated, Princess Maria was diligently writing something all evening.

It was her second letter to the Kingdom of Naples, and unlike the first, it conveyed her unwavering resolve.

She wrote as politely as possible, but she knew that when this letter arrived in the kingdom, it would cause another major uproar within the royal family.

She intentionally omitted a return address to protect Theo from any potential harm.

‘Hoo- My mother, as well as my father, will be furious… But if I had boarded that ship, I wouldn’t be alive today. If I have been given a second chance at life, I want to live it happily with Mr. Sanderson.

Strictly speaking, you are also a British aristocrat, and you are someone who can help the people of our kingdom in some way, right?’

The princess, having made up her mind, sealed the letter and handed it to the butler.

◈ Early September 1789. Kingdom of Naples, Italy, Royal Private Residence.

Bang-

The King of Naples, after reading Princess Maria’s letter, slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair.

“No, what kind of disgrace is this! A princess, unmarried, living in the house of that lowly merchant from England!”

One of the high-ranking officials, who had cherished Princess Maria since she was a child, bowed his head and spoke cautiously. “Your Majesty- Still, isn’t it a great relief? If the princess had taken the ship to come to the kingdom that day, we could have faced a tragedy similar to Count Andrea’s.

And from what I’ve been able to gather, this ‘Theo Sanderson’ is more impressive than I initially thought…”

Before the official could finish, Queen Carolina interjected, her voice sharp. “What are you saying? It would have been more honorable to die than to marry a commoner! Now that this is known, how ridiculous will our people, as well as the British, think of our royal family?

Furthermore, I don’t know how that man flattered the King of England to attain his position, but someone without noble lineage will eventually be cast aside! Then the relationship between our kingdom and England will only deteriorate! We must stop this!”

The official fell silent, unable to respond to the queen’s vehement outburst.

King Ferdinando, breathing heavily, shouted, “Carlo! Carlo!”

A man among the officials stepped forward.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Prepare to leave for England immediately. Go to London and bring back your sister, who has lost all sense of shame, as soon as possible!”

The king, well aware of Princess Maria’s strong will, believed that only Prince Carlo could sway her.

Prince ‘Carlo de Bourbon’, Princess Maria’s older brother and the heir to the throne, received the order from the King of Naples.

Crown Prince Carlo, acting on his father’s instructions, urgently summoned a British aristocrat named Baron Herbert to the palace.

Baron Herbert was a British man who had lived in London for most of his life before settling in the Kingdom of Naples ten years prior.

The Crown Prince, who was not fluent in English and unfamiliar with London, needed the assistance of an aristocrat from London.

Three days later, Crown Prince Carlo and Baron Herbert set sail for London, England.