Chapter 30
***
"..................What, what?"
A flash of lightning seemed to flash in the old man's turquoise eyes.
But before Louise had a chance to correct it, Caius began to ramble on.
"I fell in love with her the day she first set foot in these halls. Would you believe it, father, if I told you that it took me less than a day to knock on her door?"
He lied brazenly, pressing his lips lightly to Louise's temple as she stood dumbfounded.
She had never been so close to a man in her life. It was all she could do not to faint on the spot.
But Caius didn't seem to feel the slightest bit ashamed, tapping his second finger against Louise's flushed cheek.
"As you can see, she is a healthy woman. She'll give birth safely, and you'll fulfill your wish to see your grandchildren before you die, so congratulations, father."
"I'm embarrassed..................!"
The next response from the old man was unexpected; he shuddered for a moment, as if he were about to burst, but then nodded, made a sickening noise, and accepted his son's bizarre declaration.
"Marry her, as soon as possible. Quickly, before the manor knows."
In his somewhat inarticulate tone, he expressed his frustration with his son.
Even if she had a mouth, Louise had nothing to say. She bit her tongue in embarrassment as she looked at the old man's weary face.
Only Caius spoke as if from a script he had prepared.
"Don't worry, we're already preparing. The ceremony will be held in a month, so you can come and see it while you're here."
The old man nodded, his face gaunt.
For a moment, he looked much older than he had in years, gesturing to the two of them with his hand.
Then he gently grasped Louise's wrist as she bowed in greeting, and spoke softly.
"My dear, the former Marquis of Ermoli was a fine nobleman. You may be proud of him."
His deep caring made Louise's face turn rather ashen.
My God. If the Duke really knew her father, she had just brought a terrible stain on her parents' name.
Since there was no immediate response of gratitude for the kind words, Louise stuttered a bit before replying.
"Ah, thank you. My apologies, Your Excellency."
Caius could only chuckle to himself as he turned to face Louise, as if telling her how easy it was.
***
"Uh, how could you say such an unscrupulous thing...............!"
Caius maintained a nonchalant smile, even as he watched Louise's flushed complexion question him.
"Anyway, didn’t you give me your permission? Ermoli’s name is helpful to me.”
"But..................."
Louise lowered her voice as she followed him into his room.
"What are you going to do about this, when there is no cow or grandson waiting to be born?"
Caius took a step closer to Louise and whirled around.
"There is, but there is no guarantee that there will ever be a grandchild He waits for."
Louise's face burned as red as the embers in the fireplace. Caius shrugged, observing her coloring with amusement.
"Well, if you're late with the news, I suppose it's okay to pretend it was a one-time misdiagnosis, after all, pregnancy misdiagnoses are not uncommon."
The brash man was always brash, and it was always Louise who wanted to crawl into a rat hole because she couldn't find the words to respond.
Caius looked down at her, her ears reddening, and said nonchalantly.
"Anyway, it's good that we’ve gotten the fatherly approval we've been waiting for, and now I hope you'll cooperate with me in buying things and decorating the mansion as I see fit. The prospective Countess."
Louise pursed her lips as if she'd just eaten honey.
For the past week, she had been sending back the tailors and jewelers that Caius sent morning and night on one excuse or another, since he had not yet professed his marriage, and it was obvious that he did not have his father's permission.
But now things were different, with a word from the elders.
"Marry quickly, as soon as possible."
Louise must now indeed marry, for the family opposition she had anticipated was nowhere to be found in this manor.
***
"Marry?"
Louise blushed and nodded, and Miriam's sea-green eyes narrowed slowly.
"You and my brother..................?"
"Yes, Miriam."
Caius answered this time.
"I'm sure you're happy for her."
Miriam inhaled and exhaled at his cheerful endorsement, and after a long pause, came up with her next question.
"So, can I call you Sister ..................?"
Louise was about to say yes, when Caius interrupted.
"After the wedding ceremony. You may do so then."
“Oh.................. thank you. Brother."
Miriam bowed slowly, despite her surprise; ever since she'd returned the general store cat, the girl's wariness of her brother had lessened.
"Thank you..................."
Caius shook his head at the repeated exaggerated gratitude.
Louise quickly turned to Miriam to stop him from nagging her.
"You'll still have lessons with me, Miriam. I'm sure there will be some busy days."
In fact, it took her several days to convince Caius to find another teacher. There would be plenty of work to do as a hostess, but Louise didn't want to lose the bond she'd barely gained with Miriam.
"Yes, teacher."
The look of joy on Miriam's face made all the hard work worth it.
Caius summarized.
"I'm busy, so I'll get up first, then."
She had managed to convince the man to share a meal with both of them since they were family.
After he was gone, Miriam asked her dreamily.
"Teacher, you live in Burg now, don't you go home?"
Louise nodded but added,
"But my mother's ashes are in the parish of Melk, and I still go to see her sometimes. Would you like to go with me sometime?"
Miriam blushed and looked delighted.
"I'd love to, and I'll meet Marie on the way."
***
News of the wedding spread like wildfire through the mansion.
Pauline, who had been passing baskets of flowers back and forth between the two, and the butler, who seemed to be a little uneasy about the news, seemed to be inwardly pleased.
The maid looked a little unhappy, but she couldn't bring herself to complain in front of Louise, who was to be their hostess. That same night, Caius dropped a bombshell.
"The wedding is in three weeks."
Louise was dumbfounded, but they had already promised his father that they would get married within a month, so she had no choice.
The sudden wedding date was set.
***
Another week later.
Louise's emerald eyes alternated between her mother's pearl, which had been transformed into a beautiful necklace, and the handsome man who had prepared it.
Soon, a wet voice escaped her tiny lips.
"Thank you, Caius."
The corners of his mouth curled in satisfaction, and he pulled the necklace from the jewelry box.
She felt an unfamiliar heat as the large man stood behind her. The heavy pearl necklace was slowly placed on Louise's tense neck.
"Keep it like this, and you'll never lose it again. Your mother will be pleased."
"Ah................"
But when she remembered her mother's wishes, Louise was far from happy.
"When the crown prince ascends to the throne, take this..................."
With this, what could possibly follow?
Take this to ..............? To whom? To the newly crowned emperor? It was a bizarre final statement.
The more she thought about it, the stranger her mother’s last words were. Leopold, the only prince of Hyres, did not receive the crown until he came of age.
This was a stark departure from the previous emperors, who had received the crown before they came of age.
As a result, Leopold became the talk of the town, even among the common people.
He never wore the Heidenberg Mark, leading to rumors that he might not even be of imperial blood.
The Mark of Heidenberg.
The blue half-moon on the inside of his wrist that has long served to make the imperial family mysterious and untouchable.
Of course, there was no way for Louise to know the truth of the rumor.
But even if Prince Leopold were to become crown prince safely, and if he were to be crowned according to his mother's wishes, under what pretense would Louise dare to seek him out?
He was the son of the current Emperor Karl, and she herself was an Ermoli, a former loyalist of his.
In the same vein, it was equally strange that her mother would want to offer her pearl, which she treasured so dearly, to the son of the Emperor Karl.
Who was Emperor Karl?
He was the one who took Ermoli's name from her parents, the vast and sunny estate of Linz, and most of all, the Emperor Wilhelm, his liege lord.
As if reading the complexity of Louise's expression, Caius peered closely into her face.
"Are you okay, Louise? If it bothers you that your relic has changed shape, I'll restore it to its original form."
***
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Lefi (Monday, 12 August 2024 15:07)
Thank you so much!!!!��
Lili (Monday, 16 September 2024 14:07)
Thenkyou