Chapter 16
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4. The runaway woman
The next day, Denis and his family were promptly thrown out of the Lutgard estate.
"How can you do this to me, I'm your uncle, and you don't treat your family this way because I said a few words to a barely-blooded bitch!"
Denis raged, but Theodore spoke with a stern, cold face that would not have fit a thin razor blade.
"I understood why my father forbade uncle to enter the estate. I'll make sure you get your inheritance as written in the will, so leave this place without worry, and never come here again."
"Theo!"
"If my uncle has acted as he has, and I allow it, how will the Countess's authority be established in the future?"
"What?"
Denis asked, startled by the words, but Theodore did not bother to try to convince him or make him understand, and ordered the servants to load his luggage into the carriage.
Denis protested, but eventually obeyed Theodore's orders. Though a nephew, he was now a Count, and there was a majesty about him, if not necessarily a title, that was hard to resist.
After that, the castle quieted down. One by one, the mourners who had nothing to do with the inheritance left the castle, and those who remained were silenced by Theodore's will.
Andrei turned to him with an uncomfortable look of confirmation.
"Are you sure you want to marry Miss Ferrill?"
"Yes."
"You dislike her so much.... Well, the fortune at stake in the marriage is too great."
Andrei nodded and muttered several times, as if trying to convince himself. Everyone in the Count of Knox household, including his own father, would be disapproving, but they would understand Theodore's choice to marry in order to inherit the family name in its entirety. Pavel's misdeeds could not deprive Theodore of what was rightfully his.
"By the way, Miss Ferrill has not been seen yesterday or today."
Andrei suddenly muttered, as if only the day before he had seen her coming and going to tend to guests and the affairs of the castle.
Theodore shrugged off his comment as if it didn't matter, or as if he didn't want to think about it.
"I suppose she's gone to her room now and is crying."
"She doesn’t look like the kind of person who would do that."
Andrei said. Olivia Ferrill had looked stoic, and in a way, she didn't even seem that saddened by Pavel's death. Perhaps it was because she had been through this funeral too many times, but that was beyond him.
Theodore thought she was avoiding him, and he didn't particularly want to confront her right now.
When Olivia had said she wouldn't want to marry him, he'd said, "I understand," but he hadn't really meant it. It wasn't because of the fortune, as others thought.
She had to take responsibility for breaking her own resolve. If she hadn't reached out first, he would never have faced his desires. She was the one who destroyed his chance to live with her.
Even when they weren't face to face, he'd been thinking about how to convince her. But no plausible idea came to mind, and he considered threatening her instead, when the Marquis of Ascensio came to him.
"I am about to draw up a document stating that your marriage to Miss Olivia has been annulled, will you consent?"
As soon as they had exchanged greetings and sat down, the first words out of the Marquis of Ascensio's mouth stunned Theodore.
"What?"
Without another word, the Marquis of Ascencio handed Theodore the papers Olivia had given him. It was to confirm that she had no intention of marrying him.
"If you agree, I would like to settle the matter of the residual estate with no marriage."
"I didn't agree."
Theodore spoke more firmly on purpose, struggling not to show his emotions.
"Let me rephrase that: I think she's misunderstanding something, and I intend to marry her."
"I thought it was you who did not want this marriage."
"I've changed my mind. Anyway, I'll talk to Olivia again, but please wait until then."
With that, Theodore rose to his feet. He was going to see Olivia.
But the Marquis of Ascensio looked up at him with a strange expression.
"Miss Olivia is not here. Didn't you know?"
"What?"
This time Theodore looked at him in bewilderment. The Marquis of Ascensio continued, looking very uncomfortable.
"She left the castle that afternoon.... Didn’t she say anything to you?"
"This is the first I've heard of it. Did you say she left?"
Theodore strained his ears in disbelief. The Marquis of Ascensio nodded.
"That's right. She said she would speak to her lawyer about the inheritance in the future. Pavel's funeral is over, so there's no reason for her to stay. I didn't realize she left without telling you."
Theodore shook his head once, disoriented for a moment.
Left? Where did Olivia go? This was her home. There was nowhere else to go, no reason to leave.
No, she had. Because he was here.
He couldn't understand it. Had he been so bad to her that she would leave without saying goodbye? Or had she fled because she was afraid he would ask her to marry him again?
Either way, Theodore felt a momentary blinding rage: if she hated him so much, why had she asked him to kiss her that night?
Had everything he'd felt that night been an illusion? The desire for each other, the sense of fulfillment that was only complete when their bodies were joined together.
Seeing him in shock, the Marquis of Ascensio asked him in confusion.
"Are you all right? I thought you two had come to some sort of agreement."
"I did not agree."
Theodore replied through clenched teeth, and only then did he realize that his hands had been clenched into fists, and he clenched and unclenched them a few times.
Then he spoke in a low voice.
"What's at stake in the marriage is Lutgard’s property. I have no intention of signing these papers."
"Theodore, I understand your position, but if a lady refuses your proposal, you have no choice but to accept it."
"No, I don't. We have already spent the night together, and I consider that an engagement."
The Marquis of Ascensio sucked in his breath at that. Theodore was right. Breaking virginity before marriage was a great blemish on a man or a woman. He had no idea Olivia had done such a thing and then left.
Theodore spoke up, his voice casual but with a hint of ferocity.
"It is a lady's right to refuse a marriage proposal, but breaking an engagement is not a one-sided affair. Do you know where Olivia is?"
"Not at the moment, sir. She’ll let me know when she’s decided on a lawyer, and I'll let you know then."
It would be better for Olivia if they were engaged, unless Theodore was willing to keep it a secret. The Marquis of Ascensio thought so and nodded.
It was then that the butler knocked on the door three times.
"What is it?"
Theodore asked, his tone sharp. The butler, who opened the door, said cautiously.
"There is a messenger from the imperial court."
"From the imperial court?"
"Yes. It’s Sir Helmut from the Duke of Schwaben."
Neither Theodore nor the Marquis of Ascensio could contain their humorless laughter. Not an imperial messenger, but a messenger from the Duke of Schwaben.
"Show him to the parlor. I'll be there in a moment."
Theodore spoke briefly.
Neither Lutgard nor Ascensio were close to the Schwabens, but they were not to be treated lightly. Besides, Helmut Schwaben was a cousin of the current Duke of Schwaben, Ezekiel, and therefore very close to power.
He had no idea what such a hot shot was here for. Theodore rose from his seat with a heavy heart.
***
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Write a comment
krung12 (Monday, 11 November 2024 23:14)
Thank you for translating this novel. This is now my 2nd fave after night of eden. Looking forward to the next chapters ❤️