Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 29

“He’s been waiting for two hours,” Lily added.

Brianna gasped. “He’s been outside for two hours in this weather?”

“Yeah, and I couldn’t just let him into my house since I live alone… You understand, right?”

“Of course, it makes sense!” Brianna said, exasperated.

“Anyway, you should go see him. I have to run, or I’ll really be late.” Lily waved quickly and hurried off.

Brianna also rushed up the stairs. As Lily had said, Florian was sitting against the door, looking like a puppy waiting for its owner.

“What are you doing here?” Brianna asked incredulously.

Florian grinned. “I told you, if you’d just give me a key, I could have already cleaned the place by now.”

Brianna tried to ignore the illusion of a wagging tail behind him and spoke sternly. “Florian, I told you this isn’t acceptable. Go back home.”

“Brie, I waited for four hours.”

“More like two hours.”

Florian’s eyes rolled as he realized he’d been caught in a lie. He then started rubbing his arms and shivering exaggeratedly. “So cold! Achoo!”

“Pretending to catch a cold won’t work this time. You tried that last time.”

Today, she was determined not to let him in. Even though all they ever did was have a meal and tea, Florian’s visits were becoming too frequent, and she worried he might eventually try to move in.

Why would he prefer this cramped place over his warm, spacious mansion?

“Your parents are worried. You should return to the viscount’s estate—”

“Brie, I passed my thesis defense.”

His sudden declaration made Brianna’s eyes widen, and Florian proudly lifted his chin. “I can graduate now.”

“Really? You said your professor kept finding faults and that it seemed impossible.”

“I changed my analysis method and reorganized the results. He signed off immediately. If he’d wanted me to change the method, he should have told me earlier!”

Florian had been struggling with his thesis recently. His advisor was notoriously picky and changed his mind frequently, making the path to graduation unpredictable. Even easygoing Florian had despaired, calling his professor a “crazy, insufferable tyrant!”

But now, the thesis that had tormented him was finally complete.

“Wow, we need to celebrate. Congratulations…” Brianna looked at the meager groceries in her bag and then back at Florian. “We should get something more for a celebration. At least a bottle of wine…”

Florian’s face lit up, and he pulled a heavy bag from behind his back, shaking it triumphantly. “I already got everything!”

Inside were expensive champagne and enough food to last Brianna over a week.

Florian extended his hand toward the speechless Brianna. “Come on, give me the key. I’ll open the door.”

Entering the chilly house, Florian’s first task was to light the lamps and start a fire on the stove. He then moved around the house, inspecting for any issues.

“Brianna, when did this happen?” he asked, holding the window with the broken lock. Brianna, cutting the meat, tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Let’s see, about a week ago?”

“What? You’ve been living with this for a week? That’s dangerous!” His scolding tone made Brianna shrink a bit.

“I was going to fix it today.”

“Next time, don’t try to handle these things on your own. Just tell me right away.”

He rummaged through the storage room, emerging with some tools. Seeing this, Brianna cautiously asked, “Are you fixing it now?”

“Yeah, might as well take care of everything while I’m here.”

“What if you hurt yourself again?”

When Brianna first moved into this house, Florian had tried nailing down a loose floorboard and ended up hammering his own finger. He had never done such work before, and his clumsiness with the hammer had cost him a bandaged left index finger for weeks.

“Now that my thesis is done, it’s fine.” He began hammering the wooden lock, the sound echoing through the house as Brianna watched with a mix of worry and admiration. Then she cried out.

“Brie? What happened?”

Brianna stared blankly at her bleeding finger. In her concern for Florian, she had accidentally cut herself with the knife.

How clumsy can I be?

“You’re bleeding!” Florian dropped the hammer and rushed over. He wrapped her finger in his handkerchief, reacting as if she had sustained a serious injury.

“We need to get you to a hospital right away!”

“It’s just a small cut; no need for the hospital.” Brianna nodded toward the drawer by the kitchen. “There are some bandages and ointment left from your last visit. Get them.”

Florian sat her down at the table and carefully applied ointment and wrapped her finger. Once done, he suddenly burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just amusing. You and I, injuring the same finger.” He touched her bandaged finger with his, smiling. “It’s like we’re connected.”

His face reddened slightly after he spoke, and he awkwardly stretched, pretending to be distracted.

“But what about dinner? I’m hopeless at cooking.”

The kitchen was in disarray, with half-cut meat and vegetables scattered around. Despite Florian’s eagerness to tackle anything, it was clear cooking wasn’t his forte.

After a moment of thought, Brianna suggested, “Can you make sandwiches?”

In the end, their dinner was sandwiches, as initially planned. They clinked their champagne glasses together, celebrating.

“Here’s to passing your thesis!”

“Here’s to my escape from prison!”

Florian chatted incessantly while eating his sandwich, mostly about his life at school. Initially, he cursed his tyrannical advisor but gradually shifted the conversation to his best friend, Lucius Carlisle.

“You know, Lucy has been really busy lately,” he said.

“Why?” Brianna asked.

“He’s planning to get married as soon as possible.”

“Is there a specific young lady he’s seeing?”

“No, not really. With everything being so unsettled lately, the Carlisle family needs more powerful allies. He plans to choose a bride from a prominent family.”

“It would be better if he chose someone for himself…”

Florian shrugged. “Lucy never had any interest in women. Even if there hadn’t been a war, he would’ve gone straight to the bridal chamber with whoever the Duke and Duchess picked for him. Honestly, I feel bad for the woman he’d marry. He’d be good to her, sure—but he’s not the kind of man who can love.”

Brianna recalled meeting Lucius about six months ago. Was he really that cold-hearted?

Sure, he had been reserved and quiet at first, which was a bit uncomfortable, but he had also been kind and gentle. He had found her bag and her father’s watch, and he had shown her the fireworks…

Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen him once since coming here.

Though they both lived in Bastogne now, she had no reason to cross paths with him over the past few months. It was only natural. Despite sharing the same city, they lived in different worlds. Their previous encounter had truly been a chance meeting.

“Hey, Brianna, why don’t you ask the Dowager Duchess of Carlisle for a recommendation letter?” Florian suggested.

Florian knew that Brianna had left the Linares family without a recommendation letter. He didn’t know the full details, only that something unpleasant had occurred.

“A recommendation from the Dowager Duchess would open any door.”

“You knew I failed the interview today, didn’t you?” Brianna said, her spirits sinking.

Florian nodded.