Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 49

Come to think of it, when Lucius left his seat, didn’t that woman disappear with him…?

“By the way, we’ve discussed your marriage and decided to postpone it for a while.”

Adelheid’s eyes widened at the sudden statement. “Why?”

“For now, it’s best to remain engaged and marry after the war is over. Even the Dowager Duchess agrees.”

“No!”

Adelheid slammed the embroidery hoop she was holding onto the table.

“I want to marry Lucius right away!”

“Adelheid.”

The countess sighed wearily, “I hate to say this, but you never know what might happen in a war. If something were to happen and he…”

“Who’s dying? Don’t say things like that!”

“This is Lucius’ decision as well.”

Adelheid responded with a cynical tone, “Is it that now the vote has gone the way you wanted, I’m no longer needed?”

The last vote in the House of Nobles had resulted in a single vote difference, leading the Kingdom of Schwerin to support the Kingdom of Basel instead of the Kazak Empire.

The ideal outcome for the House of Carlisle had been to stay out of the war entirely. Supporting Basel was their second choice. While it wasn’t the best outcome, it was still acceptable.

The countess’ voice grew stern. “Adelheid, just because Lucius is kind to you doesn’t mean you should torment him. If you push him too much, he’ll withdraw his feelings from you. Stop being so stubborn and listen. This decision has already been made with your father.”

Why didn’t he tell me this himself?

Adelheid would have preferred if Lucius had told her directly. If he had said that it would be better to wait until the war was over to get married, she would have accepted it without complaint.

But the fact that he hadn’t said anything made it clear that this marriage was merely a matter of family arrangements.

“Mother!”

At that moment, Michael burst into the room. He looked at the embroidery on Adelheid’s hoop and cheerfully shouted, “Wow! A monster!”

“What?”

“A flying monster! It’s a monster!”

“How is this a monster? It’s an eagle!”

“No! It’s definitely a monster!”

“Do you want to get in trouble?”

Adelheid stood up as if she was about to hit him, and Michael giggled, rushing into his mother’s arms.

“Mother, save me! Sister’s going to kill me!”

The countess laughed as she hugged her squirming young son. “Adelheid, mind your manners.”

“He started it. Why are you only scolding me?”

Adelheid protested against her mother’s unfairness, but Michael pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and held it up.

“Look at this! My teacher gave it to me as a present!”

In one corner of the handkerchief, Daniel’s initials were embroidered along with a bird.

“This is a talking bird! My teacher felt bad because we couldn’t go see the birds together, so she gave this to me as a gift. Isn’t it pretty?”

“Oh my!”

The countess gasped in admiration as she looked at the handkerchief.

“That’s some impressive needlework.”

Adelheid also noticed that the craftsmanship far surpassed her own. The bird’s feathers were vibrant and detailed. Blue, yellow, green—the variety of colors used were skillfully blended without a single flaw.

“I heard she spent a long time as a foster daughter under the old countess. She must have learned well during that time. She embroiders better than most noblewomen.”

Michael, puffing out his chest, shouted from beside her, “See? Compared to this, your embroidery is a monster. My teacher’s work is way better!”

Adelheid clenched her fist slightly.

Irritating.

Brianna Everett, that woman, had been getting on her nerves for a while now.

***

The next day, Adelheid summoned one of the maids. It was a lower maid who was usually tasked with menial jobs like cleaning and laundry. In fact, this was Adelheid’s first time seeing her.

“Oh, hello, Miss…”

The maid, who had been cleaning the floor with a rag, looked bewildered as she nervously glanced at Adelheid.

“Is there something you need…?”

Adelheid smiled sweetly. “Your name is Margot, right?”

Margot nodded with a very uneasy expression. “Yes, that’s right…”

“Come, sit down. I think we need to have a little chat.”

Margot stared blankly at the seat in front of the sofa. The sofa looked far too large and pristine for someone like her to sit on.

“You can eat the dessert there too.”

On the table sat a beautifully frosted cake, topped with white cream. Next to it was a dainty golden fork. Margot gulped without thinking.

Back in Harzen, Mrs. Fisher would occasionally bake desserts and share them with everyone. Even though she didn’t use expensive ingredients, her cooking was always delicious.

But since coming here, Margot hadn’t been given anything outside of the regular meals. Any leftover desserts from the masters’ table were taken by the higher-ranking servants, and Margot never even got to see them.

“Th-thank you.”

Margot awkwardly sat on the sofa. She didn’t know why she was being given such things, but since she was told to eat, she figured she might as well.

As she took a bite of the cake, the sweetness melted in her mouth. She savored it, taking a few more bites when Adelheid spoke.

“You’re from Harzen, aren’t you?”

“Ugh!”

Margot nearly choked on the cake. She quickly covered her mouth and managed to swallow.

“How did you…?”

“The head maid mentioned it. She said you mentioned being from Harzen when you first came here.”

Margot’s eyes darted nervously. Why is she bringing up Harzen all of a sudden? Did Brianna blab about that incident? Has she been talking behind my back?

“But you must know Michael’s tutor, right? Harzen isn’t a big place, so I imagine people there don’t have wide social circles.”

But judging by Adelheid’s words, it seemed that wasn’t the case. If Brianna had said anything about her past, Adelheid wouldn’t be asking questions like this.

“I know her, but we’re not close…”

“I see.” Adelheid smiled. “Margot, it must be hard working, right? Having to do laundry and cleaning in this cold weather with ice-cold water.”

Margot quickly hid her cracked and chapped hands. Compared to her, Adelheid’s hands were soft and white, without a single scratch.

“If you tell me what you know about the tutor, I can give you other tasks to do. Like attending to me, for example.”

At that moment, Margot realized an unexpected opportunity had presented itself. She didn’t know why Brianna had earned Adelheid’s dislike, but if she could help drive Brianna out, she might secure a better position for herself.

Margot flashed a wide grin. “What would you like to know, Miss Adelheid?”

***

The Bastogne Academy graduation ceremony was divided into two parts. The first was the diploma presentation, which was attended by the students’ families. The second part was the ball, where students attended with their partners.

If the partner was the student’s fiancée, they would attend both the ceremony and the ball together. After the ceremony, they would change into formal attire and head to the ballroom.

Florian yawned continuously as he listened to the headmaster’s long, dull speech. He wanted nothing more than to storm out of the ceremony, but if he did, he might not be able to attend the evening’s graduation ball, so he forced himself to stay.

He pinched his thigh to keep himself awake and, looking ahead, spotted Lucius sitting in the front row.

As expected, Lucius was graduating as the top student and was scheduled to receive his diploma as the class representative. Florian clicked his tongue lightly at the sight of Lucius listening attentively to the headmaster’s speech, sitting straight and perfectly.

Why is he listening to such a pointless speech so seriously? That guy is always so diligent.

Looking back, it was almost funny how they had become friends.

Florian, who had arrived late to the liberal arts class, snuck in through the back door. Seeing an empty seat, he sat down without a second thought.

The person sitting next to him was none other than Lucius Carlisle. His neatly cut black hair and perfectly buttoned uniform made him look like the quintessential model student.