Chapter 63

She had mustered the courage to defy her father, but that boldness soon faded, and under her father’s menacing gaze, Ellen kept shrinking back. To avoid showing weakness, Ellen clasped her hands tightly together. Gathering the last bit of her courage, Ellen spoke firmly.

“I cannot go through with this marriage.”

Clang. A glass flew past Ellen’s face and shattered against the wall. Instinctively, Ellen squeezed her eyes shut and hunched her shoulders. Viscount Valère, who had thrown the glass, spoke in a low voice, his face flushed with anger.

“If you will not obey me, fine. I will k*ll Sir Lennon.”

“Father!”

“Isn’t your refusal to follow my orders because of Sir Lennon? Then, though it’s unfortunate, it would be better to k*ll him. A skilled knight can be found elsewhere, but once a family’s fortune is broken, it’s hard to restore.”

“Father, how could you…”

“Sir Lennon may be a talented knight, but he’s just a retainer. Even after several years of service and catching the king’s eye, he still hasn’t received a title—an incompetent servant.”

At those words, Ellen sprang to her feet and retorted.

“That’s because the other nobles in the Central Capital opposed him! You opposed him too!”

“That means nothing to me. If you won’t obey, well, there’s nothing to be done.”

Ellen was speechless at her father’s cruelty, who so easily spoke of killing Lennox, who had served the Valère family as a servant since childhood and as a knight as an adult.

“Stop arguing and quietly do as I say. If you defy me again, I truly won’t hold back.”

In the end, Ellen was forced out of the dining room. The food she had forced herself to eat made her stomach uneasy. Or was it really the food? Her father’s menacing eyes and cruel words pressed painfully on her chest. She felt like vomiting. Dizzy. Her father’s expression and voice in the dining room disgusted her. For a moment, Ellen even thought she wanted to k*ll her father.

“……!”

Startled by such a terrible thought, Ellen stopped in her tracks. She covered her mouth and sank to the floor. Nausea surged up. At that moment, Ellen heard a servant calling for ‘Sir Lennon.’ With tired eyes, she turned toward the sound. In the first-floor hall, a servant was stopping Lennox, who was heading toward the training ground. The two exchanged a few words. Lennox listened to the servant’s words with his usual blank expression.

“…….”

A faint smile appeared on Ellen’s lips. It was strange—just seeing Lennox’s expressionless face, which he never showed in front of her, calmed her nausea. Her father’s shouting and menacing face vanished from her mind. For a brief moment, just seeing his face made Ellen happy. When Lennox disappeared from view, Ellen regained her courage and stood up. She needed to speak with her father again after his mood improved. She had to do it without Lennox knowing, as quietly as possible. Ellen resolved to try again. But Viscount Valère acted first.

* * *

Just a short time after dining with Viscount Valère, early the next morning, Ellen hurried to his study, clutching her dress. Her face was pale and stiff with fear. Before she could even bring up the topic of marriage again, Lennox had suddenly been dispatched overnight to a border region frequently raided by bandits, without even a chance to say goodbye to Ellen. Ellen only learned about it through Emma.

“Father!”

Forgetting etiquette, Ellen burst into Viscount Valère’s study. His displeased gaze, as he listened to Adol’s report, turned to her.

“Have you forgotten your manners? You lack the dignity of a noble.”

But at that moment, Viscount Valère’s rebuke didn’t register in Ellen’s ears. Ellen steadied her shaky breath and spoke.

“Sir Lennon… you sent him to the border, didn’t you?”

“Adol. We’ll continue this report later.”

“Yes, Your Lordship.”

After Adol left, Viscount Valère clasped his hands and rested his chin on them, looking at Ellen.

“Yes. I sent him.”

“Why? That region isn’t even dangerous enough for Sir Lennon to go, and to send him so suddenly, at night…?”

“What are you talking about? I told you before.”

“What?”

“I said, if you defied me, I would k*ll Sir Lennon.”

“……!”

“In fact, even putting that aside…”

Viscount Valère stood and walked toward Ellen. He looked down at her trembling, pale face with cold, arrogant eyes and spoke.

“Recently, there have been frequent invasions by foreign enemies. Sending a skilled knight like Sir Lennon to such a place isn’t wrong.”

“Sir Lennon is my childhood friend! Yet you sent him away without so much as a word… not even a chance for me to say goodbye!”

“How long are you going to play childish games?”

“…….”

“Sir Lennon is my retainer. I am his lord. So his fate is my decision.”

‘No… Father, you aren’t his lord. I am…’

But Ellen couldn’t say that out loud. She feared that Lennox might get hurt if she said such a thing to her proud father. Ellen gripped her skirt with trembling hands.

“Ah… Father, you really…”

Her mouth went dry. Her father’s arrogant gaze pierced her painfully. It was unbearable that Lennox had become entangled in her conflict with her father. Tears threatened to fall. Ellen bit her lower lip hard and forced herself to swallow them.

“Sir Lennon is a skilled knight, so he’ll survive. If he dies in battle, then that’s the end for him.”

Viscount Valère spoke indifferently, gesturing for her to leave as he turned away. In the end, Ellen could only leave the study without saying another word.

“My Lady!”

Emma was startled to see Ellen collapsing against the study door and hurried to support her. Ellen couldn’t hear anything. A buzzing filled her ears. Her vision blurred. Her whole body trembled. Her legs gave out, and she couldn’t stand. Even with Emma’s support, Ellen couldn’t get up.

‘Lennox…’

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t think at all. Ellen was unable to move for a long time.

On the second day after Lennox’s departure, Ellen decided to pull herself together. She dressed neatly as usual and had breakfast. After finishing her tea, Ellen spoke.

“Call Jack.”

“What? Why Jack all of a sudden…”

Jack was known as the informant among the Valère servants. Small in stature, well-connected, and acquainted with many people, Viscount Valère often used him to send messages far away. It was the first time Ellen had called him, as she usually focused only on managing the mansion.

“He’s quick and resourceful. I need news about Sir Lennon.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

By midday, the shabby-looking Jack entered, greeting awkwardly. Ellen sat up straight and got straight to the point.

“Bring me news about Sir Lennon in the border region immediately.”

“Oh dear, My Lady. The border region… it’s a war zone, so not just anyone can enter.”

“Jack. I know you can do it. I’ve heard you can go anywhere, as long as you’re asked.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Ellen tossed a prepared pouch to Jack. He quickly picked it up and looked inside, eyes wide. Ellen spoke in a calm voice.

“Your wages haven’t been good lately, right?”

“…So I just need to bring news about Sir Lennon?”

“If possible, his letter… even a note will do.”

“Oh, yes, yes. Understood, My Lady.”

Jack grinned, tucked the pouch away, and left. Ellen let out a small sigh. When Emma approached, worried, Ellen raised her hand to stop her.

“Emma. Prepare for tea time. I’ll be inviting the ladies for tea soon.”

“Yes.”

Lennox had previously been sent to conflict regions several times in hopes of earning a title. Each time, Ellen worried, but Lennox always sent her letters, and reading them reassured her.

But this time was different. Viscount Valère had sent Lennox to a conflict region with the intent to k*ll him, simply because Ellen refused to marry Baron Dermann.

‘Of course, Lennox wouldn’t get seriously hurt…’

Still, Ellen needed to hear the news herself. She felt she could only relax after reading a letter from him. Ellen picked up stationery and a quill. She was going to invite the ladies for tea. Focusing on the quickest and most talkative ladies, Ellen began writing the invitations with care.

A week after Lennox’s departure.

The day Ellen held tea time with the ladies, the weather was dazzlingly clear, but inside, she was burning with anxiety. With a sunshade set up, she had tea with four or five ladies in the garden, smiling as ‘Lady Valère’ and responding appropriately to the conversation.

When the conversation reached a comfortable point, Ellen quietly began to broach the topic.