Chapter 1 (Part 2)

Cecilia’s decision to sneak into the room of the man who was to become her younger sister Rasilia’s fiancé stemmed from a single remark made by her father, Viscount Bucklew.  

“Rasilia, your marriage partner has been decided.”  

“That’s absurd! I’m still too young!”  

Since there had never been any prior discussions about marriage, the sudden announcement came as a huge shock to Rasilia.  

Having grown up freely under Viscount Bucklew’s love, Rasilia disliked being controlled by him. She wanted to do whatever she pleased and even wanted to choose her husband herself.  

As a result, she couldn’t easily accept her father’s decision.  

“You’re an adult now, so it’s fine for you to marry. Of course, I’m not saying you have to get married right away. You’ll start with an engagement, and the actual wedding will take place later.”  

“When exactly is ‘later’?”  

“Maybe next year?”  

“Next year? That’s still too soon! My sister hasn’t gotten married yet, so why don’t you let her marry instead of me…?”  

“Lord Beaufort proposed to you, not to Cecilia. So don’t say such nonsense.”  

Viscount Bucklew frowned deeply as he cut off Rasilia’s words.  

In his eyes, Rasilia was beautiful, but from an objective perspective, Cecilia, who was of marriageable age, was not only more beautiful but also exuded elegance and propriety.  

In such a case, Cecilia had a higher chance of marrying into a better family, but the Viscount wanted Rasilia to marry into a good family and to a good man.  

“I don’t want to get married yet. Can’t I wait a little longer?”  

Rasilia’s stubbornness, oblivious to her father’s intentions, frustrated him.  

“That’s not possible. Lord Beaufort wanted to marry as soon as possible, but I managed to convince him to postpone it until next year.”  

“If I have to marry next year, then I won’t do it!”  

“How many times do I have to tell you? This is a great opportunity, and I won’t let it slip away. Lord Beaufort will come to meet you in two months, so until then, I’ll intensify your bridal lessons.”  

“Even if I don’t want to, are you really going to force me into this marriage?”  

“If you listen to me, you won’t regret it. My decision is final, and it won’t change. So accept the marriage!”

Rasilia looked at the Viscount with a desperate gaze, but he dismissed her expectations with a stern warning.  

“Father, you’re too much.”  

It was the first time Rasilia had seen him like this, so she even shed tears to evoke sympathy, but the Viscount’s attitude remained firm.  

No matter how much she pleaded, it didn’t work, and she had to leave the office without changing her father’s mind. Then, shedding tears, she headed to Cecilia’s bedroom.  

Cecilia, who was embroidering, noticed Rasilia crying as soon as she entered. She put down what she was holding on the table and ran to her.  

“Why? What’s wrong?”  

“Sister, what do I do! Father told me to marry Earl Beaufort.”  

“Earl Beaufort, you say?”  

Although she hadn’t debuted in society, Cecilia knew a fair amount about noble families. She had never seen him, but she also knew that Earl Beaufort had a good reputation.  

Since there weren’t many bad rumors about him, she thought he wasn’t a bad candidate for a husband and asked,  

“From what I’ve heard, he seems like a decent person. Why do you look so gloomy? Do you not like Earl Beaufort?”  

“I don’t like it because of the age difference. Don’t you think a 10-year gap is too much? Besides, I have Dein!”  

“Are you still seeing Dein?”  

“Yes.”  

Rasilia nodded with teary eyes. Although Earl Beaufort was a good man, the truth was, she hated the idea of marrying him because she already had someone she loved.  

Rasilia had fallen in love six months ago during the village festival.  

When she returned from enjoying the festival, she came to Cecilia’s room with an excited face. It was around the time when the snow that had frozen all winter began to melt, and the scent of spring was thick in the air.  

With her cheeks flushed red, she held Cecilia’s hands and spun her around the room.  

Seeing her so excited for the first time brought a smile to Cecilia’s lips.  

‘Sister, guess what. I’ve fallen in love with someone.’  

Rasilia’s eyes, filled with love, sparkled as if stars from the sky had been placed in them. Just by looking into her eyes, one could tell how much she liked him.  

‘He’s a wandering mercenary, and you don’t know how amazing he is. I even kissed him today.’ 

In a lovely voice, Rasilia began praising his appearance and chattered about how wonderful he was.  

Seeing Rasilia so happy made Cecilia feel pleased, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel worried. Viscount Bucklew wouldn’t let this slide if he found out.  

‘Be careful not to let Father find out.’  

Cecilia had no intention of opposing Rasilia’s love. She just hoped it wouldn’t catch their father’s attention. However, Rasilia wasn’t cautious by nature, and instead of heeding advice, she made things even more complicated.  

‘Sister, can’t you help me? Dein says he’s coming near the estate to meet me.’  

‘Father is here. How could you call him?’  

‘That’s why I told him there’s a small hole in the estate. He can come in through there.’  

‘If Father finds out, you’ll be banned from leaving the house.’  

‘You can stand guard for me, can’t you?’  

Cecilia loved tending the garden, so she could pretend to be working on the flowerbeds while keeping an eye out for anyone trying to disrupt Rasilia’s happy moments.  

But it wasn’t possible to hide everything perfectly. Unexpected situations could arise at any time and place.  

‘Alright.’  

Even knowing this, Cecilia couldn’t stop Rasilia’s love. It wasn’t easy to refuse her when she looked at her with eyes full of anticipation.  

Since then, Rasilia had been able to enjoy her secret meetings with her lover without the Viscount finding out. However, their meetings had recently become less frequent, so Cecilia wondered if their relationship had cooled off, but that didn’t seem to be the case.  

Usually, when a marriage proposal came, people would end their relationships with their lovers. But Rasilia didn’t seem to have any intention of breaking up with her lover.  

Instead, she just complained to Cecilia with a tearful face. Seeing her teary eyes, Cecilia knew she wouldn’t be able to refuse her request this time either.  

The reason Cecilia was particularly soft on Rasilia could be understood by looking at her life so far. It all started with her mother’s marriage to Viscount Bucklew.  

Cecilia’s mother had someone else in her heart, but due to her family’s opposition, she had to break up with him and was forced to marry Viscount Bucklew, who had been in love with her.  

As a result, the stress from this forced marriage gradually weakened Cecilia’s mother’s health, and she passed away not long after giving birth to Cecilia.  

Her mother’s death brought significant changes to Cecilia’s life. Shortly after, Viscount Bucklew remarried, and all his love was directed toward his new wife and her daughter, Rasilia.  

Cecilia couldn’t understand her father’s attitude. No matter how bad his relationship with her mother had been, wasn’t she still his daughter?  

‘Father, I’m your daughter too. Please love me as well.’  

Unable to bear it anymore, she pleaded with the Viscount, asking for his love. But the answer she received was beyond what she could have imagined.  

‘Why should I care for that woman’s daughter? If you want to blame someone, blame your mother for marrying me while pregnant with you.’  

‘Are you saying I’m not your daughter?’  

‘Yes. Do you know how much it pains me to see you, who looks just like your mother?’  

No one had ever told Cecilia that she wasn’t Viscount Bucklew’s biological daughter.  

‘Ah, so that’s why.’  

The new revelation shocked her, but at the same time, it resolved the doubts she had harbored.  

After all, Cecilia didn’t resemble Viscount Bucklew at all, to the point where she thought her mother must have given birth to her alone.  

‘Why didn’t you abandon me all this time?’  

Once her initial question was answered, another arose. Why had Viscount Bucklew fed, clothed, and sheltered her, even giving her the Bucklew name, despite not being her biological daughter?  

It would have been more logical to send Cecilia to her mother’s family rather than raising her himself, but instead…

‘You must pay for your mother’s sins. And you must repay the debt for me raising you all this time!’  

Viscount Bucklew immediately revealed the reason. It was to vent his grudge against Cecilia’s mother through her.  

Upon learning all the facts, Cecilia felt both gratitude and guilt toward the Viscount, who raised her despite not being her biological father, and she willingly accepted her circumstances.  

She also thought she should apologize to him on behalf of her mother, as he had said.