Chapter 6 (Part 6)

“It’s… nice to meet you.”  

Hearing that he was a relative of her mother, Cecilia finally greeted him politely. She had heard of him before—Earl Beaut, her mother’s brother.  

At that moment, Earl Beaut suddenly felt familiar. It was likely because he resembled Cecilia so much. Her uncle looked just like her mother, and standing next to Cecilia, anyone could tell they were family.  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. If I had known you were visiting the Atheon Temple, I would have come much sooner.”  

His words carried a tone that suggested he had wanted to contact her, which made Cecilia feel puzzled. To her knowledge, no one except Viscount Bucklew had ever accepted her before.  

Was meeting my uncle by chance a blessing or a curse?  

As she pondered this, Cecilia carefully asked him,  

“Have you wanted to contact me?”  

“Of course. I demanded several times to meet you through Viscount Bucklew, but he ignored my requests. Then he even blocked your outings, so I couldn’t meet you.”  

Cecilia carefully observed Earl Beaut, who was saying things contrary to what she knew, her half-lidded eyes scrutinizing him. She wasn’t sure yet whether he was lying or if the Viscount was.  

“Why did you want to contact me?”  

Cecilia’s voice still carried an unmistakable tone of caution.  

“I am your family. So, of course, I would want to contact you.”  

Hearing him say that it was only natural for family to want to reach out, Cecilia felt her chest tighten with emotion.  

In that moment, Cecilia found courage. Even if it hurt her pride, she thought it might be better to ask him for money.  

After hesitating for a moment, Cecilia opened her mouth.  

“Um… Could I possibly borrow some money for travel expenses?”  

“Travel expenses? Don’t tell me Viscount Bucklew didn’t give you any money?”  

Earl Beaut’s expression twisted in surprise at her sudden request.  

“I spent all the money he sent me…”  

She almost told him the truth but stopped herself. Since she couldn’t fully trust Earl Beaut yet, Cecilia made up an excuse.  

“Ah, I see. I’ll provide the travel expenses. There’s no need to repay me.”  

“Thank you.”  

“I have much to discuss with you, but the temple isn’t the right place for such conversations, so let’s talk in detail next time. Visit the Beaut estate when you have time. The sooner, the better.”  

“Yes. I’ll contact you soon.”  

After saying goodbye to Earl Beaut, she was able to safely rent a carriage with the money he gave her.  

Once all her preparations to leave were complete, Cecilia said her farewells to the ladies she had been living with and boarded the carriage.  

As the two-day journey began, Cecilia gazed out of the carriage window, her thoughts drifting back to her conversation with Earl Beaut.  

Why had he been looking for me? Was it true that he wanted to meet me?  

The words of Viscount Bucklew and Earl Beaut were conflicting, but she thought she knew whose words were true. The more she thought about it, the more suffocating it felt, like a thorn stuck in her throat.  

“Haa.”  

The soft sigh she let out in the carriage, where the sound of the wheels rolling was unusually loud, quickly dissipated into the air.  

Cecilia lowered her gaze to the letter from Rasilia in her hand. She had taken it out to read whenever she got bored.  

Remembering that it contained news of Rasilia’s engagement, Cecilia decided to set aside her own concerns for now. Meeting Rasilia was her priority.  

* * *  

“Sister?”  

When Cecilia arrived at the Bucklew estate, Viscount Bucklew and the Viscountess were out, leaving Rasilia alone in the house.  

She had expected Rasilia to be glad to see her after so long, but instead, Rasilia looked troubled when she saw Cecilia.  

“Why? Did something happen?”  

Cecilia felt a pang of disappointment at Rasilia’s reaction, especially since her letters had been full of longing to see her.  

“Didn’t you get my letter?”  

“A letter? You’ve sent so many.”  

Cecilia tilted her head at the mention of a letter.  

“No, I mean the last letter I sent. Ah, it must have crossed paths with you.”  

“What do you mean?”  

At Cecilia’s question, Rasilia smacked her forehead and sighed in frustration. The furrow between her brows, which hadn’t been there before, seemed to show how much she had been worrying in Cecilia’s absence.  

“Father has been arranging a marriage for you, timed with your return from the temple.”  

“A marriage for me?”  

Cecilia’s eyes widened at the unexpected news. She hadn’t even been allowed to make her debut, and now suddenly, she was to be married?  

“Baron Huntley. He’s wealthy, but judging by the rumors about his rudeness, he doesn’t seem to be a good man. Worse, he’s already been married once. That’s why I wrote to you, asking you to delay your return as much as possible. But since you came back earlier than expected, the letters must have crossed paths.”  

“Ah…”  

Hearing about the man, Cecilia realized that Viscount Bucklew had deliberately chosen someone flawed to be her match.  

This was undoubtedly revenge against her mother. Her mother had caused him pain for a lifetime, so now Cecilia was to suffer in her place.  

Surely not…  

Suddenly, Cecilia began to worry about Rasilia. While it didn’t seem like Viscount Bucklew would choose an unsuitable man for Rasilia’s fiancé, it was suspicious that her letter only mentioned her engagement without any details about the man.  

“Rasilia, what about your fiancé? Is he a good man?”  

When Cecilia asked, Rasilia’s eyes reddened, and she sniffled.  

“I don’t know. He’s the son of another Viscount’s family, but I don’t like him either.”  

“Even less than Earl Beaufort from last time?”  

“Yes. Last time, I didn’t like him because he was too old, but this time, I don’t like him because he’s too scrawny. And he mumbles whenever he speaks, so I can’t even understand what he’s saying.”  

“But isn’t he a decent man if the marriage talks have progressed this far?”  

“There aren’t any bad rumors about him…”  

Hearing that, Cecilia let out a sigh of relief.  

As she had expected, Viscount Bucklew hadn’t chosen an unsuitable man for Rasilia’s fiancé. This one seemed to be a decent match.  

But Rasilia didn’t seem to think the same.  

“I still love Dein. No, I never want to part with him.”  

“Really? Are you still seeing him?”  

“Of course.”  

Cecilia had underestimated Rasilia’s feelings. But seeing the determination in her eyes, Cecilia realized she had been mistaken. Rasilia truly loved her lover.  

“Has a wedding date been set?”  

“No, not yet. They said they’ll marry me off after your wedding.”  

“My wedding date has already been decided?”  

“Not exactly, but it seems like it’ll be set within six months.”  

“…I see.”  

Even though she hadn’t even had an engagement ceremony yet, hearing that a wedding date was already being discussed made Cecilia’s heart sink.  

“So, I think you should leave the estate immediately. I’ll arrange a temporary place for you to stay. Quickly, before Father returns!”  

Suddenly, Rasilia became frantic. Understanding her urgency, Cecilia prepared to leave with the belongings she had brought.  

But just then, the voices of Viscount Bucklew and the Viscountess, who had returned from their outing, echoed from outside the house.  

They had returned earlier than expected, and Rasilia’s face turned pale.  

“You’re back already?”  

“Was there any trouble?”  

“Lady Cecilia has arrived.”  

The moment Cecilia’s name came out of the butler’s mouth, Rasilia hastily grabbed Cecilia’s hand.  

“Quick, go hide over there. I’ll come up with an excuse.”  

Rasilia gestured toward a protruding wall in the drawing room. After nodding once, Cecilia was about to move when Viscount Bucklew entered the room with a grim expression.  

“You’ve returned.”  

His face didn’t show any particular joy, but the slight curl of his lips made it clear that he had been waiting for Cecilia to return from the temple.  

“I have something to discuss with Cecilia alone. Rasilia, leave us for a moment.”  

“Yes.”  

Rasilia, who had been standing hesitantly, left the drawing room with reluctance.  

As Viscount Bucklew’s gaze shifted from Rasilia to Cecilia, his expression turned sharp.  

“You’ve come back at just the right time. Your marriage has been arranged, and the engagement ceremony will be held soon.”  

A shallow sneer spread across his face as he issued his domineering declaration. Seeing his expression, Cecilia felt a surge of discomfort.  

For some reason, she felt a rebellious urge and questioned him.  

“Why are you suddenly trying to marry me off after leaving me alone for so long?”  

“If you hadn’t interfered with Rasilia’s marriage, I wouldn’t have rushed to marry you off like this.”  

“Why do you think I interfered with Rasilia’s marriage?”  

“Because I can’t trust you. How could I ever trust you, the daughter of that woman?”  

“Father, did you not love Mother?”  

“Love?”  

At the mention of love, Viscount Bucklew let out a laugh.  

“Are you talking about something from ages ago? Why do you think I kept you around? I don’t want to see you happy.”  

So, Father truly despised me.  

Only then did Cecilia realize that Viscount Bucklew had deliberately prevented her outings to stop her from meeting Earl Beaut.  

This meant that Earl Beaut’s words were not lies.  

Viscount Bucklew had always treated Cecilia like she was invisible, but he had never openly displayed such hatred before.  

For him to reveal his true feelings so suddenly meant that he believed Cecilia had no way to escape now.  

Cecilia could already predict what Viscount Bucklew would do next. He would likely forbid her from leaving the estate until the wedding and then force her into marriage.  

“You are not allowed to leave anymore. You’ve had plenty of time to look around while at the temple, so your outings are prohibited for the time being.”  

Whether Cecilia glared at him with sharp eyes or not, Viscount Bucklew didn’t care. He said everything he wanted to say and then gestured with his hand for her to leave.  

Cecilia, realizing there was no need to continue the conversation, quietly left the drawing room.  

Instead of going to her room, she sought out the butler and asked him to investigate Baron Huntley. She needed to know what kind of man he was in order to plan her next move.  

* * *  

“My goodness.”  

Cecilia’s eyes widened as she read the report the butler had compiled.  

The rumors about Baron Huntley turned out to be even worse than she had imagined. His personality, to put it kindly, could be described as “loving,” but in harsher terms, he was obsessively jealous and controlling.  

The reason for his former wife’s death was horrifying. She had attempted to escape from her confinement by jumping out of a window but failed, leading to her death.  

As soon as Cecilia finished reading, she crumpled the report in her hands.  

It was clear that Viscount Bucklew intended for her to live the same life as Baron Huntley’s late wife.  

Did he think I would simply live as he wished?  

Now that she understood the Viscount’s plan, she couldn’t just sit idly by. She had to find a way to escape this marriage as soon as possible. Otherwise, her future would undoubtedly be filled with darkness.  

And in the midst of her despair, one person came to mind.  

If it was him, he might be able to help her. Without hesitation, Cecilia went to Rasilia’s room. She needed Rasilia’s help to meet him.  

“Rasilia, will you help me?”  

Before Rasilia could ask anything, Cecilia leaned in and whispered in a low voice so no one else could hear.  

“What can I do to help?”  

“I need to meet Earl Beaut. Could you contact him for me?”  

Cecilia still wasn’t entirely sure if Earl Beaut was trustworthy, but she had to believe he was better than Viscount Bucklew or Baron Huntley. She didn’t have any other options.  

“Earl Beaut? Is he your maternal uncle?”  

Knowing that Cecilia’s mother’s maiden name was Beaut, Rasilia quickly realized who he was.  

“Yes, that’s right.”  

“I see. Alright, leave it to me.”  

Rasilia lightly tapped her chest with her fist as if to promise she wouldn’t let her down. Seeing her sister’s gesture, Cecilia smiled faintly.  

Though Rasilia was usually unreliable, at this moment, she felt more dependable than anyone else.