Chapter 3.6
Yvonne, accustomed to his habitual insults, simply let his words wash over her.
“That old man, too. He’s clinging to the Arthus family for dear life, only to end up adopting someone to inherit his title.”
“Adopted?”
“Yes. Apparently, it’s his grandchild from one of his married daughters… but I don’t know much about the man. That old man never even told us where he married his daughters off.”
“…”
“But the reason he kept it secret is obvious. He must have married them off to men so disgraceful he couldn’t even mention their names. The fact that his grandson was adopted into his estate says it all.”
Marceau exhaled a long stream of smoke. Even as Yvonne coughed lightly, he paid her no mind.
“Anyway, it seems that young man has taken a liking to you. He said he’ll visit the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.”
“The day after tomorrow?”
“Yes. He promised to ensure the Rido Canal rights and take measures to avoid Earl Marlon’s wrath. So, think it over seriously.”
The suddenness of it all was one thing, but it was also hard to believe.
“It would be wise to decide quickly. It’s true that things will get quite complicated if Earl Marlon finds out.”
With those words, Marceau waved her off, signaling her to leave.
After bowing politely, Yvonne exited the room.
She didn’t need to dig through her memories to recall Liam; his image came to mind immediately. A man with a gentle appearance but a remarkably strong fragrance.
“As Mademoiselle said, I’m openly scheming. I want to know more about you.”
“If I told you I fell for you at first sight, would it still sound like a joke?”
The memory of his mischievous smile left her feeling strangely unsettled.
***
Liam visited the Debroge Family as promised, carrying a rather large bouquet of tulips.
The moment he saw Yvonne, he greeted her with a charming smile.
“We meet again.”
“Hello, Monsieur.”
“This is for you. I thought it would suit you well, Mademoiselle.”
“Thank you.”
Yvonne carefully accepted the bouquet. She had never thought of herself as resembling tulips, but she understood why Liam had chosen to give her such flowers.
It was likely to flaunt his wealth. Tulips were the most expensive flowers, with one stem costing a silver dalant.
Even lilies, which she hesitated to buy because of their price, cost only four shekels per stem. A single tulip was worth as much as 375 lilies.
And he had brought six tulips.
As expected, she noticed Marceau’s mouth stretching into a wide grin.
Of course, Marceau was also a wealthy man who had amassed a great fortune. But he would never have been extravagant enough to gift tulips to a woman he was courting.
Just how wealthy was this young master of the Arthus family to casually offer such a gift?
“Thank you for such a precious gift.”
“It’s nothing. Compared to you, the Mademoiselle of Debroge, this gift feels inadequate and embarrassing.”
What’s more, he subtly complimented the family, the Debroge family!
Compared to the boorish Natong de Marlon, who treated their family with disdain, Liam was the epitome of a gentleman.
‘What an excellent young man.’
Marceau now understood why Natong had always spoken ill of Liam and seethed with jealousy.
A handsome and tall young man, Liam was a stark contrast to himself in many ways.
Of course, Marceau had joined Natong in criticizing Liam. He had heard that Liam had constantly challenged the Marlon family over the canal rights.
But yesterday’s enemy could be today’s friend, and yesterday’s friend could become today’s foe.
Marceau quickly erased his past criticisms of Liam from his memory and smiled warmly.
“Please come in. We’ve prepared a meal.”
The atmosphere that followed was quite harmonious.
Yvonne remained quiet, but the conversation between Marceau and Liam alone was enough to keep the mood lively.
After the meal, Marceau tactfully excused himself, leaving Liam and Yvonne to walk along the tree-lined path connected to the Debroge estate.
Under the warm sunlight, the large, green plane tree leaves swayed gently in the breeze, adding to the picturesque scenery.
Though Liam had initiated the walk, he remained silent, unlike during the meal when he had actively engaged Marceau in conversation.
In the end, Yvonne spoke first.
“Monsieur Arthus, you are quite mischievous.”
“In what way, may I ask?”
“The marriage proposal, of course. The Debroge family offers no advantage to you, Monsieur Arthus. I don’t understand why you proposed to me.”
“If that’s the question, I believe I’ve already given my answer. I fell for you at first sight.”
“And for that reason alone, you’re willing to make an enemy of Earl Marlon?”
“‘For that reason alone’? That reason is more than enough. It seems you underestimate yourself, Mademoiselle.”
Liam smiled faintly.
“And you needn’t worry about Monsieur Marlon. He’s always on edge around me, fearing I might take his power. Like a little hedgehog.”
“…”
“If you truly dislike the idea, you’re free to refuse. Though I must admit, it would hurt a bit.”
Yvonne hesitated.
She had volunteered to marry Earl Marlon in Jeanne’s place partly because of Emma’s medicine but also because she didn’t feel any guilt about deceiving him.
After all, Earl Marlon was a shameless man.
That’s why Yvonne felt no remorse about hiding the fact that she wasn’t truly Jeanne—or that she wasn’t even a maiden.
However, Liam was different. He wasn’t old like Earl Marlon. On the contrary, he was tall, handsome, and seemed to come from a wealthy family.
The thought of such a man, completely unaware, wishing to marry her filled Yvonne with guilt that rose to her throat.
Of course, she had no intention of confessing the truth. In the short time she had lived, Yvonne had learned far too much to act so naïvely.
She didn’t delude herself into believing that Liam was such a good person that he would keep her secret to the end, or that he would continue to court her regardless.
After carefully choosing her words, Yvonne finally spoke.
“Monsieur, you will surely meet a wonderful woman.”
“I believe I already have.”
“Someone even better…”
“Perhaps there might be someone better if I search. But rather than finding someone better, I want to be a better person for you.”
Yvonne couldn’t find anything else to say. Liam, noticing her wavering gaze, stopped walking.
When he suddenly halted, Yvonne’s steps also came to a stop.
“I can’t promise to make you the happiest person in the world. But I can promise to make you happier than Monsieur Marlon.”
“Do you even know how Earl Marlon is treating me?”
“Well…”
Liam gently took Yvonne’s left hand. The sudden contact startled her slightly, but she couldn’t immediately pull away. His fingers softly caressed her ring finger as he whispered. The tender touch stirred an unfamiliar sensation within her.
“For someone who has promised to marry you but hasn’t even given you a ring, I dare say I’m better.”
“And what if he did give me one, but I chose not to wear it?”
“That would mean your heart isn’t with Monsieur Marlon, Mademoiselle. I will fill your heart instead. So…”
Liam released Yvonne’s hand. Instead, he knelt on one knee and pulled a small box from his pocket.
With a click, the lid of the box opened, revealing a diamond ring with a gemstone the size of a thumbnail.
“Will you marry me?”
Yvonne couldn’t identify the gemstone as a diamond. Her bridal lessons hadn’t included how to distinguish jewels. Many feared brides might harbor vanity and squander their family’s wealth.
Yet even with her untrained eyes, Yvonne could tell the jewel Liam presented was anything but ordinary. A gem that sparkled so brilliantly under the sunlight couldn’t possibly be cheap.
“This is an engagement ring. I promise the wedding ring will be larger and even more beautiful. Perhaps with a blue sapphire in the center to match your eye color, Mademoiselle. What do you think?”
Yvonne lowered her gaze. It should have been a thrilling moment, but her heart was weighed down with turmoil.
Her original eye color was brown, while the real Jeanne had blue eyes.
Even now, she was deceiving this man.
The man, completely unaware, believed she was the real Jeanne and whispered words of love to her.
“You’ll regret this. I’m not a good woman.”
“I’m not a good man either, so it seems we’re a perfect match.”
At this point, Yvonne’s heart began to waver.
If asked whether she loved Liam, she wouldn’t be able to answer confidently.
This was likely only her third time seeing him.
Once at Earl Marlon’s estate, twice on the street where bread was distributed, and now, this third meeting.
It wasn’t easy to understand or fall in love with someone after just three encounters.
The love Liam spoke of likely wasn’t that deep either.
As he said, perhaps he wasn’t a good man.
But compared to Earl Marlon, Liam was undeniably a better person.
He was handsome, and while his personality didn’t seem overly kind, it didn’t appear bad either.
Given her circumstances, it was impossible not to desire Liam.
“I’ll ask you again.”
And so…
“Will you marry me?”
“…Yes.”
Yvonne willingly extended her left ring finger, allowing Liam to slip the ring onto it.
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marroniette
I am so happy she said yes, she picked the lesser evil better than being married off to a much older man and possibly being kicked out penniless once he dies. She would likely end up dying in extreme poverty.