Chapter 4 – Prejudice (Part 2)

Towards the end of the party, the maids, following the Duchess’s instructions, handed out gifts to the guests. Sophia had prepared teapots and teacups adorned with small floral patterns.

“Oh my, the gifts are lovely.”

“I’m glad you like them.”

The Duchess of Loden did not mention that Sophia had chosen the gifts. Perhaps because of this, the ladies of the Loden family, who were pleased with the gifts, did not hold back their words of praise.

These are the gifts I chose…

Seeing them appreciate the gifts made Sophia feel both recognized and unrecognized, leaving her with mixed emotions.

“You have more sense than I thought.”

However, after the guests left, hearing the Duchess’s small voice offering a bit of praise lightened Sophia’s heavy heart.

“Thank you.”

Despite receiving words of praise, Sophia did not grow any closer to the Duchess of Loden. She continued to maintain her distance and assigned Sophia unreasonable tasks.

She deliberately instructed Sophia to do exhausting things, such as showing the capital to a mischievous young lady, a distant relative of the Loden family, or taking care of young children for a day. Each time, Sophia did as she was told without complaint.

When she finished her tasks and returned to her room, a wave of sorrow would sometimes overcome her, but there were also days when it didn’t.

The mischievous young lady who tormented her would sometimes send a gift in gratitude, or the children would throw tantrums, not wanting to part with her. It made Sophia feel proud, realizing that not everyone in the Loden family disliked her.

Surely, I won’t be doing this for a whole year, right?

However, the days of hardship outweighed the moments of pride, and Sophia grew more exhausted as time passed.

Despite this, she obediently followed the Duchess’s orders, hoping to gain her approval. Sophia was determined to see things through to the end once she started something.

Let’s see who wins!

Even if the Duchess said things like “not bad” or “it’s okay” now, Sophia was determined to work hard until she heard words of praise from her. Praising someone from the Dveshi family, whom she disliked, would surely hurt her pride.

However, the in-law trials that Sophia thought would last a year ended after just a month.

“Prepare to leave immediately.”

After showing his face for just one day and never visiting the bedroom again, Killian suddenly appeared early in the morning, saying something unexpected. It was almost a month since they last spoke.

“Pardon?”

Having not seen him at all, Sophia was taken aback when he suddenly appeared and told her to leave.

Are they trying to throw me out? How much trust does His Majesty have in him that he can defy the order to stay at the Loden house for a year?

Given the attitude of the Loden family members, it wouldn’t be surprising if they suddenly decided to kick Sophia out, but with the king standing in the way, they couldn’t act on their whims.

“If it’s difficult to leave right now, please make sure you’re ready to leave by today.”

As Sophia remained speechless, Killian added. After a moment of thought, Sophia asked him.

“Is it really okay to leave so suddenly?”

“Yes. So please pack your belongings as soon as possible.”

What on earth is happening that we need to leave in such a hurry?

Sophia carefully observed Killian, as his behavior was suspicious. She wanted to know what he was thinking, but his expression was perfectly blank, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

Oh! Am I really being kicked out?

At that moment, Sophia suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. She thought perhaps they were trying to send her back to the Dveshi family because, after being forced into marriage, they realized they couldn’t live together.

After the first night, Killian never entered the room again, and recalling his behavior made Sophia’s speculation seem plausible. Sophia asked with hopeful eyes.

“Am I returning to the Dveshi family by myself?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Oh, just when I thought it was good news. What on earth is going on?

“Then where are we going?”

“You’ll find out when we get there.”

No matter how much she asked, he wouldn’t answer kindly, so Sophia felt frustrated but didn’t ask further. It seemed he wouldn’t answer no matter how much she pressed. Instead, she began packing her belongings scattered around her room. If she could leave the Loden household, anywhere would be fine.

As she was nearly done packing, Sophia looked at Killian. His lack of preparation while she packed seemed suspicious.

“Are you leaving with me now?”

“I have work, so I need to go to the royal palace.”

Going to the royal palace? So, am I supposed to leave alone?

At that moment, the joy of leaving the Loden family was overshadowed by the fear of her life being threatened.

His attitude of defying the King’s orders was strange, and leaving her to go alone was even stranger.

If I leave the Loden household like this, won’t something suddenly threaten my life?

There were many ways to disguise a murder as an accident. They could claim the carriage overturned or that she was killed by bandits they encountered unexpectedly.

They would also eliminate all witnesses, so there would be no evidence that Sophia was murdered by someone from the Loden family.

Would they really go that far to harm me? My father wouldn’t stay still.

Knowing it wasn’t impossible, Sophia felt a sudden fear and put down her belongings where they were.

“I’m not going.”

Thinking it might be better to stay with the Loden family, Sophia changed her mind.

“It would be wise for you to go.”

Killian’s voice, bordering on a threat, reached her ears. His gaze seemed to say he wouldn’t let her be if she didn’t comply.

“Can you at least tell me why I have to go? If the reason is reasonable, I’ll go.”

“You’ll understand when you get there.”

No matter how much she asked, Killian didn’t seem inclined to answer. The more this happened, the more suspicious he appeared.

“I don’t want to. I’m not going.”

“Do you wish to continue suffering by my mother’s side?”

When Sophia stubbornly refused, Killian unexpectedly said something. Then he rubbed his forehead, as if realizing he had said too much.

I thought he had no interest in me…. Could he have known about the daily torment from the Duchess?

Since they had only spoken once after the wedding, Sophia naturally assumed Killian wasn’t interested in her.

“Did you know what I’ve been doing all this time?”

Thinking that the man who she thought was unaware of her hardships knew everything gave her an indescribable feeling.

“As a member of the Loden family, of course, I knew.”

Killian answered while avoiding Sophia’s gaze, lowering his head deeply.

“Then why did you leave me to suffer all this time and suddenly tell me to leave the Loden family? Isn’t it strange? Isn’t the King’s order for me to stay with the Loden family for a year still in effect?”

“No. His Majesty has rescinded that order.”

“Suddenly?”

At that moment, Sophia suspected Killian again. When her father protested so much, they didn’t listen, but now the order suddenly changed, which was suspicious.

“Here is a letter with the King’s command.”

However, when she saw the King’s seal on the letter Killian handed her, she dismissed her suspicions. They wouldn’t forge the seal.

“I’ll have the servants move your luggage, so please go to the carriage. A butler who will assist you will approach.”

“Alright.”

“Then I’ll see you in the afternoon.”

Although she still felt uneasy, since the King had permitted it, Sophia relented.

Nodding her head, Killian gave a restrained bow and then walked out of the mansion. After watching him leave through the window, Sophia left the room and headed to where the carriage was. The man Killian mentioned approached her.

“I am Victor, the butler who will accompany you. We will leave as soon as we load everything, so please get into the carriage first.”

Victor… 

Sophia flinched, surprised that his name was the same as her first love from her memories.

Could he be the boy from back then?

The butler’s age seemed similar to the boy she remembered, so Sophia looked at his face with hopeful eyes.

After comparing him with Victor in her past memories, she realized that his hair color and eye color were different. Her expectations soon turned to disappointment.

Well, there’s no way I’d find him so easily. It’s a common name, why did I think that?

Calming her briefly confused mind, Sophia noticed the servants carrying her luggage to the carriage.

And behind her, the maids, attendants, and knights of the Dveshi family were also looking on with puzzled expressions.

“Please board the carriage. As soon as all the luggage is loaded, we will depart.”

Victor carefully opened the carriage door.

“Board the carriage? Can I just leave like this? Shouldn’t I at least say goodbye to the Duchess of Loden?”

“There is no need to say goodbye to the Duchess.”

“How can that be?”

Sophia didn’t want to say goodbye to the Duchess either, but she felt that she should at least observe the minimum courtesy.

“Sir Killian has already informed her, so it’s fine.”

Can I trust this? Is it really okay?

Sophia looked at him with narrowed eyes, but Victor’s gaze remained steady.

Oh well.