6.9 

After her argument with her father, Ellen left the study. She hadn’t intended to fight, but it seemed impossible to have a conversation with him without it turning into a quarrel.

“No, this isn’t right. No matter how you look at it, this isn’t right.”

Her father’s intrusion into her personal life had gone too far.  

Ellen understood why he wanted her to marry Bernard, but knowing his impure motives made her despise the idea.  

It wasn’t that she disliked Bernard. She simply didn’t want to marry him. Ellen wanted to marry someone she loved, and right now, the only face in her mind was Leon’s.  

Even if she got hurt again, she didn’t care. She didn’t want anyone else. If she were to marry, it had to be him.  

In that moment, Ellen’s ambiguous feelings toward Leon became crystal clear. The confusion about whether or not to accept him vanished entirely.  

All she could think about was how much she loved him and how she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.  

The wounds Leon had inflicted on her hadn’t completely healed. But that didn’t matter. The more time she spent with him, the more she felt those scars would eventually fade.  

If there was one regret, it was that Ellen had realized her feelings too late.  

If she had understood earlier, she might have accepted his love sooner. She could have confidently told her father about her relationship and felt more at ease than she did now.  

The next day.

Ellen wanted to meet Leon first to tell him about the marriage to Bernard and confess her feelings. However, she decided it would be better to meet Bernard first.  

After all, Bernard also knew that Viscount Novary only cared about wealthy families. Neither of them had ever considered each other as marriage prospects.  

They had never even had a serious conversation about their relationship, as they were just friends. So Ellen felt they needed to discuss what to do moving forward.  

Bernard was probably more confused about the marriage than Ellen was.  

This was because he secretly had someone he loved—a commoner woman he couldn’t openly acknowledge and had been meeting in secret.  

Now, where had Bernard said he would be today? Wasn’t he meeting Lady Rhoda?  

Recalling Bernard’s schedule, Ellen hurried to where he might be.  

When she arrived at Lady Rhoda’s residence, she saw Bernard talking with her.  

“Bernard, can I speak with you for a moment?”  

When Ellen called out to him, Bernard nodded immediately. It seemed he had already heard about the marriage from Viscount Goat.  

Ellen led him to a wooded path where no one could overhear their conversation.  

“Have you heard? Apparently, you and I are getting married.”  

“Yes.”  

She had expected him to laugh it off as absurd, but Bernard’s reaction was unexpectedly subdued. He seemed resigned, as if he had already accepted the marriage.  

“Why aren’t you reacting? Don’t tell me you’re actually considering marrying me?”  

Ellen asked, hoping for a denial. She was certain he had no intention of marrying her either.  

“I’m sorry. My father found out about my relationship with Emma. He probably decided on this marriage quickly because he thought it was better for me to marry you than to marry Emma.”  

“What? Is that true?”  

Ellen stared at Bernard, her eyes wide with shock. He nodded with a troubled expression.  

“…”  

His reaction left her speechless.  

So, that’s why the marriage had been arranged so suddenly. It seemed Viscount Novary and Viscount Goat had joined forces for their mutual benefit.  

Viscount Novary, unwilling to give up the idea of a noble marriage even if it meant losing money, and Viscount Goat, preferring Ellen over a commoner for his son, had aligned their interests to arrange the marriage.  

The opinions of the actual people involved had been completely ignored.  

“What are you going to do? Are you seriously considering marrying me?”  

After staring at Bernard in silence for a long time, Ellen finally forced herself to speak.  

“If I have no choice, then I suppose I’ll have to marry you.”  

Ah… His strange reaction now made sense. Bernard seemed to have resolved to go through with the marriage to protect Emma.  

“Why? What did Viscount Goat say to make you decide to marry me?”  

“He said he wouldn’t leave Emma alone. If I don’t marry you, he’ll send her far away. But I can’t live without her. Emma is everything to me. I can’t give her up.”  

“If you can’t give her up, then don’t. How can you even think about marrying me when you love Emma?”  

“That’s…”  

When Ellen pressed him, Bernard hesitated, fumbling for words.  

“See? You don’t want to marry me either. You want to marry Emma. So be brave! No matter how hard the situation is, you shouldn’t give up on love. Isn’t that right?”  

“That’s true, but… I’m afraid something might happen to Emma.”  

Bernard, who had always been timid and weak, lacked the courage to marry Emma. He was more worried about her life than his own.  

“You want to marry the person you love, don’t you? So please, don’t lose heart.”  

“I don’t think I can. Can’t we just get married? If we do, your family will escape its financial crisis, and you won’t have to struggle anymore. Don’t you think it’s the best solution for both of us?”  

“…”  

No matter how much Ellen tried to persuade him, Bernard wouldn’t budge. He was too anxious about what might happen to Emma to think rationally.  

It seemed he wanted to marry Ellen while continuing his relationship with Emma in secret.  

What about my life? What about my happiness?  

Thinking about her selfish father, Viscount Goat, and Bernard, Ellen felt suffocated.  

“We can’t possibly get married…”  

“What do you mean by that? Marriage?”  

Just as Ellen was about to suggest finding another solution instead of marriage, a furious voice interrupted her from behind. 

When she turned to look, she saw Leon standing there, glaring at them with icy eyes.  

The intensity of his gaze was so fierce that it felt like he could kill someone with his eyes alone. And all that hostility was directed at Bernard.  

It was the first time Ellen had seen Leon so angry, the first time she had seen him express such intense emotions. His unfamiliar demeanor startled her.  

“So, you were eavesdropping on our conversation. As you can see, we’re getting married.”  

Before Ellen could stop him, the oblivious Bernard confessed the truth. He had no idea about the relationship between Ellen and Leon and spoke with innocent intentions.  

“…”  

If only I could sew his mouth shut…  

Ellen glanced at Leon. His brows were furrowed, and his expression was unmistakably furious. How could Bernard not notice this?  

Ellen looked back and forth between Leon and Bernard, trying to figure out how to defuse the situation. Both men were clearly upset, and she needed to calm their heightened emotions.  

While she was deciding whom to address first, Bernard, still oblivious, opened his mouth again.  

“It seems our fathers made an agreement. They decided we should marry. That’s what we were discussing. So, Sir Guilford, would you mind leaving us alone for a moment?”