Chapter 3

Hatfield family and Julietta entered the dining room together.

The table was set with caviar dusted in gold, foie gras, delicately cooked steak, and fine wine.

As they sat and began eating, everyone started bombarding Ivan with questions.

How had he been promoted to colonel? What was the enemy camp like? What was the hardest part?

“Missing my family was the hardest. Not just for me—a lot of soldiers desperately wanted to see their families. Family is what keeps soldiers going in the misery of the battlefield. It’s a source of comfort.”

Julietta listened, nodding slowly.

His words were touching—almost too perfectly so.

She alone noticed the mechanical nature of his answers, but the marquis and marchioness and Lydia looked at him with tearful eyes, moved by his sentiment.

“My goodness, the thought that you missed us makes me so happy.”

He nodded slightly, then took a graceful sip of wine from a crystal glass.

His pronounced Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. As he set the glass down, he added,

“Of course, I never forgot Lady Julietta either.”

“……”

“Not for a single moment.”

The sudden comment made Julietta’s eyes widen.

Ivan met her gaze directly.

Ivan took in Julietta’s entire appearance.

The long blonde hair, those deep blue eyes, a small, delicate face that could fit in the palm of his hand.

Eyes that drooped slightly, but with a subtle lift at the corners, giving her a curious expression.

Cheeks flushed pink. Slim wrists peeking from beneath her sleeves.

Especially those slender wrists—he felt an overwhelming urge to grab them, to see the marks left behind after his grip.

Ivan wanted to grip her wrists hard enough to break them.

The thought of seeing that noble face crumple under his hands brought a strange pleasure.

The more vivid his imaginings, the more he pictured Julietta pinned beneath him, gasping and weakly resisting, right before his eyes.

For a moment, it felt as if his blood was boiling, but Ivan shook his head slightly to snap himself out of it.

Even so, he couldn’t suppress the urge surging through his body. He let out a short, low sigh.

Impulse.

He’d never experienced such a fierce, consuming desire before.

It was as new as it was threatening.

To make him feel this way…

Ivan’s neat lips curled into a subtle smile, and his gaze met Julietta’s with a fierce intensity.

Julietta looked back at him, clearly flustered.

“Ivan must have missed Juliet a lot. So, I’d like for the two of you to get married after this year. Son, what do you think?”

Marquis Orlando’s gentle voice broke the silence.

Julietta couldn’t quite process what was happening.

Elizabeth and Lydia were both beaming at Ivan, and Ivan, after gazing at Julietta for a moment, shifted his eyes to Orlando.

“I agree, Father,”

Ivan answered. And with that, everything was decided.

“What a wonderful day in so many ways!”

Lydia exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight.

Elizabeth and Orlando both burst into joyful laughter at her excitement.

“Julietta, I’m so happy you’ll finally be part of our family!”

Lydia whispered, pulling Julietta into a hug.

‘Aren’t they going to ask how I feel?’

Julietta thought. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.

Even though it was technically just an arrangement, she and Ivan had been engaged since childhood, and everyone expected marriage to be discussed as soon as Ivan returned.

This was all predetermined, so Julietta forced herself to push down her feelings.

Everything was perfectly in place.

She quickly buried her discomfort and looked over at Ivan, her soon-to-be husband.

He was, by all accounts, an ideal match.

No one in the Connaught Empire could rival the Hatfield family’s wealth and renown, and Ivan himself, newly promoted to colonel, was famous in his own right.

He wasn’t a womanizer, nor did he indulge in drinking or gambling.

He was stoic, but affectionate with his family.

And most importantly, Julietta loved him.

She managed a smile for the overjoyed Lydia and traced the pearl-and-sapphire necklace around her neck with trembling fingers.

Eventually, the splendid dinner ended.

The Hatfield family and Julietta all gathered in the sitting room.

The crackling fireplace warmed the space as they shared stories in the gentle glow, an atmosphere of peace and contentment.

Soon after, Orlando and Elizabeth excused themselves for bed, and Lydia quickly followed suit, leaving only Ivan and Julietta in the room.

Julietta realized it was finally time to talk with her soon-to-be husband.

Ivan stared at the burning fire, waiting for her to speak.

She wasn’t sure what to say, and then the words just slipped out.

“Ivan… are you sure it’s all right to marry me?”

Ivan glanced at her, then fixed his gaze back on the fire.

“We’re engaged, after all.”

“……”

“Ever since our engagement, I’ve never thought of marrying anyone but you. So yes, of course, it has to be you.”

Julietta was surprised.

She’d expected a blunt, noncommittal answer, but his reply was more certain than she’d imagined.

She smiled softly.

“Thank you.”

Ivan let out a quiet hum, turning his head slightly toward her.

“For what…?”

“For answering me so clearly. If you hadn’t, I think I would’ve always wondered if you were only marrying me because of family expectations.”

The fire popped and crackled.

Julietta kept her eyes on the flames, letting her heart spill out.

Ivan stared at her profile for a moment before looking back at the fire.

“We should go tell everyone about the engagement first thing tomorrow. Let’s set the wedding as soon as possible.”

With that, he got up from the sofa, as if he meant to leave.

Julietta looked up, surprised.

But instead of walking away, Ivan stopped in front of her and offered his hand.

“Let’s go upstairs together.”

Julietta beamed as she took his hand.

Her small hand fit perfectly in his—large, rough, and strong.

Hand in hand, they left the sitting room and walked up the stairs to the second floor.

Ivan gently led Julietta to the door of her room.

He paused, lifted her hand, and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it.

“Good night, then.”

Julietta’s heart raced at the soft kiss.

She kept her composure, returned his smile, and stepped into her room.

Inside, she leaned against the closed door, trying to calm her pounding heart.

That night, with her racing thoughts and fluttering heart, Julietta hardly slept at all.

***

Julietta left Braxiter early in the morning.

Just as Ivan had said, she was heading home to tell her father the news of their engagement and discuss the plans for their wedding.

Lydia, Elizabeth, and Ivan all came out to see her off, and Julietta promised she’d call as soon as she finished talking things through.

As soon as she returned home, Julietta went looking for her father.

“Father?”

She waited in the living room, but he didn’t appear. Eventually, Julietta wandered through the mansion, checking every room.

But he was nowhere to be found.