Chapter 11

Because of his gloomy expression, Mikael seemed like a wilting flower, while Emeric, despite his pale skin, appeared lively.

Even their confident postures and shoulder frames were completely opposite.

“Flora, enough.”

Emeric called her again.

Flora was simply spacing out, but to Emeric, it looked as if she couldn’t take her eyes off Mikael.

Fortunately, the others were noisily talking about the country Mikael was studying abroad in, so only Emeric, sitting across from Flora, paid her any attention.

“I’m just not feeling well, so I can’t focus on the conversation.”

Flora shrugged as if it was nothing.

“You’re not focusing too much, are you?”

A mocking voice echoed in her ear.

Was Emeric always this twisted and cold to everyone,

or did he only show this prickly side to Flora?

“Emeric. Sorry, but could you be quiet? My head is pounding.”

Flora wanted to show that even a worm will squirm if stepped on.

Even though there was no one by her side to protect her.

At her retort, Emeric made the most amused expression Flora had ever seen.

Pretending not to notice his face, Flora unconsciously shifted her gaze back to Mikael.

Looking closely, he resembled her brother Victor quite a bit. If he had been born a woman, he would have had a truly beautiful face.

She wondered if Mikael was perhaps the illegitimate child of her beautiful mother-in-law, Claudie.

“Flora, how was your first day at Charmant Castle?”

Just as Flora was lost in thoughts about Claudie, her mother-in-law Claudie gently asked her.

The voice was so kind that Flora didn’t even realize she was being addressed, and was caught off guard.

“Thanks to your concern, I slept well.”

At Flora’s reply, snickers could be heard from all around.

What shocked Flora was that even the maids helping with breakfast didn’t bother hiding their expressions; they covered their mouths and laughed.

She had never received such treatment in her life.

She was the youngest daughter of the influential western family, Charllon. The daughter of Duke Charllon.

At Charllon, even the maids were wary of her, but here in Blois, even the maids openly mocked her.

She was so flustered that she couldn’t speak. It was the perfect moment to get angry, but she became speechless.

She was experiencing firsthand that when someone is truly flustered, no words come out.

“Thanks to Flora coming to Blois, laughter has blossomed at Charmant Castle.”

Claudie smiled kindly at her. Only now did Flora realize.

The question wasn’t out of concern, but to mock her.

These people were truly two-faced.

She began to worry if she could really endure here for long.

“Why aren’t you eating more?”

Across from her, Emeric asked with a mocking tone.

If one read the words alone, it would seem like a kind question, but his tone had the power to make people feel bad.

“I have no appetite.”

Flora tried to keep her posture straight, wishing this time would pass quickly.

She was just starting to recover, but in this atmosphere, she felt she’d get a stomachache all over again if she ate.

“In Blois, there’s a custom to eat a hearty breakfast. What you’re doing is very rude to those who prepared the meal.”

Emeric spoke without a trace of mockery, his face expressionless.

His serious tone felt like silent pressure to finish her meal.

She could feel the maids’ gazes piercing her, as if looking at a complete outsider.

If she ate more, she might vomit right here—how could she possibly eat more?

Flora closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reluctantly picked up her spoon.

She resolved to only finish the soup.

“I want to end my studies abroad now.”

It was the first time Flora clearly heard Mikael’s voice.

Strangely, the moment he uttered that sentence, the table fell completely silent.

Even the servants helping with the meal seemed to be holding their breath, watching the situation.

Flora, feeling the odd atmosphere, became self-conscious and felt a pain in her chest.

“Mikael.”

Claudie called Mikael’s name in a stern voice. Her displeasure was obvious.

Even though her name wasn’t Mikael, Flora’s heart shrank as if she’d been called.

“I can’t stay in another country forever like a runaway, can I?”

Mikael coughed dryly between words, as if he really was unwell.

He even seemed frail, making his appearance even more pitiful.

Then, Emeric laughed with a joyless voice and clapped.

“Amazing. Truly perfect timing.”

Flora didn’t understand what he meant, so she put her spoon down and waited for Emeric’s next words.

“Not only did you suddenly return right before my wedding, but now you want to stay at Charmant Castle? What are you up to?”

Then he looked at Flora.

His blue eyes, which once seemed cold, now burned like flames.

“Emeric.”

Sir Christophe called Emeric’s name and gestured for him to stop.

Flora, who had no knowledge of this family’s atmosphere or background, simply couldn’t grasp what was happening.

One thing was clear: Emeric hated Mikael intensely, perhaps even despised him.

But she still couldn’t tell how her father-in-law and mother-in-law felt.

“Isn’t it funny, Father and Mother? Ah, maybe it’s just me. Flora, what do you think?”

“Huh? Me?”

Flora broke out in a cold sweat at her name being called so suddenly.

Her stomach twisted in pain, but neither she nor anyone else noticed.

“You were the one who longed to see Mikael more than anyone else, weren’t you, Flora?”

At Emeric’s words, Mikael looked at Flora with the most surprised expression.

The other family members, already knowing this, didn’t react.

Suddenly, Flora felt her hands grow icy cold. Then her vision went black.

For the first time in her life, she fainted.

* * *

She woke up with a splitting headache.

Was she replaying yesterday’s scene, or was this some time after breakfast?

Yesterday, she was clearly in pain in the darkness, so now, with the sun up, it must be after breakfast.

Flora looked at the light coming in through the window, pulled off her sheets, and got up.

A water pouch had been placed on her stomach, and when she sat up, it fell limply to the floor.

Her stomach pain was a bit better, and she sighed weakly.

Her wedding was in just two days—she worried if she could survive this pain, let alone get married.

Hearing the sound of the water pouch falling, someone knocked on the door.

“It’s me.”

She expected it to be Tanya, but it was the voice of Emeric, her soon-to-be husband.

His voice was as low as her current state.

“Come in.”

He used to barge into her room without permission, but now he knocked and waited for her approval—she almost laughed.

Suppressing a giggle, Flora wandered the room, searching for water.

Tanya must have left water somewhere, but there was none on the bedside table or near the sofa.

“Are you very sick?”

It was almost touching that he finally asked.

“I’m fine. I think I’m getting better.”

“You’re getting better because you saw Mikael?”

That Mikael again. Mikael, Mikael.

Annoyed at Emeric, who brought up Mikael in every sentence, Flora mustered her strength to glare at him.

“Make sure you recover before the wedding.”

“I was planning to, so don’t worry.”

‘Why was there no water anywhere?’

Her thirst made her even more irritable.

“I don’t have the hobby of sharing a bed with a sick person.”

Emeric spoke coldly and turned to leave.

Flora blankly replayed what she’d just heard, wondering if she’d heard correctly.

So he hadn’t come out of concern for her illness, but to warn her to recover by any means before the wedding.

She was speechless and dumbfounded.

At that moment, she sadly remembered her mother’s advice before coming here.

To survive, she had to bear Blois’s heir as soon as possible.

Tragically, if she wanted to live—if she wanted to avoid being cast out—she had to have his child.

Long ago, a daughter of Blois went to Charllon and died under mysterious circumstances, but that wasn’t Flora’s fault.

She couldn’t understand why she had to come here and endure such treatment.

The Mikael she had hoped for, thinking he was kind, seemed to be an illegitimate child, not of pure Blois blood, and her feelings toward Emeric, who had clearly misunderstood her intentions, grew even more distant.