Chapter 3

“Father?”

“There’s a limit to how much you can insult your father. You actually wrote a letter to the person in question, asking to change your marriage partner?”

“So he’s already told everyone?”

“You still don’t know what you did wrong! Do you know how embarrassed I was today in front of that Blois man?”

“But I had no other choice. Why couldn’t it at least be the kind-hearted eldest son Mikael, instead of Emeric, who’s famous for having the worst temper in all of Blois?”

“And yet, you can’t even admit you did wrong!”

“Punish me however you want. I just don’t want to marry this Emeric!”

All that passed between father and daughter were shouts.

From a distance, the maids, the nanny, Flora’s mother, and her brother were listening in on their conversation.

“It was you who always badmouthed the Blois family in front of me! It’s your fault too that I can’t accept this marriage quietly!”

With those words, Flora glared at the onlookers and her father, then slammed the door and retreated to her bedroom.

Even now, after some time had passed, it still felt like a dream.

To think she had to argue and shout with her parents because she was to marry the Blois son.

All of it felt unreal.

* * *

“Flora seems really upset.”

“What did you talk about with Duke Christophe that made you so angry?”

Pascal’s wife, Ellen, asked her husband.

Pascal had always treasured their youngest daughter Flora. He was not a man to ever lay a hand on her out of anger.

“Is there really no way to stop Flora’s marriage?”

“That’s dangerous talk. Even if the King is an old toothless tiger, he’s still the King. Of all people, you know best not to anger him.”

“She must have hated the thought of marriage so much—she even sent Emeric Blois a letter, asking to change her groom.”

“Oh my, Flora did that? I thought she’d just given up, since she’s been so quiet in her room after hearing about the marriage. I didn’t expect her to do something so bold.”

“You don’t seem that surprised.”

“Do you think I just sit around doing nothing in this castle? I knew she sent a letter to Blois, but I didn’t realize it was such an outrageous request to change the groom.”

Ellen spoke while sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair.

“You’re worried Flora won’t be able to endure life in Blois, aren’t you?”

“Of course. She’s a child who’s lived her whole life in Charllon.”

“But she’s so curious and eager to learn new things. I believe our daughter will do well even in Blois.”

“You trust Flora too much.”

“It’s not trust—it’s just that I know my daughter well.”

“How about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“When you first came to Charllon.”

“You treated me well. That’s why marriage wasn’t so hard for me.”

“But Flora’s partner is…”

“Blois.”

The Duke and Duchess could say no more. Flora’s actions were rude and deserved scolding, but they still understood her feelings.

Duke Pascal leaned against the window, gazing out at the sunset over the distant sea.

“Flora… She’s a child who grew up not knowing coldness. Not in the weather, nor in people’s hearts.”

“So, you scolded her to let her taste some coldness in advance? You’ve never even hit her before, but today you slapped her.”

“She’s so innocent, I just worry about how she’ll survive in the future. What does writing a letter change, anyway?”

And yet, he understood her desperation, and his worries deepened.

If he himself had to survive alone in Blois, he wouldn’t know how to manage.

* * *

“Nanny, do you think this is right?”

Flora, lying in bed with swollen eyes, looked at her nanny.

“But there’s no way to get through this. You saw the reply to your letter, didn’t you? Miss, you shouldn’t do anything else to offend Blois. The Duke was so troubled after meeting Duke Blois.”

“So, I just have to keep my mouth shut and go into exile in the east.”

“Exile? It’s a marriage overflowing with blessings.”

“Nanny, don’t call it a blessing. That doesn’t comfort me at all.”

“The King commanded it. This marriage is one the whole country will bless, and the baby born to these two houses will be loved by all the people.”

At the mention of a baby, Flora grabbed the sheet and covered her face.

“A baby with Blois! That’s the biggest problem! They’ll surely disgrace me and throw me out. They’ll make it so I can’t get pregnant, point fingers at me as if I’m at fault, and cast me out of the castle!”

“Miss.”

“Nanny, you know best. Didn’t the Blois daughter marry into Charllon and die coughing up blood after three years in this castle? Don’t you think they want revenge for that? And now I have to be sold off to Blois like that?”

Flora cried endlessly, feeling as if she could see her own future.

“Maybe the Blois people are warmer and kinder than you think…”

“Nanny! If they were, would they have stormed this castle and torn it apart? They did it to insult Charllon! Searching the castle wouldn’t reveal the cause of her death anyway.”

Flora turned onto her side, thinking. Would she end up like that Blois daughter from decades ago? Would they take revenge and make her cough up blood and die?

Though that incident was no longer discussed between the two families, Flora, having grown up hearing adults’ stories, could picture it vividly.

When that woman died coughing up blood in Etoile Castle, the people of Charllon, fearing it was the plague, locked her away in the tower as she was dying.

Compromising with an unbelievable reality was not so hard.

Because she knew that just because she was sad, the world would not grieve with her.

The sun still shone on time, waking Flora from sleep.

Her head throbbed painfully. She mentally rehearsed all sorts of tragic deaths, preparing herself. She even practiced for miserable deaths—she figured as long as she didn’t get hanged, beheaded, or burned at the stake, she could endure it.

No, maybe a quick, clean death would be better than being locked up miserably in Blois Castle.

After imagining the worst, she felt oddly refreshed. She felt she could overcome any trial or hardship.

“Nanny, I need to write another letter.”

“Oh, Miss! This time, it might not end with just a slap! Just hang in there until the wedding day, please?”

“No. I’m going to send an apology letter. Whatever happens, my life now depends on Blois.”

Flora, though sad, admitted it. She was born a daughter of Charllon, but as long as that incompetent, pot-bellied King lived, this marriage would happen.

Flora listened to the birds chirping outside as she picked up her pen.

-To the dear and respected wisdom of the east, Sir Emeric,

I committed many offenses in my previous letter.

Please forget it as the foolishness and ignorance of a childish person.

I hope this marriage will bring harmony and peace to Charllon and Blois.

I hear many people are working hard for this marriage.

I will wait for the wedding day.

From Flora Charllon.

She hoped Emeric would realize that the letter implied she didn’t want to see him before the wedding day. She wished he was perceptive enough to pick up on that. No, it was too much to expect sense from someone known to be rude and cold-blooded.

Flora handed the finished letter to her nanny and prepared for her music lesson.

Ever since the sudden news of her marriage last week, her bridal lessons had increased dramatically.

Besides her tutor, she now had multiple music and foreign language teachers, making it hard to keep up with all the lessons each day. This marriage—she almost wished to get it over with quickly.

Why were music and foreign languages even related to marriage? Flora thought something was truly wrong.

Even if she married into Blois, she would just live a dull life trapped in the castle, so what use were dance, music, or languages?

Feeling herself grow a little more cynical each day, Flora shook her head.

She was becoming less and less like the Flora of Charllon.

Her greatest trait had always been her positive, cheerful personality.

“Flora, this is a problem.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“You’re not focusing on the lesson at all.”

“I’m sorry, Yvonne. My mind is troubled these days.”

She felt like a pig fattened for slaughter, just eating and attending lessons day after day.

She thought she was no better than a useless animal.

“Your groom is Emeric, right? I understand. But you can’t view life so pessimistically.”

Yvonne, her music teacher, spoke gently as she saw Flora unable to concentrate on her violin lesson.

“Do you know Emeric?”

“Of course. I know his brother Mikael well, too.”

For a moment, Flora wondered if she should even ask this.

“By any chance…”

“You want to know if Emeric is really a cold-blooded man with no heart or tears?”

Yvonne seemed to understand her feelings perfectly.

Flora nearly threw her violin onto the side table and grabbed Yvonne’s hands.

“Please! Please, tell me the truth. My whole future depends on it.”

“But Flora, the marriage is already set, isn’t it?”

“Still. I have to know if he truly has a beast’s heart, or at least if he’s kind to those weaker than himself.”

Yvonne looked down at Flora’s hands gripping her own, sighed deeply, and replied.

“Still, it’s better to face the truth.”