Chapter 3: 3

Renee took Adele's arm and led her inside the carriage. Then she stood outside the door and made eye contact with Adele.

“You are Adelaide Millium. You have to love yourself so others will love you. Don't let anyone make fun of you.”

“……”

“Answer me.”

“Yes.”

“The Debryans value honor, so they won’t break their promise.”

As soon as she heard the word Debryan, Adele's heart fluttered. Now she can meet Ethan again.

Renee patted Adele's head briefly. Renee was obviously a good person, but she wasn't a sweet older sister. As the older sister touched Adele's head, Adele felt her ears blush.

Her feeling of being loved by her sister made her helpless as she always did.

“You are an integral part of the family. Do you know that, right?”

Adele was removed from the succession to the Millium family. But she was still an integral part. When Adele nodded her head vigorously, Renee continued.

“You are alone from now on. You have to endure it all by yourself. Remember that even if it's hard, you have to endure. I know that you're good at it. And always take care.”

“Yes, don’t worry. Take care of yourself, too......”

As Adele broke into tears again, Renee let out a sigh.

“Stop crying.”

“I'm sorry. I can't help it.”

“Adele, keep this in mind. If you have a hard time even after dealing with a lot of patience and perseverance, then... Don't hesitate to come to me."

“Really…… I can?”

“Yes. So don't be afraid and go. Understand?”

‘And be sure to be loved.’

Renee swallowed those words as she closed the door of the carriage with her own hands.

She could see Hayley standing in the distance with tears in her eyes, but all Adele could do was wave her hand through the window in the carriage.

The carriage Adele was riding gently left the square of the capital. Now her new life begins.

The carriage's interior was long enough for Adele, a 12-year-old with a small stature, to sleep on. After two long days and two nights, as her sister said, she was able to enter the estate of Herbon, which belonged to Count Debryan.

Adele stretched her body and rose from her seat.

As her carriage entered Count Debryan's garden slowly, Adele was swinging her feet which didn't touch the floor to control her uneasiness.

As if heralding a new beginning, a loud beating pounded in Adele's head.

The horses slowed down with a pleasant sound, and soon the door of her carriage opened.

But outside the open door, the blonde-haired young man was nowhere to be seen.

Her sister should have sent a word in advance to inform them she was coming. Yet she did not understand the meaning of Ethan's absence in Adele's arrival.

 

* * *

 

Adele only met Ethan the day she heard that her sister had come to the Herbon estate.

“My sister is here?”

 

“Yes, she is meeting the Count in the parlor now.”

After Adele came to the mansion, they immediately assigned her a maid named Susan. Susan was only three years older than Adele, but she was a very stubborn girl.

Why is my sister here? Did she come to pick me up?

Half yearning to see her and half anxious, she slowly moved her feet and went down to the drawing-room. She was very happy, but her legs were trembling so much that she kept stumbling on her feet. She had to rely on Susan several times because of this.

As Adele approached the drawing-room, she saw two knights from the family and a butler standing by the door.

“I'll let them know of your arrival.”

When Adele nodded in assent, the butler pushed the door open.

“Have them marry. Right Now.”

But at that moment, at the sharp voice of Renee, everyone standing in front of the door stiffened in an instant. The butler, Ben, tried to close the door hastily, but Adele moved her small hand to prevent the door from closing.

“I don’t understand. Wasn't it just an engagement we talked about in the first place?”

Count Debryan was speaking politely to her sister, Renee. Adele could only guess. Perhaps because her older sister would soon become the Crown Princess.

“No. The original promise was for Adelaide Millium and Ethan Debryan to tie the knot immediately.”

“But isn’t Lady Adele still too young?”

“Too young? Since when did the age of a woman become important in Hesenia?”

In the Hesenian Empire, men could only marry when they reached adulthood, but in the case of women, they could marry at any time with the permission of the family.

“Why are you in such a hurry to get them married?”

Renee remained silent despite the Count's question. Adele couldn't even blink her eyes, waiting for her older sister to open her mouth.

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“In the last two years…… What has changed?”

A cold voice filled with her sister's doubts was heard. But she had no one to answer that.

“Something has changed. It's definitely the Count's attitude that has changed……”

“Ah, it's not— No. I'm just saying it's going to take some time.”

Although the Count was embarrassed and stuttered, her older sister continued talking.

“I definitely wasn't mistaken. The Count happily accepted this offer two years ago…… the Countess as well...…”

This time, there was silence from both of them. After a while, Renee spoke again with a firm voice.

“I don’t understand why you are doing this when they are going to get married anyway.”

“That's what I'm saying. They'll have their wedding in due time...…”

“No. I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense. We've been going around in circles here. Since you've already changed your mind, I will get my sister out of this house right now.”

“Wa, wait!”

When Renee brought forward to take Adele out of the house, the Count leaped from his seat. He got up in a hurry and hit the table, so Adele heard the teacup rattling and clattering one after another.

“That is not possible.”

“Of course, you'd say that. I promised a dukedom to this family on the condition that Lord Ethan marry my sister. Do you understand now? You'll become a Duke.”

“Our, our family will……”

“Indeed! Lord Ethan is indebted to Adele. You lot would not be even here if it were not for us. It was just two years ago that you were so happy to accept the offer but I don't know why you make me feel like I'm begging for this marriage now.”

“Thi, this Millium wom—!”

“Father, what Lady Millium said is correct.”

At that moment, Ethan's voice cut in on the conversation between the two. When she heard his voice, Adele's heart sank. Even though he wasn't saying anything negative, her heart was strangely being squeezed and it was hard to stand still. Was it because his voice was colder than the midwinter frost?

“Ethan!”

“We’ll have our wedding anyway. Whether getting engaged for a year or two, it doesn't change the fact that we get married in the end. What's wrong with doing it ahead of time? It's not like every single marriage shall be based on love.”

No. His voice was like a sigh of resignation.

“As Lady Millium said, I'm indebted to Lady Adele. Even living with a heart in debt for the rest of my life will not be enough.”

But Renee noticed something strange in his words.

“What… Love? What could the union between nobilities be other than politics? And yet now, the Young Lord is talking about love?”

“Are you saying that Lady Adele and I have a romantic relationship? Lady Adele is only 12.”

At Ethan's words, Renee scoffed. The eight-year difference between the nobles was regarded as light.

“So you are saying that Lord Ethan does not want to marry our Adele.”

“…… I will.”

“Even if there is no love that the Young Lord cherishes?”

In the first place, their marriage had already been promised the day Adele had chosen Ethan. It was strange to talk about love now.

“Don't worry about that. There will never be anything like love in my life.”

‘Are you sure about that?’

Renee thought she wanted to take Adele out of this house right away, but she couldn't. The image of Marquis Gerard Saunière's bulging belly and insidious eyes seemed to flash before her eyes.

Renee paused for a moment, but her hesitation did not last long. If they were to keep their promise, there was no safer place in the Empire than here for Adele.

Renee needed proof that Adele and Ethan were married right now. But wedding ceremonies took a lot of time to prepare.

“The wedding ceremony doesn't matter. It will have to be carried out when Adele becomes an adult.”

The Count had a vague idea of ​​why Lady Millium was rushing to get the two married. If that was the case, he had nowhere else to retreat.

“We will fill out the marriage certificate within this month and send it to the temple.”

“No. You can't delay in the slightest. I want you to solve it when I am here.”

After that, the Count said nothing, but Adele could no longer stand by the door. Not sure what the problem was, but her heart ached so much that she had to clench her fists and rub them against her chest.

Her heart was beating strangely and she felt like she was about to cry.

Denial was familiar to her. It was as natural as washing your face when you woke up in the morning. Adele did nothing wrong, and it wasn't uncommon for someone to hate her.

When Adele turned her little body away from the door, the knights stood up straight again, and Ben, the butler of the house, nodded his head to Susan with an unfamiliar expression on his face.

“I hope you come back later, Miss.”

“Okay.”

Whispering in a low voice, who could have listened? Adele returned to her room in a hurry.

After giving Susan a tea errand, Adele returned to the room alone and took a deep breath.

“It's okay. I'm okay. I didn't hear anything. I didn't hear anything today.”

What is this indebtedness they were talking about? Ethan, feeling indebted, said that he would marry her. She hadn't changed, but she strangely shed more tears than when she was at her previous house.

Adele bit her clenched fist hard to keep the sobbing sound from leaking out.

I can't cry. If I cry...... Then I must be unhappy.

Adele lifted his lips, wiping away the tears. Fake smiling was one of Adele's best skills.

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