Anje closed her eyes as she looked at the scenery of the city where she was born and raised, gradually fading away.
As she gazed outside, her melancholy deepened, realizing the unfamiliar walls she now faced.
Feeling drained from yesterday’s emotional turmoil, she considered that getting some sleep might not be a bad idea.
‘When I wake up, I’ll probably be in a place like Leslie or Parsley,’ she thought.
Judging from Aiden Fitzroy’s demeanor before she boarded the carriage, she doubted he would ever show her any kindness.
Constantly irritated expressions and blunt speech made her wonder, ‘Why is he so unkind?’
Anje tilted her head in utter bewilderment. The people she had met since debuting in society were mostly kind and courteous.
They praised her appearance, calling her ‘angelic’ or ‘doll-like,’ recommended delicious food and champagne, and invited her to gatherings and balls. Naive Anje believed they genuinely liked her.
Aiden’s rude attitude was a significant shock to her.
‘Of all people, why marry someone like him?’ Anje repeated her lamentations, wrinkling her nose. Not only disregarding his humble status, but marrying a man with an unpleasant personality.
The anecdotes of the unhappy marriages in high society quickly flashed through her mind.
‘Surely he won’t be violent towards me,’ she thought.
When she debuted in society, Aiden had become a soldier and left for the battlefield across the sea. Thus, all she knew about him was that he was the illegitimate child of the former emperor.
Ah, upon closer recollection, there was a time when Philip disdainfully mentioned, ‘Resembling his commoner mother, he was banished abroad for being inferior.’
‘But what matters is what happens after arrival.’
Anje, overwhelmed by thoughts of the prepared future, especially the life with him, including the first night, tightly closed her eyes.
She considered the wedding the worst, but upon deeper reflection, something even more challenging awaited her.
Yet, escaping immediately wasn’t an option. She briefly considered pretending to have urgent matters, asking to stop the carriage, and making a run for it. However, the tight corset and the enormous crinoline skirt made even riding the carriage alone quite challenging. Escaping like this was almost impossible.
For now, all she could do was hope the carriage moved as slowly as possible and fill this awkward time with sleep. She drifted into a light slumber, attempting to escape reality.
‘Finally, she fell asleep.’
Aiden, glancing at her, felt a silent relief. He had worried she might complain or ask him to listen throughout the journey.
He intended to ignore most things, but given her temperament, he couldn’t be sure they wouldn’t end up arguing again.
Recalling the argument in front of the carriage earlier, he let out a wry smile.
“Starting married life with a fight.”
Marriage. The word still felt unfamiliar as he mused over it in his mind. For someone who had never imagined a future entwined with others, it was an unfamiliar situation.
Choosing to leave the hospital early and seclude himself on the farm was to stay as far away as possible from people.
Isolated from society, he didn’t anticipate his peaceful life being invaded in this manner.
“What should I do from now on?”
In his heart, he wished he could secretly drop her somewhere. Claiming she got kidnapped by thieves or attacked by wolves, there were plenty of excuses.
“But probably, lending the carriage from the imperial family wasn’t just for that.”
The imperial personnel likely arranged this to ensure she safely reached his house and to confirm it themselves. Aiden sighed at the newly dawned thought.
Damn. He had always found William Cardinaire awkward since childhood. Philip, with his brutality and treachery, was straightforward and easy to understand, but William was a guy with a seemingly intact exterior but an unpredictable nature.
Just considering how William, subtly gathering weaknesses of the legitimate heir Philip and quietly building his influence, had taken the emperor’s position, William was definitely not an easy opponent.
He reluctantly found peace and stirred trouble; he didn’t want to lose it.
“Well then, I should probably have a noble lady with me. At least until the emperor forgets about her.”
Aiden carefully observed Anje Glasster, no, Anje Fitzroy’s appearance.
With a small face adorned with delicate features, she covered her slender figure with lace and ribbons. She wouldn’t likely occupy much space in the house.
“Bring her to a room, provide enough care so she doesn’t starve to death.”
As he looked out of the window, a familiar sign in the distance caught his eye.
“Dilton Farm – Restricted access for non-residents.”
Dilton. The original surname inherited from his mother. It was a clear sign that he had reached the boundaries of his land. Aiden’s mood brightened.
Maybe living with Lady Glasster wouldn’t be so difficult after all. Think of it as having a somewhat demanding pet.
However, when Anje, who had gotten off the carriage, saw his house and exclaimed, he dispelled this optimistic hope.
“This is the house? Not a barn?”
In Anje’s voice, now an octave higher, there was a cruel amount of pure astonishment. Aiden responded with a subdued voice.
“Yes, surprisingly, it’s a house.”
To have his well-kept home mistaken for a barn wasn’t pleasing. Despite the hint of displeasure in his voice, Anje was too overwhelmed to notice.
She blinked her eyes for a while and asked again, “Is this the house where servants live?”
“No, it’s my house,” he replied, pausing for a moment before mischievously adding, “In the future, it’ll be your house too.”
Anje dropped the bag she had been holding onto the ground. It was the same bag she had cherished throughout the carriage ride.
“Oh my god,” she exclaimed.
Although she had sworn off believing in God in the chapel, in such situations, she couldn’t help but seek a transcendent presence.
She struggled to hold onto fading sanity and, despite expecting a negative answer, she asked, “Is there a banquet hall… or a dressing room?”
Those were the two most important places for her when inspecting a house.
“If it’s a pigsty, we have one,”
Aiden replied firmly. Then he helped the coachman unload Anje’s belongings. While there were many bags made of high-quality leather, with the two men working together, it didn’t take long.
After all the luggage was placed on the grass, the coachman, who had received a tip from Aiden, politely bid farewell and disappeared along the path.
Aiden, who didn’t expect any help from Anje, moved the luggage into the house this time.
In the meantime, still not fully recovered from the shock, Anje stood with her mouth agape, staring at Aiden’s house.
‘Is this the house I’ll be living in? Me, Lady Glaster?’
From the perspective of ordinary people, the house was by no means a shabby building.
Aiden, who had returned from hospital, received compensation for his heroic deeds on the battlefield.
Before that, he had diligently saved his earnings from working as an ‘aide’ at the palace, a title more of a façade than a substantial position.
All that money had been invested in this farm. The two-storey house, with recently replaced glass windows and a newly painted white exterior, gave off a neat and tidy impression.
While the surrounding apple and oak trees had not yet sprouted new shoots, the sound of a stream flowing around the house compensated for the desolation.
However, for Anje, who had grown up in a mansion with dozens of rooms and a vast garden, and once thought the palace would be her home someday, this shubby house seemed absurdly humble.
“Is this really the house?”
“If you prefer to stay in the barn, it’s over there.”
Following the pointing finger towards a much smaller and more modest building, Anje finally snapped out of it.
This is really the house. It may not be to my liking, but it’s better than that barn.
She glanced at the fallen bag and quickly surveyed her surroundings. Normally, she would have asked a servant to pick it up, but there was no one here to welcome the master.
‘Perhaps it’s the countryside manners, Lacking in courtesy.’
Anje thought she would have to instruct the servants more severely, her expression turning stern.
“Where are the servants? The butler?”
“They don’t exist.”
“What?”
“I live in this house alone.”
It dawned on Anje that she has to move her own belongings. Realizing this, she asked incredulously,
“Is this a joke? If it’s some initiation to startle the new mistress, and the servants hiding somewhere jump out, I’ll overlook the prank with a generous laugh.”
Aiden, without a hint of concern for her shocked expression, asserted,
“No, it’s the truth.”
He lifted the bag that had fallen like a tree branch and handed it to her. Anje hastily searched for the brown bottle. Ah, there it is, where Annie put it.
“Ugh, inhale, exhale.”
If she didn’t take a whiff of lavender scent right now, she felt like she might actually faint.
“Well, then, who will attend to my needs from now on?”
When coming to Aiden’s house, she had expected someone to attend to her.
Since she couldn’t bring maids or servants, she assumed there would be someone to take their place.
“As I mentioned earlier, you have hands and eyes. Do your own work. It’s the motto of the Fitzroy family: ‘Handle your own affairs.’”
The tone in explaining that she’s now a member of the Fitzroy family was stern.
“I don’t want this. I want to go back. This marriage is void!”
No matter how much Anje shouted until her throat was sore, the carriage that brought her had long departed. Aiden shrugged.
“If you dislike this house so much, you can stay in the barn you were looking at earlier.”
Having been called away from his comfortable home for urgent imperial matters after tending to farm work,
The whirlwind of events right after the hasty wedding left him mentally exhausted.
Moreover, he was an innocent victim chosen to embrace Anje simply because of a status the emperor could easily handle. So, he had no patience for her complaints.
Her attitude of easily belittling the house inherited from his grandfather did not sit well with him, of course.
‘She was a suitable fiancée for Philip. They must have been a naturally well-matched couple.’
Thinking about living with her in the future made his chest feel tight, but it was an unavoidable duty.
He left her standing there and briskly headed towards the house, ignoring her presence.
