After sending several thick letters to the capital, time seemed to move slowly for Anje.
She would wake up in the morning, eat the meal Aiden prepared for her, and lie in bed, staring blankly at the wooden grain on the ceiling.
‘That flat pattern looks just like Mrs. Morris’ nose.’
She was her fifth governess, and the woman who had shown her the most patience. Thanks to that governess, Anje, who had been all over the place, was finally able to learn to read and write.
‘But she quit after arguing with my father.’
After spending the day lost in thought, she would have lunch. She would only have the minimum conversation with Aiden, and stubbornly ignore his requests to do chores.
Then she would return to her room and flip through catalogs, predicting what kind of hats would be in fashion this spring and what kind of events would be happening in the social circles by now.
‘Will Lady Casey finally get married this year?’
The question of when Lady Casey, the ‘spinster’ who had been engaged for 10 years, would finally get married was a hot topic of interest for everyone in the social circles.
Anje was also always interested in such rumors. And to entertain her, who was at the center of the social circles, people would tell her all the rumors they knew.
As she thought of her cheerful friends, she grimaced at the unpleasant thought.
‘Maybe I’m the talk of the social circles now.’
How funny would it be for others? The fact that the Duke of Glasster, who had been bragging about soon producing an empress, was kicked out by the new emperor.
And even more, a concubine-born knight, who was considered lowly by the nobles, was to marry the princess.
‘But someone will pity me. I had a lot of close friends.’
Anje bit her fingertips to soothe her anxious heart.
Lady Dorothea, who had given her a sapphire brooch for her birthday, and Lady Hyde, who had introduced her to a good dressmaker because their fashion tastes matched well.
They would feel sorry for her and make sure no bad rumors spread.
Although they might not have come to the wedding because it was rushed and they were worried about being seen by the emperor……. The generous Anje could forgive them for that much.
‘Father or whoever, someone must be worried about me.’
When will the reply come? Would he come and see me in person? Would he take me with him to the capital when he comes?
As her anticipation grew, time slowed down even more, and Anje’s shallow patience began to wear thin.
About ten days after sending the letter, Anje urged Aiden, who had returned for dinner.
“When are you going to town again? I need to go check if the letter has arrived.”
Even Anje, who was ignorant of the world, could easily guess that they wouldn’t deliver a letter to such a remote house.
Aiden, who was slicing potatoes, didn’t stop his hand and replied.
“Soon.”
Anje persisted.
“When soon?”
“……When the wheat ripens.”
“When is that?”
Aiden pointed to the field visible beyond the kitchen window with his knife.
In one corner of the vast brown field, young wheat seedlings that had just started to grow were visible. They were the ones that had been planted last fall and had sprouted green after winter.
“Ask the wheat yourself.”
It would take at least four months for the wheat to ripen. Knowing that saying it directly would make him tired, she deliberately spoke vaguely.
“Don’t you have anything to do before that?”
“I’m busy.”
A large chunk of butter fell into the pan heated over a low flame.
At the smell of melting butter, Anje, who had been biting her finger, felt her irritation subside a little.
‘No, come to your senses, Anje. You have to get a reply quickly. You’ll definitely ask for confirmation this week.’
She pondered the best course of action.
Should she offer to give him some of the money she had managed to bring with her? No, that was a last resort, in case she needed money for something when she left.
“Please, I beg you. I’m so worried about my father.”
Anje clasped her hands together in front of her chest and made a pitiful face.
“I can’t eat or sleep, worrying about him.”
When a sad piece of music was played at the salon concerts, the men around her would often sigh in admiration when she made such a heartbreaking gesture.
“Move aside, it’s hot.”
Whether he heard her or not, Aiden placed the pan of cooked potato stir-fry on the table without showing any emotion.
Anje forgot about her act for a moment and stared at him.
‘Is he really human?’
Anje, who had a great deal of pride in the power of her appearance, wondered if he didn’t have a heart. Like the Tin Man in the fairy tale she had read as a child.
“The princess is eating and sleeping well, so I’m sure he is too.”
“I can’t sleep well. How can I sleep when I hear a noise that could tear my ears off at dawn?”
Anje snapped back and scooped out a portion of the potatoes from the pan for herself. She only took a small amount, just a bird’s beak, mindful of her promise to herself to maintain her figure.
On the table were not only the potato dish, but also onion soup, rye bread and cheese. Anje grumbled.
“I don’t like black bread.”
“I didn’t have time to prepare.”
Aiden also preferred soft white bread, but he simply didn’t have time to bake new bread yesterday.
‘I should have reduced the number of crops.’
The main purpose of Aiden’s farm was self-sufficiency, so he grew a wide variety of vegetables.
Carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, kale, cabbage, wheat…
In addition, the fruit trees that his grandfather had planted around the house before he was born were flourishing, so he was able to live most of his life without relying on anyone.
‘But this is the most ideal.’
It was exactly as he had dreamed of in the internment camp. To live like his grandfather, working hard and receiving the fruits of nature in return.
Without hurting anyone, without doing anything to be resented by anyone. Honestly and diligently.
“Hey, Sir. At least tell me when the wheat will be ripe.”
He was annoyed by her constant chirping throughout the meal and told her it would be in about a month or two. Anje’s face turned pale.
“A month or two? So I’m going to be stuck here all that time?”
“Yes.”
Anje left her food and stood up.
“Then I’ll go and get the letter myself. Just lend me a horse.”
She didn’t know how to drive a carriage, but she knew how to ride a horse.
“No, you can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Who knows what kind of accident you’ll have if you go alone?”
The thought of sending the princess, who had grown up like a precious flower in a greenhouse, out into the world alone was unbearable.
Moreover, he did not reveal to anyone in the village that he was married.
It was already burdensome to be looked at with curious eyes after returning home after being away for several years, and Anje, who was different from the residents here at first glance, would stand out even more.
Her skin was white as if she had never seen the sun, and her hands were delicate without any signs of labor. Her speech suggested that she was from the upper class.
If they knew that she was staying in his mansion, there would be an even bigger uproar. A small, peaceful village like this was starved for such stimulating rumors.
“Then I can just go and look for the letter, right?”
“Why do you keep repeating the same thing? I’m not your servant or subordinate, you know?”
He raised his voice slightly at Anje’s tone, which was neither a polite request nor an order to a subordinate.
Every time he heard her talk like that, he was reminded of Philip, who had looked down on him.
Although he now had silver hair for a reason, Aiden originally had black hair and red eyes. On the other hand, Philip had inherited neither the red eyes that symbolized the royal blood nor the black hair.
Philip had hated Aiden, who was born with what he lacked, from the moment he first saw him. And that hatred was deepened by the favoritism of the late emperor towards Aiden.
Calling him a commoner bastard, he always bullied him for what he didn’t have when the late emperor wasn’t looking.
After the death of the late emperor, Aiden, who was not even allowed to return home, was willing to accept even the offer to join the army. He wanted to be free, even if it was just a little bit.
Behind the fact that he was sent to the front lines, which was a dangerous place even in his only sanctuary, there was probably Philip’s influence.
Anje, startled by Aiden’s voice, looked at him softly. Her green eyes gradually filled with tears.
“What, what did I do so wrong that you’re yelling?”
It was something that could be done quickly by driving a carriage, so why wouldn’t he do it? It was something that Anje couldn’t understand.
“My tone of voice……. Damn it, let’s just stop.”
I’m not her tutor, and there’s no need to bother arguing and disciplining her.
As he always did when such a conflict arose, he concluded that he would ignore her.
