FTP-83

“I promise.”

 

Anje’s fingers, bathed in sunlight, glowed faintly white.

 

“We’ll definitely go together, to the singing class.”

 

Let’s spend winter happily together.

 

And also the spring, summer, and fall that will come again—together, for a long, long time.

 

With all those promises in her heart, she extended her pinky to Aiden. By then, a firm resolve had already taken root within her.

 

‘I’ll write a letter to Father, telling him I won’t remarry.’

 

Her only family’s will had always been a shackle that bound her since childhood.

 

Suppressing her mischievous nature, she had secured the position of the Crown Prince’s fiancée and followed orders to seduce her ex-fiancé’s brother—all without question.

 

Even after being used to the fullest and knowing he didn’t love her, she couldn’t let go of the lingering hope of receiving love and recognition someday.

 

After all, he was still her father. He was still family.

 

Because of that, she hadn’t been able to firmly declare she wouldn’t obey his commands or cut ties with him completely.

 

But as she looked at the sunflowers symbolizing what she had achieved here, the long-standing spell was broken.

 

She had the ability to nurture something, as well as friends who cherished her and Aiden.

 

Even if she failed to meet her father’s expectations and their ties were severed for good, she was confident she could live well.

 

Aiden wrapped his pinky tightly around hers.

 

“We’ve made a promise.”

 

The words, promising a future with him, made her feel thankful, but at the same time, several wandering thoughts came to mind.

 

‘Is what she says truly genuine?’

 

Like weeds that kept sprouting no matter how many times they were uprooted, doubts crept in whenever he tried to forget them. His fingers unconsciously tightened around hers.

 

“You must keep this promise.”

 

With an earnest hope, he declared quietly. Without a moment’s hesitation, Anje replied,

 

“Of course. A promise sealed with pinky fingers must be kept, right?”

 

It was frightening to go against her father’s will for the first time in her life. The Duke would probably be furious. He might try to persuade or even threaten her.

 

Though she anticipated that it would be a difficult process, as she looked at the sunflower field shining like the sun, her worries disappeared.

 

‘It will be fine. I’ll make it happen.’

 

Once she resolved the long-standing issue of rejecting her father’s proposal and stayed here, then—only then—she would finally confess her true feelings to Aiden.

 

That she wanted to stay by his side, forever and ever, not as a mere housemate but as his wife.

 

Even if he didn’t feel the same way now, it didn’t matter. Though they lacked honor or wealth, they had plenty of time.

 

Time to wait until he came to love her.

 

* * *

 

Anje thought that the rustling sound coming from her coat pocket was too loud. In reality, it was only a very faint sound, audible only to her.

 

The thick letter, sealed tightly in an ivory-colored envelope, contained her earnest wish.

 

『Hello, Father. I am writing this letter because I have something urgent to tell you. As your daughter, I would like to make one final request.』

 

From the heavily pressed introductory lines to the final greetings, how many sheets of letter paper had she crumpled and rewritten?

 

『I want to continue living here in Leslie, with Aiden. So, I’m sorry, but I hope you will give up on the idea of me remarrying.』

 

TL/N: THAT’S MY GIRL!!!!

 

To defy her father’s will. It was something that the old ‘Anje Glaster’ could never have imagined doing.

 

But once she clearly expressed her intentions, she felt a great sense of relief.

 

‘I should have done this earlier. I feel much better now, rather than constantly feeling guilty toward Aiden.’

 

Every time she thought about leaving Aiden someday, she felt sorry deep down. She had assumed that making friends for him might ease her guilt, but that assumption was wrong.

 

No matter how many good friends she made for him, they could never replace her. No matter how close they were to him, they couldn’t match her understanding of Aiden or the affection she had for him.

 

She was now completely sure of this point.

 

Wanting to send this letter to the capital as soon as possible, she had even made an excuse to Aiden about “wanting to have autumn clothes prepared in advance” to come out to town.

 

“Oh, my muses! I was just thinking it was about time for you to visit. Now, come, take a look at my sketches.”

 

Jean welcomed them warmly, and Anje had a hard time choosing from the designs he showed her, most of which she liked.

 

The only problem was that Aiden didn’t give her even the slightest moment of space. When she said she’d like to stop by another shop alone before going to the fabric store, he said he’d follow her, and when she pretended to get lost, he clung to her persistently.

 

Because of the content of the letter, she didn’t want Aiden to see her sending it, so she grumbled inwardly.

 

‘Why is he following me around like this? He’s not some chick following a mother hen’

 

Unaware that his actions came from a worry that she might run away if he let his guard down for a moment, she only found him bothersome today.

 

‘Ah, maybe it’s because of the seizure he had when we came to town last time.’

 

If it was for that reason, she could fully understand his reliance on her. Feeling newly apologetic, Anje withdrew her complaints about Aiden.

 

“Miss Mary, I’m sorry to trouble you, but could you mail this letter for me?”

 

While getting her measurements taken in the fitting room, Anje asked Mary for help. At times like this, she thought, there was no choice but to lean on a friend.

 

Mary readily accepted her request.

 

“Of course! It’s right nearby.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Fearing that Mary might find it strange why she wasn’t going herself, Anje offered an excuse that Mary hadn’t even asked for.

 

“I want to get Aiden a special gift, so I’m asking a friend in the capital about what might be useful. It’s a secret from Aiden, okay?”

 

“Of course. Oh, but it’s not some secret lover you left behind in the capital, is it?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

Anje laughed softly.

 

‘Even if there was one, I’d have forgotten about him long ago.’

 

“My, how sweet you two are.”

 

Mary praised Aiden, saying that with such a kind-hearted husband, she too would forget all about a lover.

 

“He is a good husband.”

 

In the past, Anje would have blushed and said nothing, but this time, though she looked a bit embarrassed, she boldly boasted about Aiden. Mary squealed in delight, saying how envious she was of the couple.

 

Meanwhile, while they were in the fitting room, Aiden was also making a similar request to Jean outside.

 

“I have a favor to ask… Could you mail this letter to the capital? The sooner, the better.”

 

“Of course. Just say the word, Monsieur.”

 

Jean tapped his chest confidently. He was ready to do anything for his precious muse and regular customer.

 

“If Monsieur asks me to lick his shoes, I am ready to lick them immediately!”

 

“…There will be no such request, so you can rest assured.”

 

“Then at least your hand!”

 

“No, that will not be necessary.”

 

Jean was not acting this way simply because he had made money thanks to the Fitzroy couple’s promotion.

 

He said that, thanks to Aiden, he had opened his eyes to the beauty of men’s clothing… a reason Aiden couldn’t quite comprehend.

 

“Ah, please keep the letter a secret from Anje. I’m preparing a gift… and I want it to be a surprise for her.”

 

As if they weren’t a married couple, the two had come up with similar excuses.

 

In reality, Aiden and Anje’s birthdays were indeed approaching. Aiden’s was next month, and Anje’s was the month after that, so hers was much further away. However, knowing how much Aiden cherished Anje, Jean simply accepted such early preparations.

 

Considering the sheer number of outfits he was going to buy for Anje today, it was only natural that Aiden would want to purchase something even better as a birthday gift.

 

“I hope you can find a très bien gift!”

 

TL/N: TRÈS BIEN MEANS “VERY GOOD”

 

Aiden let out a faint, bitter laugh without realizing it.

 

“Indeed, I hope good news will come back as well.”

 

He had written letters to both the Duke and the Emperor with the utmost care and caution. To the Emperor, a warning to keep an eye on the Duke’s movements; to the Duke, a firm declaration that he had no intention of divorce. Both letters were phrased in the most polite tone he could muster.

 

Both of them were significant figures in this country, and compared to them, he didn’t have much.

 

‘If only I had power.’

 

He opened and closed his empty hand. Somewhere, the cracked voice of the late emperor echoed.

 

‘This palace, this country, will all be yours.’

 

He didn’t wish for the country. All he wanted was Anje. What he needed was the power to protect her.

 

A pitiful regret even crept in, wondering if he should have flattered the late emperor and at least received a baron title.

 

‘In the end, I would have been cursed as a filthy parasite anyway.’

 

He didn’t want to become someone even slightly resembling the insults Philip threw at him.

 

That was why he always accepted only the bare minimum of the various favors the late emperor offered and ultimately rejected the rest. He would not have accepted even those favors if they had not been the sick man’s tearful plea to allow him to play the role of his father, even if it was belated.

 

‘I need power.’

 

For the first time in his life, he thought he understood how people like Philip or Duke Glasster felt. What it felt like to be so desperate for power.

 

‘What should I do? How… How can I protect her?’

 

A dark, sticky, tar-like sense of helplessness continued to rise within him. Even though he was standing on solid ground, it felt like he was sinking into the bottom of a swamp.

 

* * * *

 

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