On the day of the meeting.
Upon returning to the Baron’s estate, Wilhazelle intended to inform her parents about her upcoming marriage to Chase but hadn’t been able to bring herself to say anything until even now.
The reason was simple—her parents were busy paying off their debt with the checks that Chase had given them.
Her father would go to the bank or meet with moneylenders early in the morning to repay money and bring back the collateral he had left behind.
Meanwhile, her mother, the Baroness, busied herself paying overdue wages to the loyal servants who had stayed on, packaging gifts to send to their families as a gesture of gratitude out of courtesy to the servants who had trusted and waited for them without fail.
Wilhazelle had hoped to bring it up when both her parents were together, but the timing never seemed right, leaving her with no chance to speak.
In the meantime, Wilhazelle also kept herself occupied.
Although the marriage was a temporary contract, she would be living with Raphel, the protagonist of the original story. She needed to know the flow of the original work in detail in order to help him.
She tried to recall when, where, and how Raphel would be in danger.
There were several critical moments: assassination attempts, poisonings, and even an attempt at kidnapping.
She remembered three such instances.
But since she had only read halfway through the novel, there were likely more dangers awaiting Raphel.
‘I should’ve finished the story…’
As she recalled the contents of the novel, she regretted having read only halfway through.
Nothing much has happened so far, but the moment it becomes known that Raphel has joined the Halos family, incidents will start to occur one by one.
“Father, mother.”
It was only on the day of the meeting that Lizelle finally approached her parents, who were now sitting together.
With much of the work handled, the Baron and Baroness looked noticeably more relaxed.
Today, she absolutely had to tell them.
Chase would be arriving soon.
“What is it, dear?”
“Is something wrong, Lizelle?”
Sensing the seriousness of her expression, her parents exchanged glances, realizing it must be important.
Still unaware of the situation, they had no choice but to wait for Lizelle to speak.
“I wanted to tell you earlier, but it’s been difficult to find the right moment, so I’m a bit late.”
“That’s fine. Just tell us—what’s going on?”
She closed her eyes tightly and finally blurted out the words she had practiced countless times on her own.
“I’m getting married.”
With those words, silence fell upon the room.
Lizelle cautiously opened her eyes to gauge her parents’ reactions. Both were frozen in shock.
“Marriage? So suddenly?”
It took a moment for the word ‘marriage’ to sink in, and when it did, Rosalind, her mother, raised her voice in surprise.
Her father, the Baron, was too stunned to speak, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly.
“I’ve met someone I want to marry. We’ve promised to spend our future together.”
“Wait, hold on, Wilhazelle.”
Rosalind raised her hand to interrupt. Her mind was still processing her daughter’s sudden announcement.
Meanwhile, the Baron sitting next to her was still frozen stiff.
“We don’t want to interfere, as we also want you to marry the person you love and live happily, but this is too sudden.”
Rosalind tried to calm herself after the sudden announcement.
She had always wanted to celebrate her daughter’s marriage more than anyone, but without any preparation, the news hit her like a bolt out of the blue.
At the moment, it felt as though she had been struck on the head by a stranger while walking down the street.
“I’m sorry. I meant to tell you sooner…”
“I’m not trying to blame you, Lizelle. Have you really thought about it carefully?”
Having had no idea their daughter was in love, her parents were understandably confused by the suddenness of it all.
“Yes, I’ve given it a lot of thought.”
“No.”
The Baron, who had been silent and dazed, finally spoke.
Having regained his composure, he now looked as though he might explode in anger.
“Father, he’s a good man.”
She never imagined her father would be so opposed to it…
Lizelle couldn’t hide her discomfort, especially since Chase would be coming to greet them soon.
“Even if he’s a good man, the answer is no!”
The Baron roared, his reddened face betraying his distress, though his eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Honey, calm down.”
Rosalind gently took her husband’s hand, trying to help settle him down.
“Father, I mean it. He’s truly…”
“You’re too young!”
The Baron cut her off with a shout.
“…”
“…”
Both Wilhazelle and Rosalind fell silent.
They understood the protective instincts of a father who adored his daughter. However, Wilhazelle was already an adult, having debuted in society two years ago and come of age a year ago.
Moreover, in the Empire, twenty was neither too young nor too old to marry—it was the perfect age.
Even Rosalind herself had married the Baron at twenty.
“Father, Mother also got married when she was twenty.”
“That and this are very different.”
What was the difference? She wanted to say but held back.
There was no point in provoking her father right now.
“Honey, let’s listen to what Lizelle has to say first.”
Rosalind, the most rational member of the family, calmly soothed the Baron.
At her urging, the Baron took a deep breath, attempting to regain his composure.
‘This is a headache.’
Wilhazelle brushed back a stray strand of hair.
There was still time before Chase was due to arrive, but at this rate, she was worried her father might actually break Chase’s legs in anger.
Well, maybe not.
Given the societal hierarchy, her father, a Baron, couldn’t harm Chase, a Duke.
Still, today didn’t feel like the right day.
She pondered whether she should contact Chase and ask him to come later.
“Fine… So, Wilhazelle, who is the person you’re… m… m… ma…?!”
The Baron could not bring himself to say the word marry.
Just the thought of Lizelle getting married made his throat tighten and his chest ache.
His daughter, who he raised with great love, wanted to leave her parents to start her own family. He wanted to praise her and celebrate but couldn’t.
He felt more sad and disappointed.
“Lizelle, who do you want to marry?”
Rosalind asked the question on behalf of her husband.
The moment Lizelle opened her mouth to tell her parents about Chase, there was a knock at the door with perfect timing.
“Master, we have a guest.”
Wilhazelle glanced at the clock.
Chase wasn’t expected until noon.
There were still about two hours left, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
If Chase arrived before she finished explaining, it would only complicate matters.
“Ask them to wait.”
The Baron tried to dismiss the butler because the family was having an important conversation.
But the butler hesitated at the door before finally speaking.
“Well… the guest is Duke Chase Halos.”
“What?”
Wilhazelle sprang to her feet in shock.
He was already there?
Two hours early?
“I-I’ll go greet him!”
She hurriedly got off the sofa, opened the door and went out.
Chase must have thought she’d already informed her parents.
That was the the original plan.
But on the day of their appointment, she still hadn’t finished telling her parents everything, and her father was already against it.
Wilhazelle needed to warn Chase about the situation.
“Hmm…”
As Wilhazelle rushed out, Rosalind sat back in thought, resting her chin on her hand.
Her daughter’s startled reaction raised her suspicions.
Talking about marriage and then Chase Halos showing up as a guest?
Something felt off.
Rosalind stood and quietly followed Wilhazelle.
* * *
“Phew…”
Chase sat in the waiting room, massaging his tense shoulders and taking deep breaths.
Two attendants stood silently behind him.
Having spent a sleepless night tossing and turning with nerves, he had gotten up very early.
With nothing else to do, he prepared for the visit and chose gifts for Wilhazelle’s parents, only to find himself with too much time before the appointment.
He decided to leave early, thinking he could go slowly and take his time.
But perhaps because it was morning, the streets were deserted, and the carriage arrived in front of the Baron’s mansion earlier than expected.
Seeing the butler already out to greet guests, Chase couldn’t ignore him and ended up entering the estate earlier than planned.
That’s how Chase came to arrive two hours ahead of schedule.
