♡ TL: Khadija SK
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That morning, Hazel received a telegram stating that Viscount Easton would arrive tomorrow at noon.
It was unusual for Viscount Easton—who, during his stay at the estate, corresponded only with Lady Easton—to send Hazel a personal telegram.
The telegram, used for concise messages, bore two lines: the first specifying his arrival time, the second requesting she arrange a meeting with Theodore immediately upon his return.
Hazel didn’t reply.
By the time a response reached him, Viscount Easton would likely already be en route to the capital.
Regardless, Hazel had no intention of fulfilling his request. He seemed to harbor a significant misunderstanding about Theodore.
The reason a father with a daughter might dislike her suitor was obvious.
Regardless of the truth, he’d likely heard rumors reduced to words like gambler, womanizer, swindler, con artist, deviant, or brute.
‘If it’s about rumors concerning the duke, could it be that he’s a womanizer?’
Hazel didn’t know if Theodore truly had a prolific history with women.
‘When he’s with me, he doesn’t glance at another woman, but who knows? He might be adept at hiding it.’
Yet Theodore’s immense popularity and skill with women were undeniable.
Thus, a rumor branding him a womanizer could have spread.
If not, perhaps Viscount Easton had deduced it himself from various circumstances.
What father would approve of his daughter meeting a womanizer?
Especially Viscount Easton, a man who’d lived his entire life devoted solely to Lady Easton.
She was his first and last love—a vow he’d kept, never straying in over twenty years of marriage, making him a true romantic of the age.
Thus, Viscount Easton hoped his daughters would find suitors even more devoted than he, living like lovebirds in a single nest.
He often repeated:
“Money? Family? None of that matters. It’s enough that he’s a man ready to sacrifice his life for you!”
“Miss Hazel, was the question difficult? Shall I give you more time to answer?”
“Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
“May I ask what you were pondering? If it’s about me, it’d be nice to know.”
Hazel hesitated over whether to reveal that Viscount Easton disliked him.
She could conceal it if she wished. Preventing a meeting between Theodore and her father would suffice. But was that feasible?
‘Impossible.’
Hazel decided honesty was best.
Even considering the chance they’d meet without her, it wasn’t something to hide.
‘Don’t they say knowing a blow is coming lessens the pain?’
Having reached this conclusion, the words didn’t come easily.
She gazed at the elegant man with a gentle smile.
The smiling figure before her exuded signs of a loving upbringing from every inch of his being.
“I hope you won’t be shocked when you hear this.”
“That sounds like a warning to brace myself.”
Theodore sat upright.
As he straightened, his head neared the carriage ceiling.
Hazel now understood why his posture was more relaxed than usual in the carriage.
“Please don’t misunderstand, whatever I say.”
Theodore narrowed his eyes.
Hazel’s charm lay in her directness.
Some bristled at it, but Theodore cherished her unfiltered words.
Yet today, unlike her norm, she hesitated and faltered, as if gauging his reaction. He didn’t mind.
The shift from a woman who’d claimed disinterest in him to one who cared and considered him warmed his heart.
He felt he could accept anything she said with an open mind. Theodore nodded firmly.
“Speak freely, Miss Hazel.”
“My father opposes our relationship.”
“Huh?”
Was his claim of accepting anything mere bravado?
Caught off guard by an unexpected assault, Theodore’s mouth fell slightly open.
“I’m usually quite popular with elders. And I’ve only seen Viscount Easton from afar?”
Fortunately, Theodore didn’t grow angry or upset. But he couldn’t accept the reality.
That was expected.
Theodore was deemed the kingdom’s finest groom, immensely popular among fathers with daughters.
No one disliked him—especially not fathers of eligible girls.
Even Lady Jane, the prince’s famously stern etiquette tutor—rumored to despise everyone—smiled approvingly at Theodore.
What baffled Theodore most was that he’d never met Viscount Easton.
He’d heard much about the viscount’s character; his reputation was impeccable.
Even the elder Duke Bernier, who found fault in anyone no matter how splendid, never criticized Viscount Easton, and Lady Michelle had deemed the Easton family suitable in-laws, accepting the marriage gladly.
How could such a man oppose him without meeting him?
It had to be one of two things.
Either someone was openly trying to drive a wedge between him and Viscount Easton, or the viscount wasn’t as his reputation suggested.
Theodore swiftly concluded it was the former. The warm, virtuous atmosphere of the Easton family couldn’t stem from a corrupt lord.
‘Who’s trying to sabotage my marriage, then?’
No specific person came to mind, leaving Theodore perplexed.
“I apologize on my father’s behalf. And in his slight defense as a daughter, he’s not the type to hate without reason. Nor have you done anything deserving of hatred, Your Grace.”
“Wait a moment.”
Theodore interrupted Hazel’s apology.
There was no need to accept it, and something crucial lay in her words.
“Not just opposition—he hates me?”
“It seems he has some misunderstanding.”
“So, Miss Hazel, you mean Viscount Easton’s opposition to our relationship isn’t about our family or wealth, but me personally?”
Based on what Hazel knew of her father, yes.
Instead of nodding immediately, she calmly placed her hand on Theodore’s knee.
His face clouded over.
But it didn’t last.
After a moment’s thought, Theodore asked in a serious tone:
“What does Viscount Easton like?”
***
Viscount Easton returned home.
“Father, you’re back!”
“Papa! Why were you gone so long? I missed you so much!”
“Dear, despite saying you were busy, your face looks radiant. Did you enjoy yourself while leaving the children to me?”
Each greeted him in their own way.
Viscount Easton hugged Lady Easton until her ribs nearly cracked, kissed Hazel, Charlotte, and Andre’s cheeks in turn, then headed to his study. Then he summoned Hazel.
Charlotte clutched Hazel’s arm as she moved toward the study.
Hazel patted Charlotte’s cheek—her brows lowered in worry—then ascended the stairs.
“Father, it’s me. Hazel.”
“Come in, dear.”
Hazel opened the study door after a long absence.
During Viscount Easton’s time away, the library had been theirs, but the study remained his domain.
Still, it was regularly cleaned, leaving the study spotless and dust-free.
“Hazel, you’ve borne so much in my absence.”
Hazel expected him to dive straight into Theodore, but Viscount Easton embraced her as she stood in the study’s center and patted her back.
He knew the entire family relied on her while he was gone.
No matter how mature and clever Hazel was, she couldn’t have avoided feeling the burden.
Viscount Easton, who’d led the family in his youth, understood that weight well.
“It wasn’t hard.”
“I know everything without you saying it. How much did Andre pester you? Asking for this and that, wondering why he couldn’t have it. And Charlotte? She must’ve asked you to judge her suitors’ looks again, right? And your mother—probably consulted you every time she wanted to change the decor.”
Hazel buried her nose in Viscount Easton’s shoulder and laughed softly. He was spot on.
She’d made decisions for someone dozens of times a day.
From trivial matters to preparing for the Easton family’s grand banquets. It hadn’t been easy.
But she’d accepted it gladly for her beloved family.
“Now that I’m back, set all burdens aside and think only of yourself.”
“I’ve always put myself first.”
“I know well that’s not true. If you did, you’d have rejected the Bernier family’s marriage proposal without hesitation. If you’ve been meeting the duke reluctantly for our family’s reputation, that’s over now. On my way back, I sent a letter stating the relationship is canceled.”
“What?”
Hazel pulled away from Viscount Easton, her eyes widening in shock like a rabbit’s.
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