Melda took a deep breath, unable to speak. As Melda staggered, Hestia demanded coldly.
“Demand an end to the engagement before he retaliates and retaliates against us.”
Hestia was right. He would know something was wrong right away on their wedding night. If the Baron found out about this, there was no way her would remain silent. He would be furious at the fact that he had been deceived and demand, not only for them to repay what he had given them, but also compensation for damages.
Of course, the 60,000 gold was now out of the question. Melda threw her hand up in anger.
“You dirty thing! How dare you do this to me!”
Hestia fell to the floor at the impact of her strike. She glared at her daughter, who was on the floor clutching her red cheek and broken lip. For noble women, her chastity was her life, and to throw it away for some wretch, it was insane. Melda shook her head, trying to regain her senses.
“No, it’s still fine. You just need to get some chicken blood and camouflage it.”
“It’s no use. It you do not tell him, I will just reveal the fact myself.”
Melda slapped Hestia on the cheek once again at her sign of rebellion. She had remained stubborn after the first, the second, third… It was impossible for Melda to keep from screaming when Hestia said she would reveal the truth herself.
“How dare you! You bitch-!”
“Do you think he’ll accept a woman who could be carrying another man’s child as his wife?!”
For the first time in her life, Hestia screamed at her mother. It wasn’t just a small cry either, it was an outburst, filled with the emotions of wanting to live her own life.
“Ha, you must be crazy!”
Melda’s hand rose into the air again. She beat Hestia all night, but Hestia remained firm. Deceiving the Baron on their first night was absolutely impossible without Hestia’s cooperation. In the end, Melda was forced to give up on the 60,000 gold.
***
As Melda had said, Hestia admitted she really may have lost her mind. She had spent the night with Adrian Kingston. It was so traumatic she must have blacked out for a while. No matter how crazy she had been that day, she should have thought ahead and found a man who didn’t know who she was. No matter how much she blamed herself for her short sightedness, no matter how much she regretted it, it was already water under the bridge.
Melda’s assault, along with her thoughts, had left her lying in bed for days, like the dead. Partly because she was locked up in her room, unable to take a step outside, but mostly because she didn’t have the will to get up. She could have used her magic to open the door and leave, but she didn’t. She couldn’t run away, she had nowhere to go. Thankfully, she wasn’t carrying Adrian’s child. If she had gotten pregnant, Melda might have kicked her in the stomach, causing her to miscarry.
She was thankful she didn’t have to find out.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she heard the sound of the lock being turned on the door, and soon, a cold voice jolted her back to her terrible reality.
“Wake up.”
Melda pulled Hestia from her bed forcing her to her feet. The signs of her beating had faded over time, but there were some things that would never heal. She looked like the walking dead, but Melda just looked down at her, unconcerned with her condition.
“I have broken off the engagement, just as you wished.”
“…”
“Do you feel better now? Thanks to the compensation demanded from the baron, I have been unable to even pay the maid her wages this week.”
“…”
“What a selfish bitch. I’ve never seen anyone as selfish as you.”
Hestia didn’t reply to her mothers’ harsh words. She just stood there blankly staring into space as Melda tossed a letter at her.
“If you’re still human, you should repay the favor of giving birth and raising you. This is your last chance.”
Hestia slowly bent her knees and picked up the letter. In her eyes, the seal of the Count of Carlton was reflected.
She didn’t hear anything else that Melda said after that, she already understood her intentions. Hestia already knew the Count’s family. The Count of Carlton ruled the remote country side of the southernmost reaches of the empire, and they had never set foot in the capital for the social season. Even in the local social circles, they were quietly ignored.
But, a few years ago, the discovery of diamonds in their estate’s mines brought them a fortune. The Count now dominated over the local social circles. Spent money everywhere, flattered those in power and steadily made their way to the capital. After several years of mining, they were finally able to buy a ‘proper’ mansion in the capital.
Unlike buying a mansion, it was not so simple to gain the acceptance of the central nobility residing in the capital and become one of them. The central aristocracy highly valued ‘mage blood’, and there were no mages in their family. The Count of Carlton began scouring his family tree for any ‘relative’ they could sponsor who could raise the family’s profile.
Finally, he found a young lady in the Welter family, fresh out of the academy.
“Pack your bags and make yourself presentable, you leave in two weeks.”
The money the Carltons had agreed to pay in exchange for sending Hestia was close to 10,000 gold. It was nothing compared to 60,000 gold, but it was a lifeline for Melda at the moment, keeping her from falling into a pit of fire. Without hesitation, Melda had signed the contract, agreeing to submit to the Carltons’ demands for a period of two years, and handed over the right to report Hestia’s movements.
Melda placed her finger under Hestia’s chin, raising her head by force, ordering her.
“Stay silent and obey the Carltons’ orders.”
“…”
“Unless you wish to see your mother hanged.”
The threat cut into her like a cold blade. The drive that had kept her going during her time in the academy was now gone.
She never should have given her love.
She had loved her mother, the woman who had once looked at her with such warmth, who stroked her hair and whispered kind words. She had believed in vain that one day she would return, but that miracle never happened.
Two weeks later, Hestia climbed into the carriage sent by the Carltons. Now, there was no one waiting for her back in the townhouse. Hestia was forced to grow up much earlier than others her age.
***
That night, Adrian had said something to her. As he went into the hotel with Hestia, he had said a lot of unnecessary things. He talked about a lot of useless things that she couldn’t even remember. He was being noisy, so Hestia had just covered his mouth with her lips.
The rest of the night was a blur, as if tainted by the strong alcohol he bought. She had frantically consumed it. It was all a blur; her memory was fragmented. It was a good thing, though. If she had remembered it clearly, she might have wanted to tear herself apart. Nevertheless, his last words before they parted had stuck with her. It was strange, that was the only thing she could recall from what he had said that entire night.
“Take care of yourself.”
He had whispered the words, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. Just like you would do to your beloved.
Maybe the reason she remembered those words so clearly was because they were so similar to the way her father used to kiss her goodbye on the forehead with pure love and affection.
Maybe it was because his embrace was so warm that it reminded her of her mother hugging her when she was young.
The only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to forget those words. Forget everything about him.
***
“Miss, wake up.”
“Penny…?”
Penny, the maid, shook Hestia awake. She blinked for a moment at the unfamiliar scenery. It was the Carltons’ family mansion in the capital. She had fallen fast asleep upon their arrival, unable to overcome her wariness of the long journey.
They had arrived at the capital on short notice and hadn’t set foot in the Carlton mansion until well past dinner time, and tomorrow evening was the first ball at the palace.
“The Madam is calling for you.”
Penny smiled awkwardly, feeling sorry for waking her, who had only been able to sleep for less than an hour.
“Oh, can you wait a moment?”
Penny nodded and waited patiently while Hestia sat down in front of a mirror and began brushing her hair. Her face in the mirror was pale and her heart was beating strangely fast.
“Are you feeling sick?”
Penny asked worriedly as Hestia’s combing gradually slowed down.
“It’s fine, it’s probably because I just woke up.”
Hestia waved her hand. It must have been the dream she just had. She diligently straightened her hair and smoothed her clothes. Penny lead Hestia to the Countess’ chambers.
“Welcome, Hestia.”
Countess Carlton greeted Hestia with a graceful smile, and though she was tired, she never showed it, offering Hestia a seat across from her. Hestia sat down without a word. The Countess’ personal maid set a teacup down in front of her.
