Chapter 30
“Excuse me?”
Yulia’s surprised voice repeated the Baron’s words he had never said since the marriage talk began, but this time the Baron showed a smile-like expression at the corner of his mouth.
“I found a good investor. Fortunately, the debt from before has been settled, and I kept the factory shares I owned. With the investment money, I plan to get the machines running again. Somehow, things seem to be going smoothly this time. If that goes well, then that 2 million gold? I can repay it in a few years.”
It seemed the Baron hadn’t just felt sorry in his heart about his absence at home but had been trying in every way to find a way to cancel Yulia’s marriage.
“But Father, the wedding date is already set, and invitations have been sent out,”
The Baron was excited as if he had seen the work progressing well, but Yulia could not shake off a feeling of unease. When he first started the business, her father had used that exact phrase, “I have a good feeling.”
“Well, who knows how it was before, but nowadays, even after an engagement, if a major flaw is revealed on the groom’s side during the household training, the bride’s family often calls off the marriage.”
He didn’t say whether those women found a new match well afterward. The atmosphere of not welcoming a woman who has been broken off once into the family hadn’t disappeared. Still, it seemed better than forcing a marriage.
As Yulia’s expression grew serious with these thoughts, the Baron cautiously called her name.
“Yuri.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You don’t really want this marriage, do you?”
Of course not. She had been troubled by this marriage even as recently as that morning.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Father.”
Yulia didn’t say this just to avoid burdening her father’s heart.
“Even if things don’t go well, I… will live well.”
“Yuri…”
“Look at this dress, Father. My brother made this dress for me before the wedding. The shoes, these gloves. You didn’t see them, right? Brother did it all.”
She didn’t want to have unnecessary hopes for now. There was no way the problems her father had been running around to solve before pushing her into marriage would be solved so simply now.
Moreover… despite Henry’s unnecessary words making her question who was worrying about whom, she was concerned about Cayente. Even now, Cayente’s image among people wasn’t good, and if the marriage were called off, what kind of rumors would spread? Cayente seemed like a person who poured his soul into his business, and if the broken engagement affected that business, it would also be troubling.
She was about to force through a marriage she hated for fear of hurting Cayente. No matter how good a person Yulia was, she wasn’t that kind.
“I will definitely live well. I will live well. As you know, Father… brother was my first love.”
As her anger toward Cayente subsided, she found herself feeling more pity for him. Cayente was kind to others because he himself was weak. Because he had been hurt, he understood pain and had a gentle heart that didn’t want to hurt anyone.
—Yulia, it’s time to grow up. By now, you should have learned that your goodwill won’t always work on others.
Cayente, who was more fragile than anyone else, must have received unbearable wounds. He could no longer live as the fragile person he once was, suspecting others’ intentions and building walls around his heart.
That was why when Yulia once again fell into Cayente’s arms, who tightened his grip as if to trap and threaten her, she no longer feared him as before. And when Cayente, saying they were adults now, tried to lift her dress, she was scared but not horrified or terrified of him.
She had to grow up.
Yulia heard those words as if they were meant for herself. And from the close distance, she read the pain in Cayente’s eyes—regret, self-blame, fear, confusion—all mingled like an old stain on the bottom of his soul.
Because she was no longer startled as before by being suddenly hugged around the waist, she was able to look deeply into Cayente’s eyes for the first time. There, she found the memory of Cayente, not yet fully dead.
Four years ago, at the same age as her now, she pictured how many times Cayente must have repeated those words inside himself. As Henry said, Cayente had to become ruthless because he wasn’t originally like that.
“So please don’t overdo it, Father. Even if I marry like this… I’ll be okay. You should be more worried than me. Are you eating and working? You look thinner than before, Father.”
“I’m worried about you while I’m having a hard time too… I raised a good daughter, didn’t I?”
Of course, it helped that Cayente let Yulia go willingly at that moment. If Cayente had insisted on lifting her dress, things would have been different. But because he didn’t, Yulia sincerely hoped that Cayente would escape that pain and return to his original self.
Though it wouldn’t be easy, if things don’t go well as Father wishes and she must walk that path, she decided not to cry too much.
—Did you know? The young lady was the Count’s first love.
First love. Because they were each other’s first love.
“Count, excuse me.”
Henry entered the study with a much more cheerful face than before. He was happy because Cayente had eaten some of the food Yulia brought, which meant there was hope for change.
“It’s late, so I’m about to go rest. Is there anything else you need?”
“No.”
“Are you going to work more?”
“I have to finish something.”
Cayente answered as if it was obvious and raised his teacup. Henry noticed the cup was empty and raised the teapot but found it already empty.
“Before I leave, I’ll make some fresh tea.”
Henry smiled gently, took the tea tray, but instead of going to prepare tea, he stood firm in front of the desk. When Cayente looked up wondering if Henry had something to say, Henry spoke with a smile.
“If you keep doing this, you’ll run away, Count.”
“What?”
“Miss Yulia. If you keep making her cry and upset her like this, even someone like Miss Yulia won’t want to stay by your side.”
Cayente blinked slowly and silently looked up at Henry with his large, long eyes.
“She’s going to be your precious wife. You should treat her well.”
Perhaps due to the experience and insight gained over the years, Henry could always read emotions Cayente didn’t express, or perhaps didn’t even realize in himself. Now, Cayente was silently sighing.
“I can’t run away.”
“Although it’s difficult to cancel the marriage now that the date is set, you know that too, don’t you?”
“Even if the date wasn’t set, no matter what happens in the meantime, Yulia can’t run away.”
“Why are you so sure?”
But during this brief moment when Henry said Yulia couldn’t run away, he could not understand Cayente’s heart.
“I won’t let her go.”
At those words, Cayente showed a rare expression.
“Well then, I’ll prepare the tea.”
Henry couldn’t catch what emotion had flashed and vanished so quickly in Cayente’s expression.
—Even if you gifted hundreds of pairs of shoes, could she really run away? From me.
However, Henry realized that the words spoken once before were painfully sincere, though strangely, it didn’t seem to come from love.
“Mark, what are you doing here so late?”
“The Count called me.”
“Is that so? If you have orders, just tell me… Go quickly.”
After sending Mark off, Henry remembered the question he had forgotten to ask.
“All the letters from the Empire have been brought by Mark…”
If the letters from the Empire were not for Yulia, then where had they come from?
“The wedding will be in the afternoon, Mother. Do we need lanterns?”
“You don’t know anything, Ian. Even during the day, lanterns are pretty if they’re bright. We have to show that our Count is rich somehow, don’t we?”
The Baroness seemed to have thoroughly inspected the garden she barged into without a word. From the next day, she worked hard drawing pictures only she could understand, and without Yulia’s protest, she spent Cayente’s checkbook lavishly.
“I can’t tell if the Brighton lanterns or Shine lanterns are better by just looking at them. I’ll have to go and see for myself. I need to hang them on the trees to see what kind of atmosphere comes out.”
Then she said she would have to visit Cayente’s mansion again exactly three days later and left. Yulia, as promised, tried to hold onto the Baroness’s dress hem to stop her, but unexpectedly, the request to visit was accepted first by Cayente’s side.
“The Count said you may enter the garden where the ceremony will be held anytime. But he asked that no one be allowed inside the mansion. There are many fragile items, and since he is used to living alone, he doesn’t like traces of strangers.”
Henry came to confirm if the wedding ring that Yulia finally chose had arrived at the mansion.
“Try hanging them on that tree!”
“Here, Madam?”
“No, lower! That way, even if the sun is strong, the electric light won’t be visible.”
Ian said he had plans with friends and went out, so Yulia came with only the Baroness to the garden of Cayente’s mansion. Cayente was not around, presumably working. Yulia wondered if it was okay to be in the ownerless house like this, but the Baroness was unstoppable. Like someone holding a fist-sized round bulb, she moved connected wires here and there in a frenzy. Yulia couldn’t help but glance nervously toward the gate.
“Mother, if we decide on one, does the other get refunded?”
“No? We’ll keep the leftover one at our house.”
“Mother!”
Yulia worried that if Cayente came back and saw this, he might get angry again.
