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Chapter 4
Our meeting had been destiny.
Anyone who knew both Ashiard’s upbringing and mine would have said the same thing.
We were two people who had been fated to meet.
“For a young lady raised so delicately… you certainly have unusual tastes.”
It was a dim, secluded place.
At first glance, it even seemed a little eerie.
Yet it was perfectly shielded from the noise around it, allowing the melodies of nature to drown out every artificial sound.
That was where we first met.
It wasn’t beneath a sky glittering with stars.
Nor under gentle moonlight illuminating each other’s eyes.
Instead…
We met in the place where I had fled after becoming utterly disgusted with my father’s relentless attempts to push me toward the Crown Prince.
Even in that dark, hidden corner…
He seemed to shine.
From the moment he walked toward me, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
I couldn’t even make out his face clearly.
I didn’t know who he was.
And yet…
I simply couldn’t look away.
Perhaps he noticed my gaze.
Perhaps he didn’t.
With a faint smile in his voice, he asked,
“So how did you discover a place like this?”
I still remembered how carefully I chose my words, afraid my voice might tremble.
Maybe it was because his presence stood out so vividly, even in the darkness where neither of us could properly see the other’s face.
Or perhaps it was the strange sense of kinship that came from sharing such a peaceful sanctuary.
Whatever the reason…
I felt myself drawn to a man whose name I didn’t even know.
And somehow…
I was certain he felt the same.
“I’m relieved to hear there aren’t any qualifications required to be here,” I replied with a smile.
“If there are, how should I prove myself?”
“This place doesn’t belong to me, so I have no right to demand proof.”
“If you don’t mind, may I share it with you for a while?”
“As you said, since neither of us owns this place, there’s really no need to ask.”
“You may stay for as long as you wish.”
His gentle words made me smile in return.
My heart beat faster than usual.
Yet strangely…
I felt completely at ease.
Even while exchanging such trivial conversation.
From the very beginning, we were astonishingly comfortable with each other.
Although we’d only just met, we spoke openly about our families without the slightest hesitation.
“My mother passed away when I was young.”
“Now I live only with my father.”
“The servants of our estate are practically my family.”
“You must have endured a great deal at such a young age.”
“Fortunately, I barely remember my parents.”
“My grandfather, who raised me, passed away a few years ago.”
“Now I’m the only one left to carry on my family’s name.”
“I don’t enjoy comparing people’s misfortunes…”
“But compared to yours, I suppose I had the happier childhood.”
“Is there any point in comparing suffering?”
“We all carry our own burdens.”
Our conversation flowed as naturally as water.
Everything about him…
The stories he told.
His manner of speaking.
The quiet consideration hidden in every word.
Even the occasional laughter that escaped him.
It was the most perfect moment I’d ever experienced.
To understand someone completely…
And to be understood just as completely.
Time slipped away unnoticed.
Eventually…
We realized the surroundings had fallen silent.
The music from the ballroom had stopped.
The moment we noticed, our eyes met.
Time had passed far too quickly.
And saying goodbye felt unbearably painful.
“If I wished to see you again…”
“Where should I find you?”
I had wanted to ask him the same thing.
But I couldn’t bring myself to say it first.
So I’d simply watched him, hoping.
When he finally asked…
My heart leapt with joy.
“I’m staying at the Wellington Marquis’ residence.”
“If you say you’ve come to see Ellie, someone will bring you to me.”
It was no wonder my voice sounded so excited.
If he hadn’t spoken first…
Then, as a proper noble lady who had been taught to value dignity above all else…
I would have let him leave without ever confessing that I wanted to see him again.
“I’ll remember that.”
“The Wellington residence.”
“Would it be alright if I visited tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t have any plans tomorrow.”
“Then…”
“Until tomorrow.”
The conversation ended as gently as it had begun.
He allowed me to leave first.
That was how our unforgettable first meeting…
And our first farewell…
Came to an end.
* * *
And if my memory served me correctly…
Yes.
He came to see me the very next day.
Yesterday…
We had spoken for hours without even exchanging our names.
Today…
We were supposed to introduce ourselves properly.
To talk excitedly about our families.
About all the things we could do together.
At least…
That was how I remembered it.
Our unforgettable first meeting.
The sweet days that followed.
Completely intoxicated by that happiness…
I never noticed what Father was plotting behind my back.
Nor did I realize what absurd scheme the Crown Prince had begun weaving after seeing me at the debutante.
Yes…
I never imagined those things would become the source of every tragedy that followed.
“Miss! What are you doing?”
“You need to get ready!”
“Hm?”
“Oh, honestly!”
“Hurry and wash up!”
“You have to make yourself look beautiful!”
“Why are you just standing there?”
“…Ah.”
And now…
In just a little while…
I was supposed to go meet the man who would become the beginning of all that misery.
The realization jolted me awake.
The longer Ashiard stayed with me…
The more unhappy he would become.
No…
The happier I foolishly became in his arms…
The more miserable his life would be.
Just as vividly as I still remembered…
He would suffer endlessly.
He would cry in despair.
Did I really need to repeat that terrible reality…
Even here?
“There’s not much time, Miss.”
“We should hurry so we can—”
“No, Jenna.”
“Now isn’t the time.”
At least…
Within this unreal moment…
I wanted him to remain happy for just a little longer.
For now…
It was enough simply to know I could still see the Ashiard from before everything fell apart.
“Just dress me appropriately.”
“Nothing more.”
Until I knew for certain what this place really was…
That would be enough.
I smiled softly at Jenna’s bewildered expression.
* * *
“Miss…”
“No matter how I think about it…”
“This just won’t do.”
After finishing my makeup with only the lightest touch and dressing me in the simple, elegant gown I normally wore back in the North rather than anything extravagant…
Jenna sighed over and over.
I couldn’t blame her.
If someone I cared about intended to meet a gentleman while dressed like this…
I’d probably stop them too.
“It’s alright, Jenna.”
“You know as well as I do that I’m not in a position to meet anyone right now.”
“But, Miss…”
“Even Cleor said this is the year you absolutely have to get married!”
“The perfect opportunity is right in front of you!”
“So why…?”
“Managing the territory already keeps me busy enough.”
“You and Cleor help me a great deal.”
“But even Cleor said we’ll probably need to hire a professional administrator before long.”
“But still…”
“Yesterday you looked so happy…”
As she fixed my hair, Jenna’s shoulders drooped.
She had always managed the northern estate beside me.
Day and night, worrying about me.
Unlike dependable Cleor, who was more like a trusted colleague…
Jenna was like an affectionate older sister who never stopped fussing over me.
Turning around, I smiled and gently patted her shoulder.
“It’s alright.”
“I’ll just think of it as having had a beautiful dream.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Are you planning to spend your whole life dreaming?”
“I don’t know.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Miss!”
Jenna let out another long sigh.
Her face was full of worry.
Perhaps the Jenna standing before me couldn’t understand.
But still…
“It’s alright.”
“I’m happy even now.”
Yes.
At the very least…
I knew what happiness he had given me.
And…
I knew how he could become truly happy.
Even if that happiness existed only within this tiny dream.
So…
For now…
That was enough.
I gave Jenna one last reassuring pat on the shoulder.
“Thank you, Jenna.”
Then I left the room with light footsteps.
Walking slowly down the long hallway…
I descended to the first floor.
There was still a little time before he was due to arrive.
I didn’t want to reject him coldly the moment we met.
He would be coming here carrying the warmth of yesterday’s memories.
At least…
I wanted to let him remain in that warmth a little longer.
After today…
We probably wouldn’t meet again for quite some time.
Eventually…
He would find someone else.
Someone who wasn’t me.
…
Even inside this dream…
I wanted to stay with him.
But knowing he would only be hurt because of me…
I didn’t have the strength to watch that happen again.
“Eloise.”
The moment I stepped onto the first floor…
Someone blocked my path.
Father.
He stood there with the same expressionless face as always.
Silently staring at me.
“What is it, Father?”
A cold…
Despicable man.
Looking at that emotionless face—
The same face that had calmly sacrificed his own daughter…
The same face that had casually framed his own son-in-law…
My anger surged uncontrollably.
How foolish I’d been to continue treating him as my father.
I made no effort to hide the hostility hardening my expression.
“What exactly is going on?”
“The Duke of Fontaine?”
“So the messenger told you.”
“That it was the Duke of Fontaine?”
“You met a man you know nothing about?”
“Eloise.”
“The Fontaines of the capital are far beyond our reach.”
“And is the Crown Prince somehow worthy of the Masons of the North?”
“We may be one of the Five Great Houses in name…”
“But we’ve long since declined while being stranded on the frontier.”
“Eloise.”
Father’s voice turned firm.
The Masons of the North…
A family buried in a remote frontier.
How could they ever compare to the Fontaines…
The greatest military house in the capital?
I’d heard those words countless times before we even returned from the North.
And even after my marriage…
He repeated them until I was sick of hearing them.
The union of House Fontaine and House Mason should never exist.
We were servants of the Imperial Family.
We were obligated to obey the Crown Prince.
I let out a cold laugh.
Then dismissed his words with a wave of my hand.
