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Chapter : 08
Bright camera flashes made Anna squint, and excited reporters shouted from all sides.
“Lady Evercline! Are you still planning to marry Baron Raven as scheduled?”
“Baron Raven! Did you hear the rumors that the Evercline family’s fortune has run out?”
Anna’s heart dropped. She couldn’t say a word and almost stumbled, but Edward held her tighter and gave the reporters a fresh smile.
“Let’s not talk about things that aren’t certain.”
Edward pushed them away and led Anna toward their waiting carriage. As Anna was pulled along, she looked back without thinking. She could see Raiden watching them. But then he turned his head away, and the crowd of reporters blocked her view.
Soon, Raiden was gone.
Anna barely remembered how she got home. She barely said goodbye to Edward, jumped from the carriage, and hurried inside. She drove everyone out of her room and threw herself on the bed.
The scene of Raiden kissing the actress on the cheek played in her mind over and over. Anna buried her face in her pillow and cried in silence.
“Why… why did he do that? I was right there…”
All her stress and heartbreak crashed down at once. Lucy and Henry waited outside her door, worried, but Anna just wept until she finally fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, the morning sunlight was shining through her window.
“Lucy…”
Anna sat up groggily and called out. The door opened and Lucy hurried in. Anna frowned at her.
Did Lucy really wait outside all night?
“I just got here,” Lucy said, reading Anna’s thoughts. She looked Anna over with worried eyes, then sighed deeply. Anna, embarrassed, pushed her messy hair back.
“Go wash up, miss,” Lucy said.
Lucy made Anna take a bath, then wrapped her in a robe and sat her in a chair. Soon, there was a knock, and Henry came in with breakfast on a tray.
“Did you sleep well, miss?”
“So-so.”
Henry laid out bread, eggs, salad, and poured hot tea. He also put a newspaper on the table before leaving.
While Lucy dried Anna’s hair, Anna absent-mindedly opened the newspaper—and froze.
<Marquis Marcus and famous actress Amelia—A very close relationship revealed?>
Under the bold headline was a photo of Raiden and Amelia, looking like a sweet couple.
“…”
Anna stared at the picture, her eyes shaking. She flipped the pages—politics, society, culture—every section had articles about them. Their romance was now the hottest news in the city, and all the papers said they were in love or secretly dating.
There was even a little article about Anna and Edward, but she barely noticed it. Anna stared at the photo of Raiden gazing fondly at Amelia, then slammed the paper down.
Her stomach boiled, and her throat felt blocked like she’d swallowed a rock.
“Lucy, water.”
“Here you go, miss.”
Lucy handed her a cup quickly, as if she’d been waiting for it. Anna drank it all at once, but she still felt miserable.
“Should I take the newspaper away?” Lucy asked quietly.
Anna waved her hand without looking at the paper.
“No, check if there are any letters or messages for me.”
“You mean from the estate manager? I’ll go right now!”
Lucy dashed out.
Now alone, Anna hunched over and tried to hold in her feelings.
Was I the only one who didn’t know?
She wondered if she had been blind, or just stubborn.
Maybe when he said we’d meet again at Somerset House, it was just being polite. Maybe it was just something people say to old friends, and I was silly to wait for him…
Maybe it was already over, and she was the only one still clinging to hope.
Suddenly, tears threatened again. Anna bit her lip.
‘But… he did call me his bride.’
He had called her that when he rescued her at Lily Street. But another doubt crept in.
What if he only said it to get me out of that place?
Anna jumped up and paced her room, biting her nails.
“No, no. Don’t think like that…”
She saw the crumpled newspaper on the table. Raiden’s handsome face was twisted by the folds.
At that moment, the door burst open. Lucy ran in, out of breath.
“Miss, something bad has happened!”
“What is it?”
Before Anna could react, Henry rushed in after her.
“Miss, the Marquis Nomen’s assistant is here to see you!”
“Marquis Nomen’s assistant?”
All the color drained from Anna’s face. The name brought back the cold, damp feeling of Lily Street. Her mind went blank and her body shook. She stood frozen until Lucy grabbed her arm and shook her.
“If they try to take you away again, hide! Quick, go hide!”
Anna stared at Lucy, and finally came to her senses.
This is my house. This isn’t Lily Street.
She felt like a weight was lifted from her chest. Anna touched her forehead and muttered,
“…Did you show him to the parlor?”
Henry nodded, looking worried.
“I don’t think he’ll leave easily…”
“Is he alone?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he’s a guest, so I have to see him myself.”
Anna felt a bit sorry she’d kicked her father out, but changed her mind. If he was here, the people from Marquis Nomen’s house might just come and go as they pleased.
She dressed quickly, fixed her hair, and went to the parlor with Henry.
A thin man with sharp cheekbones stood up from his tea. He introduced himself smoothly.
“Good morning, Lady Evercline. I am Menson, Marquis Nomen’s assistant. It’s an honor to meet the rose of the empire.”
“Mr. Menson.”
Anna greeted him politely, but frowned a little.
“Coming here so early without warning is quite a surprise. You must be very busy.”
She meant, How rude to visit a lady’s house so early with no notice. But Menson only smiled calmly.
“Sorry for the rudeness, but we are in a hurry.”
“…Why did you come?”
Anna didn’t know what the hurry was, but her heart felt cold. Menson seemed to notice her worry, because his smile grew wider.
“Will you look at this?”
He handed her a piece of paper. Anna took it with suspicion and read it. Suddenly, she gasped.
“Is this… a debt agreement?”
“Yes. Please look it over closely.”
“….”
Anna forced down her rising fear and began to read carefully. The names of the debtor and creditor, the amount of money, and the due date were all written clearly.
“This… this is…”
Her hand shook as she held the paper. Henry rushed over to help.
“Miss!”
“Henry…”
Anna handed him the paper, her face pale. Henry scanned it quickly.
“Is this debt amount really correct?”
He tried to stay calm, but his voice shook. Menson nodded with a smug look.
“You can check the seal to be sure.”
“…”
Henry pushed up his glasses and looked closely. Sure enough, next to the debtor’s name was the seal of John Evercline.
“But the due date… it’s next month!”
Henry’s voice trembled even more. It was an amount they could never pay, even if they sold the whole mansion.
Anna closed her eyes and whispered weakly,
“Check the bottom, Henry. The fine print.”
“The fine print?”
Henry peered at the tiny letters at the bottom. He read them, then looked up in shock.
“This… this is impossible!”
He crumpled the paper in anger, but Menson clicked his tongue, annoyed.
“You see, it’s an official agreement, certified by the authorities.”
“But how can a father decide his daughter’s marriage for her?”
The special condition in the contract, written in the fine print, said:
If the debt is not repaid by the due date, the debtor’s daughter, Alianna Janet Evercline, will marry the creditor, Nicholas Bilbo Nomen, instead of payment.
That’s why Marquis Nomen had backed off so easily before—he knew it was only a matter of time until Anna was his. Anna muttered in despair,
“So… the investment was a lie…”
