While the wedding arrangements were proceeding swiftly, Edford, the second son of Count Queensguard, flew into a rage upon hearing of Cynthia’s marriage.
“Damn it!”
He was slow-witted and lacked self-awareness.
“Father must’ve caught on to our relationship. That’s why he’s trying to marry Cynthia off to some rich old man.”
Edford had long harbored feelings for Cynthia. He had been under delusion that Cynthia liked him too, but couldn’t show it because of Carlos.
“Carlos, that bastard. Are you pulling this cheap stunt because you’re afraid I’ll steal Cynthia from you?”
Without hesitation, he rushed off to find Cynthia.
“Cynthia.”
She must have been crying because she was forced into an unwanted marriage.
But contrary to Edford’s expectations, Cynthia turned to him with a bright, radiant smile.
“What brings you here?”
Edford grabbed her hand and got straight to the point.
“Let’s run away together. Meet me in front of the bell tower at sunset, two days from now.”
He was thoroughly impressed with himself, ready to throw everything away for love.
Contrary to his expectations that Cynthia would be moved to tears of gratitude, she widened her eyes and asked,
“Why would I do that?”
Edford was taken aback by the unexpected reaction.
“Because Father and Carlos are trying to force us apart.”
Cynthia blinked her red eyes rapidly.
“Were we… not supposed to be apart?”
“You don’t really love Carlos. You love me but you’ve been hiding it because of what others might think. Poor Cynthia.”
“Huh?” Cynthia let out a short exclamation and quickly shook her head. “That’s not true.”
“There’s no need to hide it anymore. They’re trying to marry you off to some disgusting old man.”
“No, actually, I’m going to marry a handsome, rich officer.”
‘Cynthia saying something so materialistic?’ Edford felt like he’d been hit over the head. But then he reminded himself, Cynthia was just an innocent girl.
“You’re being deceived. It may sound nice, but in reality—”
Cynthia opened her mouth with a kind smile.
“Let’s say I do run away with you. Eventually, we’d be caught or run out of options, wouldn’t we? And when that happens, you’ll have a place to return to. But I won’t. I’d be punished harshly for seducing a noble and fleeing.”
She pointed at Edford and continued. “In the end, you’d lose nothing.”
Was this really the Cynthia he knew? Her tone was still gentle, but this was the first time she had said exactly what she wanted to say.
As Edford stood stunned, Cynthia added, “Maybe you’re just intoxicated with how noble and romantic you look, giving everything up for love. Think about it again.”
As with all people whose pride is wounded but who can’t come up with a proper rebuttal, Edford resorted to lashing out.
“So you’ve been playing innocent just to use me? Took everything you could from me and now you show your true colors? Then why did you smile at me like that?”
Cynthia responded with the exact same smile he claimed she’d shown him.
“Did I ever ask you to fall for me? The naive one here is you.”
Edford was deeply shaken. He ran straight to his family and ranted about Cynthia’s ‘vile true nature’ but no one believed him.
All he got was pitying looks like, ‘How pitiful, obsessing over a mere maid and resorting to lies.’
“Edford. Don’t you dare ruin this wedding. If it falls through, I’ll kill you myself.”
Instead, he was met with threats from the furious Count.
* * *
On the day I left for the capital to get married, Helene, the Count’s daughter, came to my room.
With her luscious amber hair and blue eyes, she was a beauty. She smiled gracefully and said, “Cynthia, may I have a moment to say goodbye? It’s saddening to see someone like my younger sister going so far away.”
Her princess-like demeanor and refined speech were the result of years of training and pride in her royal bloodline.
With a gentle expression, she took my hand.
“Cynthia. Being forced into marriage because of Father’s greed… it pains me. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Help? This is a joyful occasion for me.”
“According to Edford, you two were in a relationship?”
Edford was completely not my type. On top of that, he was too dense to understand even a polite rejection.
Please, don’t interfere with the warm and fluffy development of my romantic fantasy story!
I shook my head.
“No way. Not even if the sky fell.”
She still looked at me with a worried expression.
“I looked into the man you’re marrying. Count Vicente is said to be in his seventies, and apparently he’s in dire financial straits. I heard he borrowed a huge sum using his title as collateral. On top of that, he’s reportedly violent and cruel.”
“That’s different from what Count Queensguard told me.”
“This place is far from the capital. News travels slowly here.”
She gave me a pitiful look.
“It would be nice if you married a great man like I did.”
Her concern was tinged with a hint of pride.
Picking up on her true intentions, I replied with a bright smile.
“Don’t worry. I trust in my decision.”
A shrewd man like the Count Queensguard wouldn’t take such a gamble as arranging a fraudulent marriage without knowing the kind of information even his daughter was aware of.
“You’re so naïve and innocent, it worries me.”
Helene kept her gentle smile.
I returned a similar smile.
If rejecting the marriage meant death, and running away meant death too, then the only option left was to bet on fate.
“You’ll be heading to the Duke’s estate in the capital soon, right? Could you write me an invitation in your name ahead of time?”
“What for? Besides, you can’t even read the formal language used on invitations.”
“So if I ever need help, I can come to see you secretly.”
“I’ll write it in everyday language for your sake.”
If I had her handwriting in advance, it would surely come in handy someday.
In fact, I could read and write in the formal language just fine. Pretending to be innocent and ignorant had its advantages. People let their guard down around those they underestimate, revealing their weaknesses and true selves.
As she looked straight at me and smiled while handing over the invitation—
Knock knock.
With a knock, the attendant came in and announced that the soldiers sent by Brigadier General Vicente had arrived.
* * *
Edford loitered near the luxurious vehicle, scanned the uniformed soldiers up and down.
‘So the old man who’s marrying Cynthia didn’t show up.’
He curled his lips into a slight sneer.
‘To think Cynthia would eagerly accept a marriage proposal just for money. I wonder how she’ll react once she learns the truth.’
In his mind, he pictured Cynthia running to him in tears, clinging to him in regret. With that satisfying thought, he approached a young man wearing a long coat.
The insignia was hidden by the coat, but since he stood at the forefront, he seemed to be Brigadier General Vicente’s direct subordinate.
“I guess the Brigadier is not coming?”
In response to Edford’s question, the young man silently looked down at him. He was tall and well-built.
‘Is he really a soldier? He looks more like a pampered noble.’
The handsome man swept back his platinum-blond hair and smiled faintly.
“Which Brigadier?”
“The highest among the staff officers… I mean…”
“Ah, the Chief of Staff,” the man replied in a disinterested tone.
Edford, feeling a strange sense of pressure, was about to say something when he caught sight of a middle-aged officer stepping out of the vehicle in uniform.
‘Is that the old geezer Cynthia’s marrying?’’
He didn’t look seventy, but he was probably at least thirty years older.
Feeling a mix of defeat and triumph, Edford turned back to the handsome young man.
“Why are you speaking informally to me? I’m going to be the brother-in-law of the officer you serve.”
Edford puffed up his pride unnecessarily.
The war had only recently ended, and high-ranking military officials now held significant power and social standing.
‘This guy is probably a newly commissioned officer or a non-commissioned officer at best.’
With a smug look, Edford stared at the man who gazed back expressionlessly.
“Since it’s a second marriage, he’ll probably be extra polite to his in-laws.”
“It’s not a second marriage,” the man replied, shaking his head as he removed his gloves. His luxury watch hinted at wealth. Even the cufflinks on his sleeves looked expensive.
As Edford was beginning to find it all a bit odd—
“You’ve arrived, sir.”
The older man from earlier snapped to attention and saluted in their direction, his posture stiff and full of military discipline.
Edford straightened his shoulders, mistaking the gesture as one meant for him.
“See? Even a staff officer is showing me respect, and yet you—”
However, the older man’s solemn gaze was not directed at the arrogant Edford, but somewhere else.
“This is Colonel Rave of the Northern Command. Heavy snowfall in the region slightly delayed the snow-clearing operations. We beg your generous understanding, Chief of Staff Maceira del Vicente.”
Behind the young man addressed as Chief of Staff, Edford saw a path cleared through the snow, which had previously piled as high as a person’s waist, stretching out into the distance as far as the eye could see.
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