Chapter 4

However, in their view, as long as the mark is not completed, it does not count as crossing the boundary.

The female apprentice kept her head down, still having some things to say.

Adrian's mother pinned the family heirloom amber brooch to Vivian's collar and led her to greet the guests.

She stood beside Adrian as his father raised his glass, receiving the blessings from everyone.

She sat down in the seats that were originally prepared for me with great ease.

Unbeknownst to him, he had already gone far beyond what he had promised, only allowing her to accompany him into the venue.

A little while later, a servant from the castle brought a short note.

Adrian's handwriting was somewhat messy.

"You can rest a little longer at the hotel. Vivian is having a great time, so I've asked her to join the later celebrations as well."

"Don't hold it against her anymore. Just consider it compensation for making her cry earlier."

It won't take long to ride here from the castle.

He preferred to send someone on this trip rather than come and see me in person.

I did not answer the servant.

His gaze fell on the basket the female apprentice had placed by the door.

Inside were pastry molds brought back from the castle, and a few broken pieces of marzipan decorations.

One of the wolf cubs was reduced to only half a body.

That was the last thing I finished last night.

I crouched down and picked it up.

"Was this taken from the wedding banquet pastries?"

The female apprentice nodded.

"Miss Vivian said she wanted to cut it open early so everyone could have a taste. Then they started playing drinking games, and..."

She didn't say anything more.

I took a pen and paper, wrote two lines, and handed them to the servant waiting by the door.

Why did you let her touch the wedding pastries I made?

Do you remember what you promised me?

After the servants left, the room became quiet again.

Why do I still feel sad when I see these things even though I've already decided to leave?

I went to many places to find that dress, and even discussed the pattern on the neckline with the tailor.

When Vivian secretly tried it on, she tore a seam in the skirt. Adrian said it was no big deal to just change into another one.

I wanted to hold the wedding banquet in the small garden by the river, but she thought it was too quiet there and insisted on moving it to the main hall of the castle.

Adrian said, "It's more fun with more people, let's listen to her."

In the end, I only left one request.

I made the pastries for the wedding banquet myself.

This is a wish I told him when I opened my bakery.

At that time, Vivian had not yet returned.

My shop's signboard has just been put up, and the oven is brand new. I stand at the door, full of thoughts about what kind of pastries I'll be able to make in the future.

Adrian wiped the flour off my face and asked with a smile:

"After thinking about it for so long, what are you planning to do for your wedding?"

I told him earnestly that I should make honey cake, put on roasted nuts, and then use almond sugar to make two little wolves snuggling together.

"At that time, I will personally cut it for each guest."

After he finished listening, he took my hand.

"Then I'll keep the first one."

"Anyone who dares to snatch it, I'll make them stand there until the end of the banquet."

I smiled and gave him a little push.

"How can you treat guests like this?"

He then pulled me into his arms.

"I should be the first to appreciate your kindness."

Now, the broken wolf cub lies in my palm, its back still covered in dust.

The female apprentice said softly that they would remove the sugar decorations from the pastries and use them as prizes for a drinking game, tossing them to each other across the long table.

Those that weren't caught fell to the ground, and no one picked them up.

Vivian was having so much fun that she asked someone to cut the remaining pastries into smaller pieces so they could continue.

The blessings I waited so long to personally share ended up becoming something for them to amuse themselves with.

Not even a single intact piece was left for me.

When footsteps sounded again outside the door, the light by the window had already shifted slightly.

The attendant brought back a new short note.

"It's just some pastries. I've already had the chef prepare them again. You can have whatever you want."

I bit my lip and continued reading.

“But you can’t deny how much help Vivian did today just because of this.”

"No one from your family came, and the girl who accompanied you was someone she found. Everyone was there to support you, but you only cared about finding fault."

The candy ornament in my palm crumbled from my grip.

So, in his eyes, I should be thanking her.

I thank her for wearing a gown, getting into my limousine, accepting my blessings, and then crushing my last wish.

I picked up my pen again.

"Don't you know why my parents refuse to come?"

The pen tip remained on the paper, hesitant to lift it.

Those memories I had suppressed have become clear once again.

That day, I had just returned to my rented room when I suddenly started to feel pain in my lower abdomen.

At first, he could stand steadily while holding onto the table.

Later, blood flowed down his leg and dripped onto the floor.

I was trembling with panic, and managed to scribble a note asking for help, which I handed to a servant passing by the alleyway, asking him to go find Adrian.

He promised that day that he would accompany me to see the doctor.

But I didn't wait for him.

Later, the servant who delivered the message to me told me that he had found Adrian at the festive banquet.

As soon as the note was handed over, Vivian grabbed Adrian's wrist.

"You promised to spend time with me today, so why is something else going on?"

"Let them handle it themselves, okay? They rarely get to come out."

Adrian did not unfold the paper.

He simply put the note into his pocket and told his servant to come back and tell me to rest well and that he would come back after the banquet.

On that piece of paper, I wrote that I was bleeding.

He didn't see it.

They didn't even come back to ask a single question.

I lost that child.

When I woke up again, I was on a narrow bed in the doctor's house, and the room was filled with the smell of boiled herbs.

The person sitting on the edge of the bed was not Adrian.

She was the female worker who shared a room with me.

When she came home from work, she found me lying on the floor, my skirt and the floor covered in blood.

She called a carriage, took me to the doctor, and paid for the medicine with her own savings.

At that time, we had known each other for less than a month.

She stayed by my side all night.