Chapter 5

My fiancé didn't even open that letter asking for help.

He stayed with Vivian until the celebration ended.

The female doctor tucked me in, avoiding my gaze.

"The child could not be kept."

“You’ve lost too much blood. Someone needs to stay with you for the next few days. You can’t be alone anymore.”

I placed my hand on my lower abdomen and remained motionless for a long time.

That day, my roommate asked someone to go see Adrian twice more.

As darkness fell, I waited for my parents, who had come from a neighboring tribe, but I didn't see Adrian, who was still playing with Vivian outside the city.

My mother's cloak was covered in mud; she hadn't even taken off her hood when she came in.

When she saw me on the bed, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

After I recovered a little, I went home with them.

Thinking of this, I suddenly remembered the package that was delivered to the hotel this morning.

My cousin asked someone to bring it.

At that time, I was waiting for the wedding carriage. Recognizing my mother's handwriting on the package, I hesitated to open it, and finally stuffed it into the trunk.

Now, I've taken it out again.

Inside was a thick wool cloak and a letter.

My cousin wrote at the beginning:

"Cousin, by the time this letter arrives, you should be getting married soon."

“Your uncle refuses to go, and he won’t let us go either, but they think about you every single day.”

Don't feel like no one in your family cares about you.

My fingertips tightened little by little.

The letter said that she had visited my parents a few days ago.

The mother was sewing the last button onto the cloak, and as she sewed, tears began to fall.

Why won't she listen to advice?

"His fiancée was bleeding, waiting for him, but he was spending the holiday with another girl. Can you really expect a man like that to protect her if something happens in the future?"

"Later, he knelt in the snow all night, saying he didn't know and that it would never happen again, and she believed him again."

I still remember that snow.

Adrian knelt outside my door, his shoulders covered in a thick layer of white.

He said that if he knew I was in trouble, he would crawl to my side even if it meant crawling.

I felt sorry for his hands, which were frozen purple, so I opened the door for him.

But I forgot that when I needed him most, he wouldn't even finish reading a single letter.

The letter was soaked with tears in one corner.

I wiped it off and continued reading.

Later, the mother began to complain about the father.

"And you, why do you insist on saying that if she dares to marry him, she will disown her as her daughter?"

"She's been stubborn since she was little, didn't you know?"

"Now she's having her wedding all by herself, and there's not even anyone to help her adjust her dress."

The father remained silent.

As his cousin was about to leave, he called her back and took a leather money pouch from the cabinet.

"Send this to her."

"Tell her to keep the money herself. And when you're at someone else's house, don't be stingy with buying yourself anything."

I reached down and touched the bottom of the package.

Sure enough, there was a heavy money bag under the cloak.

The knot at the top of the bag was tied twice.

My father was always afraid I would lose things, so when he packed my luggage since I was little, he would tie it up again like this.

I clutched the knot in the rope and finally burst into tears.

My mother sewed the cloak for me, and my father prepared my dowry.

The person I've been waiting for all day is busy making another woman happy.

No matter how much I wipe away my tears, I can't get them all out.

I buried my face in my cloak and cried until I couldn't breathe.

Only one thought remained in my mind.

I want to go home.

I folded the letter and put it into my small bag along with the purse, then grabbed my clothes and put them into the suitcase.

The shopkeeper said that a caravan would be passing by tomorrow morning and could give me a ride.

I can't wait.

I paid double the fare and asked him to hire a carriage for me to depart immediately.

As long as you can walk, it doesn't matter if it's dark and you're still traveling.

Just as I closed the lid, there was another knock on the door.

A servant from the castle delivered Adrian's letter.

Why haven't you replied?

"The main hall is in such a mess that the flower stand has collapsed and wine has been spilled everywhere. It can't be cleaned up in a short time."

“I asked the housekeeper to clear out the small hall on the west side, and the ceremony will be held there tonight.”

I held the letter and read it quietly for a few seconds.

The main hall was covered with a long carpet, and flowers adorned the way to the main table, enough to accommodate all the guests who came to offer their congratulations.

The small hall on the west side, once a few tables are placed there, there isn't much empty space left.

Vivian's borrowed wedding was to be held in a lively and bustling atmosphere, surrounded by a crowd of people.

When it was my turn, I squeezed into the remaining space.

Adrian probably didn't hesitate at all when he wrote these words.

But I don't want to argue anymore.

At the end of the letter, he also wrote:

"The chef has also redone the pastries, making them just like you, even the two little sugar wolves will be there."

"Stop being stubborn, Nora."

"After you accept the mark tonight, you will be my partner."

"Remember to come over after nightfall, don't keep everyone waiting."

In the past, I would soften whenever he mentioned our future.

It's as if no matter how much injustice one suffers, that promise can compensate for it.

Now, as I look at those few lines of text, all I can think about is whether the carriage downstairs is ready.

The servant stood at the door, waiting somewhat nervously.

I folded the letter.

"knew."

He clearly hadn't expected me to be so calm. He paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to report.

The corridor fell silent again.

I lowered my head and took off the engagement ring that I had worn for so long.

A faint mark remained at the base of the finger.

When Adrian put it on me back then, I asked if I would never have to take it off again.

He said, "Of course."

I placed the ring on the bedside table, beneath his letter.

He then picked up his luggage, went downstairs, and got into the carriage to go home.