Chapter 18 Encounter with Assassination
Holden muttered, "How could this be? How could there be so little..."
What could a hundred gold coins do!
For commoners, a hundred gold coins could indeed give a family of five several years of comfortable living, but he was a noble!
Not to mention social obligations and proper attire, not counting daily food expenses, just the wages for the dozens of servants and guards at the manor alone cost more than this!
Could it be that Anne had really been quietly subsidizing with her own dowry all along, barely managing to maintain the household's daily expenses and needs?
No, impossible...
Holden thought of Anne's cold gaze when she left. Once upon a time, those blue eyes had been full of love and tenderness, but now, because of his love with Candy, she was no longer the person he remembered.
They hated each other - how could they be like a married couple at all!
What's more, she demanded that he apologize!
Anne wanted him, a knight commander, to apologize to his delicate wife kept at home!?
Even though Holden knew there was a good chance this was his fault... no, in handling the family finances, he had indeed wronged her, but as a wife, how could she demand her husband to back down!
Holden clenched his jaw, dazedly putting away all the account books and documents, locking them in a cabinet. He ordered someone to send the key to Mephist's place, then walked out unsteadily.
Now it wasn't just about whether his love with Candy could reach the marriage altar.
Because he had loudly announced that he and Candy had the King's blessing for their wedding, almost the entire Soth Empire knew about this union of two knight commanders and expected the Titan family to hold a grand wedding.
But now he couldn't even afford the betrothal gifts, let alone the wedding costs. If he couldn't pull it off, the entire family would become a laughingstock. They'd be looked down upon wherever they went!
Perhaps even His Majesty the King would rebuke him for this!
Holden walked out of the manor in a daze, continuing outward. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now, didn't want to see anyone, just wanted to be alone to calm down.
Anne sat on the balcony. Elisa poured her a cup of tea and watched the distant figure leaving the manor from afar, her face full of disdain. "He acted so high and mighty before, now that he knows the truth he doesn't even dare come apologize. And he calls himself a knight commander!"
Anne took a sip of tea and smiled faintly. "It was my poor judgment back then."
As the hot tea went down, the bitterness in Anne's heart was finally soothed somewhat.
Did she have no feelings for Holden? Of course she did, otherwise she wouldn't have married him at her mother's suggestion all those years ago.
But how deep were those feelings really? Not very. Holden left for the southern campaign before they even finished their wedding ceremony. Gone for three years, he only wrote to her for about a year before nearly forgetting her completely. When Anne finally waited for his return, she saw him come back with someone else, announcing a new love story.
To be fair, if Holden had no wife, she would have blessed this love too.
But love shouldn't be built on hurting others to gain happiness.
Anne had once genuinely wanted to restore her relationship with Holden, but it never worked out. Now they hadn't consummated their marriage and had no children binding them together. Once the King's decree arrived, separating didn't seem like such a hard thing to accept.
Seeing Anne's expression and remembering her earlier sigh, Elisa realized she'd said the wrong thing. She quickly knelt down and grabbed her young lady's hand. "Miss Anne, don't be sad. It's not that you had poor judgment - he was too good at pretending. It's all his fault."
Anne laughed softly and tapped Elisa's forehead with her finger. "Silly girl, we'll be able to leave soon. What's there to be sad about?"
"By the way, how did that matter I asked you to handle go?"
Seeing Anne ask, Elisa quickly replied, "When we came back the other day, you asked me to gather all the people we brought to the Titan family. Because their work schedules didn't match up, it took some effort, but I've notified everyone about leaving. They all said they'd start handing over their work immediately and be ready to leave with you at any time."
A smile appeared on Anne's lips.
When Anne first married into the family, the Titan household was a mess - stewards were stealing wages, workers weren't getting paid, anyone who could leave had left, and the rest barely did their jobs. Luckily Anne's people were hard workers, and she dealt with the corrupt ones, which is how things got to where they are now.
But she'd be leaving soon and taking her people with her. What happened to this household after that was no longer her problem.
On this rare leisurely day, she ordered lunch and dinner to be brought to the balcony, too lazy to care what others thought. When night fell, Anne yawned and realized she'd been reading too long today and was already sleepy at this hour.
"Elisa, let's go back," she said, turning to Elisa who was attending her.
Elisa immediately helped her up, and the two walked back together. Passing through a long corridor, Anne's ears twitched and she suddenly stopped.
In the dim nighttime light, this corridor leading to her room had no servants to light candles. Only moonlight fell coldly through the glass windows onto the floor, casting an icy glow.
Anne looked at this quiet moonlit scene and suddenly spoke. "Elisa, get behind me."
Elisa froze, but she was long accustomed to following Anne's orders, so she immediately stepped back.
At that moment, someone suddenly lunged from a dark corner, a cold blade aimed at Anne's chest, eyes filled with poisonous malice.
Anne sneered. "I wondered why it was so quiet today - so they were waiting for me here!"