Chapter 187 I Will Stay With You
"Let me guess—she must have also heard that His Majesty wants me to find a suitable husband within three months, and she knows my future husband can inherit the duke title. She's afraid those nobles will be tempted to marry me, so she's trying to make sure I'm completely humiliated in front of them. Then, after three months, when I fail to meet His Majesty's requirements, I'll be punished."
"Oh, it might be even more than that." Anne glanced at Friedel. "She doesn't know you and I have already agreed to marry, but she probably guessed His Majesty would arrange a husband for me. So she could try to recommend a terrible husband for me who would abuse and torment me after marriage. Basically, as long as I'm miserable, she's satisfied."
"But with you as the exception, at least when it comes to marriage, she can't make things difficult for me."
Listening to Anne's words, Friedel's heart ached with sympathy. He couldn't believe how difficult it must have been when he was far away on the eastern battlefield, and Lady Sophia was enduring all that criticism, with just her and Anne relying on each other.
No wonder Anne married Holden, who was so beneath her station. This move by Lady Sophia made Princess Kirenya think she was desperate and just married off her daughter to anyone, while also ensuring the Titan family would treat Anne well because they'd be climbing up to connect with the Virlet family.
Anne sighed. "You don't need to look at me like that. People have to face things, and besides, I've already accepted several invitations and attended quite a few parties and tea gatherings. If I refuse Princess Kirenya's invitation, they'll definitely think I'm scared, and the Virlet family will be looked down upon too. I can't do that."
"Plus, quite a few people have come to visit me wanting to attach themselves to the Virlet family. Going to Princess Kirenya's party is a good chance to see what their attitude is. If they're fair-weather friends, I can clear them out while I'm at it. If they're loyal, I can verify that too."
Friedel looked at Anne seriously. "I'll be there with you."
"I'll be at that party too. We'll go together, and I won't let anyone hurt you."
Anne looked at Friedel with a smile. "Thank you, Friedel. Actually, we're only getting married because we both need something from it. You don't have to be this good to me."
Friedel froze, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He knew that in Anne's heart right now, they were just in a mutually beneficial relationship, with only comradeship between them. As for affection or anything else, that was probably unlikely.
Getting Anne to know he genuinely liked her would be even harder.
But Friedel didn't mind. He reached out and touched Anne's hair—the soft golden strands were smooth, like stroking the finest silk from the East.
"What are you saying? We're not just comrades, we're going to be husband and wife. With these relationships, there's no way I wouldn't look after you."
Anne opened her mouth but in the end said nothing to refuse. She smiled. "Then I'll trouble you."
"Anyway, don't worry. I won't let people bully me easily. Since you're going, we'll see each other at the party then."
Friedel forced a smile at Anne. "I still need to go back and prepare, so I'll leave now."
Anne glanced out the window. The moon was already hanging in the night sky, quietly spilling its light over the earth.
Seeing that Anne didn't try to keep Friedel there, Elisa hesitated. "Miss Anne, don't you like Lord Friedel helping you?"
She had just come back to ask Anne about handling the invitation from another marquis's daughter, and happened to overhear Anne and Friedel's conversation. Elisa didn't understand why Anne didn't seem happy when Friedel offered to help.
Anne thought for a moment, then said, "Probably because Friedel doesn't have feelings for me. When he helps me like this, I don't have anything to repay him with."
Elisa lowered her head sadly. She felt this marriage was tragic—two people with no feelings for each other forced to be tied together, and for life at that. How painful that must be.
She then remembered Princess Kirenya's invitation. There was another even more troublesome matter at hand. Life really was just one worry after another.
"Miss Anne, if those people say really nasty things, just think of them as farting out of their mouths. Don't be sad, okay?"
Anne burst out laughing. "Where did you learn to describe it like that?"
"Uncle Kyle taught me!"
Hearing this, Anne understood Kyle's concern. She let out a breath and looked at Elisa gently. "Don't worry, I've heard worse things than that. This is nothing. I won't care about it."
"If I really do get angry, I'll think about it the way you said... Maybe I'll even have to worry about how to keep from laughing!"
Meanwhile, Selyma was being escorted back to Atarat Manor by Friedel's knights. These knights who had been on the battlefield all looked like fierce demons to her, very difficult to deal with.
Selyma thought about being stuck in that cramped carriage the whole way, only to be bullied by that rude master and servant at the Virlet family. Worse, Friedel didn't even take her side, saying they didn't need to see each other anymore. Angry and hurt, Selyma immediately turned to leave the manor.
The knight in charge of escorting Selyma blocked her way, making her so angry her hands were shaking. "Get out of my way! Are you really going to stop me from going to the palace?"
The knights exchanged glances and moved aside to clear a path. But when Selyma got into the carriage and looked back, she found these people on horseback following along both sides of the carriage, apparently planning to keep watch over her.
Selyma snorted coldly. She guessed Friedel had sent these people to monitor her to keep her from going to the Virlet family to cause trouble again. But Selyma had no desire to personally deal with rude people anymore. After being wronged, her first reaction was to go complain to her older sister, the current Queen Mother Smith.
After all these years, her sister had always helped her.
Selyma stormed into the palace and charged straight into Queen Mother Smith's chambers without announcement. The Queen Mother, who was reading, saw her anger and asked gently, "What's wrong? Who's been bullying you?"
Selyma plopped down on a nearby sofa, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sister, Friedel's grown up and won't listen to me anymore. Of all people he could marry, he insists on marrying the current duke of the Virlet family. That woman's been married before, and she's shameless... she even ran off to the battlefield. Just hearing about her, you know she's not a proper person. I don't like her!"