Chapter 33 No Betrothal Gifts
That night, Anne tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Her mind kept jumping between the terrible state of Virlet Manor, news from the battle a year ago, and finally Candy's mocking eyes.
The letter had been sent. Anne just hoped to receive a reply soon so she could plan her next move.
Unlike Anne's sleepless night, at Titan Manor, Holden and Candy were caught up in pre-wedding celebrations.
Candy's father had disliked Holden before because he had two wives at the same time. But now that Holden divorced Anne, Candy marrying into the Titan family would be a strong alliance, so he no longer objected.
That's why Candy often stayed overnight at Titan Manor now, and her father just ignored it.
As for the bride price, Candy had discussed it with him. She knew about the Titan family's current difficulties. After all, this was a marriage approved by His Majesty the King, and it was based on real feelings. Holden and Candy didn't need a lot of wealth to maintain their relationship. Besides, they'd be going to the battlefield soon, and once they earned military honors, they wouldn't be short of money.
Holden thought the same way.
When he went to discuss this with his mother and mentioned that Candy's father agreed not to require a bride price, his mother, who had been upset about Anne leaving with her large dowry, immediately brightened up.
"Really no bride price needed?"
Holden nodded, a hint of shyness appearing on his young, handsome face. "Yes, Mother."
The old lady couldn't help clapping her hands. "Good, now that's a good girl. When she marries in, we certainly won't treat her badly."
"Yes, Candy is wonderful." Holden thought of his beloved, his eyes softening considerably.
"She promised me that once she marries into the Titan family, she'll take good care of you too, Mother."
Hearing such good news, the old lady's bad mood from the past few days finally lifted. She picked up her teacup with satisfaction and took a sip, then frowned again.
Since Anne left, the quality of tea in the house had dropped quite a bit, which was torture for the old lady who was used to good tea.
Never mind, things would be better once Candy came.
Given Candy and Holden's relationship, they shouldn't need reminding to use her dowry to help support the family, right?
Thinking this, she suddenly asked, "But if we're not giving a bride price, how much dowry will she bring?"
Holden looked at her in surprise. "Mother, Candy and I agreed - our family doesn't need to give a bride price, and she doesn't need to bring a dowry either."
"What!?"
She could hardly believe these words were coming from her own son's mouth. "How can a woman get married without preparing a dowry?"
"And if she doesn't bring a dowry to help out, given our family's current situation, how can we keep things running!"
She was telling the truth. When Anne left, she took the servants and guards she'd brought when she married in. Although Anne had always paid their wages herself, she didn't need that many people, so most of them had been assigned to work for the Titan family in various roles.
Now all these people were gone. Not to mention others, even the old lady's own rooms were short two servants. But when she went to Trion asking for two more servants, Trion pulled out the accounts to show her.
"Mother, it's not that I want to refuse you, but right now we're not even sure we can pay the remaining servants on time. How can we find you more servants?"
The old lady saw the bright red numbers on the accounts and felt dizzy.
Yes, she'd forgotten - the Titan family was just an empty shell now. Before, Anne had been holding it up, but now Anne was gone. If they weren't careful, this shell could collapse at any moment.
Now she was counting on Candy bringing a good dowry when she married in. Who would have thought Holden had already agreed behind her back that Candy could marry in without bringing anything.
This was ridiculous!
But Holden's eyes widened. "Mother! I can earn it myself. Why must you grab my wife's dowry!"
"It was the same with Anne's dowry before. If you hadn't coveted her dowry and sent someone to assassinate her, why would Uncle have had to give his life to take the blame! Mother, whatever you want, I can exchange my military honors for it!"
"Please stop scheming like this, okay?"
The old lady wanted to scold him for being naive, but in the end she held back.
In the current Titan family, her eldest son did nothing useful, and the various uncles were equally incompetent. Now only her husband and second son were struggling to keep things going. She'd seen Holden's abilities with her own eyes and of course believed he'd have opportunities to rise through the ranks on the battlefield.
As for that woman Candy, she actually looked down on her - a woman who casually slept with men. She'd heard Candy was the one who climbed into bed first, seducing Holden until he lost his mind, insisting on marrying her, which ended up offending Anne and losing his chance to inherit the duke's title!
But this woman, who was like a prostitute, was also the Empire's Knight Commander. On the battlefield, she could give Holden the greatest help. If she married in, when the two of them earned military honors later, His Majesty's rewards would be doubled - they might even be directly granted an earl's title!
This was why the old lady could accept her.
But what about the Titan family's current situation?
Besides, Holden and Candy's marriage was approved by His Majesty the King. They definitely had to hold a wedding ceremony. Where would the money come from to prepare the venue, food, wine, and receive guests?
The old lady sighed, looking into Holden's eyes, momentarily speechless.
Mother and son were silent for a long time before she finally nodded, letting Holden and Candy discuss the wedding arrangements.
Getting his mother's permission, Holden ran straight back to his room and pulled Candy into his arms.
Young bodies sparked at the slightest touch. The two tangled in bed all night, slept until afternoon, then dragged their tired bodies out to start discussing the wedding guest list.
Although Candy could fight on battlefields and endure hardships, she still had some girlish fantasies about the wedding. She hoped to have everyone's blessings as she and Holden vowed to become each other's one and only.
However, hearing Candy describe the wedding scene and decorations, Holden suddenly, for some reason, remembered his own wedding three years ago. He thought of Anne standing in the church in a white dress, the priest blessing them, "May God keep you forever faithful to each other."
Then, before he and Anne could exchange rings and kiss, the departing army stopped outside the door, urging him to leave immediately.
To this day, Holden truly had no feelings left for Anne.
But watching Candy's anticipation for the wedding, he suddenly felt a bit guilty and hesitant.
Back then, had Anne also hoped, like Candy now, to become his one and only?