Chapter 38 He Thinks Too Highly of Himself
"You fool, how could I have such a stupid son!" The old lady glared at him in frustration, "If you can't handle this properly, when no one shows up at your wedding, it won't just be you and Candy who'll be embarrassed - the Titan family will become a laughingstock among the nobles too."
"For the family's sake, and for your wedding, you must go!"
Holden hesitated, glancing at Candy in the distance. Seeing his reluctance, the old lady immediately said, "If you don't want to go, I won't force you, but I remember quite a few knights from the Order will be attending your wedding. When they come and find out that no nobles are willing to bless you, then..."
Catching the implication, Holden froze.
Although he had military achievements to his name, there were plenty of other talented people in the Knights Order. If he embarrassed himself this badly at the wedding, someone would definitely scheme to pull him down from his position as Commander. Power struggles weren't just about ability on the surface - behind-the-scenes maneuvering by nobles was unavoidable too.
Now that Anne was definitely going to be a duchess, as long as she was willing to put in a good word for him, not only could the wedding go smoothly, but he'd also have more confidence in the power struggles within the Knights Order.
But that would mean wronging Candy...
His mother added another line, "Or you could just go beg His Majesty the King directly. Mother doesn't want to force you to do these things, but as a child of the Titan family, protecting the family's reputation is your duty."
"...I understand."
Getting the answer she wanted, the old lady finally breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sleeping well, worrying about the Titan family every night, but if Holden performed well this time, she could finally relax.
Looking at the mud spots on her dress, she frowned, thinking she'd have Anne make her ten more dresses.
Meanwhile, after seeing his mother off, Holden had lost all interest in continuing their lovemaking. He took Candy's hand, "Mother wants me to go out and do something for her. I won't be home for the next few days."
Seeing Holden's reluctant expression, Candy immediately knew what the old lady was planning. "She wants you to find Anne?"
"Well, she's not asking you to seduce her, is she?"
Holden felt a bit awkward. "Mother just wants me to apologize and say some nice things to get her to let the Titan family go."
Candy felt bitter inside and didn't hold back with her words. "Just apologize? I don't believe that. What if the apology ends up in bed, and then you make a baby? Then you won't need to apologize or remember me anymore. After all, once you become a duke, you'll have women and money - who needs to earn military achievements on the battlefield?"
Holden quickly promised, "That won't happen. You're the only one in my heart. If you want, I can dig out my heart and show you."
"And even if she really wants me to compensate with my body and we end up with a child or something, I'll demand that she never see me again."
"What are you saying? I'm not that petty." Candy placed her hand on Holden's chest, her eyes full of charm. "Forget it, go ahead. I know you don't have a choice. As long as you have me in your heart and know I'm your only wife, that's enough."
"No matter how much she schemes to fight for you, she's just a mistress."
Holden had been smiling, but when she said "mistress," he suddenly remembered Anne asking the same thing when he first brought Candy home. Now fate had come full circle.
Then he'd be gentle with her when the time came.
Holden sighed inwardly - after all, she was once his wife.
Meanwhile, Anne had been feeling like something nasty was watching her these past couple of days - she'd sneezed several times in a row.
Elisa looked up from the desk. "Miss, you must have caught a cold. Should I get a doctor?"
She had wanted to call Anne "Your Grace" according to her new title, but Anne was used to the old form of address. Besides, since the official ceremony hadn't been held yet, she let everyone continue using the old titles for now.
Elisa didn't mind - this was the young lady she'd grown up with, so the title didn't matter.
Anne rubbed her throbbing temples. "No need, I don't feel sick."
More than physical discomfort, Anne was worried about the letter she'd sent to Anson, which still hadn't been answered.
It had been half a month since she sent the letter. Even with bad weather, there should have been news by now. Anne couldn't help worrying - had something happened to her teacher?
Just then, someone knocked on the study door. A guard walked in and bowed to Anne. "Miss, Knight Commander Holden of the Titan family requests an audience."
Anne frowned. What was he doing here?
Elisa stood up immediately. "Our Miss is about to become a duchess. I don't care if he's a knight commander or even inherits the Titan title - he can't just waltz in here whenever he pleases. Tell him to get lost and crawl back to his little Titan estate!"
Anne laughed. "Elisa, calm down."
She wasn't saying this for Holden's sake - she'd long lost all interest in him. His existence couldn't even stir a ripple in Anne's heart anymore. For someone who changed his mind so easily, neither she nor anyone around her needed to get this angry over him.
"Miss, I'm just angry that after being so shameless before, he still dares to come find you. Why don't we just get rid of him!"
"...Don't be silly. He's still a knight commander - we can't just get rid of him for no reason."
"Then chase him away, far away!"
The guard looked at Elisa with some difficulty. "I did tell him to leave just now, but he refused, and he also said..."
Seeing the guard's expression, Anne waved her hand, signaling him to continue. Only then did the guard awkwardly wipe the sweat from his forehead. "He said... Miss still has feelings for him, so you definitely won't refuse to see him."
Elisa was instantly dumbfounded. "He... he... where does he get the nerve to come to the Virlet family's territory and say something like that!"