Chapter 8

A sense of emptiness filled me as I listened to Tully’s diagnosis. What should I call the expression on Nine’s face? It was hard to describe, but one thing was certain: there wasn’t a single positive emotion on it.

‘I’m going to get married.’

With the situation solidified into a single, unchangeable path, a feeling of desolation washed over me. In my past life, and sometimes in this one, I had dreamed of marriage and a happy life. A life where I would meet a person I loved, marry them, have their child, and look for our shared features. In my past life, I was too busy working to death to have the time or a person, but in this life, my own judgment had ruined me.

‘I shouldn’t have interfered with the love potion incident.’

I shouldn’t have felt bad about Helena’s tragic ending and shouldn’t have hoped for her future to change. No, before that, I shouldn’t have become attached to Helena. I shouldn’t have given a villainess’s circumstances any attention.

No, no. I shouldn’t have fallen for Nine five years ago. And even if I did, I should have gotten over it quickly. Was it because I thought there was no harm in harboring feelings for him on my own since we had no connection? Every reason that led to this outcome came to me, and regrets poured in like a tide.

Nine paid no mind to my lowered head. He said a few words to Tully and Norman and then got up. Just like when he came, he left without a word to me. Norman, who had seemingly kept someone waiting outside, went out for a moment and brought someone in. She also did what she was supposed to do, regardless of my lowered head.

“This is Laura, a maid of the Eclipse family. She will serve you from now on.”

She must not have known the details beyond the fact that I was marrying Nine, as she smiled brightly at me.

“The wedding ceremony will be a formality, so we will proceed with the documents we’ve provided.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Norman turned and left without a word, just like his master. Only Tully, who had stayed by my side, patted my hand gently before leaving with them.

“Hello, My Lady. I’m Laura. I’ll be serving you from now on.”

As soon as they left, Laura greeted me with a bright smile. I managed to force a smile back, but my feelings were a total mess.

“It’s nice to meet you, Laura. I’d like to rest now, so could you please tidy up the room and go to my bedroom first? Annie, you come with me.”

My stomach was churning, but I couldn’t just get swept away by my emotions anymore.

‘The chance to explain has already passed.’

Now, the only way forward was to trick Nine. Since I had decided to trick him anyway, I had to stay sharp to survive and to protect the Berryberry family.

‘I’m glad I sent that letter. It’s a relief that Tully took my side.’

Of course, the person I had sent the letter to wasn’t Tully himself. If it was, Nine would have found out about it immediately.

‘I should send a thank you letter to Nella, too.’

The recipient of my letter was Nella Baykle, Tully’s beloved daughter and my junior. The reason I knew that Nella’s father was the Eclipse Duchy’s family physician was because Nella had been acquainted with Nine since she was a child, and that had caused trouble. Helena was already trying to get her hands on Nine, so when she saw Nine slightly looking out for Nella, who wasn’t close to anyone, how could she not get jealous?

‘Though, in my opinion, he didn’t even look out for her that much…’

Regardless, Nella had been tormented by Helena for that very reason. I had helped her secretly, away from Helena’s eyes. After that, Nella followed me around, and I also maintained a friendship with her by secretly exchanging letters.

So I told Nella the situation and asked for her help.

‘I never thought I’d have to use our friendship like this, nor did I ever think it would come to this.’

Nella, after receiving my request, had given Tully a heads-up, which led to the current situation.

‘But Tully alone is too big a risk.’

Laura, with her bright expression, seemed oblivious since she hadn’t been told the full story, but she was obviously a supervisor for me. Nine clearly intended to keep a constant watch on me.

As soon as we entered the bedroom, I took Annie and moved as far away from the door as possible, speaking in a voice so low it couldn’t be heard from outside.

“Annie, listen carefully.”

First, I desperately needed the help of Annie, who was closest to me. Now that Laura was here, the time I could spend alone with Annie would be limited. I quickly explained everything to her, starting with the love potion incident.

“…My Lady.”

“I’m sorry, it’s sudden. I know it won’t be easy for you to lie alongside me, but…”

“No, that’s not it, My Lady. I’m so sorry I didn’t notice sooner. I wish there was some way I could help you.”

“What are you talking about? You’re a great help.”

Annie was surprised but didn’t blame me. Instead, she seemed to be blaming herself for not noticing something was wrong during the bone-chilling proposal. I gave a bitter smile, held her hands, and patted the back of her hand.

Still, it was comforting to have someone so close to me, who was wholly on my side.

“Teach Laura what she needs to know, but please don’t let her get too close to me for now.”

“Yes, of course. Just leave it to me.”

After telling Annie the truth and asking for her help, my head started to pound. No, maybe it had been aching for a long time. The events had come at me like a storm, and I was only now feeling the pain.

Instead of tormenting my mind, which couldn’t think anymore, I crawled into bed. The blanket wrapped around me felt so cozy.

***

After that day, Nine began to prepare for the wedding at a rapid pace. The wedding goods, the dress, the officiant—he prepared everything without a hitch, just as the documents had said.

Norman occasionally visited, giving me a post-facto report and delivering items. Of course, he never asked for my opinion, and even if I had voiced one, it wouldn’t have been reflected. Why should I expect anything when they just threw a wedding dress at me without even taking my measurements?

“The wedding is tomorrow. We’ll come to pick you up on time, so please be ready.”

“Tomorrow?”

I asked again, having been lost in thought for a moment. A look of slight pity appeared on Norman’s face.

“The wedding, My Lady.”

“…Oh.”

Even I, who had given up and just nodded at every preparation, was surprised.

‘It’s tomorrow already?’

“There will be no guests. We don’t have much time for a ceremony, so we will not be inviting both families’ parents either.”

“…”

He paused for a moment at my family, but Norman just watched me as if asking if I had anything more to say. In the end, I had no choice but to nod. It would be better for my parents not to see this kind of wedding.

Norman, once again, seemed to have said all he needed to say. He gave a brief bow and left. Tully came in immediately after him.

“Hello, My Lady. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine.”

“I’m just here to check your health before the wedding.”

Tully took out his diagnostic tools from his bag. Seeing this, Annie handed Tully some tea and then dutifully led Laura out of the room. It was a small thing, but I was grateful that she understood my intentions.

Tully confirmed that Annie and Laura were gone and took out a paper and a pen from his bag.

[What do you plan to do now?]

His neat handwriting was filled with worry and warmth. I took the pen.

[I can’t undo this, so I’ll wait and see the situation and get a divorce later… I think I need to have a trump card so he can’t kill me when I tell him the truth.]

I felt Tully’s sad gaze on me. I couldn’t hide my bitter smile and just looked down at the paper, then added one more sentence.

[I’m sorry for getting you caught up in this.]

Tully took the pen back, wrote that he was grateful to help someone who had helped his daughter when she was in trouble, and showed it to me. It must have been a difficult decision for Tully, as the Duke’s physician. Yet, I was grateful that he comforted me instead.

***

After Tully left, I nibbled on my dinner and feigned a few dry heaves. It was a conscious action for Laura. Even though she was a watcher, Laura was a good person who was easy to talk to. The time we spent together over tea was surprisingly not bad.

With the big day right around the corner, my heart was at peace tonight. Or perhaps the anxiety was so overwhelming that I couldn’t feel it anymore. I lay down in bed before tomorrow and steeled my resolve.

‘I’ll only be depressed until today.’

From tomorrow, I intended to bravely walk a path of thorns.