Liddell spent that night in bed in agony. He felt uncomfortable in this marriage.
But he couldn’t sleep, so he went out into the corridor and saw a light coming from the drawing room. I wondered if anyone was awake. As I got closer, I could hear them talking.
My uncle and his wife and my cousin seemed to be awake.
“Why is she marrying the Marquise? I am going to marry into the Viscount’s family. I saw her once at a ball. She is very beautiful, but she has never been dominated by any of the daughters, so why Liddell? I am much more beautiful.”
“Don’t go with her.”
I can hear my uncle scolding Yvonne.
“Why is that?”
“There are rumors that he has a mistress, a prostitute, that he has no interest in women, and that he is a man-whore. That’s common in the army.”
“Nevertheless. I have money. Wouldn’t it be better if I came along?”
Liddell was sought by the Marquess.
“What, why?”
Yvonne exclaimed in surprise.
“They say you’re not officially part of the Drimore family.”
“What, what does that mean?
“I’m supposed to take over the reigns now that my brother and his wife are dead, but you are commoners by nature. That’s why I was rejected. The only nobles in this house are me and my ex-wife’s children, Kurt and Liddell.”
“That’s absurd! We are nobles in our own right.
Just because I’m your mother’s stepdaughter doesn’t make me so!
Minerva and Yvonne protest.
“That is the custom in this country. You are not considered nobles.
“But you will be invited to balls, and the lords will treat you like a lady.”
“So do the daughters of the great merchant houses, actresses and actors. And Yvonne, didn’t you take Gilbert from Liddell because you like him?”
“Oh, no. I just had a day off. That hillbilly Gil did me and dumped Liddell. I’m always so charming that the guys get the wrong idea.”
Otto sighs when he hears this.
“Liddell would be a fancy woman even if she got married, and I hear the Marquise estate is closed to snow and ice in the winter. It’s hard enough to get to King’s Landing. It’s not for you. Don’t do it.”
“But, wife of the marquise. But she is the wife of a marquise. And he’s the war god of the last war, and the people love him. They say that with him in the country we are no longer threatened by other nations. He has position, honor, wealth and luxury. Will you leave all this to Liddell?”
“The office of general and the rank of marquess lead you astray. You are a simple man, you don’t like ostentatious things, you are an eccentric and a warmonger. And I hear the estate is extremely cold. Even if you marry her, you can’t expect a glamorous life.”
“Why don’t you just live in a townhouse in King’s Landing?”
Yvonne says, as if it’s obvious.
“That’s not going to happen…”
My uncle growls.
“Why didn’t you just let her stay with the old earl she was first offered? She’s too sassy to be a marquise!”
My aunt says in frustration.
“You can’t change that. The marquise made a better offer. All this happened because the family is in debt.”
Were you playing Gilbert’s game because you just had time?
Eavesdropping is a low thing. But Liddell’s feet were rooted to the spot. So angry. He gritted his teeth in frustration.
Besides, Liddell was sold to the highest bidder between the Earl and the Marquess.
The Marquess is cold-blooded and calls marriage a contract. He would give it to Yvonne any day if he could.
He only chose Liddell, who has been of noble blood for generations, to scare off his relatives who think he is brazen.
The Marquess of Weller pays him a visit.
Less than half a month after the Marquess of Weller’s visit, Liddell is picked up by the Marquesses in their magnificent carriage and driven to the capital.
Frederick was busy, so a member of the Weller family picked him up.
“I didn’t expect it to be so sudden.”
I thought that a wedding of high nobility would require a lot of preparation and a longer engagement period.
“Yes, the Lord is in a hurry to marry. Because winter comes earlier and colder in our North Weller territory than in King’s Landing, so we have to prepare for winter toward the end of the social season.”
“Prepare for winter?”
The Weller family’s Northweller Territory is in the north of the kingdom, and it takes more than five days to reach the capital.
“There are many things that need to be done now, such as getting firewood, storing food and reinforcing buildings, and we won’t make it in time. So if we miss this deadline, the wedding won’t happen until next year.”
That doesn’t make sense to Liddell, but it seems the Marquises have their own reasons.
Liddell is marrying into the Weller family all by herself, with no dowry, and her wedding dress and decorations are provided by the Marquises. In addition, the Drimore family’s debts are paid. The marriage is a godsend for her uncle’s family.
Looking out the window of the bus, she is amazingly unsentimental about a country to which she will never return. I felt that this place where my parents had died was no longer my home.
I felt that my uncle and his family had damaged a place that was very dear to me. With a small sense of freedom, Liddell left his homeland.
