Chapter 60 - An Arranged Marriage (1)

Chapter 60 – An Arranged Marriage (1)

Gris disregarded whatever thoughts she had about the wonderfully decorated window frames absorbing the sunlight. She quietly retreated from the door, but Bellin looked on restlessly. She seemed as if she was about to burst into tears, so Gris calmly responded to her.

“Let me know when the room has been emptied, then I’ll call for Teer to come to the door.”

“I will be watching over her, my lady.”

“I’ll just be in the garden getting some air.”

Gris absentmindedly proceeded down the stairs and into the garden as if nothing had happened. On her way there, she did not find anything of interest. The servants were repairing a fence in the flower garden near the rear entrance of the mansion, and the horsemen were heading somewhere in groups.

It was a mundane sight that the owner of this mansion had seen so many times. Why did she need to subject herself to such an uncomfortable position just to see this?

For the first time today, Gris stretched and raised her arms above her head. At the same time, she inadvertently caught sight of Duke Vianut staring at her from a window on the second floor.

Though there was a fair amount of distance between them, she was sure that their eyes had met. He was most certainly looking at her as she sat on the bench.

Gris slid her arms down and moved back. Duke Vianut suddenly disappeared as if he were trying to elude the woman who had recognized his existence. Only the open window was left in his stead.

She sighed and felt her heart thumping out of control. It was simply unimaginable that he would have bowed his head in delight at seeing a brothel whore.

Perhaps he had been on his way out to work? With his arrogant personality type, he wouldn’t have left his seat just because he had been caught off guard.

Enjoying the fresh air, Gris sat on the bench for a little while longer. Bellin arrived after some time. She was beaming now, contrary to her gloomy disposition a short while ago.

“My lady, good news has arrived!”

It seemed that they had already located Teer. Gris instantly stood from her seat and desperately inquired after the pup.

“Did you find her?”

Bellin nodded her head and began to examine Gris’s face.

“Yes… We have already taken her to your room, but…”

Now that she thought about it, how had Bellin been able to bring Teer to her room? Nervously touching her lower lip, Gris repeated Bellin’s words.

“But…?”

Bellin was unsure if she could tell her mistress this or not. She hesitantly opened her lips.

“I waited for a long time on the stairs on the second floor, and when His Majesty was about to leave, I peeked through the door. But, he and Teer had come out from the study and were playing.”

“He must have discovered that Teer escaped,” Gris replied, covering her eyes with her hand.

Bellin continued speaking as if that was not the real problem.

“His Highness had prepared to go out but stopped, and instead he attentively watched Teer. He seemed to be guessing how she got there, and then he asked me if you secretly sent her in”

Bellin was anxious that Gris would be misunderstood because of her mistake.

“Is it possible that he mistook me? He told me that you put Teer in his room to attract his attention.”

Gris was not surprised that the duke had thought so. She had witnessed such behavior many times in her life.

A girl who seeks to attract attention by pretending that things are coincidences, like flauntingly dropping her handkerchief, spilling tea on a man’s clothes, or intentionally leaving one of her possessions at his place.

Duke Vianut was probably used to seeing this behavior because he possessed many desirable qualities. For example, if a woman were to bed him and bear his child, her social status would certainly improve no matter how low her present status was. Wasn’t that a convenient way to raise one’s standing in society all at once?

There was something unfair about it, but Gris was rather grateful that he considered her a completely materialistic person. It was better to be a person to be wary of rather than a person who was easily fooled, even though she didn’t know why he was so wary of her.

♛

As soon as the next day dawned, the mansion was in an uproar. Yuliana’s grandmother, who had been away these past few days, gave notice that she would be back in the morning.

While speaking with Bellin, Gris’s face brightened for the first time in days. For Gris, Paola was a warm, safe haven in this mansion, which was like a lair filled with beasts. Gris’s anxiety would alleviate even for just a moment every time the grandmother lent an ear to her, and she never failed to praise the younger girl for her beauty.

Gris frequently prayed with a heavy heart that she would never disappoint her grandmother in any way.

Even though God did not always answer her, she believed that He would listen to her prayer this time because she promised that she would not blame Him for having been dethroned as a princess or sold to a brothel. She also prayed for acceptance and the ability to appreciate her surroundings, even though she was left alone in this hellish world.

While Bellin helped her get dressed, Gris touched the handkerchief she prepared as a present for her grandmother. It was embroidered with a phoenix made of golden thread. She chose this design because she remembered Paola’s story during their first tea time together.

“Thoughts of flying outside the windows often haunted me.”

Her gift was imbued with positive feelings. It was often said that when a person died, he or she would be born again, like a phoenix, and gain the ability to roam freely throughout the world. Gris hoped that Paola would like her gift. She beamed like a small girl.

Then, the door suddenly opened and Stephan appeared. Gris immediately rose from her chair with a hardened expression.