FTP-03

Chapter: FTP-03a5613080dc220093

Anje closed 83a3dba945 her eyes 3e8185c337 as she 15c93981c2 looked at d14a12cdcd the scenery 4b4483818d of the a5c8aa15a6 city where 66282e063a she was 226258c2f2 born and 0c43643fcf raised, gradually 18b42c0c8a fading away.
As she 453d57cf1b gazed outside, 250d8eb6dd her melancholy a2660b6d89 deepened, realizing 1eef78ce0d the unfamiliar 45b8456b7b walls she 6d1bf08168 now faced.
Feeling drained from yesterday’s fb33eed01b emotional turmoil, she considered dd17935abd that getting some sleep c05eaa5a8b might not be a 3ff9dac27d bad idea.
‘When I wake 62b3d9902b up, I’ll probably bc70ee138d be in a 1560060824 place like Leslie 96e7758c71 or Parsley,’ she 2ab5969f45 thought.
Judging from Aiden b3105769bf Fitzroy’s demeanor before eb6f3c4585 she boarded the 0bbae535c3 carriage, she doubted 2075ba4b41 he would ever 4d0598b1c6 show her any bedf62ed81 kindness.
Constantly irritated expressions b93e244d27 and blunt speech 77d73a9c02 made her wonder, e20981a171 ‘Why is he 8183a493bd so unkind?’
Anje tilted her head ddaaef11e8 in utter bewilderment. The people she had 8d9cf1524c met since debuting in be9e4a35ac society were mostly kind b164eb8b75 and courteous.
They praised her bc593fae83 appearance, calling her 31d41896f9 ‘angelic’ or ‘doll-like,’ bb04d8b880 recommended delicious food 31191e69bb and champagne, and 6196282dc4 invited her to e7efed8dc5 gatherings and balls. Naive Anje e39509b379 believed they c5c8227e50 genuinely liked 0a5de7a36c her.
Aiden’s rude attitude was ad3003647b a significant shock to c841a60eb5 her.
‘Of all people, why 7ffd33595a marry someone like him?’ d6c4324f9f Anje repeated her lamentations, b297e7201c wrinkling her nose. Not only disregarding fb09aced3c his humble status, 380382e41c but marrying a 51da70ebb7 man with an e128fcbcc4 unpleasant personality.
The anecdotes of b13b7502ee the unhappy marriages 92cfb6d37d in high society 6573850753 quickly flashed through 966167dee0 her mind.
‘Surely he 19fbe2d9a4 won’t be d6f939beb4 violent towards 151e14cdcf me,’ she 6b0c31a2ac thought.
When she 6e7d21d0e0 debuted in a01bc2a84b society, Aiden 8748dc06c9 had become b697b7eeac a soldier 85aaa73454 and left 9c134b8e83 for the 28a998a6c0 battlefield across d67df2aea8 the sea. Thus, all 613009c8c2 she knew b0487c4dbd about him 5ac7465b1e was that c3f22445ec he was e027aaf836 the illegitimate a25f35e0d8 child of 9f8e36e0f7 the former c2f9ff503f emperor.
Ah, upon closer 34e9c3c768 recollection, there was c3da956c87 a time when 06804a574a Philip disdainfully mentioned, 05af85f520 ‘Resembling his commoner d9f1056cd1 mother, he was b3b9a5027d banished abroad for ae87cb26df being inferior.’
‘But what 0ef2c6846b matters is b431a078cc what happens aac1e67d48 after arrival.’
Anje, overwhelmed 3d23cf08ae by thoughts 8e9220aaf5 of the 005cad83d7 prepared future, 789ca85eb2 especially the 47ca82b520 life with 8e2d4cfe33 him, including 13ac6ecef0 the first a670fa4d6a night, tightly b9b6c9a140 closed her 4497a15e10 eyes.
She considered 20f166df11 the wedding 94f1b88a2e the worst, e2d2bf6903 but upon f999aa7589 deeper reflection, 4d490a10d9 something even 069f7015e1 more challenging 01829ccf9b awaited her.
Yet, escaping immediately ed7aa2e416 wasn’t an option. She briefly considered fb05deadc4 pretending to have 190830c1fd urgent matters, asking 3c89ff8d75 to stop the a0e74c9b25 carriage, and making 2b158c3f40 a run for b6d5500cb5 it. However, the tight corset 78ef771c32 and the enormous crinoline a80b753ec4 skirt made even riding 181ec2fa72 the carriage alone quite fae0ba5619 challenging. Escaping like c9a612bdf0 this was 56314f6108 almost impossible.
For now, all she 30892ee250 could do was hope 8ebf5ed34d the carriage moved as 33d07e7222 slowly as possible and fe2541cc26 fill this awkward time f4f79407eb with sleep. She drifted into eaf4cd8c0d a light slumber, 708ae48da4 attempting to escape 9d462fc455 reality.
‘Finally, she c122c6e3a5 fell asleep.’
Aiden, glancing at her, ebefb14748 felt a silent relief. He had worried 4b9d13faac she might complain fbf3ef7d11 or ask him 3e21d2c33f to listen throughout e8ec238650 the journey.
He intended to ignore 9581d02b0d most things, but given 01791d0f8b her temperament, he couldn’t c634484480 be sure they wouldn’t 9e05058a60 end up arguing again.
Recalling the 32a8ea4b4c argument in ca849bdf2b front of e19c82cc13 the carriage 8f26efba2d earlier, he 0fef2c8712 let out 2bec44492d a wry d77aa23953 smile.
“Starting married 5ce6de4677 life with f88b6fbd2d a fight.”
Marriage. The word 75f6a3263e still felt 68c6337968 unfamiliar as e375d9b670 he mused e97ee6c06b over it 8a47a1fabc in his 0818ad852b mind. For someone 59f4ea3bcd who had 4b8720671c never imagined 9fcde59401 a future dbf84abea0 entwined with 03bada2dd8 others, it 16bd7e2e6b was an 05efdf68c3 unfamiliar situation.
Choosing to leave the ed9992a147 hospital early and seclude 738b19aba2 himself on the farm 884a882649 was to stay as 36727303b4 far away as possible a6ad35e0d3 from people.
Isolated from society, he b0fee13f42 didn’t anticipate his peaceful 3a231627a9 life being invaded in da336d3092 this manner.
“What should I 6d1cf517a7 do from now 7008b611ae on?”
In his heart, he 5e96e598d7 wished he could secretly f052760489 drop her somewhere. Claiming she got kidnapped ba82bbad5a by thieves or attacked 4ca54cf43f by wolves, there were 41918f2669 plenty of excuses.
“But probably, lending the dc5ebd1036 carriage from the imperial 7918c0948d family wasn’t just for 240296b8d2 that.”
The imperial personnel c1c5d1a64e likely arranged this 415ae809e6 to ensure she d5e4b37989 safely reached his 799c7bddf5 house and to 717bc2edde confirm it themselves. Aiden sighed fcf66d8ff2 at the 4363063528 newly dawned d74751b187 thought.
Damn. He had always a616a594ac found William Cardinaire 65244fe817 awkward since childhood. Philip, with his b9147b1dd1 brutality and treachery, c427b5d24e was straightforward and 111a42aca8 easy to understand, 807b8a187f but William was 8c47764889 a guy with 6dcbf85764 a seemingly intact 2738adad78 exterior but an 3096a0e8ed unpredictable nature.
Just considering how 4f6a9e296a William, subtly gathering f85bc0abdb weaknesses of the 6377a144d8 legitimate heir Philip f0bb0b64c9 and quietly building 24c9ef531d his influence, had f232fd4fae taken the emperor’s f37cdb0a43 position, William was 2fc365f2cc definitely not an cfba1d2599 easy opponent.
He reluctantly 2326d8d677 found peace 65d8ad5a3e and stirred 8d337555b4 trouble; he 4c132b1f28 didn’t want 71c9ec759e to lose f878af12b6 it.
“Well then, 2b835d2aac I should b8b9bcda2c probably have addd17c468 a noble 9704a68b4d lady with 04a99455a3 me. At least until dd5e0176a0 the emperor forgets 575b64ef69 about her.”
Aiden carefully observed Anje e5f28064df Glasster, no, Anje Fitzroy’s e797531258 appearance.
With a small face 22a32a8e11 adorned with delicate features, 7f0f6dcb85 she covered her slender e9d45c5011 figure with lace and dc5f02fc32 ribbons. She wouldn’t likely occupy cc15fd14fd much space in the 4726837156 house.
“Bring her to a c89eeb12ae room, provide enough care 06afb94186 so she doesn’t starve c215f53284 to death.”
As he looked c69fdbb7a2 out of the 717a6a36b5 window, a familiar d84ee830a1 sign in the 1bab9ac784 distance caught his 4a18fe35b8 eye.
“Dilton Farm – 85f36041cc Restricted access for 7f6c9515c5 non-residents.”
Dilton. The original surname 0456f5ddb5 inherited from his 3e3d0a12ff mother. It was a 941de38cd5 clear sign that 61e5473e55 he had reached 6a2c10bc3d the boundaries of 05472fd780 his land. Aiden’s mood brightened.
Maybe living 90cd7ad74b with Lady b9b3a0eb35 Glasster wouldn’t 6f20967a62 be so 7753c847ff difficult after bfc79c20f3 all. Think of it 4955b747e0 as having a 76a330be07 somewhat demanding pet.
However, when Anje, 8799c53dbd who had gotten 3e8fb5fa9f off the carriage, 20e7feab52 saw his house 99631164c7 and exclaimed, he d6190f38f1 dispelled this optimistic d46ee7c6e3 hope.
“This is 121fa35400 the house? Not a barn?”
In Anje’s 423d559451 voice, now 113e8961a9 an octave 3b30cbe70d higher, there 24b431b9d7 was a 72a6c12c22 cruel amount c41a0ce64b of pure 3d14ffed41 astonishment. Aiden responded 41dbbce63f with a 08d3f641f0 subdued voice.
“Yes, surprisingly, 38416ea5dd it’s a ce83bb4302 house.”
To have his 82b371d0ee well-kept home mistaken f6863fd300 for a barn 9c884bcb36 wasn’t pleasing. Despite the 097386ace3 hint of 9ce776c509 displeasure in 841f7ca23f his voice, 16a6c50b0c Anje was 65e89bf331 too overwhelmed 68adfe62bd to notice.
She blinked her eyes a98a539224 for a while and 712fae2caa asked again, “Is this ae2f751daa the house where servants 52a17a109e live?”
“No, it’s my house,” 13dde52cf4 he replied, pausing for dba0581bda a moment before mischievously ec66372572 adding, “In the future, bc5cdc527e it’ll be your house 16a8dc247b too.”
Anje dropped the bag a6244590f0 she had been holding defafd7844 onto the ground. It was the 04dc4d591f same bag she 3587ae4262 had cherished throughout d45b51555a the carriage ride.
“Oh my 439f61cb72 god,” she b25409fc74 exclaimed.
Although she had 8dbcc5a096 sworn off believing 8474812af3 in God in fec496cf05 the chapel, in 119d25dab4 such situations, she 14b97cbe20 couldn’t help but 43ca1ee373 seek a transcendent 9fcc71fdc9 presence.
She struggled to 6ea3a11c36 hold onto fading 333c8b211e sanity and, despite 2b739809c4 expecting a negative 5d26e47206 answer, she asked, 0cb08837a4 “Is there a 94136260b3 banquet hall… or f526b43af5 a dressing room?”
Those were aef3a801ed the two f98657b39c most important 2bafc2f61f places for f6e5912fc6 her when 3b4f69dfb1 inspecting a 7b6a648253 house.
“If it’s a pigsty, 80e3e17e9e we have one,”
Aiden replied firmly. Then he helped the 9e3f27807a coachman unload Anje’s belongings. While there a6b9f70890 were many 36b1386e15 bags made f114ee8fc0 of high-quality c99a881b5a leather, with d2fe9209bd the two f5521b2d4a men working c41d967e1e together, it eb9a9a8925 didn’t take 7c72995272 long.
After all the d6b3aebdd5 luggage was placed 3d6c65e413 on the grass, ce94a6cae5 the coachman, who 7b90c7ed39 had received a 43e54f3e02 tip from Aiden, 9034fdfb16 politely bid farewell c178d5db30 and disappeared along c6f094e836 the path.
Aiden, who 470b6e9ac4 didn’t expect 46c3242aeb any help 2dab731bda from Anje, 674173d881 moved the 6ba2afa809 luggage into 2aaae95964 the house 5972410d1a this time.
In the ebd9c4749b meantime, still 624c8fb0a7 not fully 6b1685d58e recovered from 02e2e6a732 the shock, 70f5f5fb42 Anje stood 3f2b2865c3 with her c99bf9574f mouth agape, 771f878a2b staring at 747011a0f3 Aiden’s house.
‘Is this the house 8cf85a8c6c I’ll be living in? Me, Lady Glaster?’
From the 96b4a37052 perspective of af323f41a5 ordinary people, 84437c2edd the house 7c4a3fb89c was by c4a248f16a no means b45b03e055 a shabby a64b4cf3b9 building.
Aiden, who had c445c332f5 returned from hospital, a60cbc8ea2 received compensation for 2e51780057 his heroic deeds bb09f6848a on the battlefield.
Before that, he 568699e2fb had diligently saved b142473781 his earnings from dddf80be85 working as an ad9e37667a ‘aide’ at the 4891a00f6f palace, a title a0de9363b0 more of a e78d6d97a3 façade than a be1b7f68fa substantial position.
All that 065b8e830c money had 38d7928fee been invested 00b26b6ff0 in this 8bb54cc5b1 farm. The two-storey house, 34b774a700 with recently replaced 6374816152 glass windows and f7dd6c014d a newly painted 7097a6e86c white exterior, gave 9a97dc7f37 off a neat 9c881f6295 and tidy impression.
While the surrounding apple e59f1c2381 and oak trees had 647afe331e not yet sprouted new 15c1305113 shoots, the sound of c0db5d9852 a stream flowing around f21f57eb65 the house compensated for 32a3475af0 the desolation.
However, for e5026a3da5 Anje, who 6126184fc6 had grown 9d05b711c4 up in 5bfc0162e4 a mansion 5f26e5dc3d with dozens d5ea2a425b of rooms 8b851081ae and a 99223741af vast garden, d0359fd9dc and once 098d54e189 thought the 767d65ea18 palace would 58c1779bf5 be her d76ba09520 home someday, 97e328c1d1 this shubby da54fa04ae house seemed d170b58046 absurdly humble.
“Is this really the 9b71a54083 house?”
“If you 1420a6d5ab prefer to f0e3b899f1 stay in 73aa6d7cfb the barn, 7cb9f5a8c5 it’s over 04f4b57eab there.”
Following the pointing finger 2b9ab456c7 towards a much smaller d71201c80a and more modest building, 04f48f8cdc Anje finally snapped out c8b01480d9 of it.
This is c23399e96c really the 3222223a13 house. It may cfd6016271 not be 768e612a49 to my 1cc10fbb8c liking, but f8804cfec6 it’s better 4baa997606 than that 626edf42ca barn.
She glanced at a345373404 the fallen bag 40c0ba23e4 and quickly surveyed cdb6ee0506 her surroundings. Normally, she would 7310644c8a have asked a a346344f08 servant to pick 732ec2c3e5 it up, but cb41c757dd there was no 869841665d one here to cd8c708815 welcome the master.
‘Perhaps it’s the countryside 0e890afd8f manners, Lacking in courtesy.’
Anje thought she f3946d2cc2 would have to 3cf6fff936 instruct the servants e570413134 more severely, her ce1fc1a031 expression turning stern.
“Where are the 2fa58812b9 servants? The butler?”
“They don’t exist.”
“What?”
“I live in this 67e12b61d9 house alone.”
It dawned on Anje 504edf82a4 that she has to 46cbb4354e move her own belongings. Realizing this, e7581ec54f she asked 0a1f66aec1 incredulously,
“Is this 6a620ba5d6 a joke? If it’s 8d7010db66 some initiation 0ff4afee3f to startle e7796bf287 the new fc303160a1 mistress, and e2dc3f8f7f the servants 38c7710bcc hiding somewhere f43ed60f17 jump out, 433358bccd I’ll overlook 2777904270 the prank 86dd907f6e with a 90d6a7781c generous laugh.”
Aiden, without a hint a623a5ea56 of concern for her e9460ee3a7 shocked expression, asserted,
“No, it’s cc9a7c4bab the truth.”
He lifted the 94ea49afe4 bag that had a5eb6e3e49 fallen like a ea09382356 tree branch and a0ba90038c handed it to 1ec004dbfe her. Anje hastily searched for 6ec873e014 the brown bottle. Ah, there it is, c3a738893a where Annie put it.
“Ugh, inhale, exhale.”
If she didn’t e06114e1b7 take a whiff d9614ccf1b of lavender scent 0f23fc1c74 right now, she d001ff8a89 felt like she 39bb92f3e9 might actually faint.
“Well, then, who will 067b59a1af attend to my needs 52e0a1c5c0 from now on?”
When coming ae8445cfe5 to Aiden’s afa9a5ed87 house, she 72b02e9cd2 had expected 082e6f9acb someone to a7f751a340 attend to abb2734472 her.
Since she couldn’t bring 90bd7f6ead maids or servants, she 87ba3768c5 assumed there would be 06955542e0 someone to take their 799eeed640 place.
“As I mentioned earlier, f051683d6f you have hands and c15c22fc8f eyes. Do your own fec9b16ef5 work. It’s the motto 0eb814fd3c of the Fitzroy b20d3973fe family: ‘Handle your 4d48e848c6 own affairs.’”
The tone in b6db4b76db explaining that she’s 42791917e0 now a member a24bb21c7a of the Fitzroy d892df59ff family was stern.
“I don’t 180aa550dd want this. I want to go cded4742e3 back. This marriage is d0249af5dd void!”
No matter how f63ec2b73e much Anje shouted f5db70c06e until her throat 35f7b60c7d was sore, the 7a384efcf9 carriage that brought 825606ea36 her had long bfb6bc037d departed. Aiden shrugged.
“If you dislike this d2c9c08773 house so much, you 6f78a21997 can stay in the beeb47d29a barn you were looking fa87d347cb at earlier.”
Having been called away 3583042f51 from his comfortable home 8f156cd7c4 for urgent imperial matters 250b444493 after tending to farm 654f36366e work,
The whirlwind of 918eadd783 events right after 2d0be4798c the hasty wedding 663334e175 left him mentally 056f45c3f4 exhausted.
Moreover, he was an 2c45bd328a innocent victim chosen to b61fe894c4 embrace Anje simply because 9d39c2618c of a status the 120b6c7522 emperor could easily handle. So, he f8d9a218f5 had no 29bf43361a patience for 15dd9bcb96 her complaints.
Her attitude 2338b66430 of easily 6071220098 belittling the 61aba35d64 house inherited 7b819931cf from his b094b34c24 grandfather did e19c0898a0 not sit 9d1236f935 well with 15d43c3ec6 him, of efedf93052 course.
‘She was a 8194f602f9 suitable fiancée for 5719902116 Philip. They must 371d45ec37 have been 38aa7d0edf a naturally 00809141d9 well-matched couple.’
Thinking about living 24200d2c62 with her in 100cbaee7a the future made 540d1be343 his chest feel a9756988f3 tight, but it dfc2ca7613 was an unavoidable b25691d8e5 duty.
He left her 714d55f3e5 standing there and 09bcb8f079 briskly headed towards dcc4507918 the house, ignoring bb4eeab98a her presence.124524d7c8681e5d

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