The Woman Who Fled
The following day, Dennis and his family were promptly escorted out of the main Lutgarth castle.
"How can you do this! I am your father's own brother! You cannot treat family this way just because I said a few words to a girl who doesn't even share our blood!"
Dennis ranted and raved, but Theodore stood with a face so stern and cold that it seemed not even a thin razor blade could pass through his expression.
"I have finally understood why my father forbade you from entering the main castle, Uncle. You will receive the inheritance share specified in the will, so leave this place without worry. And do not ever return to this castle again."
"Theo!"
"If I were to overlook your behavior after what you have done, how could the authority of the Countess ever be established in the future?"
"What?"
Dennis asked back in shock, but Theodore did not bother to persuade or explain himself further. He simply ordered the servants to load the luggage onto the carriages.
Dennis resisted, but in the end, he had to submit to Theodore's command. He might have been his nephew, but he was the Count now. And beyond mere status, there was a weight to Theodore’s presence that made it difficult to defy him.
After that, the castle grew quiet. The mourners who had no connection to the inheritance left one by one, and those who remained fell silent according to Theodore's will.
Andrei asked him with an uncomfortable look, as if to confirm the truth.
"Are you really planning to marry Miss Peril?"
"Yes."
"You hated the idea so much... Well, I suppose the assets tied to the marriage are too significant to ignore."
Andrei muttered, nodding his head several times as if trying to convince himself. The people of the Knox earldom, including his own father, would surely feel a sense of repulsion, but they would understand Theodore's choice to secure the inheritance of the family. After all, Theodore could not allow his legitimate rights to be infringed upon due to Pavel's mistakes.
"But, I haven't seen Miss Peril today or yesterday."
Andrei muttered suddenly. He felt as though he had seen her coming and going just two days ago, tending to guests and the affairs of the castle.
Theodore replied to his comment as if it were of no consequence—or perhaps as if he did not want to think about it at all.
"She’s probably just in her room, crying."
"She didn't seem like the type to do that."
Andrei remarked. Olivia Peril had seemed resilient; in some ways, she hadn't even appeared that saddened by Pavel's death. That was because she had experienced this funeral far too many times, but that was something he could not possibly know.
Theodore assumed she was avoiding him. He didn't particularly want to face her right now, either.
When Olivia said she would not marry him, he had answered with an "I understand," but he had no intention of actually letting it happen. It wasn't because of the property, as others might think.
She had to take responsibility for tearing apart his resolve. If she hadn't reached out first, he would never have had to face his own desires. It was she who had destroyed the chance for them to live as strangers.
Even while they were apart, he had been agonizing over how to persuade her. But since no plausible idea came to mind, he was just about to consider threats when the Marquis of Asensio came to visit him.
"I am drafting a document to annul the marriage between you and Miss Olivia. Would you consent to it?"
Theodore was stunned by the first words the Marquis uttered as soon as they exchanged greetings and sat down.
"Pardon?"
Without a word, the Marquis of Asensio handed Theodore the document Olivia had given him. It was a paper meant to confirm that she had no intention of marrying Theodore.
"If you only agree, we can treat the marriage as non-existent and proceed with the remaining property settlement."
"I have not consented to this."
Theodore struggled to keep his emotions hidden, speaking even more stiffly on purpose.
"I will speak with her again. She seems to have misunderstood something, but I fully intend to marry her."
"Is that so? I thought you, of all people, would not want this marriage."
"My mind has changed. In any case, I will talk to Olivia again. Please wait until then."
With those words, Theodore stood up immediately. He was going to find Olivia.
However, the Marquis of Asensio looked up at him with a strange expression.
"Miss Olivia is not here. Did you not know?"
"Pardon?"
This time, Theodore looked at him in genuine shock. The Marquis of Asensio continued with a very uncomfortable look on his face.
"She left the castle the afternoon before last... Did she not say anything to you?"
"This is the first I'm hearing of it. Did you say she left?"
Theodore doubted his own ears at the unbelievable news. The Marquis of Asensio nodded.
"Yes. She said she would handle future inheritance matters through a lawyer. She said there was no reason to stay now that Pavel's funeral is over. I didn't realize she had left without even informing you."
Theodore couldn't collect his thoughts for a moment and shook his head.
She left? Where could Olivia possibly go? This was her home. She had nowhere else to go, and no reason to leave.
No, there was a reason. Because he was here.
He couldn't understand it. Had he treated her so poorly that she would leave without even a word of farewell? Or had she fled for fear that he would bring up the marriage again?
Either way, Theodore felt a sudden, blinding rage that made the world go dark before his eyes. If she hated him that much, why had she asked him to kiss her that night?
Was everything he felt that night merely an illusion? The mutual desire, the sense of fulfillment that seemed only complete when their bodies were joined?
Seeing him in shock, the Marquis of Asensio asked awkwardly.
"Are you alright? I thought the two of you had reached some sort of consensus."
"I did not consent."
Theodore replied, gritting his teeth. Only then did he realize he had been clenching his fists with all his might, and he opened and closed his hands several times.
Then, he spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"What is at stake in this marriage is the Lutgarth estate. I have no intention of signing this document."
"Theodore, I understand your position, but if a lady refuses a proposal, you have no choice but to accept it."
"No. We have already spent the night together. I consider that an engagement."
At those words, the Marquis of Asensio gasped. Theodore was right. Breaking one's chastity before marriage was a significant stain for both a man and a woman. He hadn't realized that Olivia had done such a thing and then just left.
Theodore continued in a voice that was low but carried a fierce edge.
"Refusing a proposal is a lady's prerogative, but a broken engagement cannot be decided unilaterally. Do you know where Olivia is?"
"I don't know at this moment. She said she would contact me once a lawyer is decided, and I will let you know then."
Unless she intended to hide thoroughly, it would be better for Olivia, too, if it were considered an engagement, provided Theodore had no intention of letting her go. The Marquis of Asensio thought as much and nodded.
It was then that the butler knocked on the door three times.
"What is it?"
Theodore asked in the same sharp tone. The butler, who had opened the door and entered, spoke cautiously.
"An envoy has arrived from the Imperial Palace."
"From the Imperial Palace?"
"Yes. It is Sir Helmut of the Duchy of Schwab."
Both Theodore and the Marquis of Asensio let out a dry laugh. It meant that it wasn't an envoy from the Imperial Palace, but from the Duke of Schwab.
"Show him to the drawing room. Tell him I will be there shortly."
Theodore said briefly.
Neither Lutgarth nor Asensio were close to Schwab, but they could not treat them poorly. Moreover, Helmut Schwab was the cousin of the current Duke, Ezekiel, and a man very close to the center of power.
He had no idea what business such a big shot had here. Theodore stood up with a heavy heart.