Chapter 104
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104
The morning's strategic meeting with the King concluded successfully. Regarding the main agenda—the expansion of the navy—Theodore steered the conversation with practical remarks, ultimately forging a dramatic consensus on the construction of large-scale warships and the necessity of aircraft carriers.
He maintained his dignified composure during the luncheon that followed. He accepted a flurry of greetings, raised his champagne glass, offered his opinions on war-related matters, and even smiled at trivial jokes. He also managed to endure the opera, an event scheduled weeks ago at the Prime Minister's request. The performance was tedious and Hailey Morton was excessively talkative, but he weathered it well enough.
By the time all his engagements were over, it was nearly midnight. Theodore checked his watch and climbed into the waiting car, only then noticing that Hailey Morton had followed him out.
“I’m afraid I cannot escort you home.”
“Oh, that’s quite alright. I wouldn’t want to trouble Your Grace. Actually…”
“Yes?”
“Would you be available for lunch tomorrow? I could come to your hotel.”
“Is there a problem with the wedding preparations?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that… It’s just…”
Hailey Morton blushed.
“Since you’ll be deploying soon, I thought it might be nice if we took some time to get to know each other before then…”
“My lady.”
He raised an eyebrow, slightly bewildered.
“Are we close enough for that?”
At his response, Hailey Morton’s expression froze. Her pale lips trembled with an unreadable emotion. Theodore gave up on trying to understand his fiancée. Wasn’t this the same woman who had claimed she belonged to Edgar? What did she expect from a man she had only agreed to marry for convenience?
“I would appreciate it if you held to our initial agreement.”
It was sincere advice. He had no desire to go through the trouble of finding another fiancée at this stage. As soon as the door closed, the car departed for the hotel. Even inside, Theodore reviewed the documents he had brought with him. By the time he stepped out of the car, Hailey Morton's baffling request had been completely erased from his mind.
Arriving at the hotel, he loosened his tie and headed straight for the bathroom. He needed something to soothe his frayed nerves. After splashing his face and the back of his neck with cold water, he stepped into the shower on impulse. With a turn of the tap, a torrent of water poured down, instantly soaking his shirt.
“……”
As the water pelted him like a downpour, an image flashed through his mind. A rainy garden, a landscape shrouded in mist, and a woman weeping with bloodshot eyes. Vanessa. The mere thought of her name made his chest tighten painfully, a sensation he deliberately pushed away. It was a meaningless torment now. What was the point of yearning for someone who had already left?
The intense emotions of the previous dawn were gone. In retrospect, even he found his own state of mind difficult to comprehend. Perhaps he had unfairly projected the phantom of his mother onto her. He had lost himself in the fear of being abandoned again, in the helplessness he felt that day, in the fate of those who always fled from his side. Now, it didn’t even hurt.
While he still regretted that Vanessa had left, it was a relief to have his senses back. And in just a single day. To be able to let go so easily, as if it were nothing… He let out a weary sigh. Once the terrible fatigue weighing on his shoulders subsided, everything would return to normal. It wouldn’t take long.
Towel-drying his hair, he went to his study. He was exhausted but had no intention of going to the bedroom. He had no desire to sleep, either. Theodore chewed two stimulant pills from his desk and washed them down with whiskey. The night was long, and a mountain of work still required his personal attention.
“Um, Master. What should we do with these?”
It was the following afternoon, when the clothes and jewelry he had ordered for her began to arrive, that his stomach started to churn again. After washing his face once more to clear his head, he stared with displeasure at the boxes piling up like a mountain.
Why did I order so much, like a damned fool? The pitiful sight of these items, abandoned the moment they were made, felt just like…
“Master?”
After a brief silence, Theodore commanded, his eyes somber.
“Throw them away. Or burn them.”
* * *
Clutching her leather bag tightly, Vanessa followed the maid through the door. The drawing room she was led into was warm and cozy. Marchioness Polignac, who had been engrossed in her embroidery on a plush sofa, looked up a moment after the maid announced their arrival. She beamed at Vanessa and extended a hand.
“Welcome. You must be exhausted from your journey.”
Startled for a moment by the unexpected hospitality, Vanessa politely took the Marchioness's hand and curtsied gracefully.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Vanessa Siren Somerset.”
“Yes, of course. Blair sent a telegram explaining the situation. It’s a marvel, isn’t it? Undersea cables… To think we’re fighting a war in such an age of progress.”
Marchioness Polignac clasped Vanessa’s hand tightly, her smile warm. In Alice’s face, Vanessa could easily see the features of Marquis Winchester. Just like Blair and Rosalyn, the family resemblance was striking. She recalled hearing they weren’t twins, despite the likeness, but five years apart.
“Come, sit down.”
The Marchioness rang a bell, summoning the maid again to request warm lemon tea and fruit. Soon, a steaming teapot was brought in. As the maid leaned down to set the tray on the table, a sweet and tangy aroma filled the air.
The Marchioness waited for the maid to close the door before continuing in a gentle tone.
“Blair is my most cherished nephew. He always brought me a gift at least once every school break. He has never asked me for a favor before, so I was quite surprised when he suddenly sent someone to my husband.”
“Thank you for helping me find a place to stay. I don’t know what I would have done on my own.”
“Amiens can be a bit insular. And you did arrive in such a hurry. Here, have some tea, if you can stomach it. Your face is so pale. I’ll show you to the apartment where you’ll be staying afterward.”
Only then did Vanessa manage a faint smile. She had been tense the entire journey, struggling with the unfamiliar Lantian language, and hearing her native tongue brought immense relief. She slowly took a sip of the warm lemon tea. It was the first proper drink she’d had in nearly a week, and the tension in her body began to melt away.
“I heard you are expecting. How far along are you?”
“It has been… just over two months, I believe.”
“It will be another month or two before you start showing.”
There was no malice in Alice’s words, only a simple statement of fact. However, it was clear she felt a deep sympathy for Vanessa’s plight—forced to flee to a foreign country while pregnant. It was also obvious she was restraining herself from asking who the child’s father was.
“May I ask how you plan to support yourself? Forgive me if I’m meddling. But with the money you have, once you pay the balance on the apartment, there won’t be much left…”
“I used to earn money by writing. My Lantian isn’t very good, so I’ll have to work harder here.”
“Oh, my! I happen to know someone at the local newspaper. If you ever need an introduction, just say the word.”
“I couldn’t possibly impose.”
“I am merely introducing you. The rest is up to you,” Alice insisted gently but firmly.
Vanessa looked down, feeling conflicted. While it felt wrong to flatly reject the kindness of a lady so well-disposed toward her, she couldn’t accept a job she wasn’t qualified for just because of someone’s influence.
After a moment of careful thought, she looked up, her eyes bright.
“In that case, could you perhaps help me place an advertisement in the local paper? I would like to find a position as a governess.”
“A governess who can teach Ingramian is always in high demand. But are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“Pardon?”
“For a lady of the Somerset family, being a governess is a bit… well, you know.”