Violet Zerotta’s Hasty Marriage - Chapter 67

Looking back, it had all started when she rejected one of their usual hugs.

Rosetta had been born less than a month at the time, so Aldrick had been more than willing to understand her sensitivity…

However, once his position began to slip, Aldrick was never able to return to where he had been.

If she rejected hugs, there was no way she would allow kisses, and Violet began to block Aldrick from getting close at all.

No matter how much he tried to get her attention, her gaze remained fixed on their child.

Most decisively, their physical relationship had completely ceased.

So, during the three months spent in the capital, Aldrick fell into a truly serious dilemma.

Setting aside their love as a family, perhaps Violet no longer saw him as a man.

He had good reason to worry. She had already been treating him like a younger brother for quite some time. At this rate, it was possible that they might continue on like this indefinitely, never changing.

Just when he was desperate for some sort of breakthrough, the visit from the Count and Countess of Lambert became a perfect opportunity for Aldrick.

“We feel like we need a little break from routine too. How about spending some time alone with your wife?”

The reason Aldrick so readily welcomed Simon’s request to visit the estate was because it came with that very suggestion.

Time alone together. What a wonderful idea.

A short trip with Violet, reminiscing and rekindling old memories. Aldrick dreamed that it might bring them naturally back to how things once were.

If it could soften even a little of the tension between them, that would be more than enough.

The only real obstacle was persuading Violet to leave Rosetta behind.

That problem, however, was neatly resolved thanks to Violet’s drunken ramblings.

He hadn’t expected her to get that drunk drinking with Simon, but Aldrick seized the opportunity and put his plan into motion.

Not that he harbored any indecent intentions.

Yes, Aldrick’s young and healthy body suffered under the strain of desire, but if Violet still found him bothersome, he had absolutely no intention of forcing anything.

In truth, considering his current circumstances, it might have been better to tie himself up and stay far away from her altogether.

Only the heavens knew the depth of Aldrick’s internal struggle as he held her in his arms and walked through the forest last night.

Aldrick shook his head, brushing away the intrusive thoughts.

He hadn’t planned this trip to get anything out of Violet, not even intimacy—he simply wanted to spend a peaceful moment with the woman he loved. He wanted to give her some rest and peace after all her hard work.

It would be even better if, once she felt at ease, she could focus on him instead of Rosetta, just for a while…

…No. Perhaps it would be better for both of them to maintain some distance.

Even he found his thoughts contradictory, clashing within him.

In any case, the trip itself was not a bad thing. The only thing troubling was his own heart.

Violet, sitting calmly before him, was already humming happily, and the midday sky above them was a brilliant blue.

He didn’t know how the mood between them might change by the time they returned along this path.

Though this was the intimate time he had longed for, Aldrick found himself feeling strangely conflicted as he quietly urged the horse forward.

***

They continued traveling for about two more days.

Riding with her body nestled against Aldrick’s, Violet found old memories resurfacing one after another, her heart soaked in a soft, pleasant mood.

Occasionally, worries about Rosetta would creep up suddenly, but Aldrick soothed her each time.

And so, on the third day on horseback, when they arrived at a familiar town—Saint-Lour—Violet’s heart began to race.

She immediately realized why Aldrick had chosen that place.

“Wow… Aldrick, this is…”

Even if she had suspected it, actually seeing the sight before her was on another level.

When they arrived in front of that nostalgic little cottage—one she had thought of often amidst her busy, chaotic days—Violet felt her throat tighten with emotion.

“I never really thought we’d come back here…”

Technically speaking, it hadn’t been that long since they left this house.

But with everything that had happened since then, it felt like a memory from another lifetime.