Violet Zerotta’s Hasty Marriage - Chapter 84

Recently, as the situation at the Zerotta estate became more urgent, the Baron had become increasingly desperate to sell her off anywhere he could, and that made it all the worse.

Aldrick, having seen and heard enough through Violet over the years, knew well just how cruel and vicious the Baron of Zerotta was.

One of the reasons he wanted to marry Violet was to sever her ties with that man who wasn’t even worthy of being called her father.

In any case, all of that would only be possible if Aldrick managed to accomplish the task of proposing.

There was barely a week left now. If it hadn’t been for the sudden war, he might have had a bit more time. But now, he truly had none.

He had hesitated because he felt guilty about going off to war immediately after marriage, but he couldn’t just leave her behind.

Even if he had to put off winning her heart until later, he needed to bind her to him—at least on paper—before he left, or he wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

Even if it was selfish of him, he couldn’t help it. In return, Aldrick was determined to do everything in his power to provide her a comfortable life.

To come back alive from the battlefield and dream of a happy future with Violet. He needed a romantic proposal, and he needed it now.

***

But their marriage ended up unfolding in a way quite different from what Aldrick had planned.

It happened the very evening that he and Violet met at the forest’s edge—she came fleeing to Aldrick’s house, her face bruised and swollen.

“Aldrick, I… what should I do? My father, he… he says I have to marry Mr. Hummel.”

Hummel was an older man who ran the village brewery.

He was someone Aldrick knew well—a drunkard more devoted to drinking than selling the liquor he made, and a violent man known for beating people without warning.

The moment he saw Violet crying in fear, Aldrick felt like his blood was boiling in reverse.

The fact that she had been promised to a man like that enraged him, but even more than that, it was the bruise on her face that sent him into a fury.

He’d already known the Baron treated Violet poorly.

But this was the first time he had seen visible marks from a beating with his own eyes.

The moment he saw her cheek—swollen and bruised red—Aldrick completely lost it.

“Just stay here.”

Opening the door without hesitation, Aldrick let her in, and Violet quickly stepped inside.

It was the home Aldrick had been living in alone since leaving the orphanage after becoming a knight.

She had never even considered coming here before for fear of scandal, but now wasn’t the time for that.

In her panic, Violet couldn’t afford to be picky. In this moment, she couldn’t be more thankful that Aldrick was here.

Aldrick, too, was overwhelmed and shaken. Since they’d grown older, he had never once let Violet inside or invited her to his home. But now, none of that mattered.

The two of them were going to leave this miserable village together anyway.

“Try to calm down with some tea. I’m going to go see the Baron.”

Aldrick said this to Violet, who was still sitting at the kitchen table, eyes filled with tears.

After rummaging through the meager kitchen for some shriveled tea leaves and steeping them, Aldrick left the house.

Even as her cheek still throbbed and her emotions surged, Violet found herself wondering when Aldrick had become so dependable.

Left alone in silence, Violet slowly began to collect herself.

Only then did she realize the implications of coming alone to a man’s house this late at night. But it was too late now.

Though the adrenaline had begun to fade, the sense of despair had deepened. Violet felt miserable. She had never imagined her father would treat her so much like an object.

There was no doubt the Baron wanted to marry her off to Hummel for money. A bride sold for gold. How was that any different from a piece of property?

Up until today, Violet still had the tiniest sliver of belief—that even if he didn’t love her, her father held at least some faint affection for her.

But today, Violet was forced to painfully accept that that belief had been nothing but a delusion.

Her father had only taken her in because he had no choice, and he had merely let her be until the time came when he could sell her off for a good price.