Violet Zerotta’s Hasty Marriage - Chapter 85

When Violet didn’t obediently agree to marry as he commanded, the Baron began to hit her. And no one stopped him. Not the Baroness, who watched with a cold expression, nor her two older sisters. No one came to her aid.

In that moment, the only person who came to Violet’s mind was Aldrick. There were other kind people—the friendly woman next door, the elderly lady who ran the fabric shop in town, but for some reason, she felt an overwhelming urge to go to Aldrick.

She felt that he could help her. That she could trust and rely on him.

The boy who was once small had grown into a strong tree she could lean on. But that truth didn’t entirely ease Violet’s heart. In fact, it may have made her feel even more wretched.

She had always pretended to be the adult, but in the end, she had never once done anything to help him. Now, when she was the one in need, she’d come running to him in tears. She was sure she looked pathetic.

She was a daughter even her own father had discarded. Why would someone like Aldrick, a complete outsider, be happy to see her?

What would happen when Aldrick returned?

Now Violet began to worry about her future. She couldn’t return to the Zerottas. If she went back after all this, she would be forced without question to marry the terrible man the Baron had chosen for her.

If she had any distant relatives, she would try to seek them out, but there was no way to contact her maternal family.

Violet remained deep in anxious thought for some time before Aldrick finally returned home, very late at night.

His face was fierce, like he had just stormed into the collapsing hut of the Baron and made a scene.

“My God, Aldrick. What happened? What did you do? What happened to your hand?!”

Startled by the bloodied state of his hand and the fire in his eyes, Violet shouted. He had thrown off his gloves, and his bare hands were covered in blood.

“It’s nothing. This isn’t my blood—uh… I hit the Baron a little… I’m sorry for treating your father like that. But I just couldn’t stand it.”

Aldrick spoke with a hint of guilt, but Violet didn’t mind at all. In fact, picturing the man who had always ruled their house with violence finally getting hit for once… It almost made her feel a little better.

“Don’t be sorry. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I showed up at your house in the middle of the night and caused all this trouble. I dragged you into this mess.”

“No, don’t go. And you didn’t do anything wrong, Violet.”

Aldrick looked at her with nothing but concern. And that look made Violet’s heart, which had only just begun to settle, surge again.

For a moment, silence fell between them.

If Aldrick had been just a little bolder, he might have taken the chance to hold her in his arms. But he couldn’t bring himself to touch her. He wanted desperately to comfort her, but didn’t know how.

“You’re telling me not to leave, so… are you saying I should stay here tonight?”

“There’s no reason you can’t.”

“But still…”

“You’ve got nowhere else to go. If you wandered the streets in the middle of the night in that state, I’d probably lose my mind. So just stay here. I’m asking you, please.”

The look on Aldrick’s face—part angry, part sad—made Violet’s heart pound out of sync again. It felt like her head was heating up and her chest was fluttering wildly… like she was in love.

…To think she’d feel this way about someone like a little brother—she really must be lonely and tired.

Violet recalled the thought that had been circling in her head before Aldrick arrived.

If she didn’t want to return to her father, there was only one thing she could do: find a husband right now.

She had run away because she didn’t want to marry the man her father had chosen, but that didn’t change the fact that she was now of an age to marry. She just didn’t want that husband to be someone like Mr. Hummel.

If it were a man with a gentle disposition, she could build a life together, have children, and live happily.

Beyond that, Violet had no real solutions to offer.

Aldrick would be heading to the capital next week. And even if he didn’t, he couldn’t take care of her forever. Judging by his expression, he was deeply concerned about her current situation.

“Hey, Aldrick, listen.”

Wanting to ease his worries even a little, Violet decided she should speak up about her plans.

“I’ve been thinking about what I should do from now on, and I… think I need to find someone other than Mr. Hummel and get married quickly. I know it’s not something I should be asking you, but… do you know of anyone suitable in the capital?”