Violet Zerotta’s Hasty Marriage - Chapter 87

Her smiling face didn’t look serious or solemn in the slightest.

“No, that’s not what I—”

“Okay, okay. You don’t have to explain it all, I get what you mean. And you don’t need to feel sorry about leaving me behind or anything. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have thought about leaving this village. I’m just really grateful. If it’s that kind of marriage, I’d do it ten times over.”

Aldrick sighed. Violet wasn’t in a state to listen properly right now.

In truth, she was far too excited by the hope of a changed future.

She felt like praising herself for talking to him by the stream when she was ten—it was the best decision she’d ever made. He truly had become a savior in her life in more ways than one.

Even after that, Aldrick tried his best to explain his feelings to Violet, but she responded with only half-hearted replies, as if his words went in one ear and out the other.

When the meaningless back-and-forth continued, Aldrick finally decided to give up for the night.

He couldn’t help but feel just a little resentful that she didn’t understand his feelings, but considering everything she’d been through, he couldn’t really blame her.

She’d just fought with Baron Zerotta that evening and decided to leave her family. Her expression might have seemed bright, but there was no doubt her heart was in turmoil. Aldrick chose not to stir things up any further.

No matter the process, the outcome was marriage. That alone was enough—for now.

Seventeen-year-old Aldrick had no choice but to be satisfied with that small consolation.

***

Three days later, the two of them set off for the capital. In the first village they arrived at, they held a simple wedding ceremony.

The idea to each prepare a clean set of everyday clothes instead of a dress was Violet’s. The bouquet consisted entirely of wildflowers picked by the roadside.

From that modest bunch, Violet picked the freshest flower and pinned it to Aldrick’s chest. That was the extent of their adornment.

He regretted that his bride had no beautiful dress or veil, but she herself didn’t seem to mind at all.

The truth was, Violet still didn’t take this marriage seriously.

To her, the sacred ceremony was merely a paperwork process that would allow Aldrick to go to war. That was all. So when Aldrick slid a gold ring—purchased for a large sum—onto her finger, Violet was genuinely surprised.

To spend this much on something like this… Aldrick, you really need to learn how to manage money.

Even as she thought that, Violet turned the unexpected wedding gift around curiously. Still, it didn’t feel bad to have a piece of gold she’d never owned before glinting on her hand.

Do I have to return this if we divorce later?

With a thought that would’ve made Aldrick faint if he heard it, Violet asked anxiously.

“I don’t have anything to give you… What should I do?”

Unlike Aldrick, who’d even prepared a ring, she didn’t even have a formal dowry to offer. But he shook his head.

“Just you coming to me is enough.”

It was an incredibly romantic answer, depending on how you heard it, but Violet, who still didn’t see Aldrick as a man, interpreted it however suited her best.

She took Aldrick’s ‘enough’ to mean, Now that I’m officially married, I’ve fulfilled the requirements to go to war. So this is enough.

Maybe, deep down, it was an instinctive attempt to quell the strange fluttering in her chest that had started again for no reason at his words.

Unaware of Violet’s internal thoughts, Aldrick felt deeply content as he slid the gold ring he’d bought onto her hand—made rough from years of work at the Zerotta estate.

With that, Violet had become his wife. As the dream he’d longed for all his life came true, Aldrick was overwhelmed by a sense of fulfillment so deep it made his chest ache.

Even if their hearts weren’t in the same place yet, he now had the thought of a lifetime with her.

Violet might feel differently, but he had no intention of undoing this marriage or seeking a divorce. If he treated her well, maybe she’d stay by his side. And if he was lucky, she might even come to love him.

Still young, Aldrick thought simply. He was just happy to be her husband—even in this way.

No matter what anyone said, the two of them were now a family. Nothing but death could separate them. That thought alone made Aldrick’s heart overflow.