What a Coincidence, You Also Ran Away From Marriage!

12

In my desperation, I decided to feed Cedric the medicine by mouth.

This was purely an act of repayment for his earlier kindness, not an attempt to take advantage of him.

With my eyes closed, I administered the medicine to him repeatedly, then wiped my mouth with a cloth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Cedric was awake.

When did he wake up?

13

Cedric looked at me with a puzzled expression, clearly misunderstanding the situation.

"I only did this because you wouldn't wake up. Please don't misunderstand," I quickly explained, gesturing nervously, my hands flailing in front of him until he grabbed one.

"I will take responsibility," he said weakly.

Cedric had completely ignored my explanation.

"I already have a fiancé!" I confessed boldly, figuring honesty was the best policy.

It wasn't a lie. My parents had indeed arranged a marriage for me.

14

"I see..." Cedric released my hand, his eyes filled with a hint of sadness. "Today's events will remain a secret."

This was something that could never be known by a third party.

I nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, I heard a noise and saw the waiter entering with the medicine.

He claimed he hadn't seen anything, and I believed him.

"Ma'am, I'll leave the medicine here," the waiter said, placing the tray down and quickly exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

Determined to ensure his silence, I gave Cedric his medicine and then went downstairs to offer the assistant some hush money.

15

Afterward, I headed to the Wintermoon Club to reclaim my money from the stand-in bride I had hired for a hefty sum.

After all, she had run off in front of everyone at the wedding.

The club's manager greeted me and led me to a private room, asking how I wanted to resolve the matter.

"She failed to do her job, so I want a full refund," I demanded.

"But, didn't Elara stand in for you for a while?"

"Did she complete the ceremony? Did she meet the groom?"

In the end, I got back seventy percent of my money.

Originally, I only expected to reclaim half, so this was a pleasant surprise.

Now, I could afford to stay at the inn for two months without any problems.

16

On my way back, I gathered news about my family. My father had learned about Cedric's escape and insisted it was the Vale family's fault.

He was convinced that I had left in public out of heartbreak.

Once back at the inn, I sought out the waiter and inquired about available rooms. Thankfully, the room next door had just been vacated that morning.

I paid extra to move in there, finally allowing myself a few days of rest, except for still having to care for Cedric in the adjacent room.

As I pondered how to clean him up, the waiter knocked, asking if I needed hot water.

I paid him to take care of Cedric instead.

17

Before I knew it, the Lantern Festival had arrived.

The day before, Cedric had sent an invitation through the assistant, asking me to join him.

I pretended not to see it.

At night, the city was bustling with activity. I dressed in a new outfit and headed out.

At the street corner, I saw Cedric standing under a lantern, as if he had been waiting for a while.

When he saw me, he smiled and said, "What a coincidence."

His boyish smile made it hard for me to rebuff him.

I simply walked past him, but he followed closely behind.

Unable to shake him off, I let him trail along.

The streets were crowded, and I was jostled nearly to the point of falling. Cedric caught me and didn't let go.

His intentions were clear, but I didn't have the heart to expose him.

He still didn't know I was the elusive Hart family's daughter he was supposed to marry.

As usual, I bought a lantern to release by the river. Cedric held onto me, insisting he wanted to join.

To maintain his penniless façade, he had been acting broke the entire time.

I decided to treat it as a loan, planning to make him pay me back double in the future.