When I Love You, The Fog Rises Ahead

My brother was my benefactor. He took me from a beggar's den and gave me the identity of Lady Celeste of the Shaw family.

But I, shameless as I was, fell in love with him.

I thought I could bury this feeling deep inside.

Yet, with the decree of marriage in hand, sending me far away to wed in a foreign land, it dawned on me—Alexander had known all along.

——

In my sixteen years of life, the only mistake I ever made was confusing my affection for my brother, Alexander Shaw, with romantic love.

It brought nothing but his disdain for me, erasing any trace of warmth he once held for me.

Beneath the long corridor, I watched Alexander approach from a distance. In the past, I would have rushed to his side, skipping happily, chattering away without end.

But now, I restrained myself, standing still, head lowered, hiding my expression from view.

By the time I came back to my senses, Alexander had already disappeared, leaving only a faint scent of pine behind, proof that he had been there.

When did things between us turn out this way? I couldn't recall—or perhaps I refuse to.

It had only been three months since my sixteenth birthday, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.

That morning, Alexander had smiled at me, telling me to wait for him to return so we could celebrate my birthday together.

But I waited, and waited. Dawn broke the next day, and still, there was no sign of him.

In the end, what arrived was a marriage decree, sending me to wed in the far reaches of a foreign land.

It was Alexander who pleaded for this fate on my behalf.