Chapter 116
“Marisa? Weren’t all the letters always from Daphne?”
“Exactly. Marisa only ever added a line or two at the end of Daphne’s letters.”
“Huh? Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen many letters from Daphne lately.”
“…Well, it’s a long distance. Besides, Cliff, why are you so interested in letters addressed to me?”
“As your friend, don’t be so cold. I’m just curious, that’s all.”
Graham often exchanged letters with Daphne. But with Marisa, it was nothing more than a single letter a year, usually a brief greeting around the year’s end.
So when Marisa’s letter arrived in early spring, Graham found it unusual. He assumed it was just a greeting and broke the seal. But as soon as he read the contents, the strength drained from his hand.
Thud.
“Graham? Hey! What’s wrong?”
Cliff picked up the letter that had fallen. What was written inside was shocking: Daphne had fled her hometown as if running away—while pregnant.
Marisa and Graham had just ended their short six-month engagement and, as of yesterday, officially become husband and wife. Graham’s mother, Olivia, clasped her new daughter-in-law’s hands tightly, tears brimming in her eyes.
“Marisa. Thank you for becoming part of our family.”
“Please, don’t mention it.”
“You’re such a blessing. Graham is who he is today because of you.”
“It’s the result of Graham’s own efforts.”
“No. After what Daphne did to hurt him… and then, not long after, when his father passed away. Without you, Graham wouldn’t even have managed to graduate from the Academy.”
So much had happened in the past three years. Daphne had fallen for an outsider, gotten pregnant, and run away in the dead of night. Her parents, too ashamed, abandoned the Parden estate and vanished. In despair, Graham left the Academy—ready to face expulsion—and rushed to the Parden lands, only to find no trace of Daphne.
Not long after, tragedy struck again. The Viscount of Parden, Graham’s father, died suddenly—shortly after being elevated to an earl in recognition of his service. The cause: overwork. Already crushed by betrayal, Graham was devastated by his father’s meaningless death and even packed to leave the country altogether.
Slap!
“If you leave now, what will the Countess do? What about your family?”
“…”
“Wake up. Your father is gone. Is this really how you want to honor him?”
It was Marisa who stopped him. Neither his best friend Cliff nor his mother Olivia had managed to reach him. Marisa slapped him, scolded him with cold words, grabbed him by the collar, dragged him back to the capital, and shoved him into the Academy. Thanks to her relentless push, Graham finally came to his senses and returned to his studies.
Even after Graham had recovered and re-adapted to Academy life, Marisa never went back to her hometown. When Graham asked why, she told him she was helping with her family’s business in the capital.
“Wow, look at all this! Amazing, Marisa!”
“This is nothing… More importantly, are your grades improving?”
True to her word, Marisa threw herself into business and made her family a fortune. Even so, she never neglected to check on Graham’s studies. She also became a constant source of comfort to Olivia, now a widow.
“Here, this tea helps with fatigue. Drink one cup a day.”
“Thank you, Marisa.”
Her timely advice and warm support became Graham’s greatest strength. At first, Graham had no idea why Marisa was doing so much for him—he foolishly thought it was nothing more than childhood friendship.
He realized the truth only shortly before graduation, two years after they had returned to the capital together. One day, Marisa came to see him as usual. After staring at him for a long while, she finally spoke.
“…Before you graduate, I’m planning to return home.”
The words made Graham’s heart plummet. Panicked, he grabbed her hand before he could even think.
“Don’t go.”
“Why not?”
“…”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
Marisa questioned him gently but firmly. Graham couldn’t answer. He didn’t even understand his own feelings.
“I see… I could never be more than a friend to you after all.”
When he remained silent, Marisa withdrew her hand and stood to leave, her expression heavy with sadness. And at that moment, Graham finally understood her actions—and his own heart.
“Marisa.”
He caught her hand again—and proposed.
“If you’re willing… let’s get married.”
Marisa froze, her eyes wide. After a long silence, she refused—not because she didn’t want him, but because it felt too sudden and unceremonious.
Apologizing, Graham confessed his feelings properly and suggested they start with an engagement. Soon after, they became engaged and promised to marry right after his graduation. And yesterday, they finally did.
“Truth be told, I’ve always liked you, even from the beginning,” Olivia said, her eyes full of trust. “I couldn’t say anything before because of Daphne, but I always thought you would make a fine match for my son. You were always there for him when he struggled… To me, Marisa, you’re nothing short of an angel.”
“Goodness, here I am crying again… In any case, now that you two are married, I’ll return to the estate.”
Marisa, who had been trying to console her tearful mother-in-law, blinked in surprise at those words.
“If you go back alone, Graham and I will feel uneasy. Even if city life doesn’t suit you, why not stay with us…?”
“No, I want to leave. You know how hard your father worked here, how much he suffered.”
At first, Olivia had considered living with the newlyweds. But the capital only reminded her of her late husband, who had died so suddenly after his promotion. The title of count meant nothing to her—he had never even lived to enjoy it.
“Graham has graduated, he’s married you… There’s nothing keeping me here anymore. Besides, you two deserve your newlywed days. What use would an old woman be?”
“But still…”
“That’s enough. Don’t worry about me. I have more than enough money to live comfortably in the countryside, surrounded by good food and beautiful scenery.”
“…”
“Thank you again, Marisa. Truly, if you weren’t by Graham’s side, I’d never have had the strength to leave.”
Marisa and Graham begged her to reconsider until the very moment Olivia stepped into the carriage. But she left all the same.
“I love you, Marisa.”
“I love you too, Graham.”
And so, just as Olivia said, their days as newlyweds became even sweeter. Alone in their mansion, the two who had once kept a small distance finally basked in dreamlike happiness.
“Graham, what are you looking at?”
“Uh—Marisa! When did you get here?”
“This… Is that one of Daphne’s letters?”
“M-Marisa, don’t misunderstand! I just happened to find it tucked in a book. You know me—I always leave things in books without thinking.”
“I know. I do. But it still makes me feel uneasy.”
Occasionally, little quarrels like this arose. But their bond was already so solid that even arguments became nothing more than memories.
Their days were peaceful. Politically, things were challenging, but Graham endured with newfound resilience while Marisa strengthened the Parden family’s finances. And just as their first child was on the way, a letter arrived from a seaside town near the Parden estate.
“What now? Did you find another one of Daphne’s letters stuck in a book?”
“No! It’s from Cliff!”
Graham, startled by the mere name Daphne, quickly showed her the sender’s name. Once Marisa saw it was Cliff, her sharp gaze softened.
“The marquis? Wasn’t he traveling?”
“Looks like he sent this from his travels. Come on, let’s read it together.”
Pulling his wife onto his lap, Graham broke the seal. The contents were startling.
“Graham, I wanted you to be the first to know this joyous news. I’m getting married. To the most perfect woman in the world.”
But the woman Cliff promised to marry was far from what noble society would consider a fitting match for a marquis. He only described her vaguely as a knight’s daughter—without naming her family or origins. Which meant she could very well be of common birth, her “knight’s daughter” title perhaps even a fabrication.
When the news spread, the rumors in aristocratic circles would inevitably be cruel—and mostly aimed at the woman.
“Even I faced endless insults just for being of common birth when I married you. And now the future lady of House Lloyd has no title, no noble lineage at all? Society will be in an uproar.”
Marisa sighed heavily. She could endure such abuse thanks to her years of business, which had exposed her to all manner of people. But what if a fragile young lady was thrown unprepared into the capital’s vicious noble circles? The thought gave her a headache.
“Still, what can we do? From the tone of this letter, Cliff seems determined. We should congratulate him.”
“Hmm… True, it’s not all bad. This marriage will shock the old nobility more than anyone. If the marquis distances himself from them, he’ll naturally grow closer to us. That would strengthen our side.”
“Marisa, must everything be about politics…?”
“Why not? We’re already blessing him—we may as well see the good in it too.”
“Even so…”
“Graham, you do realize how precarious our position is right now, don’t you? We need every ally we can get. And stop looking at me like I’m calculating everything—I am genuinely happy for the marquis.”
Together, Graham and Marisa gazed at Cliff’s letter, their expressions full of concern. Yet soon enough, they resolved that at the very least, they would warmly welcome the woman he had chosen.
