7

"If your bride ran away at your wedding, what would you do?" I asked, genuinely curious about Cedric's thoughts as the groom.

He pretended to ponder for a moment.

"I'd go the next day to demand the betrothal gifts back."

That was a reasonable response.

Since this engagement was now a failure, I assumed Cedric would seize the opportunity to return home, act as if he had never left, and demand his betrothal gifts the next day.

But as I took a few steps away, he caught up with me, explaining that he had given all his money to the burly man and was now penniless and without shelter.

His house was right in front of us, yet he stood there, pleading with me!

8

Despite everything, he hadn't dragged me back to the wedding. I couldn't just leave him stranded on the streets, so I reluctantly decided to help him find a place to stay.

We went to four inns, all of which were fully booked.

At the fifth inn, there was only one room left.

I had no idea inns in Eldermere were so popular.

"Is there a woodshed available? I can make do for the night," Cedric asked the waiter.

The waiter looked troubled. "Sir, please don't compete with us for space! We all have just one bed each, carefully counted by the boss."

What a frugal innkeeper.

"No worries, I can sleep on the floor," I offered.

I had never slept on the floor before, but I was willing to rough it out since we were on the run.

9

I meticulously laid out three layers of blankets, fearing the floor would be too uncomfortable.

After I finished, Cedric returned from his bath.

"I should sleep on the floor. It wouldn't be good for a young lady to catch a cold."

If he thought this, why didn't he speak up sooner?

"Thank you. By the way, I didn't know your name yet," I said, handing him a cup of water, waiting for him to continue his charade.

"Damian Sterling," Cedric replied.

I remembered that Damian Sterling was one of the few friends Cedric had, according to my brother's information.

"And yours?" Cedric asked politely, accepting the cup but not drinking from it.

"Isolde Winter."

"May I call you Isolde?"

I didn't mind since it wasn't my real name either.

10

At night, I hung the bed curtain and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

The next morning, I woke to find the supposedly frail Cedric burning with fever.

I quickly fetched a doctor, who scolded me after examining Cedric.

"You shouldn't force your husband to sleep on the floor during an argument. His health is too delicate for such treatment."

With the doctor's help, we moved Cedric to the bed. I nodded along with the doctor's admonishments, thinking it best to let him believe what he wanted.

After all, I hadn't really done anything wrong.

The doctor then asked me to accompany him to get some medicine.

On the way, he whispered advice, "If your husband refuses to take the medicine, just feed it to him yourself.

"This will help resolve any small conflicts."

I nodded, though I thought the doctor was being overly imaginative.

11

To my surprise, the doctor's prediction came true.

I paid the waiter to prepare the medicine, and I brought it to Cedric, attempting to spoon-feed it to him.

However, he kept his mouth tightly shut, and the medicine spilled onto the cloth around his head.

A wave of frustration washed over me.

I tried to rouse him, hoping he would drink it himself, but it was impossible to wake someone pretending to sleep or someone who was truly unconscious.

Feeling his scorching forehead, I realized how serious his fever was.

His face was deathly pale, and without the medicine, he might be in real danger.

Despite my frustration with the arranged marriage, Cedric had helped me yesterday, and I couldn't just abandon him.

Although I resented the match my parents had arranged, Cedric and I had no personal grudges.

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.

18

Cedric picked out a lantern that matched the one I was holding.

"You have a good eye."

Before I could reach for my purse, I glanced at the lantern and reminded him, "Mr. Sterling, do you recall that my family has already arranged a marriage for me?"

Cedric hesitated, then asked, "Is it really so wrong for us to release lanterns together?

"And you're following your parents' wishes too, right? I haven't heard you mention your fiance before."

Realizing I wouldn't win this argument, I decided to drop it.

We carried our lanterns to the riverbank. As we approached a brightly lit restaurant, I saw Isolde walking out from inside.

I halted abruptly and quickly pointed to a nearby stall, saying I wanted to buy a hairpin.

Thankfully, Isolde didn't head in our direction. If she had seen me, her loud voice would have undoubtedly called out my name.

I used the hairpin as an excuse. Cedric, however, took his time examining the stall's offerings. After selecting a pin, he placed it in my hair.

I didn't protest since I liked it as well.

The vendor, smiling broadly, commented, "Buy one for your wife too. It suits her perfectly."

I remained impassive and paid for the pin myself.

19

At the riverbank, we found a quiet spot and set our lanterns afloat. I clasped my hands and made a wish for everything to go smoothly.

Cedric, crouching beside me, mimicked my actions and said, "I wish Ms. Winter safety and peace every year."

I was momentarily taken aback, unsure if I should remind him that wishes are best kept private.

But it probably didn't matter, as Isolde would be making her own wishes anyway.

As I stood up, I noticed someone else I recognized approaching.

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling," I called out deliberately, raising my voice.

Cedric smiled. Before he stood up, a voice from the approaching crowd said, "Excuse me? Who are you?"

20

I tilted my head, and the newcomer followed my gaze, spotting Cedric.

He strode over and swiftly pulled Cedric to his feet. "Cedric, what are you doing here? Your father has been searching for you for days. Luckily, I found you. You need to come back with me."

"Cedric?" I echoed, pretending to be bewildered.

Damian's face turned stern as he realized what was happening. "So, you've been using my name to win over women!"

He turned to me and said, "Miss, I'm Damian. He's Cedric. He's already engaged, so don't be fooled by him."

Damian was clearly upset, but he meant well.

Cedric stepped closer, his expression earnest. "Ms. Winter, let me explain. I have no feelings for my fiancee. I'll go back and end the engagement. Please trust me."

"Alright, so will I." I said with a smile, nodding in agreement as Damian looked on, astonished.

I thought to myself, "Cedric, you'd better keep your promise and repay me."

With my confirmation, Cedric followed Damian away.

21

The next day, I returned home with Cedric's promise in hand. As soon as I walked through the courtyard, the butler ushered me into the front hall.

There, seated in a formal arrangement, were my grandmother, parents, brother, and sister, all watching me intently.

Although it seemed stern, aside from my father, the others were there to advocate on my behalf.

Normally, two or three family members would suffice to vouch for me, but today's situation required the entire family's intervention.

"Go to the courtyard and reflect on your actions," my father said, his voice stern and unyielding.

My grandmother added with concern, "Lillian has become so thin. She's clearly struggling."

My mother said, "The courtyard is too cold. She should stay in her room."

My elder sister, Margaret, spoke up, "Father, you arranged this engagement without considering Lillian's wishes. She had no choice but to act as she did."

My elder brother, William, added, "That young man clearly doesn't value Lillian. Marrying him would only bring her misery."

"Lillian, come with me to the study," my father said, rising and motioning for me to follow.

I reassured them not to worry and promised I would be back soon.