Episode 11

#4. The Night Before the Wedding 

The meal was very pleasant. Marcus, noticing that Elouise hadn’t eaten much at lunch, instructed the chef to prepare a light meal made with fresh vegetables. Among the dishes, the one Elouise liked best was the almond pudding.

She didn’t hear Logan muttering under his breath, “First the poison, then the cure…”

“So, are you free tomorrow?”

“What could I possibly have to do here?”

“Excellent. Then let’s have an early lunch and go on a date.”

“A da...”

Marcus smiled gently.

“Spring in Cliff commences next week with the spring festival. It’ll be tight, but we’ll need to have new clothes made for you and the young lady by then.”

“Ah…”

He was right. It had been a whirlwind of a two days, so Elouise hadn’t even considered the fact. Marcus quickly pointed out what she had overlooked.

“But can it really be done in a week?”

Worried, she looked to Marcus, who smiled with confidence.

“There’s nothing in the world money can’t solve.”

“…”

Reading the doubt on her face, Marcus added with a smirk,

“If it can’t be done, it means you didn’t spend enough."

"I’ve already reserved an appointment at a boutique downtown. I was going to summon the designer here, but it’s better to visit in person to choose the fabric and match the jewels.”

Before Elouise could even reply, Logan had smoothly latched on to Marcus’s explanation. Elouise nodded quietly.

“Thank you for the kindness.”

“My pleasure.”

Marcus, still seated at the table, made an exaggerated, playful bow.

The rest of the meal continued in a relaxed, cheerful mood. He explained that he planned to inform his aunt about the wedding either tomorrow evening or the day after.

“My aunt… well, I don’t think she’ll dislike Lady Starwood.”

“Really? If I were her, I’d be pretty skeptical of a woman marrying her nephew after knowing him for only two days…”

“Oh, she’ll think that.”

Logan answered on Marcus’s behalf.

“But Madam Noskina will probably assume you’re just the latest of the young master’s victims.”

Victim…

Many thoughts ran through Elouise’s mind, but there was no helping it. She was starting to feel, for the first time, the true weight of what it meant to get married—not just vowing in a chapel, but becoming part of a family. She regretted, just a little, not having thought it through more.

Then again, what more could she have done?

Elouise polished off her almond pudding and rose from her seat. Marcus escorted her to the door of her room.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll move you to the largest room in the west wing.”

“…This room is fine…”

Marcus winked playfully at her.

“From tomorrow, we’ll begin preparing for the wedding. You can imagine how many things a bride needs for her new room.”

“…Is there really that much?”

“Tsk.”

Marcus ran a hand through his hair, lips curling into a grin.

“We may be rushing this wedding, but you’re still the bride of House Hanger. I intend to carry out everything properly.”

“But…”

“You said it yourself, El.”

He folded his arms and leaned in close. Elouise flinched and took a step back, but he countered her action and continued,

“If we’re doing this, I want it to be perfect. That way, even the duchess might fall for it.”

“…Yes…”

Unfortunately, the wall was directly behind Elouise, so there was no further refuge. She’d never been this close to a man before. Marcus gently brought his forehead close to hers and whispered,

“Would it be alright if I kissed your cheek from time to time?”

“…Excuse me?”

Elouise practically jumped. Marcus gave a mischievous wink.

“We’re in love, remember?”

Ah, right. Elouise reminded herself that if they were pretending to be lovers who fell for each other at first sight, then kissing on the cheek would be expected.

Still… after a brief hesitation, she spoke.

“…If it’s just a nuzzle.”

“Hmm. That works. We’ll take it slow.”

Marcus whispered softly, then took her hand and kissed the back of it. A warm breath lingered briefly over the glove before vanishing. Elouise turned pale.

At that moment, she felt her skirt being tugged. Both she and Marcus looked down in surprise. A head of shiny blonde hair, and wide, wandering blue eyes came into view. Juliet. Elouise’s face lit up as she called her niece’s name.

“Juliet! What are you doing out here?”

Juliet looked at her, then at Marcus, then up at the ceiling and down the corridor before lowering her gaze. She continued to clutch Elouise’s skirt tightly. Her fingers were covered in dirt. A maid rushed up, flustered.

“Oh, she wanted to go outside…”

“At this hour?”

Marcus was the one who asked. The maid nodded awkwardly.

“She seemed to really like the back garden she visited this afternoon.”

“The back garden…”

“That would be my aunt’s forest,” Marcus said with a smile.

There was indeed a forest behind the estate. Juliet had visited it earlier that day. Elouise nodded.

“Juliet loves the forest. But did you like it that much? Enough to want to go out again at night?”

“…The stars are sparkling.”

Juliet whispered softly. She must have wanted to see the starry sky. Elouise gently stroked Juliet’s cold cheek and smiled.

“Did you eat dinner?”

“Yes, I gave her some earlier. She ate everything.”

The maid answered. Elouise thanked her, and Marcus knelt down to Juliet’s level.

“Hello again, young lady. Do you remember me?”

“Marcus Hanger.”

Juliet answered quickly, though not bothering to look his way. It was their third encounter. Marcus burst into laughter.

“Yes, Marcus it is.”

“…”

“Next time, let’s go to the forest together. You might’ve seen it earlier, but there’s a clearing inside. If you pitch a tent there and lie down, the stars are amazing.”

“Winter Triangle?”

The Winter Triangle? Marcus looked at Elouise in confusion. Elouise understood immediately, gently brushing Juliet’s hair aside as she explained.

“She’s talking about the constellations visible from winter to early spring. They’re especially bright stars that form a triangle—hence the Winter Triangle.”

“Sirius, Betelgeuse, and Procyon.”

Juliet added. Elouise smiled and continued.

“Those are the stars that form the triangle.”

Marcus gaped at Elouise with astonishment. She waited to see how he’d react.

“You teach her things like that?”

“…Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s amazing. That’s the sort of thing university astronomers study, and yet… this little girl…”

“Betelgeuse is Hipokiros.”

Marcus looked at Juliet again. She peeked at him, then buried her face in Elouise’s skirt. Elouise gently patted her niece’s shoulder and explained further.

“Procyon was discovered more recently, but Betelgeuse has been known for over a thousand years. In old texts, it’s referred to as Hipokiros. So… I think Juliet was trying to say you don’t need university to learn things—you can just read.”

Juliet gripped her aunt’s skirt even tighter. It was her silent way of agreeing. Elouise smiled and turned back to Marcus.

“You should get going. I need to rest, and Juliet needs a bath.”

Marcus finally noticed that the skirt Juliet was holding was caked in dirt. It was clearly a dismissal. He let out a short laugh and stood up.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch. As for the meal…”

“I’ll eat something light on my own.”

“Very well. When you’re ready, send a maid to fetch me.”

Elouise nodded. Marcus bowed slightly to Juliet and grinned.

“See you tomorrow, clever young lady.”

“…”

He disappeared into the night.

Elouise watched his retreating back briefly before noticing Juliet tugging on her skirt again. She returned to the room. A maid informed her that warm water was already prepared. Elouise smiled and said, “Thank you. I’ll take care of Juliet’s bath,” and dismissed her.

Finally, it was just the two of them.

Juliet, as if expecting Elouise to bathe her, had already begun taking off her clothes. Since there were no children’s clothes at the manor, she’d spent the whole day wearing a small guest robe—now covered in dirt.

Elouise quickly knelt to remove Juliet’s socks. The soft silk slipped off her small feet.

“Did you have fun today, Julie?”

“…”

“I’m glad you did. Shall we bathe together, sweetheart?”

Juliet nodded and struggled to take off the slip under her robe. The stiff fabric was always a challenge for her. Elouise chuckled and gently helped her arm out of the sleeve.

The slip flipped inside out and was flung aside. Juliet, now naked, walked into the bathroom. Elouise turned the slip right-side out and followed. Steam rose from the tub, which had charming cat-paw legs.

Juliet didn’t get in, but squatted next to it, fascinated by the cat-shaped feet. Elouise dipped her hand into the water.

It was perfect.

She’d lost count of how many times today she had felt self-disgust. Not because she disliked talking to Marcus Hanger—no, not that.

It was because she couldn’t stop asking herself what exactly she was doing—selling herself so eagerly, moment by moment.

But she didn’t have to haul water from a well. She didn’t have to heat the water in a pot. She didn’t have to balance the temperature by mixing hot and cold water repeatedly.

Juliet didn’t shiver from the cold once as she sprinted around the heated room while naked. The water was perfect. The soap smelled sweet. The robe hung clean on the wall.

Elouise looked at all of it and thought again:

Well done.

Well done, Elouise.

---

When Louise ran off with a man drowning in debt, leaving young Elouise behind, everyone around them called her immature and irresponsible.

But Elouise could never bring herself to think of Louise that way. Though a bit scatterbrained, Louise had always been the kindest sister imaginable to her.

Of course, Elouise didn’t waste time defending her sister in front of others—instead, she chose to work that much harder. She already knew there was no way to explain everything Louise had done for her.

For example, after their father went missing and the nanny could no longer be paid and left the household, Louise took over as Elouise’s caretaker.

“El, I’m sure you don’t remember our mother very well. Neither do I. So, I can’t be your mother, but I’ll try to be your nanny instead.”

Elouise still recalled those solemn words Louise asserted as she gripped her shoulders. Both sisters had only faint memories of their mother, who died when Elouise was five and Louise was ten. In place of the mother they barely remembered, Louise tried her best to do everything the nanny once did.

The household was poor, so they couldn’t afford meat often. Elouise, trying to ease the financial burden, once said she didn’t like the smell of meat and refused it—a line she had picked up at a certain point in time.

The very next day, Louise minced what little meat they had with her tiny hands, wrapped it in dough, and made ravioli for Elouise.

“It doesn’t smell anymore, right?”

Elouise couldn’t remember what she had said in response. But the taste of that ravioli remained unforgettable: undercooked dough, unsalted meat—so bad it had been burned into her memory.

After that, Elouise always listened to her sister. If Louise had acted immaturely later in life, Elouise believed it was because she'd been forced to grow up too early and was only now, belatedly, trying to act her age.

It was the same after she met Juliet.

So long as she remembered the taste of that ravioli, Elouise swore she would do everything she could for Juliet. She taught her everything she knew.

When she couldn’t personally care for Juliet due to work, she hired a nanny. In Maine, people said she was crazy for hiring help while living on a single woman’s income, but most were at least kind to her.

Some thought Juliet was slow, but Elouise never believed that.

Among all her students, Juliet was the smartest. She quickly read and memorized every book Elouise gave her. While Juliet struggled to recite knowledge line-by-line, the things she’d bring up out of nowhere were often beyond even Elouise’s grasp.

Few knew, but Juliet also spoke fluent Toulous.

Even now—

“{O God, spread Your mighty wings over me, let me rest in the shadow of Your grace...}”

Juliet lay on the bed, kicking her legs as she sang. The song was originally sung by a foreign troupe that had once visited Maine. They’d performed it on the street in the common tongue, but Juliet was now translating it into Toulous and humming it to herself.

She had only heard the song once. If Elouise hadn’t known Toulous, she would’ve thought Juliet was just babbling nonsense.

Elouise smiled and lifted Juliet into her arms.

“Come on, Juliet. Let’s go buy a pretty dress.”

“{Be my strength, my rock...}”

Even difficult words flowed from her lips in perfect diction. As Elouise buttoned up Juliet’s clothes and tied her bonnet, her conviction grew even stronger.

My child is brilliant!

It was Lady Visena who lacked insight—the very lady who called Juliet “slow.” Some had asked Elouise how she intended to raise the child. After all, what right did an unmarried woman with no children of her own have to raise one?

But Juliet wasn’t like other children.

At first, Elouise had thought Juliet’s awkwardness stemmed from the trauma of losing her mother, Louise. But when she realized that wasn’t the case, she spent three days and nights deliberating.

She knew orphanages existed. She wasn’t a saint, nor was she particularly kind.

But the moment she mulled overe Louise’s hardships, she cursed herself for even considering such a thing.

Louise had raised such a Juliet for eleven years. Even after her husband hanged himself from gambling debt, Louise never let go of Juliet’s hand. Even when she was bedridden with fever, she sought help from Elouise—she never once abandoned Juliet.

Elouise thought of Juliet’s presence in Louise’s life during the time she herself hadn’t been around—the laughter, the tears. The thought of Juliet making Louise cry made her angry. The thought of Juliet making her laugh filled her with gratitude.

Juliet was difficult to manage—but not impossible. She was sensitive to Elouise’s feelings, and even when her eyes wandered, her hands never let go of Elouise’s. She said what she wanted, but feared hurting Elouise.

She wasn’t slow. She was just different. More thoughtful than others, and spoke in her own language.

“Fluttery butterfly.”

Juliet said, fiddling with the ribbon of her bonnet. The ribbon had been ivory when they first bought it, but after her rough handling, it got dirty. Elouise dyed it yellow, and Juliet was now saying it resembled a spring butterfly. She was probably thinking about the coming spring.

“Yes. Spring’s just around the corner.”

“We have to take the rock off the bucket.”

In winter, the well at the Starwood estate would freeze over. They placed a bucket on top and weighed it down with a rock to keep it from blowing away. During the cold months, Elouise paid the neighbors for water delivery.

Juliet liked to lean over the well and yell into it to hear her voice echo. But Elouise would rather pay for water than risk Juliet falling in.

When spring came and the well thawed, the bucket could be lowered again. Then she could yell into it all she wanted. That was what Juliet was talking about.

Elouise could easily understand everything Juliet was thinking. Juliet was simply ahead of her peers.

She spoke Toulous more fluently than Elouise. She remembered things Elouise forgot. Sometimes, just by hearing the wind in the mansion, she could tell where a draft was coming in.

Elouise thought back to Lady Visena and huffed.

“And what’s so great about serving the queen, huh? Our Juliet’s going to be greater than Her Majesty one day!”

Juliet, trotting beside Elouise through the Noskina Manor, glanced at her aunt at this sudden outburst, then looked away. It was brief, but Elouise knew Juliet had been surprised—and shy about the sudden praise. Even her fingers gripped tighter.

Regardless—

"This isn’t the capital where the debutante ball is held. If she makes her debut under House Hanger’s name, she’ll attract attention. A good match might not be impossible."

The man’s words came to mind, and Elouise unconsciously slowed her steps.

She had told Marcus she came to Cliff to find a husband for Juliet. But deep down, she had always believed Juliet wouldn’t marry.

Though she thought Juliet was brilliant, she’d drawn a quiet line when it came to her niece’s future.

Since childhood, Elouise had been taught: young and beautiful women must find good marriages early to be happy. But knowing Juliet wasn’t exactly “normal,” she had given up on that kind of happiness.

When Juliet became her happiness, Elouise had to ask herself—

Would marriage make Juliet happy?

She didn’t know.

Elouise understood that no one would ever find Juliet as beautiful and precious as she did. The people of Maine all eventually realized Juliet wasn’t just awkward or lacking.

But they still avoided the topic. Because she wasn’t “normal.”

Girls in Maine debuted at twelve or thirteen. If Juliet had been an ordinary girl, she might already have shown her face in society. Despite poverty or family background, a man might still have loved her.

But no.

Juliet’s uniqueness was an obstacle when it came to marriage. It made locating a good match far less likely. So even when Elouise claimed to have arrived at Cliff for Juliet’s marriage, she had quietly drawn a line.

But now… a small hope had taken root.

I’m Marcus Hanger’s wife for the next four months.

Even if it was a fake marriage. Marcus told her to use him however she wished. He acted like he didn’t care about anything but the duchess, and she believed he meant it.

Juliet, once just a pretty girl with a poor adoptive mother and an awkward demeanor, had become a pretty girl with a wealthy guardian—one from a family even the king favored.

Elouise hated herself for thinking this way, but she couldn’t help it. Now, she had hope.

Maybe, just maybe, someone will love Juliet for who she is.

She knew wealth was a double-edged sword.

But it gave more options. She had come to Cliff for a break, and now she bore new possibilities.

There could be risks. But if she chose well?

Juliet is now… a child of House Hanger.

People would pay more attention. In Maine, it had taken years for people to notice Juliet was smart. In Cliff, thanks to the Hanger name, people might listen more carefully from the start.

She didn’t even have to choose someone from Cliff. Elouise thought of the diamond in her room. If she returned to Maine and took her time...

Perhaps Juliet could find someone kind.

Someone who would stay by Juliet’s side, even after Elouise was gone.

When they reached the front of the mansion, the carriage was already waiting. Marcus and Logan greeted them with smiles. Elouise returned the gesture.

It was a beautiful spring morning.

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