CBH 05

Chapter 05…

After much deliberation, Helena decided to accept the Empress’s proposal.

It wasn’t that she had been swayed by the rewards the Empress offered. Rather, it was the words that followed that truly enticed her:

This was her chance to live as herself.

She had met countless people and had her fair share of romantic experiences.

Yet, among all of them, there had not been a single man she genuinely wished to marry.

There were plenty she couldn’t imagine living with—but none she truly desired.

Even if the Emperor, in his “generous” way, decided she should spend a short time at the monastery to reflect and then return to the capital, the situation wouldn’t change.

Chasing away undesirable men could only be done so many times. Sooner or later, she would inevitably have to marry someone.

But what if I had my own territory?

If she acquired a title and a fief, marriage would become a choice rather than a requirement.

Moreover, even if it was for the sake of achieving a goal, by then Helena would have been married at least once.

Perhaps she could finally be free from the shackles of marriage forever.

And, as an added bonus, there was the relieved expression on the faces of the Winston couple.

The Count of Winston spoke with a face of relief:

“Helena, I’m so glad. I thought I would never see you in a white dress in my lifetime.”

The Countess of Winston also had tears of joy glistening in her eyes.

“It’s such a relief. Even if the Empress paired you with someone completely odd, we couldn’t complain. But a Count! And I hear he’s quite handsome, too.”

The Countess subtly gave a thumbs-up and whispered,

“You’re really lighting up, aren’t you?”

Helena whispered back,

“I’m lighting up in other ways too.”

Amid their mother-daughter chatter, the Count of Winston gave a loud, exaggerated cough:

“Ah-hem! Khhh-hem! Khhh-hem!”

Officially, Helena’s marriage was presented as the Empress arranging a suitable match for a young lady favored by the imperial court.

Meanwhile, rumors spread among those aware of the potential scandal between Crown Prince Rufus and Helena: the Empress was sending Helena, an obstacle to a political marriage, far to the south beyond the Forest of Beasts.

But the only ones who knew the truth were Helena herself…

Only the Empress and I know the real purpose of this marriage.

Once Helena made her decision, her marriage proceeded smoothly and quickly.

Her husband-to-be was Count Ishpern.

He was the administrator of the vast southern territory of Burwood and reputed to be one of the five greatest knights in the Empire.

The funny thing was that he had accepted the marriage proposal without hesitation.

To Helena, who had already been briefed about Count Ishpern by the Empress, the speed of his acceptance was almost suspicious.

They said he was as wary as a small bird and as fierce as a wild beast… refusing to trust anyone or keep anyone close… and yet he wanted to marry?

Not only that, but he was so impulsive that he sent a letter stating not only that he accepted the proposal but also that he would personally visit the capital soon to bring his bride, even setting a date all on his own.

He didn’t act like a man accepting a marriage proposal; he resembled a debt collector demanding long-overdue payment.

Helena herself didn’t truly desire marriage with him, but this was a bit too much.

“Father, let me see the letter!”

She emptied the envelope to check its contents—but it was empty.

“How can this be? Doesn’t he have even a shred of curiosity about me?”

She couldn’t believe it. Helena held the letter up to the light, even tapping the corners to see if two pages had somehow stuck together.

But it was indeed only a single page.

Seeing her struggle, the Count of Winston spoke kindly:

“Helena, you are used to the active social life of the capital, but it is common to marry without knowing much about one another.”

The Countess added,

“And isn’t it better to marry with some expectations rather than refusing after learning everything about the other person?”

Helena placed her hands on her hips and exclaimed loudly:

“Stepmother, how can you say that? You should say he’ll want to marry me even more after getting to know me! Truly, you are a stepmother…”

The Countess exhaled a sigh instead of blowing out her nose in irritation.

“Your dizzy, endless chatter won’t trouble me much longer.”

“That makes you sad, doesn’t it?”

“It’s more like I am indescribably happy. Ah, the Winston household is finally going to quiet down.”

“Truly, a stepmother indeed…”

And so, the engagement of the troublesome young lady of the Winston family with the mysterious southern Count was officially arranged.

2. Marriage

Helena Winston’s marriage stirred the capital’s social circles in more ways than one.

The Empress, who had arranged the engagement, seemed to hope that this hastily arranged marriage would end successfully.

She even provided the Winston family with an enormous dowry under the pretext of a wedding gift, claiming she wished for Helena’s married life to be a happy one.

Combined with the dowry the Winston family had originally prepared, Helena’s dowry became a staggering sum—one that would make anyone’s eyes widen in disbelief.

Gossips added a little exaggeration and murmured that this amount was nearly equivalent to the dowry of a princess of a small country.

The Byard Duke family seemed satisfied with how matters had been resolved.

No matter the true circumstances, from the outside, it looked as if the Empress had personally intervened to exile a bride linked to unpleasant rumors with the Crown Prince, thereby preserving the duke family’s honor.

Above all, the greatest achievement was that the Crown Prince, who had been unable to settle his feelings until now, had been so shocked by the news of Helena’s marriage that he accepted his marriage to Adela.

People praised Empress Clarissa for wisely resolving the royal family’s matters, hailing her wisdom, and everything seemed to be ending beautifully.

With the situation unfolding this way, the only ones left feeling wronged were Helena’s followers who had cowardly fled.

In particular, a few men who had once longed desperately for her found themselves labeled as “cowards who lost their chance” and had their pride wounded.

Thus, shaking the social circles of the capital in every possible way, Helena Winston’s wedding drew closer day by day.

“Don’t get married.”

Helena looked at the person who had said this and whispered sweetly.

“My goodness, you’re the only one telling me not to get married. Little Henry.”

“Please, sister! Don’t get married!”

From the day he realized that Helena would leave far away if she married, little Henry had been doing everything he could to hold her back.

“Don’t get married!”

Henry cried out miserably, clinging to Helena’s skirt.

Helena molded his soft cheeks between her hands like dough and asked,

“Little Henry, even though I’ve always been a pain to you, do you still like me?”

“Henry likes Helena the best!”

“Which part do you like? Be specific.”

“Huh? Sp… specific?”

“Well, for example, when I put you on my belly and floated you in the pond. You peed and cried, but secretly enjoyed it?”

At Helena’s words, Henry’s porcelain-doll-like face darkened.

“H-He didn’t pee!”

“Yes, you did. Hehehe!”

Helena laughed exaggeratedly. Henry’s plump, cherry-like lips twitched, ready to quiver and cry.

“Henry… is not a pee-er…”

“What if Penny finds out? She’ll say she won’t marry Henry.”

“Aaah! No! No!”

Henry waved his hands in panic.

Helena, looking at him, crossed her arms and said arrogantly,

“Then Henry, what did I teach you to do at times like this?”

Henry tightly closed his teary eyes. Holding his tiny hands together desperately, he pushed out his chubby cheeks toward Helena.

Helena bit his cheeks lightly.

“Waaah! Waaah!”

“Ah, Henry, it tastes good.”

“Nooo! Waaah! Don’t eat Henry!”

In the end, little Henry ran off crying bitterly again that day.

Eliza, watching the scene while reading a book, spoke up.

“Sister, please be kinder to Henry. You won’t see him for a while.”

Helena approached Eliza.

“What book are you reading?”

Eliza silently lifted the cover and showed her the title.

“On Problems Arising from the Right of Withdrawal in the History of Trade…? You still like difficult books, huh?”

“The title seems complicated, but it’s not really difficult. I’ve recently become interested in trade funds.”

Helena smoothed the stray hair on Eliza’s round forehead and said,

“How did such a smart child come from father and mother? Eliza, you’re the pride of the Winston family.”

At Helena’s words, Eliza pursed her lips in embarrassment.

“No, I’m not. Girls reading books like this don’t help much. We can’t manage anything… anyway, it’s the men who lead the family…”

Eliza confessed hesitantly.