Chapter 9 - Chapter 9

As days passed, Rosaria was still scared of her fiance and wanted to meet the man yet again, she was lost in thoughts thinking of that night that she forgot about her marriage.

"Huh?" she sighed in disbelief thinking of him wanting to meet him again

"Rosaria , sighing is not a proper response." said the Lord as he stared at her with disgust

Rosaria rolled her eyes after hearing the disdain and contempt in his voice. How could she not sigh? Lord Aaron did not hesitate to go ahead with the marriage when he found out that she had recovered enough to move.

Lord Aaron wanted to send Rosaria to the Duke as soon as possible. This way he can reduce the procedures he had to go through and save him a sum of money. He will also be able to get rid of the burden soon. He even planned on having the wedding ceremony held as soon as possible without any consideration for her physical wellbeing.

It was a relief that she could move her body again by this morning. Otherwise, it would've been impossible for her to attend the wedding ceremony that was held tomorrow.

Although she could move, her face was still ghastly pale, and her limbs wouldn't move the way she wanted them to move. Every time she tried moving her hand, she felt like she had a 100kg sandbag tied to her arm. Every step she took with her legs felt like tiny thorns were piercing her entire body. Her hair was sweeping in the floor .

Even though she was still unwell, Count Aaron was relentless. He didn't care whether she was sick or not because his main concern was with the wedding. He was engrossed in planning the wedding. As soon as Lord heard that Rosaria could move, he pushed his sick daughter in front of the dressing table.

He ordered the butler to call the maids to come to the lady's room and prepare her.

The maids applied thick powders to her cheeks. The Lord ordered the servants to do that to prevent her from looking like she was still sick.

When the servants were done applying makeup, Rosaria 's face was covered in thick power. They applied a bright red lipstick on her lips to make her look 'healthier'.

'My face looks a little strange.' she said as she felt unconfortable applying it

"Silence, do not dare speak,finish with the preparation" he ordered the maids

Once they were done with her makeup, Rosaria barely walked herself over to the drawing-room. She almost collapsed several times on her way here, but the maid standing next to her pretended like she didn't notice.

"Come in." answered the Duke

She knocked on the door and heard an icy voice from inside. Rosaria felt her shoulders shrink unwittingly.

Once he tried somehow to get attention from him. But after realizing that the look on Count Aaron's face changes when he sees her face compared to when the Lord sees her face was distinctly different, Rosaria stopped trying.

When she opened the door, the noble Lord's expression was slightly distorted.

"For someone that is getting married tomorrow, you don't look so good." said the Duke

The relentless click of the tongue made her ears uncomfortable. Although he was worried about the termination of the wedding ceremony, Rosaria 's remained silent

"Fortunately, the Duke is very tolerant, so you should know that there will be no problem with the schedule." said the lord

"Are you aware that I'm sick?" questioned Rosaria

"By the time the banquet ended, rumors already spread around like wildfire that you were carried away from the banquet by a man. Did you know how worried I was when I heard that rumor? I thought the Duke would cancel the wedding once he heard those rumors! Keep in mind that the Duke is meeting like this because he wants to proceed with

this wedding without a hitch." answered Lord Aaron

The Duke had never taken a step toward the Count's house, even though she was ill, so she had a vague idea of the Duke's character.

The Duke was probably someone who valued their schedule more than his fiancé. He was just like Lord Aaron. Rosaria saw a glimpse of her future looming.

Rosaria had thoughts of running away, but she was as weak as glass. Even if she managed to escape, there was nowhere for her to escape. Had it not been for the Lord 's talent in the first place, she might have died a violent death at an early age.

'She's the perfect child to abandon.' sneered the lord Aaron as he looked at her

She felt very uncomfortable when she remembered the sentence that the Lord Duke used to say like a habit. Tragically, Rosaria never thought of a way to refuse his remark.

She sat down in the parlor. There were always light refreshments prepared in advance for simple occasions. Rosaria picked up the warm tea and brought it to her mouth. Her pale cheeks turned slightly rosy from the warmth of the tea. She kept brushing her unkept hair.Suddenly, there was a knock at the door of the drawing-room.

Rosaria stiffened when she suddenly heard a knock at the door.

"Lord , Duke Eklostead has arrived." said the head maid

"Lead him here." answered the Lord

"Yes."

Her arm trembled as the footsteps outside the door disappeared.

Seeing the shaking teacup made the Lord Aaron's tongue click.

"Don't make any mistakes. If you miss out on this marriage, then it'll be hard to find someone else willing to marry you." warned The Count

"…Yes, sir." said Rosaria as she hid her tears

"Since you are unable to have children, I highly doubt there will be anyone else willing to take you in as their wife." scoffed the Lord

At the Lord Aaron's words, Rosaria 's head dropped bitterly. She was too weak, so having children was very dangerous for her.

Rosaria 's presence began to fade when she heard his words. She was a child who couldn't do anything right nor could she do anything to help her family. The feeling of uselessness dragged her mood into a bottomless pit.

"Lord Aaron" said the Duke of Eklostead

Rosaria heard a voice different from earlier.

"I'm the Duke of Eklostead." said the Duke

"Come in." said the count

Lord Aaron's annoyed expression quickly changed into a kind and benevolent one as he sprang from his seat to personally greet the Duke.

It was finally time for her to meet the rumored killer and her future husband. Rosaria curled up her lips as she hurriedly drank the tea to moisten her dry throat.

"Oh…?" Rosaria

gasped

"I didn't know you'd be so hospitable. It's an honor." said the Duke Eklostead

"What do you mean by that? We'll become much closer

once you marry my neice. After all, you'll soon become my nephew-in-law" laughed Lord Aaron

Rosaria opened her mouth blankly at the sight of the man who appeared before her. If she hadn't gone crazy, the person who greeted the count was the man she spent the night with.

"You!...." Rosaria gasped as she saw him. The Duke who finally showed his identity showed his finger as a sign to be quiet. He smiled at her and winked

'Why?' Rosaria said to herself as she never thought the man who she's marrying was her one night man she spent with.