Violet's POV
"The young master, Killian Entrinia, made these crystal- like roses by himself."
The man in front of me stated.
"When he received the notice that you have accepted the offer of engagement, he insisted to his father that he will be the one to pick the present that will be given to you from his family. He spent the last three months shut in his greenhouse, growing these glass roses for you." He added.
"Ha? You can grow glass roses?"
I asked with a suspicious expression. No way something like a 'glass rose' exists. That's scientifically impossible, unless the man I'm about to marry is a witch- no, that's even more scientifically impossible.
"Huh?… No! Young master Entrinia made them. I'm so sorry for my choice of words... This is his only hobby, he sometimes makes glass flowers when he has nothing else to do, or when he needs something to cure his boredom. These were all made by the hands of young master Entrinia."
"I see."
Not so special then. I can still proceed with my plan of beating him up. I do feel sorry for this young master Entrinia though. He spent three whole months just making these things for me… I'll just punch him a little I guess.
Two more individuals emerged from the giant doorway behind us. It was my parents. My mother was still wearing that happy little expression while my dad… Well, I don't know what expression he's making, but I think he's a little happy… I think.
"Oh my! Such beautiful roses!"
My mother let out a gasp and covered her mouth as soon as she saw the roses. She continued to walk until she was standing right next to me.
"Young master Entrinia really knows how to make a woman feel special."
My mother nudged her elbow at my arm with a little wink.
Special my ass. It's possible that he didn't make these flowers, maybe he paid someone to do it. It's even more possible that he just bought these online and shoved them into the carriage.
"I don't have a place to keep the carriage in, maybe the young master would have a place for them in his hou-"
"You can put the carriage in the greenhouse. That place is spacious enough to fit the carriage."
Damn it! I was just thinking of a way to send the carriage back to the House of Entrinia before my father stopped my sentence midway. I guess the reason they followed us here is to make sure I don't send back the carriage.
I sent back all the presents I received from the ones who previously asked for my hand in engagement. My parents would become feverish over this, as usual. They would be successful in stopping me from sending the gifts back sometimes, but the gifts they forced me to keep all secretly get thrown into my trash bin. Not only did those gifts come from the men that I had the thought of burying alive, those gifts were also from the human beings who lack the most basic of all basic common sense! They lack respect for women!
"Those flowers will look stunning in the greenhouse house." My mother exclaimed in excitement.
Two more servants emerged from the doorway. They're probably here to guide the carriage into the greenhouse.
"I expect that you will take care of these delicate presents. I will inspect the glass roses myself every day to check if you really are taking care of them. There should not be a single speck of dust on the roses."
My father's cold tone reached my ears again. What? He wants me to wipe those roses by myself everyday? I just responded with a small "Yes".
It's not like I have a choice. If I don't follow their orders, I'll go homeless, but going homeless doesn't sound like a hard task for me to do…I have a side job after all.
I guess they're serious about getting me married to whoever this young master is.
I walked towards the coachman of the carriage who was busy talking with the servants on how or where they would place the carriage in the greenhouse.
"Hold on."
I said with a flick of my hand, signaling the coachman to stop. The servants and the coachman all looked at me with curious expressions. My parents behind me, Olivia, and whoever that thin man was, all of their expressions were unreadable. They all look like they're watching an unpredictable circus.
"Can I take some of the roses with me? I want to place it in my room."
"Sure! You can take as many as you want, young lady Amaryllis. Those roses are all for you in the first place."
Instead of hearing the coachman's answer, my ears took notice of the thin man's voice instead. I took his answer as a sign to take some roses.
The roses had different shades of violet. This was unexpected. There were lightly shaded glass roses, lighter than the shade of lavender. There were also roses deeply indulged in the color of violet compared to the others, these roses are quite similar to an amethyst gem. These can't be real amethysts right? Yes, I'm sure these aren't. They can't be real amethysts. I picked the three most deeply colored glass roses. I couldn't look inside the carriage anymore. The roses were all placed in the carriage compactly. I'm sure there were more of these roses inside the carriage, but there's no need to rummage the entire carriage just to see the roses inside.
"Alright, I'll take these three to my room."
I clutched the roses gently in my hand and walked back beside Olivia. The carriage's wheels started to roll on the ground again. With the horses' hooves making a clacking sound every time it hits the ground, the two servants accompanied the coachman towards the path to the greenhouse in a calm demeanor.
The thin man, along with my father, went back inside the house without a single word, they're going to discuss matters about our family business I guess. My mother stayed outside with me, along with Olivia of course.
"I'm so glad that you are getting along with our decision sweetie."
My mother approached me with a dreamy smile.
Getting along my ass. I'm just being forced to get along with your decision because I don't want to go homeless yet! You think I want to get married?!
"Do I look like I have a choice?"
I answered my mother with a dejected expression. Olivia just sighed beside me and pinched the bridge of her eyebrows. Sh*t, she looks like she's ready to give me a two hour lecture on the spot.
"Violet, I'm really sorry for agreeing with your father's decision," My mother started speaking.
"But if it keeps going like this, I'm afraid that you'll end up alone in this world if you don't find a fiancé soon. I was just trying to help you."
"I'm not going to have a better coffin even if I married the richest man there is…"
My head hung low as my mouth murmured those words. I always knew the actions of my parents were meant for my own betterment, especially my mother's actions. I always knew she was always helping me from behind whenever I got myself in trouble. But this time, I don't think it's me who she's trying to help.
"I know…"
My mother replied in an endearing manner. Her hand somehow managed to reach the top of my head and gave it a little soft pat, lightly caressing my hair. It was calming. A mother's touch really can penetrate through anything, even my hardheadedness is no match for it.
"But who knows… Maybe you'll actually end up liking the young master Entrinia! His appearance is quite dashing!"
My mother retracted her hand and nudged her elbow at me again.
"Haaa… And I thought you were here to support me."
Just when I was melting into my mother's gentle and warm touch, she had to open her mouth to say something outrageous.
"I am supporting you! When you fall in love with Killian, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll plan your wedding right away!"
She started to walk back inside the house while waving her hand.
"Not going to happen!"
I yelled back making her laugh while she was still walking. Her figure went deeper and deeper into the manor. A few servants and attendants bringing papers, teacups, and other miscellaneous things instantly approached her and walked alongside her as she walked in. She is now back to being busy.
I never had enough time to spend with my mother. Her schedule was always hectic, signing papers here and there, traveling from here to there. But despite her busy schedule, she still finds time to check on me. It may be on the most random hour of the day, but I wouldn't mind even if she decides to visit me in my room in the middle of the night. I can tell that she is working hard and spending effort in being the mother of this family. I'm glad that she's not being treated as a trophy wife by my father though. With a stubborn and obstinate daughter that gets into a fight with random mobsters on alleyways, and a cold-blooded husband who barely gives a glance at his own family, I'm surprised my mother hasn't given up on us yet. I'm thankful that she hasn't given up on us yet.
My father and I are also not that close. But unlike my mother who actually tries to see me from time to time, he flatly just doesn't. All he does is tell me what I'm supposed to do and what I'm not supposed to do. With my mother's crowded schedule and my father's unwillingness to see me, the three of us rarely see each other on the dining table.
"We should get back inside too, Ms. Violet."
Olivia humbly suggested. I think I'm about to receive that lecture now. I nodded and walked back inside the house too, now the front yard was empty. Only the running water of our fountain was the only thing left making a noise. The serene and calming sound of the rippling water reminded me again of how empty this household actually was.
I clutched the delicate roses in my hand again, just to feel that it was there. We ran into a couple of servants and attendants along the hallway who were busy cleaning their assigned areas or running around doing errands. We finally reached the hallway leading to my room.
Olivia slowly walked in front of me to open the door. The same scent and the same scene that I left before I went downstairs welcomed me. My room was still as it was, the book that I was reading earlier was still at the table, the tea that I was drinking was still there although it looked like it has gone cold now.
Olivia closed the door shut, making a clicking sound. As soon as she shut the door, silence enveloped the whole room.
I walked over to the small wooden table beside my bed and placed the glass roses in a transparent vase.
"..."
Olivia did not utter a single word. Instead, she began to clean up my room. It was not that messy, just a few books and bedsheets lying on the floor. I placed my hands on either side of the table, the delicate roses shaking slightly from the impact.
"... How much do you think is a nuclear bomb?"
"Sending a nuclear bomb to the young master Entrinia is not the answer."
I sat back down to my usual spot and heaved a heavy sigh. Just what am I supposed to do now? I can't let myself get married to someone I don't know! That's just like admitting defeat in a heated war!
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue in annoyance while sitting in an apathetic manner. What can I even do to stop this engagement- this marriage?! Olivia picked up a book from the floor and gave it to me. I was about to open the book again when my eyes landed on the cold cup of tea beside me.
"Can you ask someone to bring me a new cup of tea?"
I asked Olivia. I could hear her sigh despite her being a few steps away from me. Olivia walked out of the room with her shoes clicking against the floor while I stood up to get a new book to read. My interest in finishing that book dropped down to the bottom of the Earth.
I thoroughly checked every book that my bookshelf contained, but my mind was floating elsewhere. Up until now, I still have not gotten a single idea on how to stop this sh*tty engagement. I can't send a nuclear bomb flying straight at Entrinia's face and I'm sure that a nuclear bomb costs a lot. My index finger trailed the spines of the book as my eyes scanned the covers. Every single book that I have has fantasy as it's genre. There's not much content about romance in the majority of the books that I have read. The protagonist will work hard to achieve the love of the love interest, or sometimes the love interest will serve as a prize for the protagonist when he or she succeeds from their missions. It's predictable. I don't see how my favorite books will help me overcome this situation I'm in right now.
Not long after, Olivia came bursting the door again, much more gently this time. She was holding a tray containing a cup of tea and some tasty looking biscuits and cakes. Olivia then placed it on the table near my reading chair.
"Olivia…"
"Yes, Ms. Violet?"
"How many percent do you think that the young master Entrinia is not the one who initiated this sh*tty engagement offer to my parents?"
Olivia stayed quiet as I turned my body around to face her. A faint smile appeared on my face. She clearly knows something. Her movements and gestures is giving her away. I narrowed my eyes with a serious expression and after clearing her throat, she finally opened her mouth to answer.
"... A hundred percent."