Chapter 6

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That morning, when the children of General Hugo Serendia of Fortelia awoke, the mansion was enveloped in a completely different atmosphere.

Not only had their father, the General, returned home after a long absence, but the servants were also bustling about visibly. Floriana, the General's daughter, felt uneasy about the hectic atmosphere and, while the servant served her omelet for breakfast, the servant, with a tired expression, explained the situation.

"Marriage? Father's?"

"Yes. The second wife we mentioned before is arriving today."

"Really, today?"

"Last night, the master returned late and said so."

Her brother Harry also stiffened in surprise. This meant that the servants had only learned of it a few hours ago.

That explained the commotion. No wonder they hadn't been woken up at their usual time.

"So, I'm sorry. Everyone will be busy with that today, so we won't be able to take care of you, Master Harry and Miss Floriana..."

"Understood. I'm done here."

"Excuse me."

The servant, who had set the plates down with an unusual clatter, bowed apologetically and left the room. The way they hurried off showed just how busy they were.

"Brother..."

"..."

Without a word, Harry started eating, and Floriana, feeling dejected, picked up her cutlery. Breakfast that morning, with the news of their father's second marriage, was even more tasteless than usual.

She had heard the story before.

The new wife was a concubine brought in for political necessity.

In other words, a second wife taken out of duty, with no prior meeting. A perfect political marriage.

The first marriage was also a marriage of convenience, where a wealthy merchant, seeing Hugo's potential for advancement in the military, had forcibly pushed his daughter onto Hugo with a large dowry.

Hugo, who was not averse to women but found romantic entanglements troublesome, had been pressured by his surroundings and was blessed with a son and a daughter, but he had no real interest in his family or wife.

No affection had ever grown between him and his wife, Julia, and he had devoted himself entirely to his military duties.

About ten years after the first marriage, Hugo was promoted to General after a recent political upheaval.

While he had the capability, there were those who were unhappy with him, who had been at the bottom of the nobility, taking a higher position.

To solidify the still unstable political foundation, he was ordered to marry into a prestigious old family.

It seemed that Hugo felt the mansion in the capital had been forced upon him, as he left everything to his wife and stayed at the military barracks, rarely returning home.

The servants had heard that a marriage was planned, but they hadn't expected it to happen today.

The ceremony would be a simple one, held in a room within the mansion with only the relevant parties and witnesses present, with no church service or reception. Still, some minimal preparations were necessary.

Thus, the mansion was in a flurry of activity, with cleaning and preparations underway.

In contrast to the commotion inside the mansion, Harry and Floriana were at a loss for what to do.

Usually, this would be the time they received lessons from their tutor, but the classes had been abruptly canceled.

As minors, they were not to attend the wedding, nor were they to meet the new wife, so there was nothing for them to prepare.

Even in their rooms, the sound of servants rushing about on the other side of the door made it hard to settle. The nervous atmosphere made it difficult to stay inside, so as the new wife was about to arrive, the two decided to go out into the garden.

It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky and a refreshing breeze. However, the garden of the General's house was designed primarily for security, lacking in charm. The only flowers were in the tea house and greenhouse used by the lady of the house, which were off-limits to children.

The garden, which was only used by Harry for sword practice, was rather dull. Still, it was better than aimlessly wandering around the mansion.

Next to Harry, who was throwing pebbles into the water channel for flood prevention, Floriana whispered anxiously.

"Brother, what do you think she'll be like?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

Harry replied curtly to Floriana, whose speech was still a bit childish.

Their mother, whom they rarely saw, and their father, who was almost never home, were the only adults they knew closely, but they had no real relationship with them.

There was no reason to expect anything from the woman arriving today, given their past.

"…I hope she's not like Miss Reed."

Floriana, gripping her skirt tightly, mentioned the name of their tutor.

Miss Reed, chosen by their mother Julia, was competent but moody, and her treatment of Floriana, who was being groomed for the royal court, was particularly harsh.

"Whoever it is, it'll be the same."

"That's not good..."

Floriana looked up, her shoulders slumped, toward the window of the guest room. The thin curtain seemed to flutter, but it was hard to tell due to the reflected light.