Chapter 9

In recent years, the once-decrepit Carington Manor had completely regained its vitality. The chef’s cooking was superb.

In the newly organized, bright, and clean dining room, Fiona savored a delicious breakfast.

Her mother, Melissa, rarely woke up at this hour, but today she was in a good mood and spoke to Fiona. She was a moody person.

“With the room tidied up without my permission, I can’t find anything,” she grumbled, yet she was satisfied with the clean and polished manor and looked forward to the meals.

When she was in a bad mood, she would repeatedly say, “It’s because of you that Eides doesn’t come.”

Since Melissa often complained, Fiona brushed it off as the chirping of birds.

Then, her father George returned from the estate. He was in a bad mood.

“Just when I finally returned to the capital, you come back and I can’t invite Milea to the house.”

Milea was George’s mistress. She seemed to be holding back due to the many servants in the Roseblade household. Melissa’s good mood was partly because of this.

A week had passed since Fiona returned to her parents' home.

On the day the Roseblade manor’s garden was in a terrible state, Fiona spent the entire day in her room with the curtains drawn.

Since the morning, Aloys had not come, but around noon, flowers arrived at Fiona’s room. The card read a brief apology in his own handwriting, saying he was sorry for the inconvenience. She was delighted by this simple gesture.

Fiona had never received flowers from Aloys before. Their engagement and marriage had progressed so quickly that they didn’t have a proper engagement period.

Moreover, it was the first time she had received flowers from a man. During the engagement period, he had sent her jewelry and dresses, which made her feel more nervous than happy.

The beautiful, fragrant bouquet calmed her heart. Then, she decided to respect Aloys’s feelings. With her troubled mind cleared, she quietly started embroidering.

The next morning, while having breakfast in her room, Chester informed her that Aloys had instructed her to return to her parents' home.

Fiona dropped her fork with a clatter.

“Am I being divorced...?”

Aria and even Chester, who was usually calm, panicked.

“No, my lady, it’s only until the manor is cleaned up.”

“That’s right, my lady. Didn’t you just receive flowers from your husband yesterday?”

The two of them tried to reassure the shocked Fiona.

“Sir Aloys is not the type to change his mind easily.”

Chester’s words calmed Fiona a bit. For some reason, his words sank deeply into her heart.

Unconsciously, Fiona’s impression of Aloys had changed from a detached and vague person to someone with a gentle exterior but a stubborn nature.

Now, Fiona was living a leisurely life at her parents' home. She noticed that the number of servants sent from the Roseblade household increased day by day, and the servants’ quarters at the Carington household were full.

When the butler, Chester, came to check on her every other day, she asked him, worried about the manor.

“Isn’t the Roseblade household in trouble? With so many servants here, is everything alright there?”

“It’s fine, my lady.”

He didn’t say more, but as a professional, his assurance was reassuring.

“By the way, is Sir Aloys well?”

She wanted to know how he was really doing, but they had an agreement not to pry. Feeling frustrated, Fiona asked, and Chester smiled.

“He is very well. The flowers sent to you are chosen by him each time.”

Aloys sent her a bouquet with a card every other day.

The messages were brief, like “Are you well?” or “Do you need anything?” but she was happy to know he cared.

Fiona also wrote a few lines about her day each time Chester came and gave him a card for Aloys. It felt like pen pal correspondence, which was exciting.

Then, three days ago, she accidentally wrote that she missed the soft bed at the duke’s residence. The next day, a company came to the Carington household and placed a top-tier bed in Fiona’s room.

However, her room was small, and now most of the space was taken up by the luxurious bed. She felt more apologetic than happy. She hadn’t intended to request such a grand item; she just wanted to express her desire to return.

Fiona’s current joy was admiring the flowers sent by Aloys and reading the cards written in his elegant handwriting. Strangely, she felt his presence much closer than before.

She resumed her studies, and the tutor came almost every day. Fiona still felt inadequate, so she studied more seriously than ever.

Claude and Zachariah visited twice. Initially, Melissa made a sour face when she learned about their titles, but she seemed to like Claude a lot and joined them for tea enthusiastically the second time. Melissa was very approachable on such occasions, which was a relief.

Fiona’s days were fulfilling. The only change was the manor; her life surrounded by mostly the same people was more comfortable than she had expected.

Of course, with her husband away, Fiona’s life was not lacking in anything.

Still, at night, when she turned off the lights, she would sometimes drift into thought. Would the squirrels and birds return to the garden that had been brutally destroyed?

Would she be able to enjoy a leisurely meal again in the sunny dining room? When would she see Aloys next? Fiona thought of the Roseblade manor and fell asleep.