TDWO Chapter 42

Ha. Unbelievable.

“Who are you?” Edwin gritted his teeth slightly.

His usually emotionless eyes now showed a hint of menace.

He had been watching the woman in men’s clothing since she forced her way into the seat next to him. As expected, something was off.

Even as the partners kept changing, Edwin never took his eyes off Anri.

Seeing the woman dressed as the Duke of Evans speaking with Anri, he couldn’t help but feel wary.

He couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but Anri was all smiles, giving the man warm, cheerful glances.

It seemed being kind and friendly to everyone was just part of Anri’s nature.

But why were they getting so close to each other?

‘…?’

People dancing to the music around them began to glance toward Edwin and Evans.

What was going on?

Fortunately, the dancing didn’t stop.

Edwin had grabbed Evans’ lapel and was now part of the dance procession, moving in time with the music.

Anri, who had been startled, quickly joined in as well.

Edwin’s eyes blazed as he glared at the Duke of Evans.

As Edwin drew closer, Anri whispered urgently, “Your Grace, what’s going on?”

Why on earth was the groom grabbing a guest by the collar?

Hearing Anri’s small voice, Edwin responded without even looking at her.

“You don’t need to worry, madam.”

What?

A bewildered Anri looked anxiously at Edwin and Evans. Despite the situation, she had to follow the prescribed dance movements to avoid disrupting the other guests.

Evans, still being held by the collar, nodded politely toward Anri and the other guests.

“I’m fine.”

He didn’t ‘look’ fine!

As Anri drew closer to Edwin again, she hastily whispered, “Let go of him!”

“Do you know this person?”

“Well, not really…”

But before she could explain, Anri had to smile and take the hand of her next partner.

“…Anri, my dear.”

Upon recognizing the familiar voice, she froze.

“Dad?”

Anri jumped in surprise. She hadn’t expected her father to suddenly appear on the dance floor.

Morris’s eyes glistened with emotion.

“Ah…”

For a moment, Anri was lost for words.

Until now, the Grand Duchess, Catherine, and Morris had been busy mingling with other guests.

Since Anri had been busy greeting noblewomen her age, she hadn’t had a chance to pay attention to her father.

The Grand Duchess was consumed with the never-ending parade of influential guests.

Catherine was bustling around, playing the role of Edwin’s mother-in-law.

Morris, too, had been deep in important discussions with his own guests.

Yet Morris couldn’t stop thinking about Anri. Her bright smile, so radiant even from afar, was heartbreaking for him. He couldn’t smile back. He was already filled with sorrow at the thought of letting her go.

Regret over not spending more time with her gnawed at him. Distracted during conversations, he kept casting longing glances toward Anri.

Finally, seizing a moment, he appeared before her.

Anri drifted away from Edwin as if swept by a wave, now alongside her father. As they had a deep rift in their relationship, it was time for them to have a moment to clear the air. Perhaps now was the right time.

As Anri moved away, the music changed.

Edwin’s grip on Evans’ collar tightened even more.

“Quite the way to treat a guest.”

Despite being grabbed by the collar, Erze’s expression remained calm, with no sign of distress. He maintained his stern expression, as he had practiced, in his distinctive manner.

The other guests, while noticing the confrontation, chose not to intervene. Edwin’s demeanor suggested he wanted to handle it discreetly.

Meanwhile, those farther from the scene were completely unaware that anything unusual was happening.

The music grew more lively and upbeat.

“So, you think I’m mistreating a guest? What kind of guest flirts with the bride?” Edwin sneered coldly.

The fact that this person kept positioning themselves in Anri’s line of sight and striking up conversation made their intentions clear. Anri seemed to have become some sort of target.

Now that she had married into the renowned Briston duchy, it wasn’t just butterflies and moths flocking around her, but all sorts of pests as well. Anri, previously unknown in high society, was now attracting the attention of gossip mongers and swindlers alike.

Edwin’s gaze was sharp as a knife, but Erze didn’t cower.

In fact, she found it even more exciting.

“So, the groom is the type to meddle when the bride makes new friends?”

“Friends?” Edwin let out a short, incredulous laugh.

Even amid the tense exchange, Edwin glided smoothly across the floor, weaving through the dancers without collision. From a distance, it might have appeared that the two were just partners in a dance, their faces close enough to almost touch.

“I’m careful about the friends I make, especially those whose identities are unclear. You said your name was Duke Evans? Did you come from across the sea?”

“…”

Erze flinched. It was clear that Edwin knew there was no Duke Evans in the kingdom.

“You don’t know everything, do you?”

The cross-dressed woman’s retort seemed laughable to Edwin. After all, he hadn’t even invited anyone by the name of Duke Evans.

The cross-dressing woman was clearly posing as someone else and deceiving everyone about her identity, even going so far as to disguise her gender.

In a sudden move, Edwin yanked the woman by her collar, his voice a harsh whisper in her ear.

“Leave quietly while you still can.”

He then released the collar with a shove and added a final threat.

“If you come near my wife again, I’ll pull every last hair from that ridiculous beard of yours.”

‘…That bastard!’

In the midst of the bustling crowd, Edwin turned away, but Erze was not only incredulous but also infuriated.

‘How dare he treat me like this? He’ll pay for this.’

Fuming with anger, Erze glared at Edwin’s retreating figure.

* * *

“……”

It had been a long time since Anri had danced with her father, not since she was a child. Holding hands felt awkward and distant.

Yet, no matter how much she resented and blamed him, he was still her biological father. The only family she had. And today was a joyous occasion.

Anri managed a small smile for Morris.

“Have you had a chance to talk much with your friends?”

“Oh, yes, indeed. They were quite envious. How many fathers have a daughter as beautiful as you? Hahaha!”

“…Ahaha.”

Anri forced a smile and awkwardly joined in the conversation.

Her marriage wasn’t for her father’s benefit, but seeing him admired by his friends, while still somewhat indifferent, was satisfying in its own way.

“Anri, you’re even more beautiful than Charlotte was when she was young. I almost didn’t recognize you as my daughter. I wonder how happy your mother would be if she could see you from heaven.”

Morris’s eyes were misty as he gazed intently at Anri.

He had heard countless times that his daughter’s new status as a duchess would bolster his political standing.

But now that Anri wouldn’t be by his side, what use were those prospects?

He felt as though his duty to protect Anri had been taken away by his son-in-law.

Morris felt his life as if it had been in vain, and he was left feeling empty, like someone who had lost their purpose.

Anri no longer needed her father.

“I didn’t know you were still thinking about mother.”

The smile vanished from Anri’s face.

Her father seemed embarrassed.

She was upset and angry that he had allowed another woman to take her mother’s place.

If he hadn’t forgotten her mother, he wouldn’t have remarried.

Did he really have the right to speak of her?

“I’m worried about whether mother is watching us.”

She added, seizing the moment to voice long-held feelings that had festered inside her.

“The place of mother is gone. I hope she doesn’t find out, even in heaven. If she does, she would surely be heartbroken.”

“Oh, Anri…”

Morris could only mutter, unsure of what to say.

“Then, have a good time, Father.”

Just as the music ended, Anri took a step back and bowed, signaling the end of their conversation.

She intended to leave before the next song began.

“A, Anri…”

Her father’s voice called out behind her, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn around.

She wasn’t feeling devastated, but an unavoidable sense of sadness had crept in.

She wanted to understand her father, yet at the same time, she didn’t want to, and she wanted to smile at him but intentionally refrained from doing so. Her emotions were complex.

* * *

“Ugh, I feel like I’m going to faint.”

The reception had finally ended.

All the guests had left in their carriages.

Anri collapsed onto the bed.

She felt utterly exhausted, wishing she could fall into a deep sleep right there.

She had met and conversed with so many people in just one day.

It was the first time she had experienced so many guests gathering under one roof.

Now that she was alone in her room without her dress, the reality of the wedding being over had truly sunk in.

Even though it wasn’t a real wedding, it felt like one of the most significant events of her life had passed.

The grand entrance of the bride under everyone’s gaze, the guests offering blessings wherever she went, and the many dances with various partners…

Women continuously approached Anri to build a connection with the new Duchess, while men persistently asked her to dance.

It had been a long, exhausting day, but it passed in a whirlwind of enjoyment.

As Anri exhaled deeply, she was struck by a sudden thought and moved towards the framed photo on her vanity.

The picture showed a bright smile from her three-person family.

The mother painted by Eunice seemed to be smiling at Anri.

Unconsciously, Anri returned the smile, though it was tinged with sadness.

‘Did Mother really watch me today, just as Father said?’

The person who would have been the happiest to know Anri had become a Duchess would have been her mother, Charlotte.

And her mother would have given her numerous pieces of advice.

…After all, her mother had been the daughter of a Duke.

Yet, when her mother decided to marry her father, who was merely a baron, she severed ties with her own family.

Only her grandmother, who had passed away now, would visit occasionally.

Her father had cut off all connections with his own family for the sake of this marriage.

Reflecting on this only deepened her mixed feelings of affection and resentment towards her father and hatred towards her stepmother.

“……”

Anri covered her eyes with both hands.

Just thinking about her mother caused tears to flow uncontrollably.

With the wedding over, it was almost as if she had completely left the Wentworth family.

Her father had already returned to the Wentworth estate with Catherine and her sisters.

Even the farewell had been lost in the chaos and passed in the blink of an eye.

Though she had achieved the independence she so longed for and was now entirely alone, the feeling was oddly hollow.

She was alone, and it felt disturbingly complete.

A strange sense of loneliness and desolation.

In the end, Anri pulled the blanket up to her head.

Even though she wiped her tears with the sleeve of her nightwear, they did not stop.