My New Love That Isn’t Fated - Episode 4

It was exactly six months after their marriage when Elad gave her the bouquet. On this day, Elad chose to stay with Lilia instead of returning to his room, spending the night with her until morning.

Held in Elad’s arms, Lilia felt both her heart racing and a sense of peace at the same time. For the first time, she felt as though they had truly become a married couple. Before this, their intimate moments had been one-sided, occurring only when Elad was drunk and in the mood. But today was different.

Lilia pressed her forehead against his chest, averting her gaze out of bashfulness. To be loved, it was a happiness she hadn’t known before.

She realized she could feel that she belonged here, in this moment.

Waking up with the morning sun as usual, Lilia spent some time gazing at Elad’s childlike sleeping face. Then, she quietly got up and headed to the kitchen to arrange the bouquet she had received the day before. As she placed each rose into the vase, a sharp pain pricked her finger. The thorn, still poorly handled, had cut into her skin.

A small hole appeared in the thin skin of her index finger, and a round, red drop of bl00d started to swell. It dripped into the kitchen sink.

Lilia placed a cloth on her finger and used a bandage from the medicine box to cover it. Once done, she arranged the roses neatly in the vase and placed them by the entrance.

“Lady Lilia, is something the matter with young master?” one of the servants asked.
“No, nothing in particular. He just gave me roses,” Lilia replied.
“Ah, the ones in the entrance! I thought it was unusual to see you arranging flowers. They look so beautiful.”

By nine o’clock, when the servants and maids started coming in, one of the maids who usually stayed close to Lilia opened her eyes wide in surprise and smiled happily. She had quickly noticed that Elad had spent the night in Lilia’s room. Although this was natural for a married couple, it was surprising to her, knowing the usual behavior of Elad.

“Young master must have finally noticed Lady Lilia’s devotion. It seems the Griez household has become much more open thanks to you,” the maid said.
“I hope that’s true… If anything happens, please let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Lilia responded.
“You should take it easy today, Lady Lilia. You arranged the roses yourself, didn’t you? You could have left them for us to do.”
“I like to stay active,” Lilia said with a smile.

It was a rare clear day, not a cloud in the sky. The servants were hanging the washed sheets outside. The fresh autumn air came through the open windows.

Elad left in the Early afternoon that day.

“I’m going to see a play with some friends. I heard there’s a famous songstress at the Royal Theater. They invited me, and I’ll be going with them. You should come along, too. I’ll take you with me some time,” Elad said.
“Thank you, Elad. Please be careful,” Lilia replied.
“I’ll be back by dinner.”
“Alright, I’ll prepare a warm meal and wait for you.”

It was the first time he told her where he was going and when he would be back. Lilia felt the cloudy sky in her heart lift completely. After seeing Elad off, she cheerfully went back inside and started making small fabric items with the others to sell at the weekend market.

When evening came and the servants left for home, Lilia began preparing dinner. The short summer had ended, and the air was growing cold at night. She could hear the sound of insects from the garden. This was Lilia’s favorite season, the time between summer and winter when the days grow shorter, and the nights grow longer.

She checked what food she had left and made clam chowder with root vegetables and freshly bought shrimp and shellfish. She also sliced bread, set the table with dishes, and prepared oil lamps. She waited for Elad to return, but he didn’t come back until near dawn.

“Lilia, I’m going out again today. Have you looked at the dresses? You can sell the old ones. We need money to have new ones made,” Elad said the next day.
“Elad, I don’t need dresses,” Lilia replied.
“…I knew you wouldn’t want them. You’re not interested in dressing up.”

This was what Elad said when he finally woke up the next day. He had returned home drunk the previous night, without even changing clothes, and the scent of a perfume Lilia didn’t recognize lingered on him. A bad feeling began to cloud Lilia’s heart.

After Elad had freshened up and left for the day, Lilia saw him off. A few days later, her bad feeling turned into certainty.

Elad had brought his friends to their home.

“Nice to meet you, Lady,” one of them said.
“Elad, do you only have a wife at home?”
“What about the servants? Is there something going on?”
“Why is your wife wearing such shabby clothes? Is she the one cooking? Don’t be ridiculous! She looks like a servant!”

The four young nobles Elad had brought were sons of noble families, each holding a title. Some were already married, while others were not. All of them had lower titles than Elad. The servants and maids were worried, saying that these kinds of people were drawn to the Griez family because of their wealth.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Lilia,” she introduced herself.
“You’re the daughter of the Earl of Tillys, right? I heard the Earl married a commoner, and ran off with a man,” one of them sneered.
“The Earl of Tillys married a commoner and now proudly walks with her in social circles. How shameless,” another added.
“It’s unimaginable for a noble to marry a commoner,” said another.

The men, all looking like handsome young nobles, were lounging on the sofa, their feet on the table, still wearing their shoes, laughing while letting out alcohol-laden breaths. They had clearly been drinking heavily. Lilia wanted to argue but held back her urge. She couldn’t let herself get angry over drunken jokes.

“Would you like something to eat?”
“No. Bring the wine and cigar case, Lilia. After that, you can rest in your room,” Elad ordered.
“Understood, Elad,” she replied, bowing before going to search for what he asked for.

As she walked away, she could hear the men’s laughter behind her.

“By the way, Louisa seems to be head over heels for you, Elad.”
“She’s completely infatuated.”
“She’s waiting for the day she’ll be taken in, I think.”

Louisa was the name of the famous songstress at the Royal Theater, who had recently become well known.

“…She’s my fate,” Elad murmured, his voice sweet and clear, and Lilia heard it clearly.