Violet Zerotta's Hasty Marriage - Chapter 2
After the wedding ceremony ended, her father received the rest of the dowry from the man and left without so much as a backward glance.
Violet felt too drained to even be disappointed anymore.
She hadn’t expected a grand banquet. She hadn’t wished for a beautiful veil, fragrant flowers, or anything else.
But never had she imagined that her father would leave her behind in this unfamiliar place and simply walk away. She had at least thought he would stay for a day.
Watching her father’s hurried departure without even a farewell, Violet stood in stunned silence.
He wasn’t just Baron Zerotta—he was her own flesh-and-blood father.
No matter how poor or ill-mannered a commoner might be, they wouldn’t rush through a marriage in this manner. Violet felt as though she had been sold off like a slave for a handful of coins.
Then again, what had she expected?
He was a gambling addict obsessed with money, the very man responsible for ruining her life.
Perhaps she should be relieved to be free from him at all.
Once he was gone, only Violet and the man she had met for the first time today remained in front of the temple.
He carefully tucked away their freshly signed marriage certificate, the ink likely not even dry yet. Seeing this filled Violet with an odd feeling.
Should she just snatch it and tear it apart? Would that nullify the marriage?
A futile thought.
The groom, oblivious to Violet’s turmoil, strode off toward somewhere—only to return after a fellow knight, who had been waiting at a distance, discreetly reminded him of something.
His attitude suggested he had completely forgotten about her.
“Take my hand. We need to go to my house first.”
Violet looked at the hand he suddenly extended toward her.
She had no intention of acting like a haughty noble lady in this situation.
Still, as much as she tried to suppress it, some remnant of her noble pride recoiled at his tone.
Did he just speak informally to her?
Even serfs in the Illo Kingdom addressed their spouses with proper respect.
She knew he was a low-ranking knight of common birth, but no matter how uneducated he was, how could he speak so rudely to the woman he had just married?
The slight guilt she had felt earlier over the ring incident vanished instantly.
Of course, the true culprit in all this was Baron Zerotta, who had sold her off like this, but Violet’s anger now found a new target—the man standing right in front of her.
But her anger faded as quickly as it had flared. What was the point?
She had nowhere else to go now.
If she didn’t want to spend the night in this small temple halfway up a mountain, she had no choice but to follow this stranger… who was now her husband.
Still, he was truly inconsiderate toward women. Violet had to practically run to keep up with his long strides.
Eventually, he lifted her onto the horse he had ridden there. His fellow knight merely told him not to be late for the departure ceremony before disappearing.
Violet assumed he would lead the horse while she rode.
So when he mounted behind her as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she let out an involuntary scream.
“If you yell like that, you’ll startle the horse.”
His voice carried mild irritation.
“Why are you getting on behind me? This isn’t even a two-person saddle. Can’t you just lead the horse?”
Perhaps his constant use of informal speech was starting to get to her, because she snapped at him without thinking.
When he looked slightly taken aback, Violet felt an odd sense of satisfaction.
“I’m not doing that. Besides, if we travel that way, we won’t reach home until the middle of the night.”
Not wanting to continue the conversation, Violet shut her mouth.
Once she fell silent, the man urged the horse forward.
Sharing a narrow saddle with a stranger, their bodies pressed together, was utterly miserable.
And as the horse picked up speed, Violet, unskilled in riding, found her upper body swaying precariously.
Seeing this, the man wordlessly gathered the reins in one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist.
Of course, Violet protested and struggled, but his arm didn’t budge in the slightest.
“Stop that. You’ll fall off.”
His tone was that of an older brother scolding a childish younger sister.
Realizing she was wasting her energy, Violet eventually gave up and let her body go limp. She no longer had the strength to resist.
At the very least, the warmth radiating from the man’s body against her back kept her from feeling cold.
They rode along the mountain path for a long time. It was only after considerable time had passed that they finally arrived at their destination.
“This is your ‘house’?”
A wooden residence that was too large to be called a hut, yet not quite grand enough to be considered a mansion.
It was only slightly larger and in slightly better condition than the run-down estate of Baron Zerotta, where Violet had lived.
Then again, the Zerotta family had been utterly ruined for generations.
But what about this man? Did he have no family living with him? No parents? No servants or household staff?
There were too many questions she wanted to ask, but the man was anything but friendly.
With those long strides of his, he entered the house without so much as a glance in her direction, leaving Violet standing outside.
Not even a shred of kindness or consideration for his new bride.
Violet felt a deep sense of dread settle over her.
Should she run away? But where?
This house seemed to be in a secluded location, far from other homes.
Gripping the fabric of her skirt in frustration, Violet hesitated.
Even though she was legally an adult, she had only just turned twenty.
She didn’t have the courage to wander off with nowhere to go.
And more importantly… she had no money.
What should she do?
There was no other choice.
With the feeling of stepping into a tiger’s den, Violet forced herself to step inside the shabby wooden house.
