Chapter 185:
Okay
AGAIN AND AGAIN, Yulan asked Violette if she was okay, his
expression twisted in concern. When she nodded, he kindly relented, but his brow remained furrowed. Hoping to reassure the worrywart, she looked him in the eyes and smiled. After a long moment, he smiled back.
In the past, the word okay was a curse she repeated to herself, but this time she meant it. She couldn’t explain why she was feeling so calm. The tea he’d prepared for her was strong. By contrast, the memories in the back of her mind were old, faded, and unworthy of comment.
It’d been a long time since she last paid a visit to the Vahan estate, and it was identical to the way she remembered it. A few short months ago she detested the place, but from a distance, she could acknowledge its regal architecture. No surprise there, perhaps, since her mother had dictated every aspect of its construction. Yulan’s house was much different, she’d heard, but she’d never even glimpsed it, let alone set foot inside. She wouldn’t know.
“As soon as we finish the formalities, we’ll go straight to your room to fetch your things. I don’t intend to say too much, but just in case, I’ve sent Miss Marin inside ahead of us to start packing.”
“What…? Is that why she wasn’t there this morning?”
Marin hadn’t shown up the entire time she was getting ready. Violette had assumed her maid was doing some urgent shopping or other work assignment. She never imagined the woman had arrived at the Vahan estate ahead of them. The thought sent a brief chill through her chest. Yulan’s next words warmed her back up again.
“Yeah, I sent her with a few of my other staff, so don’t worry—she’s got plenty of burly men to help her out!”
There was nothing more terrifying to Violette than the concept of Marin entering the lion’s den all on her own. Yulan’s remark made it sound as though his male servants were there to do the heavy lifting. She could read between the lines enough to guess that they were chosen to serve as bodyguards as well.
“Thank you, Yulan.”
“It’s fine. I know this morning was probably a bit hectic for you without Miss Marin there… I should have let you know I’d be borrowing her.”
“Nothing to be done about it now. No one could have predicted that they’d dictate the date and time without your input.”
Yulan had originally planned to turn up to the meet and greet after Marin was finished erasing every trace of Violette from that cursed hovel. With Violette herself in attendance, they could cut the visit short with a single sentence: We’re engaged and she’s moving out. That was how Yulan had arranged Marin’s schedule—but then that walking personification of arrogance had the nerve to one-sidedly declare a time and date. When Yulan received the letter, he nearly popped a blood vessel. It was only thanks to Chesuit’s physical restraint that he didn’t show up on the man’s doorstep that very night.
“I’m so sorry about him ruining all your plans…”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Vio. If anything, he should apologize to us!”
It had indeed thrown a wrench into the schedule, but Yulan could look on the bright side: it saved him the hassle of arranging everything else around it. He’d anticipated a stunt like this. Violette had warned him that her father wouldn’t take their plans into consideration, and indeed, if the bastard had been capable of it, Yulan wouldn’t have needed to take this route in the first place. Expectation was only possible with some level of mutual respect. Given that this imbecile couldn’t be bothered to show up on time to the appointment he’d insisted on, Yulan added incompetence to the man’s long list of sins.
“Remember, you don’t have to say a word to them, even if they speak to you. If you start to feel uncomfortable, you can walk out at any time.”
“Hee hee! Thank you, but really, I’ll be okay.”
While Violette felt he was being far too protective, she was grateful that he was willing to compromise enough to let her tag along. Auld was the kind of father who had hit his daughter, driven her out of the house, and hadn’t bothered to search for her. She was fine for now. Once he was right in front of her, though…things could change. That was likely what concerned Yulan the most.
Likewise, Violette struggled to explain why she felt so at peace, but she was. Sincerely and utterly okay—even after the man in question walked into the room without so much as a knock.