The Person I Loved Hated Me - Chapter 13

Franz’s wedding. The town church was filled with the couple’s relatives and acquaintances.

The bride, Narsha, was twenty-six—five years older than the groom—tall, slender, and beautiful. The homemade bread she had given me recently was exquisite, so her cooking skills seemed impressive as well.

Clara, who had heard her seat would be next to Eivard’s, had dressed to the nines.

Avoiding the bride’s color, white, she wore a pale purple dress that matched her eyes, along with handmade earrings. She had deliberately chosen high-heeled shoes and put extra effort into her makeup to look more mature.

Since the knights she was meeting for the first time were staring at her, she thought she had done well.

But still…

“Why is Isaac sitting next to me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s my brother.”

“Mr. Franz said I would be next to Lord Eivard.”

“Eivard is Franz’s superior, so he has to be seated closer to the groom.”

According to the seating chart, just as she had been told earlier, Clara and Eivard were supposed to be next to each other. But Isaac had ignored that and made her sit next to him instead.

Eivard, being Franz’s superior, was seated in a place of honor. Isaac’s argument that it would be improper for Clara, a friend, to sit next to him made sense but it was still disappointing after she had gone to so much trouble to dress up. She was very frustrated, especially since she had wanted to celebrate with Franz and the others right beside Eivard.

After the ceremony, the party moved to a rented-out restaurant, where a huge feast began, with eating and drinking starting in broad daylight and continuing into the night. This was how commoners celebrated weddings—not just with invited guests, but even strangers who happened to drop by, all joining in to celebrate the couple’s new beginning throughout the night.

Franz and Narsha were surrounded by knights. Clara sat apart from them, at a table with the bride’s colleagues who worked at the castle.

They worked as lower-ranking staff at the castle, ranging in age from teenagers to women in their fifties. Surprisingly, all the women seated with Clara seemed to be married with husbands and children even the ones her own age.

“Even for lower-ranking work, appearance matters, so we tend to marry early.”

“I thought so. You all look lovely.”

“Even coming from you, Clara.”

Despite saying that, they were in high spirits, enjoying the food, drinks, and lively conversation.

They chattered about how Narsha, who was so beautiful, had remained unmarried simply because she had rejected men. But she had apparently fallen for Franz’s persistent advances. “We thought she’d stay single forever, so we were really surprised,” they exclaimed.

“I thought she might have been someone’s mistress, but I guess not,” one woman muttered as she sipped her drink sullenly. The woman next to her scolded her, saying, “Hey now!”

Clara tilted her head, puzzled, until the woman seated beside her whispered in her ear.

“Narsha’s beautiful, right? There were rumors she was a noble’s mistress, that she was someone’s lover.”

“A lover?”

“If she had been someone’s mistress, she might have gotten pregnant, right? And if the father was a noble, there could be issues with inheritance.”

Being a noble’s mistress. Even if she became a lover, a child born to a woman without status, who wasn’t the official wife, couldn’t inherit the noble’s title. But if there was no heir, things could be different.

Sometimes, the child would be taken in as an adopted heir, or if the official wife had given birth to a sickly child, they might cover it up and bring the hidden child into the spotlight.

“I see. So that’s how it works.”

“Pretty girls tend to get targeted. But Narsha met a wonderful husband, so it seems that wasn’t the case. You’re pretty too, so if you work at the castle, be careful.”

“I have my work as an engraver.”

“That purple earring, could it be…”

“Yes, I made it myself.”

“How lovely. Oh? I think the knight over there was wearing the same one.”

The woman beside her turned her head and looked toward Isaac, who was seated some distance away.

“The one he’s wearing, I made that too.”

Clara was impressed she had noticed.

“What!? Is he your boyfriend?”

“No. He’s my brother.”

“Oh, I see. You don’t look much alike.”

The woman cheerfully encouraged her to drink. It seemed she had taken a liking to Isaac. But she already had a husband and children. Clara thought she couldn’t introduce her to Isaac and took a sip to wet her dry throat.

As the night grew late, the women left to return to their waiting families, but the celebration showed no signs of ending.

After seeing them off and waving, Clara thought, “Maybe I should head home too.” Feeling the cool night breeze on her heated body, she turned around and reached for the door of the restaurant when she was suddenly addressed.

“Excuse me, miss. It seems very lively tonight, is the place full inside?”

Turning around, she saw a tall, blond young man with gentle green eyes standing there.

He seemed to be in his mid-twenties, maybe three or four years older than Isaac.

“It’s a wedding celebration. It’s full, but there are seats. Anyone can join.”

His clothes were commoner’s attire, but his posture made him look like a noble. This wasn’t the kind of place nobles usually visited, but she had heard that some high-born people preferred commoner taverns. Thinking he might not know commoner customs, she politely explained that although it was a wedding celebration, anyone was welcome.

“I see. Maybe I’ll take a look.”

“Please do. The bride and groom are the two in the back.”

When she opened the door, the noise spilled out.

“Should I go and congratulate those two first?”

“Yes, please do.”

When she looked up and answered, his gaze fell on Clara.

“Mr. Franz and Ms. Narsha.”

She told him the couple’s names, but the young man, looking down at her, widened his green eyes and froze.

“Is something wrong?”

“Those eyes. You’re… no, it’s nothing. Franz and Narsha, right?”

The young man gave a soft smile, but his gaze didn’t leave Clara.

“Would you wait here until I come back from seeing them?”

Maybe he was uneasy in an unfamiliar situation. She had been about to leave and felt hesitant, but she saw Isaac laughing loudly with his fellow knights and thought it would be rude to say she wanted to go home, so she agreed.

“Sure. I’ll sit over there.”

“Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

There were two empty seats at the counter nearest the exit, so she sat down to wait. Is this okay? she wondered, watching him anxiously as he made his way through the crowd to the couple. He took something out of his pocket and handed it to them. Franz stood up and seemed to be thanking him.

On his way back, she saw Eivard approaching him.

But the young man raised his hand slightly as if to stop him, and Eivard gave a small nod and halted. Then Eivard and Clara’s eyes met. Her heart jumped, but Eivard’s figure was soon hidden by the returning young man.