To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 115

“Marissa? Wasn’t it always Daphne who sent the letters?”

“Exactly. Marissa only ever added a line or two on Daphne’s behalf.”

“Huh? Now that you mention it, it’s been a while since we heard from Daphne.”

“She’s far away. And why are you so interested in the letters I get, Cliff?”

“I’m your friend. Don’t be so cold. I’m just curious, that’s all.”

Graham used to exchange letters frequently with Daphne. But with Marissa, it was just one letter a year usually a holiday greeting at the end of the year.

So when Marissa’s letter arrived in early spring, Graham was puzzled but assumed it was just a friendly hello and opened the seal. However, the contents of the letter shocked him so much that he lost grip of the paper.

Thud.

“Graham? Hey! What’s wrong?”

Cliff picked up the dropped letter. The letter revealed that Daphne had fled her hometown while pregnant.

Marissa and Graham had ended their short six-month engagement and had officially become husband and wife just yesterday. Graham’s mother, Olivia, held Marissa’s hand tightly, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Marissa, thank you for becoming part of our family.”

“Please, you don’t have to thank me.”

“You’re such a good girl. Graham is who he is today because of you.”

“It’s the result of Graham’s efforts.”

“No, it’s because of what Daphne did that he got hurt And then soon after, his father passed away. If you hadn’t been there, Graham wouldn’t have even graduated from the academy.”

So much had happened in the past three years. Daphne had fallen in love with a man from outside and ran away pregnant in the middle of the night. Her parents, ashamed, left the Parden estate behind. Graham, devastated, left the academy, risking expulsion, and rushed back to Parden. But Daphne was already gone, and no trace of her remained. Graham fell into despair.

Then, not long after, the Baron of Parden his father died. He had just been promoted to Count for his merits. The cause was overwork. Devastated by the sudden loss of his father and still reeling from Daphne, Graham even packed to leave the country.

Slap.

‘If you leave now, what will the Countess do? What about your family?’

‘Pull yourself together. Your father has passed. And you want to run away like this?’

It was Marissa who stopped him something not even Cliff, his close friend, or Olivia, his mother, could do. Marissa slapped Graham and spoke harshly, waking him up. Then she dragged him back to the capital and forced him back into the academy. Thanks to Marissa’s firm words and actions, Graham managed to pull himself together and resumed his studies.

Even after Graham settled back into academy life, Marissa didn’t return to Parden. Graham asked why she stayed in the capital. She said she was helping with her family’s business.

‘Wow! How much is all this? You’re amazing, Marissa!’

‘It’s not that much. Anyway, have your grades improved?’

Marissa had come to the capital to prove herself and she did. Thanks to her, her family made a fortune, and she became busier than ever.

But even with her busy schedule, Marissa always kept an eye on Graham’s school life. She also kept Olivia company, who was grieving the loss of her husband.

‘Here, drink this. It’s tea that helps with fatigue. One cup a day.’

‘Thank you, Marissa.’

Marissa’s advice and kind words became a great source of strength for Graham. At first, Graham didn’t understand why Marissa was so kind to him. He stupidly thought she was just being a childhood friend.

He only realized the truth when graduation was approaching. It had been two years since Marissa came to the capital with him. One day, during a usual visit, she looked at him for a long time and said:

‘I’m thinking of going back home before you graduate.’

At those words, Graham felt his heart drop. Panicked, he grabbed her hand without thinking.

‘Don’t go.’

‘Why not?’

‘Why shouldn’t I go?’

Marissa didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she asked again. Graham couldn’t answer. He didn’t even understand why he felt that way himself.

‘I see… I was never more than a friend to you.’

When Graham said nothing, Marissa pulled her hand away with a sad expression and stood up. In that moment, Graham finally understood her actions and his own feelings.

‘Marissa.’

He held her back. And then he proposed.

‘If you’re okay with it, let’s get married.’

Marissa stood frozen for a moment, surprised. Then she rejected his proposal, saying it was too sudden and lacked proper form.

Graham apologized and confessed his feelings, asking if they could start with an engagement. Not long after, they got engaged and promised to marry after his graduation. And yesterday, they finally got married.

“To tell you the truth, I always liked you, Marissa. Both of us did. I’m so happy to see you beside Graham now.”

Olivia looked at Marissa with warm trust in her eyes. She had liked Marissa since she was a child. She had always thought Marissa would be a good match for her son, even though she couldn’t say so because of Daphne. Marissa was the one who stood by Graham in his darkest times. To Olivia, she was nothing short of an angel.

“Ah, look at me crying again Anyway, now that you’re married, I’ll return to the estate.”

Olivia, wiping her tears of joy, held Marissa’s hand again. Marissa, who had planned to comfort her emotional mother-in-law, blinked in surprise at Olivia’s words and looked worried.

“If you leave alone, Graham and I will worry. Even if city life doesn’t suit you, can’t you stay with us?”

“No. I want to leave. You know how hard your father worked.”

Olivia had thought about staying with her son and daughter-in-law. But she couldn’t bring herself to stay in the capital, where her husband had passed. What was the point of the prestigious title if he died so suddenly and couldn’t even enjoy it?

“Graham graduated from the academy, and now he’s married to you. There’s no reason for me to stay. Besides, you two should enjoy your newlywed life. I’d just be in the way.”

“But still…”

“It’s okay. I have more than enough money. I just want to enjoy peaceful scenery and good food in the countryside.”

“Thank you again. Honestly, if you weren’t by Graham’s side, I wouldn’t have been able to leave.”

Marissa and Graham asked Olivia to reconsider until the very moment she boarded the carriage. But she left in the end.

“I love you, Marissa.”

“I love you too, Graham.”

And just like Olivia had said, now that she was gone, their newlywed life became even sweeter. Even though they had already confirmed their love for each other, now, in the house with just the two of them, it felt like a dream.

“Graham, what are you looking at?”

“Uh, huh? Marissa, when did you come in?”

“Is that a letter from Daphne?”

“Marissa! Please, don’t misunderstand. I just found it randomly tucked inside a book. You know me I always use books as a place to store things.”

“I know. I do. But it still feels bad.”

Of course, sometimes uncomfortable moments did happen. But by now, their trust was so strong that even fights just became part of their shared memories. Nothing ever turned into a serious problem.

Their peaceful days continued. Politics were tough, but Graham handled it with a stronger mindset. Marissa continued to strengthen the Parden family’s finances. Then, just as the couple found out they were expecting their first child, a letter arrived from a seaside town near Parden.

“What now? Another letter from Daphne hidden in a book?”

“No! It’s from Cliff!”

At the mention of Daphne, Graham flinched and quickly showed the name on the envelope. Marissa, seeing Cliff’s name, finally relaxed.

“From the Marquis? Wasn’t he on a trip?”

“Looks like he sent this from there. Let’s read it together.”

Graham pulled Marissa onto his lap and opened the letter. The contents were completely unexpected.

“Graham. I wanted you to be the first to know. I’m getting married. To the most perfect woman in the world.”

The woman Cliff was marrying didn’t match his noble status at all. He said she was a knight’s daughter, but never mentioned her origins or family name. That meant she was probably from a commoner background or worse, even the knight’s daughter part could be a lie.

Once the news spread, rumors would flood noble society, most of them painting the woman in a bad light.

“Even I, as your wife, get all sorts of insults just because I’m a commoner. Now the future Lady Lloyd being from a nameless, title less family? It’s going to be a mess.”

Marissa sighed deeply. Even she, married to Graham who was considered a “half-noble,” had been insulted endlessly for her origins. She could only manage because of her experience in business. If a sensitive girl was suddenly thrown into capital nobility? It was enough to give her a headache.

“But still, what can we do? Knowing Cliff, he’s probably serious. We should congratulate him.”

“Hmm… well, it’s not all bad. The old noble faction will be the ones most shocked by this. If the Marquis naturally distances himself from them, he’ll grow closer to our side and that’ll strengthen us.”

“Marissa Do you really have to turn everything into politics?”

“Why not? If we’re going to give our blessing, we might as well see the bright side too.”

“Still…”

“Graham, do you even realize how hard our situation is right now? We need to bring every possible ally to our side. And even though you think I’m just being calculating, I truly am happy for the Marquis.”

Graham and Marissa looked at Cliff’s letter with worried expressions. But soon, they decided that, at the very least, they would treat the woman he chose with kindness.

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