The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady. - Chapter 60
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- Chapter 60 - Julia, the butler, and the previous Baroness
The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.
Chapter 60 Julia, the butler, and the previous Baroness
Hyde Crossreed, the butler of the Plant Baron family, was undeniably a charming elderly gentleman with a shade of romance, possessing black eyes and well-defined features. It was likely that he had been quite popular in his youth.
As evidence, his wife was a former viscount’s daughter, and even now, she appeared exceptionally beautiful, with the added fact that they had eight grandchildren.
Commoner and viscount’s daughter—apparently, they were classmates at the Royal Academy.
However, it wasn’t that they harbored a forbidden love across their class difference during their school days. She already had an engaged partner, and Hyde, engrossed in his studies, had no interest in romantic matters whatsoever.
However, to say they had no connection wasn’t entirely accurate. There was an incident where Hyde intervened when the viscount’s daughter was being berated and mistreated by her fiancé. In reality, the viscount’s son was causing a disturbance in the library, hindering Hyde’s studies, so he merely chased him away.
Hyde, despite being a commoner, was so outstanding that he received a scholarship, became a student council member, and earned the respect of the sons of royalty and high-ranking nobles. The other party’s son retreated reluctantly when faced with Hyde’s capabilities.
At that time, the viscount’s daughter apparently fell in love at first sight with Hyde and, surprisingly, revealed her hidden feelings during the graduation party amidst a crowd.
Naturally, the engagement of the viscount’s daughter was annulled, and she was disowned by her family. However, since Hyde had not been in a relationship with the viscount’s daughter, and it was widely known that her feelings were one-sided, he faced no punishment. Yet, he became the object of envy among many men and the target of jealousy among women.
However, when Hyde returned to his hometown from the capital, he was astonished to find out that the former viscount’s daughter had become the tutor for the Plant Baron family’s young lady.
“Why are you here?”
“Baroness Plant is my older sister’s close friend, and I’ve been acquainted with her for a long time.”
Nina said with a smile.
Later, Hyde learned that the commotion during the graduation ceremony had originally been orchestrated by the Baroness. She had consulted with her close friend since their student days, explaining how her younger sister, significantly younger, was suffering abuse from the fiance chosen by her parents.
It involved emotional and physical harassment, escalating to the point where she was mistreated, though not violently. The engagement needed to be annulled, but it seemed to be a politically advantageous match, and her parents wouldn’t approve. All her sisters had faced struggles in politically arranged marriages, harboring resentment towards their family. Hence, they unanimously agreed that they wouldn’t mind losing such a family if it meant freeing the younger sister. This decision was possible because their family belonged to the court nobility and didn’t have land or vassals.
Upon hearing this, Hyde thought, ‘Birds of a feather flock together.’ The Plant Baron family’s stability today was thanks to the Baroness’s influence, given that the Baron couldn’t stand up to his wife.
Hyde, a child of servants, was able to attend the Royal Academy in the capital entirely due to the Baroness. He received a scholarship for tuition, but the Plant Baron family covered his dormitory fees, meals, and other expenses.
When he learned about Nina’s situation, Hyde was determined to repay the favor by studying diligently.
“I heard a friend say, ‘Despite being in a difficult situation, Nina seems a bit happier lately. Maybe she found someone she likes. But even if she breaks off the engagement, as a disengaged daughter, she won’t find a match. It’s a dead end.’ However, when I investigated her crush on a whim, it turned out to be Hyde. So, I came up with this plan and asked Nina. If you’re willing to become a commoner, I’ll help you break off the engagement. I’ll hire you as a live-in tutor when you become a commoner. What do you think?”
Hyde felt a pang at the Baroness’s words. In essence, she suggested that even if Nina became a tarnished daughter and fell into the commoner class, she could marry Hyde, so she should go ahead with actions that would lead to breaking off the engagement. And all of this without any prior explanation to him.
“Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t use you to force Nina into marrying you. That would make me no different from Nina’s parents. Instead, I used you to boost the motivation for breaking off the engagement. Even if it’s for the sake of breaking off the engagement, it’s not easy for many people to declare they’re having an affair within their hearts in the presence of a crowd. So, I created a situation where she could confess her feelings to you. I didn’t tell you because, from your perspective, it was unrelated, and I wanted those around us to believe so. If you knew, I thought your awkward acting might give it away.”
“…”
After the announcement of the engagement annulment, Nina desperately bowed her head to Hyde in front of a large crowd. She apologized for unilaterally falling in love, letting her feelings swell, and exploding in such a public manner. At that time, Hyde was dumbfounded and couldn’t comprehend what had happened. Still, perhaps it was for the best. Everyone thought Hyde wasn’t in a relationship with Nina, but rather an innocent victim.
The two eventually got married as they naturally became close colleagues. Hyde’s earnest efforts and sincerity in everything impressed Nina, leading to an increasing intimacy between them. They were a handsome couple with good personalities in the eyes of others, and everyone wondered why they weren’t officially together yet. However, due to the Lady’s orders, no one dared to interfere, and the stress of those around them escalated dangerously. Consequently, the party after their wedding ceremony turned into a wild affair.
After marriage, they were blessed with three children, establishing a happy family. Hyde worked diligently to repay his benefactor, the Baroness Plant. However, despite his efforts, the Baron and his sons continued to create intractable problems in the Plant Baron family. Taking advantage of Hyde’s absence, they indulged in foolish actions that he couldn’t prevent.
The Baron had relations with a young maid and had a child, the talented second son eloped with a servant’s daughter, and the heir, the eldest son, constantly schemed to make money easily and repeatedly fell for scams, eventually contaminating all the land in the estate.
Both the Baron and his heir lacked the suitability to be heads of the family. As a result, Hyde caught the attention of the Baroness as someone who could assist them from behind, despite being a child of servants, thanks to his remarkable intelligence from a young age.
The Baroness decided to have Hyde’s studies overseen by the sons’ private tutors. Much to the surprise of the teachers, he absorbed knowledge at an astonishing rate. Labeled as a prodigy, Hyde received a stamp of approval from the tutors, and as a result, he was granted the opportunity to attend the academy in the royal capital.
When the Baroness passed away due to an epidemic, her final words were expressions of gratitude and apology to Hyde.
“Hyde, thank you for protecting this house all this time. And I’m sorry for stealing away your brilliant future. I don’t expect you to forgive me.
It’s too late now, but from this point on, please live life on your terms. That’s my final wish.”
✽✽✽
“The late Baroness, Romand’s grandmother. I deeply respected her as a strong and compassionate woman. Hence, I wanted to fulfill her wishes, but there was one final wish I couldn’t adhere to.
After all, if I had stepped down as she wished, the Plant Baron’s family would have collapsed immediately. It was evident. That would mean my entire life up until then would have been in vain.
Of course, I couldn’t involve my family in such a matter due to my pride. So, I told my sons, who were attending the academy in the royal capital, that they didn’t need to come back here and find jobs there.
Being a proud parent, I thought they could find work in the capital with their good grades and serious personalities.
As expected, they were hired by the estates of my friends from my academy days.
Now, they serve as butlers in a certain marquisate and earldom. But, recently, they seem to hold some grudges against me.”
As Hyde mentioned being resented, he smiled with an expression of joy or amusement, surprising Julia, who was listening to the story.