The Baron and Lady Alice

Billy's wedding was held in a small church. 

The ceremony was very simple, but the celebration of the wedding was anything but. 

In the countryside, the entertainment activities of the common folk are quite monotonous; they spend the whole year busy with farming, and celebrating a wedding is one of the few major events, especially with the baron in attendance. 

People hold various games to liven up the atmosphere, such as wheelbarrow races and games of tag, usually involving young men, though sometimes young women join in as well. 

For example, today, they planned to hold a three-legged race where two young men would carry a young woman on their backs while the women would push and shove each other. Whoever remains on the young men's backs at the end would be the winner. 

As the best man, I naturally couldn't miss out on the fun. 

My partner and I charged into the crowd of girls and grabbed the prettiest one to carry on my shoulders, drawing gasps from the girls. 

In the midst of the melee, our girl got a nosebleed, and we two "horses" gloriously fell to the ground. 

I hadn't participated in such joyful activities for a long time. I shouted and laughed, seemingly forgetting everything—my past, my hatred—and only wishing to enjoy this moment of happiness forever. 

As the event was winding down, the girl next to me kissed my cheek and said, "Billy really shouldn't have made you the best man; with you around, no one will pay attention to the groom." 

Perhaps caught up in the moment, I wrapped my arms around the girl's waist and spun her around, then planted a kiss on her lips, turning her face red. 

After that, we began to enjoy food and beer. 

I heard Billy's father discussing Baron Oscar with a neighbor. 

"The baron has been very generous; he's been a great help for my son's wedding." 

"Not just generous, we should be thanking God for being able to farm on the baron's land. Last year, my cow died, and if the baron hadn't exempted us from spring plowing, the taxes alone would have driven us to ruin." 

"…" 

I then realized the baron was not actually present at the wedding; his status probably didn't suit such an occasion. 

Without hesitation, I bid farewell to Billy and prepared to rush back to the castle. It was Billy's wedding, and I was the baron's only personal servant left, yet I had become so giddy that I'd forgotten everything. 

By the time I arrived at the castle, it was nearly dark. I hurriedly changed my clothes and headed towards the baron's study. 

At the entrance to the study, I heard a beautiful melody. 

It was a violin. 

The piece was melodious and lingering, like a nightingale singing alone in the night, expressing sorrowful emotions in a poignant tone. 

I never knew Baron Oscar could play the violin; whether in this life or the past, I hadn't expected him to play so beautifully. 

As the corridor gradually dimmed into darkness, I didn't dare disturb the performance but leaned against the wall, quietly listening to the piece. For some reason, the melody was so sad that it made my heart ache. 

I continued listening in silence until long after, when the chill seeped through the wall into my bones. I wiped my tears and knocked on the study door. 

"Sir, it's me." I pushed open the door and walked in. 

The baron was at his desk, handling letters. The candlelight cast a pale glow on his stern, cold face, making him appear somewhat lonely. 

"The wedding is over?" the baron asked without looking up. 

"Yes, many got drunk, and some didn't even recover after being kicked by their wives." 

"Ha ha." The baron chuckled lightly, "Weddings are always so delightful." 

"Weddings are always delightful, but marriage is not necessarily so," I shook my head and replied. 

The baron turned his attention from the letters to me. He looked at me for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Marriage may not be joyful, but everyone yearns for it, don't they?" 

I gazed at the flickering candlelight and said, "The yearning for marriage comes from the yearning for love. If marriage cannot provide the love one expects, then such a marriage is naturally not joyful." 

I thought of my parents' marriage. When they were young, they were the perfect couple in the village. My father was handsome, and my mother beautiful; they became husband and wife amid everyone's blessings. I had witnessed their love as a child. But the hardships of life wore away their love, and eventually, my father left to seek a living, never to return. My mother, left to care for us siblings, became a drunkard and a harlot. 

As I pondered this, my body remained still, my eyes fixed on the bright candlelight, until the wick sparked and jolted me back to reality, realizing I had misspoken. 

The baron remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Today I saw you playing with the village girls… I felt envious. Someone like me can't find love like a normal person, yet I still yearn for marriage, even without love, even if it's not joyful." 

I looked at the baron in surprise; he had never confided in me before. I didn't expect he desired to marry. 

"I hope that a marriage without love can eventually evolve into affection, into love. I long for all of this." 

After saying this, the baron fell silent again. 

I stared at him, and for some reason, his melancholy violin piece from earlier resurfaced in my mind. 

In my past life, I fell in love with the noble and beautiful Miss Catherine. Even though I was full of love, I never thought I could truly marry her, knowing the vast differences between us. If we truly loved and married, I would only bring her unhappiness. I only wanted to remain by her side, silently bearing this love. 

But I never anticipated that the love I thought I had was merely a joke, a deception, and I, caught up in it, felt like a fool. 

For this desperate love, I betrayed and hurt the baron, who trusted me, even causing his death. 

Only now, through that mournful violin piece, did I finally glimpse the baron's inner self. 

The baron said he wanted to marry, but I knew he didn't genuinely desire the traditional form of marriage; what he truly wanted was love, the very thing every ordinary person yearns for—love. 

Yet such a thing is rare, even ordinary people cannot easily obtain it. 

Because love is the easiest thing to obtain in this world and the hardest to find. 

We can give everything just to attain love, and we can destroy everything simply because we cannot have love. 

In my past life, the baron treated me so well, perhaps not because he had fallen in love with me, but because he was yearning for love. 

And I not only hurt someone who loved me but also someone who longed for love. 

This night felt exceptionally long. 

The distant night sky brought with it cold water; in the dead of night, it roared in, pouring down, leaving me restless. 

I stood by the window, gazing at the balcony of the baron's bedroom on the second floor. He had gone to bed early, unaware that I was watching him, not knowing there was a person burdened with guilt, struggling under the lashes and condemnations of conscience... 

The next day, the sky was clear. 

The garden of the estate had become lush and beautiful after last night's heavy rain, but nearly all the paths were muddy. Such a day shouldn't have had any visitors, yet a carriage, despite the bumpy road, still arrived at Delman Manor. 

It was a tall woman with fair skin and a thin face. 

She was Baron Oscar's mother, Lady Alice. 

Butler Hilton greeted her at the entrance, bending slightly as he took her hand and led her into the manor. 

"Hilton, where is Oscar?" Lady Alice asked, her voice low and cold, laced with an unbearable arrogance. 

"Madam, the baron goes horseback riding every morning," the butler replied. 

"Indeed, not even this kind of day can stop him," Lady Alice stated, making her way directly to the warm little lounge on the second floor without needing a guide. She commanded, "I'll stay here for a few days. Have my maid take my things to the bedroom; don't let those clumsy hands touch my belongings." 

"Your instructions will be followed, madam." The butler waited until she disappeared before straightening up. 

Butler Hilton was the kind of person who was completely proper; from his impeccably tidy hair to his spotless gloves, and even his monotonous tone, he seemed like a butler model lifted from a book—humble, low-key, serious, and earnest. It was hard to read any emotion on his face, especially regarding guests. 

However, when it came to Lady Alice, you could sense a trace of his impatience, indicating that she was not a well-received guest. 

Before long, the baron returned from horseback riding. It seemed he had taken a stroll deep in the woods, as his black velvet cloak was slightly damp. 

As I helped him take off his cloak, I whispered in his ear, "Sir, Lady Alice is visiting." 

The baron's expression didn't change at all; he calmly nodded and instructed me, "Go to the study; I still have some business to attend to." He didn't even intend to see his mother, heading straight to the study instead. 

I noticed that the baron bore a striking resemblance to his mother; they were both tall and thin, with thick chestnut hair and pale, slender faces that weren't particularly beautiful. 

Their personalities were somewhat similar as well; both were rather serious and quite arrogant. 

However, their differences were quite apparent. The baron would instruct me to tell the kitchen to prepare hot soup for everyone since the weather was still chilly, while Lady Alice held her head high and seemed to overlook everyone around her.