Page 52 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
“And your cousin married one of these lords?”
“Yes, my lady. The Grand Duke didn’t surround himself only with born nobles, but also commoners who have lived and worked there all their lives. My cousin was already in love with Lord Idris when he received his barony, and the Grand Duke allowed them to marry. I believe it was also the case for many others.”
“Can the titles be inherited by their children?”
“Only if the child continues the position of their father,” she answered. “But they aren’t obligated to do so.”
“So, the title is tied to the position, not the family.”
“I suppose you can put it that way, my lady.” Bella helped me get out of the tub and wrapped a towel around me. “That is why I don’t hold much faith in the rumours we hear here in the capital, you see. I haven’t seen my cousin since her wedding, but we do exchange letters, and she says the Grand Duke is a fair and just lord of the land. Reforms are slow, but they’re meaningful.”
“Hm. Thank you for sharing all that with me.” I clutched the towel to my chest.
I knew that last part, of course. Even in the book, Kalon had been portrayed as a strong, capable ruler who was respected by his people in Stein, whether those people be his knights or the farmers ploughing the fields.
I hadn’t known about the rest, though.
The more I lived this life, the more I realised how fleshed out this world was compared to what I knew from the book. Which made sense—it was told through one point of view, and that was of a naive countryside noble. Of course I didn’t know everything there was to know.
Would the knowledge I possessed be enough to save my life in the end? Or would the missing gaps be my downfall?
More importantly, my fate was seeming to play out exactly like Alicia’s had in the book. It seemed as though there was no way to avoid my engagement to Kalon, so perhaps I had no choice but to leave for Stein.
I really thought I’d changed the story enough to veer my path off its predetermined course. I’d stood up to my stepmother and sister, something that had resulted in making my father aware of their scheming. Thanks to whatever he’d said to them, they’d largely left me alone since Lady Georgina’s tea party, and now, they didn’t dare touch me since Kalon’s proposal became known within the household.
They still huffed and puffed and screamed and shouted, of course, but words were all they had. They couldn’t do a thing to me. Father was no longer blind to their mistreatment of me, and to mistreat me could be interpreted as going against the Imperial Family.
I also had friends. Friends that were destined to be Lillia’s, strengthening my position even more.
In the book, Alicia had seen other people as little more than pawns to be used as she wished. While my motives for connecting with people weren’t much purer than hers, I’d done what she failed to do: I’d cultivated real friendships with the ladies. We’d bonded, and I’d been wholly accepted into their high society circle.
No. Ihadchanged the story. Just because this was moving against my wishes right this second didn’t mean that I couldn’t keep changing the story.
An engagement didn’t have to mean a marriage.
After all, I’d proposed a contract engagement to Ezra without an explicit intention to get married at the end of it.
Getting engaged to Grand Duke Kalon Stein might have been inevitable for me, but was that the case for the marriage?
Was there a way I could stop a wedding from happening?
“All done, my lady.”
I blinked at Bella. “What is?”
“Your outfit.” She smiled. “You were daydreaming the entire time.”
I looked in the mirror. She was correct—my hair was dry and styled, I was fully clothed, and my makeup was done perfectly.
I had absolutely no recollection of any of that happening.
“Lady Alicia,” Caldwell said from outside the door. “Your guests are waiting for you in the lavender sitting room.”
“Please let them know I’m coming,” I replied, brushing my hands down my skirt.
I headed out of my room with Bella in tow. Annie stayed behind to clean up after my bath and change my sheets since Bella was right—I had indeed been wallowing in self-pity for the past two days since my father had broken the news to me, and the sheets desperately needed a refresh.
“Allie!” Vivi said, rushing over to me as soon as she saw me. “Is it true?”
