Chapter 189: A Long-Awaited Meeting
Seeing the man as sincere and likely to treat both mother and child well, Gabrant agreed to the match and divorced the mother.
As for the woman from the merchant house, the tie was cut cleanly with money.
After all, she had been tied to him by money to begin with.
There were no loose ends.
The two sons were put into his army to beat the roughness out of their characters.
If they set their minds right, the elder, Zecht, would make a fine soldier, and Gramis could at least manage as an aide or administrator.
He drew a full breath of the fresh forest air and let it out and for a moment the tangled burdens he had left in the capital felt washed away. Renewed in his resolve, he tightened his stomach and guided his horse along the cleared path through the woods.
The two-story white villa had been built by his grandfather for his wife so she could rest in the calm of the rich forest.
His grandmother had been frail and preferred quiet surroundings.
To keep her from feeling lonely, they had added a music hall and an atelier, and the house became rather large for a villa.
For the Beaumont family, it was a rare, tasteful building with some decoration and polish.
The front garden and grounds were carefully tended by gardeners; early spring flowers and the winter roses were in bloom. He hoped the quiet forest and the bright flowerbeds would soothe Ashe’s heart.
He left the guard riders to wait and approached the house alone. He had never once come to see this place since Dominic was born. He had never set eyes on it. If he were driven away at the gate, he would have no one to blame. He had done nothing as a husband to Ashe.
He could not say he felt no fear. Ashe’s cold face and voice returned to him. What if she rejected him again?
However, Shiao Yi’s sharp words echoed in his mind: "It’s because you’re half-hearted. You never step forward. You’ve been standing still. Dominic is not Princess Ashe. If you go on like this, you’ll never break free of your dependence."
Gabrant had given up thinking about Ashe for a long time. Still, Shiao Yi’s criticism rang true inside his mind.
"Quite young, yet so skilled in reading people," he had said, half admiring.
When Gabrant showed surprise, Shiao Yi had somehow looked sad.
"I’ve seen a lot. I’ve done a lot of psychological support," Shiao Yi replied, then flashed a mischievous, cruel grin.
"Go," he said. "Go and be smashed to pieces if you must. Sometimes things start from that."
Yes. Even if the result was the worst rejection, it would still be better than standing still in confusion, unable to make a decision. Gabrant was already like a corpse. Things could hardly get worse than this.
He would go and accept defeat with dignity. This was not the place to hesitate.
As his boots pressed into the gravel and he neared the entrance, the household staff came out to meet him. The great doors were thrown open and inside the hall the servants lined up in perfect rows. It seemed they had already been informed of his arrival.
The butler who had been entrusted with running the villa for Ashe bowed his head deeply.
Perhaps every servant of the villa had gathered here to greet him, for there were ten men and twenty women assembled.
As he looked over the rows, Gabrant felt his brows wanting to furrow, though he forced himself to hold it back. Did this place really need so many attendants? To him it felt excessive. Yet to Ashe, who had once been a princess, perhaps even this number was too few.
He walked forward into the hall and at its center stood Ashe. When she saw him, she pinched the hem of her dress with graceful fingers, lowered her face, and made an elegant curtsey.
"It has been a long time. Are you in good health?"
She wore a dress of fresh spring green, matching the season.
Her figure remained slim and graceful, and her appearance had softened into a quiet refinement.
It was far different from the showy, glamorous dresses she had worn as a bride.
He remembered that back then she had still been a girl in her teens, a young lady suited more to cookies and chocolates than to the burdens of a household.
Slowly, Ashe raised her face.
25 years had passed for her as well.
The glittering, innocent brightness of youth was gone.
Time had left faint traces around her eyes and lips.
Yet her golden hair still shone, waving with luster, and her green eyes had not lost their glow.
Her skin was smooth, her beauty unbroken.
With age, she had only gained another layer of elegance.
"What a sudden visit. If you had only sent word ahead, I could have prepared a proper welcome."
Her gentle voice surprised Gabrant. He had expected her tone to be cold, sharp, and cutting.
"Did you think I would turn you away? You wear such an expression. General, you have become much more expressive than you once were."
So, she still called him General.
A small pang of disappointment struck him.
When they had first married, she had called him by name. When had she stopped doing that?
"Please, come inside."
With a graceful turn, Ashe invited him in.
Gabrant gave a quiet order to the butler at her side, telling him to see that his knights were brought into the house and allowed them to rest.
...
Ashe guided Gabrant to a sunroom that overlooked the gardens.
It was a wide and comfortable space, with part of it extending outward toward the garden.
That section was fitted with expensive glass and the sunlight pouring through warmed the room as though it were the height of spring.
This was clearly where she had once spent long afternoons with her salon companions, laughing and entertaining countless guests.