Everyone said I only accepted the engagement because my brother couldn't do it due to his current condition. No matter how many times I flirted with his fiancée, Vincenza Bernadotte kept rejecting me. Her hands would twist the rosary beads. She didn't even want to touch the corner of my coat.
It wasn't until that night that I witnessed her kneeling in front of Bartholomew Osborne's hospital bed with my own eyes. She held my brother’s hand, who was still in a vegetative state. She placed Bartholomew’s hand on her chest. I could hear that her voice was hoarse.
“Bartholomew, you have to know that I'm willing to agree to marry your brother just so I can come see you every day.”
The next day, I cancelled the engagement immediately after the woman’s confession yesterday.
I suddenly said, “I'm not marrying Vincenza Bernadotte, Mom, but I will marry Liewellyn Martinez.”
My mom was shocked and shouted, “Patrick! Did you know that Liewellyn was kidnapped by another family a few years ago? Because of that accident, her uterus was removed. She will never be able to have a child in her life!”
I was not disheartened. “Mom, it doesn't matter who I marry.
——
I still won’t marry Vincenza, but I'm marrying Liewellyn, okay?”
I put down the teacup in my hand. My voice was very light but also very firm. On the other hand, my mom's face changed drastically. She grabbed my hand tightly.
“Patrick, hold on! Are you crazy? That Liewellyn was three years ago…”
She lowered her voice. My mom leaned close to my ear and whispered, “She was kidnapped by her family's enemy. They take out the uterus. In this life, you will never have a child, Patrick. She will never be able to have children in this life.”
“Moreover, I heard that her character became especially terrible after being kidnapped. She always shouts about war and killing. If you marry her, isn’t that the same as a death sentence waiting for you in the future?”
I gently drew my hand back and revealed a bitter smile. “Mom, it doesn’t matter who I marry now. Besides…”
I pointed towards the living room. “Do you think we can reject the Martinez Family in this situation?”
My dad was pouring tea for two men in suits with a big smile on his face in the living room.
“It's a great blessing to my family that the Martinez Family’s eldest daughter thinks highly of my family! It's a big honour for us. But my eldest son is in a coma right now and my second son has already engaged with the Bernadotte Family.”
The man who was sitting in the main seat slowly put down his coffee cup. “I think the engagement is just an engagement, just cancel it.”
My dad rubbed his hands together. The fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. Indeed, the Martinez Family was extremely powerful; their reputation in the Liechtenstein circle was truly not to be underestimated at all.
The man suddenly said, “If Mr. Patrick accepts this engagement, our Martinez Family is willing to give out a six-petal crystal heirloom flower as a betrothal gift. I heard that this medicine has a miraculous effect on vegetative patients.”
I saw my dad's eyes light up instantly when he heard about the medicine for my brother.
“Okay, I accept this engagement!”
I suddenly stood up. My voice was so loud that everyone looked shocked. I thought that in this way, my marriage with the Martinez Family would be released soon.
After the envoy from the Martinez Family left, my father frowned. He then asked me, “Patrick, haven't you always liked Vincenza before? Why did you suddenly change your mind like this?”
I didn't answer my dad’s question. I chose to turn around to go back to my room.
Ever since my brother turned into a vegetative person. Everyone said that I was the one who snatched the engagement that he couldn't do at the moment.
I had liked Vincenza for ten whole years, but she was always cold to me. After my brother got into trouble, his engagement ended up being between me and Vincenza. I didn't care if people said I had no self-respect and took this engagement for granted.
I happily moved into her house as her legal fiancé. I wanted to take care of her. I thought that she might eventually come to love me slowly and honestly.
But no matter how many times I looked at her affectionately, she just looked at me indifferently and then turned away. Until last night, I ghostly followed her out of our house. She went to the hospital.
I would forget this scene. She knelt in front of Bartholomew’s bed. Her body was trembling. She pressed Bartholomew's hand to her chest. Her hoarse voice whispered in his ear. Her face and ears became red.
“Bartholomew, I agreed to marry your brother just so I can come to see you every day like this.”
At that moment, I realised that my ten years of infatuation were nothing but a joke.
The Martinez Family's miraculous medicine was truly magical. Within three days, Bartholomew woke up. My dad was so happy that he wanted to hold a banquet for himself.
I stood outside the hospital room. I just watched the medical staff coming in and out of my brother's room. At that moment, I deleted and changed Vincenza’s contact name on my cell phone.
