Tangled By Fate

Chapter 575: THE SUPPORT



"I was getting worried over here. What did you do there so long?" His voice was gentle as he rubbed her against him, making her feel comfy.

"I was with Catherine," Dorothy stated as she rubbed her face on his chest like a kitten. "I think I learned about the entire world just in one day."

"Catherine is efficient," Ovior admitted. He knew how much he could count on her. After all, she was his secretary who took away half of his workload.

"I wonder why we didn't learn these lessons at home or the Royal Academy," Dorothy said. "Shouldn't we learn about management and savings when we were younger?"

"I understand what you mean. I will talk to His Majesty the King and propose this to him. I will make sure our future generation receives a proper education," Ovior told her.

Although he spoke roundabout way about 'their children', Dorothy was quick to catch it. Her ears burned in embarrassment. "Yes, make sure to tell him that," she insisted with her head lowered.

Ovior found her reaction cute and smiled at her. "Let's have our dinner first. You must be tired from studying."

"I'm starving! I want the beef stu with rice," she demanded.

"Beef stu it is..."

After lunch, Dorothy had a bath before going to bed. Ovior was waiting for her there. When she came to bed, she saw him in deep thought. She casually asked him, "What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking..." Ovior turned toward her and looked her in the eyes, "Dorothy, you know I love you no matter how you choose to be, right?"

Talking about love was so sudden that Dorothy was slightly taken aback. She wasn't prepared to hear about his confession. He was too old-fashioned to talk about love and she knew it. She liked him this way. Now that he suddenly opened up about it, it made her shy.

She softly nodded her head as to agree to his confession. She believed how much he adored

her and accepted her the way she was. That's why she was able to be with him after waking up. Not once did she try to look for her parents. She felt safer under his eyes.

Ovior patiently uttered, "Since you know that I love you, you can please tell me what is making you scared to the point you are seeing nightmares almost every day?"

"Ovior..." Dorothy wanted to speak but he gently held her hand.

"Dorothy, it's okay. I'm with you. That's why I need to know. I can't help you get out of your fear unless you tell me."

"It's... I don't know how to say it... I wish I could but..."

"Take your time. I'm here. But I need you to tell me before one of us passes out from lack of sleep."

"I'm sorry, Ovior, I didn't mean this to happen..."

"Dorothy, I'm not blaming you. I know it must be hard for you. You barely recall two years of memories. It must be confusing."

"...It's not that confusing," Dorothy finally confessed after realizing how supportive he was being. "I started remembering bits of it."

Ovior sat up and straightened his back. He was all alert. He prayed that she wouldn't say something related to her death. He couldn't understand what else there could be other than sexual assault. Otherwise, she had no reason to hesitate this much.

He noticed her face getting paler. He took both of her hands and squeezed them gently. "Dorothy, if you need time..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"No, let me tell you. I don't think I will have the courage later on." She sat up and her head was down. "I..." she started in a trembling voice, "I was abused by my family."

Ovior looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I... I lied to you, Ovior." She broke into tears as she admitted, "I didn't tell you the truth. When I asked for a two-year marriage hold, my family objected. I was confined in my room. I was starved. I didn't know what to do. I barely had any drop of water to drink. In the end, I had to agree to this marriage." She sobbed while telling her the story of what he didn't know.

Back then, she was so much in love that she couldn't agree to the marriage with the nobleman. When she politely refused, her father slapped her. Both Count and Countess Eckles refused to acknowledge an orphan commoner to be their daughter's lover.

Not only they were angry, but her beloved brother also who always supported her turned his back on her. He was willing to cut ties with Ovior for making his sister fall in love with him. However, she begged him not to do it. In order to make her meet the nobleman, her brother made a deal with her.

So, to keep the friendship between him and Ovior, Dorothy had to meet up with the nobleman and his family. The family got together and held a lavish party. They wanted to announce their engagement when Dorothy pretended to be sick and created a scene.

Her parents were furious. Her father confined her to the altar. It was so dark that she could barely see anything around her. The sunlight didn't reach through the windows because the windows were covered with wooden plaques. She wasn't given even a crumb of bread. A glass of water came once a day.

The beloved daughter of the count never faced anything like this in her life. She was shaken to the core. She was so scared that she shivered days and nights without uttering a single word. The coldness and hunger nearly turned her insane.

At that time, the only thing that came to her mind was - I have to survive.

That's when she gathered the last bit of her courage to bang on the door and shout that she would get married.

After that, she was never a normal person. She began to avoid meeting her family members. Even when her mother or brother approached her,

she would tremble.

The girl they knew changed completely.