Liam Novel The Duke's Daughter and the Prime Ministers Son

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I was the eldest daughter of the Duke's household.
Liam once saved me. He pitied me, a young lady who was trained to be as brave and resourceful as a man.
For five years, he supported me until I became the most renowned noble lady in the capital.
But after I confessed my love to him,
He suddenly turned cold and left the capital for three years.
On the day he returned with the orphaned daughter of the Left Prime Minister to ask the King for a marriage decree,
My father gave the order to marry me off to the Southern provinces.
I stopped resisting: "Alright, I'll marry."
After I agreed,
Father let me out of the chapel.
Mother brought the jeweler from the Gemstone Gallery to my courtyard to choose wedding headpieces.
Beaming, she presented the exquisite headpiece.
"You've finally come to your senses. Someone from the Lyon family is far beyond our reach."
"Since your father has released you, just stay quietly in your chambers and prepare for the wedding."
I nodded meekly and saw Mother out.
The headpiece was intricately carved, dazzlingly golden.
Lifting it with both hands felt heavy. Its edges were sharp enough to cut my delicate hands.
My maid, Sophie, covered her face at the sight of it, her tears falling drop by drop onto the floor.
I whispered, "Don't cry."
Sophie cried even harder.
"Young Master Liam liked you best, Miss. How could he let you marry someone else?"
I looked out the window at the withered maple leaves scattering in the wind.
"Sophie, he never once said he loved me."
"All of this was just me misreading the signals, wishful thinking."
"Now, I'm just waking up from that dream."
By my agreeing to marry,
Everyone would breathe a sigh of relief.
Liam would too.
They were all afraid I'd cause a scene at his wedding.
Only my silly Sophie said with red-rimmed eyes,
"Young Master Liam will surely regret it when he finds out you're married."
I leaned on the windowsill, watching the falling maple leaves, remembering the day I first met Liam.
That year, influenced by conservative factions, my father insisted I, a girl, compete with men for a place in the world.
I had to study music, chess, painting, horseback riding, and archery daily.
What women did, I had to master.
What men did, I had to learn.
During a horse race, I lost to someone else.
Father's face darkened. Right there in the field, in front of everyone, he slapped me to the ground.
"Useless! After all this training, you still lost? Is this how you repay my years of nurturing?"
Others tried to calm him. "Your Grace, don't be angry. For a young lady to achieve this much is quite remarkable."
"People of the Duke's household make no distinction between men and women! Failing to win today is her greatest fault!"
I clenched my fists, letting the blood drip to the ground, closing my eyes in despair.
If I made any mistake, falling behind even a little, Father would punish me severely.
Who knew what awaited me back at the estate after that failure?
The small injury now was nothing worth minding.
Just as I felt hopeless, a riding boot stopped in front of me.
I looked up and saw a vibrant young man under the sunlight, his words sharp.
"By your logic, Your Grace, isn't a man's inability to bear children the greatest crime in your household?"
"Then shouldn't you be the first to be punished?"
He sought justice for me from my father, helped me up, and called for a physician.
Father, humiliated, stormed off.
After that, more people opposed Father's methods of nurturing me.
Liam, fearing I'd be punished upon returning home, personally escorted me back. Then he personally went to Father's study to apologize.
For the next two months, he visited the Duke's estate daily, worried Father would still treat me like a son.
Sometimes he brought novels, strange curiosities, or fresh pastries from the newest bakery.
Occasionally, he took me out to play in the capital.
As he put it, "A young lady should enjoy herself before marriage. Once married, she won't have such freedom."
He seemed unruly but had a keenly observant heart.
The King often assigned him duties. He barely had time to go home.
Yet, someone noticed his shadow still appeared monthly at the Duke's estate.
Simply because he feared my father would force me to learn masculine skills.
The more frequently he came, the wilder the rumors grew.
Gradually, everyone in the capital knew: the youngest son of the Right Prime Minister's family was smitten with the young lady of the Duke's household.
That young girl from the Duke's estate was a lucky one.
I once asked him naively, "If I can't find a good husband before I come of age, can I marry you?"
He chuckled softly, "If it really comes to that, you won't need to ask. I'll come propose myself."
He was so good to me, standing up for me, making me the most envied young lady in the capital.
Love sneaks up on you.
Mine grew deep.
This went on for five years.
On my coming-of-age ceremony, he brought generous gifts to the Duke's estate.
Father had also invited many guests.
After the ceremony, I eagerly searched for him, finding him in the garden, placing a hairpin for a young woman.
Amidst the blooming flowers, they looked a perfect match.
Enraged, I rushed forward, pulled his hand away, and smashed the jade hairpin.
"Liam, I'm of age now. Does your promise to marry me still stand?"
My heart already belonged to him, and he visited so often.
Everyone in the capital had witnessed it over the years.
They, like my father, hadn't dared arrange matches for me, waiting for this unspoken understanding to become official.
But Liam's face changed drastically. He took the young woman's hand and hurried away.
The next day, I heard he had left the capital overnight, vanishing without a trace.
I refused to believe he'd disappear after my confession, waiting daily for a letter.
One month, two months, three months...
No letter ever came.
Father grew impatient, ordering Mother to arrange a marriage.
I begged Mother, "Liam will come back. He will marry me."
I resisted stubbornly, even living in the chapel for three years, copying scriptures daily, praying for his early return.
My prayers were answered. He returned.
But the depth of our feelings turned out to be my own delusion.
He asked the King for permission to marry the Left Prime Minister's daughter.
He avoided me like the plague.
People no longer said I was the most envied young lady in the capital, having found a devoted man so young.
They only said, "That girl from the Duke's family clung to Young Master Liam for so many years. Who knows what scene she'll make on his wedding day."
My hidden feelings of five years, my three-year wait, became a joke overnight.
The rare trinkets stored in my room were cleared out by Mother.
The pastries I hid under my bed were trampled underfoot by Mother.
"These have been here for years, they're spoiled! And you treasured them!"
I looked at the moldy pastries on the ground and wept.
Mother sighed, telling me, "That day at the races, I was just chatting with his mother about how strict your father was with you. Liam happened to overhear. That's what started all this."
"I thought he was fond of you, so I never mentioned it. But now it seems, families like theirs are beyond our station."
"You've wasted enough years on him. It's time to wake up."
I stopped crying and nodded at Mother.
Mother was right. Liam only felt pity for me.
I was the one who developed inappropriate feelings.
I was wrong.
"Stay quietly in your courtyard and prepare for the wedding."
"I'll listen to you, Mother."
I cooperated willingly with the wedding planners.
Liam used to visit often, so the courtyard had many practice posts for martial arts. Sophie took them all to the kitchen, chopped them for firewood, and burned them in the stove.
I was staring blankly at the empty courtyard when the steward announced Liam was visiting.
He brought his fiance.
I didn't want to go, but Father sent someone to bring me to them.
When I arrived late, I saw the woman from the garden sitting next to Liam.
So she was Luna, the orphan from the Left Prime Minister's family.
Back then, both Prime Ministers sacrificed greatly to secure the King's throne.
The Right Prime Minister's family suffered heavy losses, the Left Prime Minister's family was wiped out, leaving only their daughter.
Liam marrying her was something everyone welcomed.
After greeting them, I noticed the empty seat next to Liam.
Ignoring that position, I walked to my father's side, added a stool, and sat down quietly.
Liam was getting married. Naturally, I couldn't sit beside him and joke with him like before.
Luna put a shrimp in my bowl, smiling warmly, "I've heard Liam loved visiting you all these years. Thank you for looking after him for me."
I paused, hadn't touched my fork yet.
Another fork took the shrimp away. It was Liam.
"She's allergic to shrimp. Have some roast beef instead."
Then he picked up a piece of roast beef with his fork, but hesitated when he looked at me, and put it in his own bowl.
"Help yourself. It's improper for an unrelated man."
I lowered my gaze, softly saying, "Okay."
He was being considerate, bringing his fiance to draw a clear line.
He used to snatch pastries from my hand, but now even sharing a meal required such formality.
The past was gone, and only I was trapped by it.
After the meal, Luna invited me to go to the market with them.
I glanced at Liam's hesitant expression and understood.
"You and Young Master Liam are a perfect match, meant for each other. You should enjoy some time alone."
"An old friend like me shouldn't intrude."
The next day, Sophie was scolding the maids in the courtyard, telling them not to gossip about outside matters to me.
But I had already heard it all.
They said Liam took Luna to guess the hardest riddles on the festival street, winning the biggest prize for her.
In just one day, the whole capital knew.
The unruly young son of the Right Prime Minister's family went all out for the Left Prime Minister's orphan, just to make her smile.
Not only that, Liam took her to set off fireworks. They said it was the biggest, brightest, most beautiful firework on the whole celebration.
My heart ached.
I was the one who taught Liam how to set off fireworks in beautiful patterns.
He finally mastered it after all this time, but used it to please another girl.
Before the wedding, the royal consort hosted a flower viewing banquet.
I went with Sophie, searching for a long time before finding my seat.