The Debt Of Fate-Chapter 261: Asking for a chance

"Ahh... I never thought the great general was such a man—unwilling to take responsibility for his own decisions," Anastasia argued. "If you want to call—" She suddenly paused, his last words replaying in her mind.

"What did you say?" she asked, wondering if her ears were deceiving her.

General Ernest also looked at her, sensing her strange reaction. "I said you cannot back out. You already agreed to marry me, and we have the king’s blessing," he repeated.

"What do you mean, backing out? Were you not here to break off our agreement?" Anastasia asked, looking confused.

"When did I say I wanted to break off our agreement?" He looked genuinely puzzled.

Anastasia bit her lip. Indeed, he had never said such words, but she had assumed so because of his sudden pause mid-sentence. Moreover it was the logical thing anyone would do given the situation. "And when did I say I was backing out?" she countered.

The two paused, staring at each other.

"Then... you are still willing to marry me?" Ernest asked.

"If you do not mind my reputation," Anastasia replied. Her heart felt as though it were lodged in her throat after she spoke.

"Reputation? Our backgrounds suit each other well," Ernest said. He was relieved to know she still wanted to marry him. It did not matter what her reason was, as long as they get married everything else would fall in place in time.

Anastasia bit her lip again. She suddenly remembered that he, too, was the son of a Duke—born to a mistress. He had joined the royal army from the bottom and had worked tirelessly through the years to reach his current position. There was even rumors that he was sent away by the Duke’s wife and so had no other option but to fight his way up in the royal army.

"Then can we marry in two days? The king’s wedding is coming up soon, and two days from now seems like the perfect day for ours," Ernest suggested. He would have gone to the priest that very day to marry her, but he wanted to make some preparations and give her something worthy. Though he could not go all out; given her former relationship with the king, he still wanted to make it special.

"Two days? That’s so soon," Anastasia said.

"No, it gives us just enough time to prepare what’s necessary. I’m sorry, but because of the current situation, it can’t be a grand wedding. Even so, there are still a few things to arrange, and two days is just enough," Ernest explained.

Anastasia hesitated. She felt that marrying now might harm his reputation. With the king angry at her, she also worried he might find an excuse to retaliate against Ernest. In her view, it would be wiser to wait a few months before marrying.

"I thought you said you weren’t backing out?" Seeing her hesitation, Ernest’s worry returned.

"I’m not backing out... I just think it’s best not to clash with the king’s plans," Anastasia said. In a few months when the rumors blow over they could get married.

"The moment I sought an audience with the king and received his blessing to marry you, I had already clashed with his plans. Whether we marry sooner or later makes no difference," Ernest replied firmly. He was unwilling to wait months—too many things could go wrong in that time.

Anastasia looked at him. "Why are you willing to do all this for me?" she asked. He had once told her he wanted to marry her to avoid being tied to another noble family, but if that were the only reason, why would he stand by her and risk angering the king? She could not help but have other thoughts.

Ernest did not expect that question. He met her gaze without wavering. "Because I like you... No, Lady Anastasia, I love you," he said. Since they were going to marry anyway, there was no longer any need to hide his feelings.

Anastasia felt her mind go blank. When she had asked, she had expected many possible answers but not a confession of love. They had met only a handful of times and had little interaction. How could he love her?

Seeing the shock in her eyes, Ernest rose from his seat and walked over to her.

"From the moment we bumped into each other at the palace celebration ball that year, you left a deep impression on me. That day when you went shopping with your sister, I saw you again, and you entered my heart. Back then, I didn’t know you were engaged to the crown prince. I was far down the hall when you appeared with him. I was still hoping to see you again... but who knew that after the horse incident, the next time I would lay eyes on you, you would be in a wedding dress—becoming another man’s bride."

Ernest paused and looked at her.

"I was hurt watching you marry someone else. I wished we had met sooner. I know it is wrong to have had such feelings, but I could not help it. Each time we met again, I fell more in love with you. I understood this was not a feeling I could openly express, and I never thought there would be a day I could say these words to you. So please—marry me, and make me the happiest man alive. Your ex-husband did not know how to cherish you, but I promise I will. I will never take a mistress, and in this lifetime, you will be the only woman for me."

He gently took her hand and kissed it.

Anastasia was stunned. The more she listened, the more she was moved. She had not expected to be loved by another man while still nursing feelings for the prince. There was something in the way Ernest looked into her eyes that made it impossible for her to doubt his words.

Her throat felt dry. She wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. "So... the real reason you want to marry me is because you love me?" she asked, searching his eyes for any hint of falsehood. Aside from her mother, no one had shown her so much love.

"Yes. If the lady in trouble that day in the palace had been anyone else, I would never have interfered," Ernest said.

Anastasia suddenly understood. As a general, he had no right to approach anyone in the palace, yet he had disregarded that and helped Rosa. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Why had I not met such a good man earlier?" she thought.

Seeing her cry, Ernest quickly wiped her tears. "I do not mean to pressure you. I understand you may still love the king. I am only asking for the chance to love you properly," he said softly.