Ficorpio
Chapter 1
I had two betrothed men.
Before my mother died, she made me promise to treat the two brothers equally and never show favoritism.
So every year, I made two batches of osmanthus cakes.
They were identical down to the ounce.
The elder brother, Ethan Sterling, was cold and rigid, but he always praised my baking.
His younger brother, Adrian Sterling, had a vicious tongue. He often used my osmanthus cakes to pelt birds right in front of me, mocking that both my pastries and I were too crude for polite society.
Even when he treated me with such contempt, I continued to be just as kind to him as I was to his brother.
Until the year I turned fifteen.
That was when I suddenly remembered the rest of my mother’s final words.
“You may treat them both equally. Just watch and see who knows how to accept your kindness.”
“The one who can accept it is the only man you should marry.”
As it happened, this autumn’s osmanthus harvest had yielded enough blossoms for only one batch of cakes.
And it was time for me to choose my husband.
As always, it took me an entire month to finish the batch.
I had just carefully placed the cakes inside the gift box when Adrian came storming into my courtyard. The moment he saw them, he broke into a knowing smile.
“I knew you’d made osmanthus cakes. Victoria’s here, so I’m going to take them and let her use them for target practice.”
I reached out and pressed down on the box, frowning. “They aren’t for you.”
His expression turned impatient.
“Tsk. Aren’t the two batches always identical? Just give the other one to my brother.”
I hugged the box to my chest and said firmly, “This time is different. I only made one batch, and I’m giving it to Ethan.”
He froze.
Adrian had grown accustomed to receiving two identical portions from me.
Years ago, my mother and Margaret Sterling had been close friends. They had also been pregnant at the same time, so they made an agreement: if one had a son and the other a daughter, the children would marry.
They had not expected Margaret to give birth to twin boys.
With a grand wave of her hand, Margaret declared that once I came of age, I could choose whichever brother I liked as my husband.
Because of my mother’s final instructions, I had always treated them both the same.
In spring, I made two pairs of handmade wrist guards.
In autumn, I made two batches of osmanthus cakes, each weighing exactly the same.
I had never favored one over the other.
Ethan was reserved, but he always accepted my gifts seriously and praised my skill.
Adrian, on the other hand, had always been cruel with his words.
He said my osmanthus cakes were unworthy of a respectable table, then used them to pelt birds and amuse his childhood sweetheart, Victoria Ashford.
Chapter 2
At a banquet, he even brought out the wrist guards I had made and ridiculed my poor handiwork in front of everyone, all to make Victoria’s embroidery seem even finer by comparison.
I had cried from anger more times than I could count.
Yet the next day, I would still send Adrian another pastry.
If I was going to give Ethan one, then I had to give Adrian one too.
But now I looked at him calmly.
“Adrian, I won’t be sending you osmanthus cakes anymore.”
Because I had already decided which man I would marry.
A flicker of panic crossed Adrian’s face. Then, as if he had thought of something, he gave a quiet laugh.
“What? Are you still holding a grudge over what happened last month?”
Last month, Julian Hart came to the Sterling Estate and asked Adrian about me.
Outsiders knew only that I had lost my mother and gone to live with the Sterling family. No one knew that I was betrothed to both of the Sterling brothers.
Adrian saw what Julian was getting at and drawled lazily, “Her?”
“She’s a merchant’s daughter. She can’t sew a stitch and knows nothing but bookkeeping. She has no accomplishments, either—no music, chess, calligraphy, or painting. All she can do is make pastries. She doesn’t have the manners or bearing of a daughter of a distinguished house. She’s crude and utterly unfit to be a wife.”
I stood outside the door, every word stabbing straight through me.
My mother had been a merchant. After ending her marriage to my father, she had raised me alone with a pastry shop. When she died, she left the shop to me.
I had inherited her craft and kept the business running. I neither stole nor cheated. I earned my living with my own hands. How did that make me unfit?
Adrian continued, patiently lecturing Julian as though he were offering sound advice.
“Julian, forget about Chloe Bennett. Any girl would be better than her.”
“Men from families like ours would never be able to hold their heads up after marrying a merchant’s daughter with no standing. Someone like Victoria—that’s the sort of woman who makes a suitable match. A daughter of an official family.”
In Jinling, where the powerful gathered, merchant women had always been looked down upon.
My face burned with humiliation, and I turned to leave.
But then Julian asked, puzzled, “You’re always so gentle with women. Why are you being so vicious about Miss Bennett? Why slander her?”
“Could it be that you like her and don’t want anyone else competing with you?”
My steps halted.
It was true. Adrian had a handsome, almost delicate face and eyes that seemed made for flirting. He was easygoing, charming, and skilled at saying exactly what pleased a girl. More than half the young women in Jinling favored him.
Chapter 3
After I lost my mother as a child, I grieved for a long time. Adrian had been the one who constantly tried to cheer me up and coaxed me out of my sorrow.
And I… I had once fallen for him, too. For a time, I had even wanted to choose him.
But as we grew older, he had inexplicably taken against me. His words became sharp, his manner cruel.
Could Julian be right?
I twisted my handkerchief between my fingers and listened tensely.
Adrian was silent for several seconds. Then he gave a scornful laugh.
“Who would like her? The moment I see that stupid face, I’m annoyed.”
He sounded utterly unconcerned.
“I wish she’d hurry up and get married. How am I supposed to marry the woman I love while she’s still single?”
My breath caught. My hand fell limp at my side.
Only then did I understand.
Adrian, born into one of Jinling’s distinguished families, had always looked down on me for being a merchant’s daughter. He had never once considered marrying me.
All these years, he had tormented me and lashed out with cruel words only to force me to choose a husband and marry Ethan.
That way, he would be free to marry Victoria.
The handkerchief slipped from my fingers and drifted to the floor.
When Adrian saw me standing outside the door, a flicker of panic crossed his face. Then, as if he had thought of something, he gave a careless smile.
He knew that no matter how angry I became, in a few days I would still bring him gifts and treat him kindly.
But I didn’t want to do that anymore.
I would choose Ethan as my husband. I would never be good to Adrian again.
When I said nothing, Adrian pressed his lips together and shifted uncomfortably.
“Chloe Bennett, I’m warning you.”
“My brother is brilliant, and he’s now one of the Emperor’s most trusted officials.”
“I hear the palace wants to arrange a marriage between him and Princess Eleanor.”
“And you? You’re a merchant’s daughter from a low family, and all you know how to do is bury your head in pastry dough. My brother would never look twice at you.”
“Even if you choose him, he’ll never marry you.”
“Why don’t I honor Mother’s wishes and take you as my concubine instead? I’d be lowering myself, of course, but what do you say?”
The blood drained from my face.
“Is that true?”
Was the palace really planning to marry Princess Eleanor to Ethan?
Adrian tightened his grip on his fan. The tips of his ears had turned faintly red.
“Yes. I suppose I could take the loss and marry you…”
I lowered my head, my expression solemn.
“Then I’ll have to hurry and get married.”
I had to marry Ethan before the princess could take him away.