My One-month Marriage With Mr. Hawkins

"Do you know I'm a foreigner?" said Ernest with a snicker.
Hector nodded. "Yes."
At the beginning, he didn't know that Florence was a foreigner, but on the way here, he sent someone to find out Florence's
identity.
When he saw Ernest, he was surer of their identity.
Ernest, a foreigner who had only been here a few days, had already become the darling of the royal family and was popular in
the country.
He also knew that Ernest had turned down the princess's proposal, so he was lucky that he was not rejected.
Ernest said deeply, "Do as the Romans do. I follow your rules here, but you have to obey ours, too."
"My Florence is pampered since she was a child and she is the apple of my eye. Even if she marries you, she won't wait on, take
care of, or serve a man."
"If you want to marry her, you must abolish the supremacy of men over women in the family. You have to put her first, and let no
one else have any dissatisfaction of her. Can you do it?"
Hector was stunned.
He had thought of many, many requests, but not these ones.
The idea that women were inferior of men was deeply rooted in Raflad and his mind.
And now he had to throw that concept away, to take care of Florence and put her first?
Such a thing had never happened or been heard of in Raflad.
Even Samantha, who had just followed them, was shocked to hear this.
She murmured, "It's impossible."
The idea was so ingrained that few people in the world have the gumption to defy it.

What was more, Hector was a duke. How could he agree to these requirements?
Florence looked up at Ernest with surprise and admiration.
She realized that this was Ernest's plan to deal with Duke Hector.
From the beginning, Ernest did not directly refuse Hector's proposal to Florence, but said that no one could be worthy her. It
turned out that Ernest had set a trap for him.
She would like to see how Hector would deal with it.
In the place, if a woman refused a man's proposal, she would have a very bad end, but if the man gave up, it was another story.
Ernest was trying to force Hector to give up.
Samantha looked at Hector and then looked at Ernest and said, "Ernest, your requirements are demanding. Why don't you ask
for something else?"
"If he can't do it, he can't marry Florence." Ernest sniffed coldly, with his eyes full of sarcasm.
Hector frowned tightly and gave Florence a complicated look.
She was indeed the most extraordinary woman he had ever met.
She was a foreigner and she received different cultures. That was why she was so different from the women here.
And that was why he would like her and appreciate her.
It was beyond ordinary people's mind to change the secular rules. Even Hector has never thought of it.
But now, for Florence's sake, he would be willing to do so.
Hector pursed his lips, looked straight at Ernest, and said word by word with firmness and sincerity, "All right. I will do it.
Henceforth, in my family, there's no rule of men being superior of women. Florence will be as equal as I'm. She's my beloved
wife."
The whole audience was in an uproar when they heard so.
They all looked at Hector with surprise.

"Is Duke Hector mad?"
"It is the greatest folly to spoil a woman."
"How could a man of his dignity do such a thing?"
The crowd was shocked and excited, chattering and gossiping.
Anyone who wanted to change the worldly rules would face unimaginable pressure.
Hector was no exception.
From the moment he made his decision, he knew exactly what he was up against. He looked at the crowd and, from his chest
pocket, pulled out a golden triangle token.
He held it in the palm of his hand and held it out to Florence.
"It is my token. It represents my status and power. With it, you can do everything in my power."
"From now on, I give it to you. We are equal and you can do whatever you want."
Florence was surprised.
Florence didn't expect that Hector would promise Ernest so readily, and he even gave his token to her.
He really meant to do it.
With the token, Florence was in a high status and became almost the same as that of a princess, and she also had real power.
Such a gift was very valuable even in the outside world.
But, even it was valuable, she did not intend to take it!
In a panic, Florence squeezed Ernest's sleeve nervously.
What should she do now? Hector had promised it. Did he pass the first requirement?
No. She was not going to marry him.

Ernest's eyes were as dark and deep as an invisible abyss.
He stretched out his hand and took the token.
"Do you really understand it? Do you know how to get along with your wife when you are equal with your woman?"
"I'll give you three days. After three days, come to Andrew's house and I'll test it."
The crowd was in an uproar again.
It was jaw-dropping that Duke Hector had promised Ernest to abolish the supremacy of men and women. And Ernest had to test
it?
It was so demanding!
But Hector was calm and nodded.
"Well, I shall be there on time, and I shall pass all the tests you have set."
It was only a verbal agreement that he promised to abolish the superiority of men and women and dote on Florence. Even if he
gave Florence the token, it didn't represent much.
When they got married, what mattered was how he did in daily life.
All these were meticulous, and only those who deeply understood the equality between men and women and doted on their
wives could truly dote on Florence after marriage.
So, what Ernest wanted to test were details.
Hector decided to take good care of and love Florence. He understood Ernest's intention of testing him in three days.
And he was kind of happy to hear so, as it meant that Ernest was going to let him learn how to get along with Florence after
marriage.
So, Ernest had accepted him as his brother-in-law, right?
It was very likely that he could marry Florence.