My One-month Marriage With Mr. Hawkins

Soon the voices came in the hall, which was low and magnetic.
"The second condition is simple. To get a fresh cactus that's half a man tall. Flory likes it."
Florence was puzzled. When did she start to like cactus?
"Cactus?" spoke Hector in a high voice with surprise.
What bizarre request was that?
Didn't Ernest know that Raflad was surrounded by endless snow-capped mountains? The country's temperature was generally
low, and the water resource was abundant. There was no desert at all.
And of course there were no plants like cacti that grew in the desert.
Where was he going to get one?
Ernest was cool but impatient.
"Go and get it," said Ernest coldly and drove Hector to get a cactus.
Hector looked embarrassed and gloomy.
Hesitating for a moment, he said, "Bro, there is no cactus in the country. I have to go find it in other places. But you know that it's
not easy to enter Raflad, so it's difficult to go out."
"So?" Ernest interrupted Hector with a note of irony in his voice.
Hector stopped talking and got nervous.
But in a second, his tone changed, "But even so, it won't stop me from bringing the cactus back! Since Flory likes it, I will take
that to her."
Florence and Bonnie who were eavesdropping were speechless.
So were the four bodyguards.
They seemed to have found something unbelievable. The noble Duke Hector seemed to have lost his dignity.

How could he change his mind so easily?
Turning to Bonnie, Florence asked in a low voice, "How far is the desert from here?"
Bonnie shook her head. "I don't know. I've never been outside."
A bodyguard answered, "As far as I know, the nearest desert is more than 12,000 miles away. And we can't go out by plane and
it's difficult to travel by snowy mountain roads. A trip back and forth, if it goes well, will take at least a month."
More than a month?
That meant Hector wouldn't be around her for at least a month!
And as for Ernest's intelligence, he would get the medicine in a few days. So it meant that they wouldn't see Hector again before
they left Raflad.
Florence was so happy that she wanted to laugh. It was the best news she had heard in days.
And she started to like the prickly cacti.
Bonnie looked at Florence who was so happy and said, "Flory, do you like cactus this much? But the country might not grow
cactus as the climate isn't good for it."
Wouldn't Florence be sad if the cactus died when it was brought back?
Florence didn't care. She was just glad she didn't have to see Hector anymore.
With a smile on her face, she casually replied, "Yes, I like it very much."
As she spoke, she looked expectantly inside, hoping that the conversation would be over, and Hector could hurry away.
She couldn't resist rushing over to give Ernest a kiss.
Her man was really smart. He gave Hector a rough time and avenged her. What was more, he sent him away without efforts.
However, at this moment, a discordant sound rang up.
"I have always admired plants that can survive in the arid desert. Hector, when you bring cacti back, you must let me have a
look."

Samantha sauntered in with a clear voice.
She wore a red and white dress, which showed her elegant temperament. As she spoke, she wore a smile which made her look
charming.
She looked at Ernest with tenderness, and her voice softened, "Ernest."
As she called him, her voice sounded coquettish.
The smile on Florence's face froze.
Her face was tense and she felt a sense of crisis.
Her love rival had come!
Subconsciously, she wanted to rush out and set her and Ernest apart.
Bonnie grabbed her immediately, "Flory, what are you doing? We're eavesdropping."
If they came out, they would be exposed.
Florence froze and calmed down a little.
In the hall, Ernest didn't say a word, and no one knew what was on his mind.
But Hector chuckled and asked, "Samantha, what are you doing here?"
In Raflad, men were superior to women, and women were restricted in every aspect. One of the rules was that women couldn't
visit other men's homes without permission.
Samantha was a princess. Although her status was different from that of other women, she was a lady. She rarely went out of
her palace, let alone went to other people's homes.
So Hector was indeed surprised to see her here.
Samantha had already figured out an excuse, and replied with a smile, "I heard about your trial here today, and I wanted to come
and support you. Congratulations, Hector. You passed the first test."

The excuse was reasonable.
But did she only come here to congratulate him? Hector didn't believe it at all.
Although they were brother and sister, they had different mothers. In normal days, they were not close nor cold to each other.
"Thank you." Hector smiled and nodded.
Andrew followed in and felt a little guilty when he saw Samantha there.
After all, she was the princess, and he couldn't neglect her.
He entered, and said politely, "Her Royal Highness , Your Grace, please take a seat. My wife will be up with tea at once."
"Thank you."
The Samantha smiled politely and sat down.
Her seat was right next to Ernest's, only separated by a small tea table.
Andrew looked at Ernest with some concern and saw a distinct displeasure across his handsome face.
The man hated any woman who would come close to him except Florence.
Andrew felt uneasy and was about to say something to ease the tense atmosphere when he saw Ernest stand up and calmly
said to Samantha, "Since you're here to congratulate Duke Hector, you should have a nice chat. I won't bother you."
With that, he walked away.
Andrew felt so nervous. The Princess and Duke Hector were here. Was Ernest going to act so capriciously?
He could anger either of them and get into troubles.
However, before Ernest could leave, Samantha followed him and grabbed him by the arm.
Her cheeks were rosy and her voice was eager.
"Ernest, you got me wrong. It was just an excuse. My purpose here was to see you. I... I miss you."