Chapter 1 – Arrange Marriage (Part 3)

The Duke of Loden had three sons, and Duke Dveshi had two sons and two daughters, so it was right to send one of the two daughters to the Loden family…

Why did they have to be without a daughter?

“Sister Annette already has a fiancé, so saying I have a well-matched man won’t work either, will it?”

“Yes, it seems you have to marry.”

Seeing her father’s face filled with pain, Sophia couldn’t bring herself to say no any longer.

“…Alright.”

Sophia, who had been hesitating, eventually gave the answer her father wanted with a feeling of resignation. Since Annette had a fiancé, no matter how much she thought about it, she realized she was the only suitable person to marry someone from the Loden family.

“Sophia, thank you.”

Duke Dveshi embraced his pitiable yet admirable daughter. The moment she was in his arms, tears welled up, but Sophia held them back. She didn’t want to show her sadness in front of her father.

Since the marriage was decided, she became curious about who her partner would be. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Sophia asked the Duke.

“Who among the three will I marry?”

“It hasn’t been decided yet. It won’t be the eldest, Marcus; it will be one of the other two.”

“One of the two?”

Hearing that she avoided the worst, Sophia let out a sigh of relief. Because the person she hated most in the world was Marcus Loden.

Of course, that didn’t mean the other two were okay. It just meant Marcus was particularly dreadful.

The reason she hated Marcus so much was that he had bullied her when she was a child.

‘Hey, don’t you smell something? Like a dirty pig.’

When eight-year-old Sophia heard Marcus say that at a village festival, she didn’t think it was directed at her. No one in the noble shopping district would speak so crudely.

But when several children’s eyes turned to her, Sophia realized it was directed at her and quickly understood it was someone from the Loden family.

‘Who are you calling a pig?’

As a child, she was a bit chubby but not fat. Yet, being teased for being fat was unbearable.

Angry, Sophia headbutted Marcus, causing him to have a nosebleed. She felt immense satisfaction as Marcus’s laughing face contorted in pain.

But that was only temporary. Marcus, fuming, later began teasing her more, calling her a “pig with only brute strength.”

Realizing that violence only increased the bullying, Sophia decided to ignore him, not wanting to get caught up in it anymore.

She knew her brother would take revenge immediately if she told him, but she didn’t want the fight to escalate because of her.

Perhaps knowing this, Marcus’s bullying worsened every time they met by chance. He would use insulting language and, under the guise of practicing swordsmanship, would draw his sword near Sophia’s neck.

Though it never touched her, it came close enough to be threatening.

This time, Sophia tried to treat him as invisible. But when his rude behavior intensified, she could no longer endure it.

‘Apologize for your threatening actions and for insulting my family.’

With her patience exhausted, Sophia demanded an apology from Marcus. She could tolerate insults directed at her but not at her family.

‘What is she saying?’

But Marcus pretended not to hear Sophia and instead provoked her further.

‘Stop your vulgar behavior. Should the eldest son of a Duke act so disgracefully?’

‘What did you say? How dare you lecture me? Guys, surround her so she can’t escape.’

As his friends encircled Sophia, Marcus threatened her with his sword. Until now, he had swung it as if it would touch her, but now he cut the ends of her hair.

Though the amount cut was small, it was enough to frighten young Sophia.

‘Kyaa!’

She screamed, covering her head with her hands, and Marcus laughed as if he had seen something amusing.

It was then that a cold and commanding voice, enough to freeze the surrounding air, intervened between them.

‘Can’t you put that sword away?’

Duke Dveshi, who happened to be passing by, glared at Marcus with an angry face. Instantly, the children surrounding Sophia began to back away.

‘What did that Loden brat say to you? How dare he touch you?’

He immediately grabbed Marcus by the collar and slapped him several times. Even then, not satisfied, he began kicking Marcus, who had collapsed with his legs giving out.

‘Argh! Please spare me!’

With his lips split and face bruised, Marcus had to beg Duke Dveshi. Yet, the beating didn’t stop. If anything, it seemed like he intended to beat him to death.

‘That’s enough.’

Duke Dveshi’s violence only stopped when Sophia grabbed his arm and pleaded.

‘Alright. If this eases your anger, I’ll stop here. But if you bother Sophia again, I won’t let it go.’

‘I-I’ll tell my father!’

‘Have you still not come to your senses after all that? Insolent brat. If you tell the Duke of Loden, I’ll be grateful. I can confidently tell him that I punished you for bullying my daughter.’

Duke Dveshi’s wicked smile at that moment was so terrifying that it seemed like a demon had descended from the heavens. Even Sophia, his daughter, was so scared she trembled.

Having been thoroughly beaten once, one would think Marcus’s bullying would end, but it didn’t.

Even after being beaten by Duke Dveshi, Marcus didn’t stop bullying Sophia. It seemed he thought he had to retaliate for the beating.

Though the direct bullying stopped, Marcus’s followers started picking fights on his behalf. They were afraid that if they directly bullied her and got caught by Duke Dveshi, they would end up like Marcus last time.

They created ambiguous situations, like pretending to spill food to soil her clothes or tripping her while pretending to pass by.

Sometimes, they would deliberately provoke the guards to divert attention, then push Sophia into a lake.

There were so many instances of bullying that they couldn’t all be listed.

Recalling the bullying made her instinctively turn her head. With Marcus alone being so problematic, the rest were likely no different.

“Are you really okay?”

Duke Dveshi’s voice brought Sophia back to reality from her thoughts.

“I’m really okay.”

Sophia, regaining her composure, forced a smile to show she wasn’t worried. She didn’t want to add to his concerns when he was already worried.

However, after her father left the room, she silently shed tears alone.

Having heard nothing but curses against the Loden family since she was young, how could she easily accept the marriage?

She thought she was crying quietly, but the sound must have reached outside because several maids, including her personal maid Emily, came to comfort her.

“Miss, please don’t cry. Isn’t there a way to avoid marriage?”

“If only I could marry in your place instead.”

Despite hearing all kinds of comforting words, her melancholy didn’t lift, and the Duchess of Dveshi, who came to the room later, comforted her weeping daughter.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Mother.”

Though she could hold back her tears in front of her father, she couldn’t suppress them upon seeing her mother’s face. Sophia sobbed in the Duchess’s arms.

“My beautiful daughter.”

No matter how much her mother comforted her, Sophia’s tears wouldn’t stop.

“I’m sorry. I’ll find a way for you to be happy, so why don’t you try to cheer up?”

“I think I would be happy if I didn’t have to marry the young master of the Loden family.”

“I don’t want to send you off either, but it’s already decided, so there’s nothing we can do. I know how hard it is for you, but I hope you understand that it pains me too.”

Sophia stopped crying at the Duchess’s words. She realized that crying would only hurt her mother’s heart more.

“I understand.”

“I’ll help you somehow, so trust and wait.”

“Yes.”

Though there was no concrete solution, seeing her mother willing to help made her want to believe in whatever it might be. As her mood improved, a faint smile appeared on Sophia’s lips, and the Duchess finally sighed in relief.

Thinking she had comforted Sophia enough, the Duchess of Dveshi left the room. Afterward, Emily entered the room as if taking turns.

“I didn’t expect you to get married so soon, Miss.”

Though her gaze was filled with regret, her voice tried to sound cheerful. She, too, wanted to comfort Sophia.

“Neither did I.”

Sophia smiled at her. Having cried her fill earlier, it wasn’t difficult to smile now.

“How could they order you to marry another man with your first love by your side? It’s truly unfair!”

Emily deliberately got excited to take Sophia’s side. Seeing Sophia trying to hide her anger, Emily seemed determined to express it for her.

“First love… It’s not the young master of Valkeres. I just thought of marrying him with good feelings.”

“Not your first love? Then who is your first love, Miss?”

Emily tilted her head at the mention that it wasn’t the young master of Valkeres. It was understandable since she had never seen another man by Sophia’s side besides him.

Though Sophia had never felt intense emotions for anyone before, there was a boy who had always lingered in her mind. Even though it had been a long time since they last met, he was deeply etched in her memory.

“It’s understandable you wouldn’t know. All I know is his name—Victor.”

Thinking of Victor, Sophia gave a bittersweet smile.