Chapter 0
Prologue
“Violet, get married. Within this month.”
She was twenty years old. Her father had found her a prospective husband.
“He’s a low-ranking knight who’s about to go to war against Aslan. They say he hasn’t been able to receive deployment orders because he’s still unmarried.”
Where he managed to find such a match was beyond her. It was an utterly pathetic proposal.
“I’ve secured a generous dowry for it.”
In the end, that was the crux of the matter.
In Violet’s homeland, Illore, it was customary for the bride’s family to prepare a dowry when she married.
But for a man to offer a dowry to a woman? It was clear that he was a man of little worth.
“Of course, it’s only right. For a mere commoner knight to take a daughter of House Zerotta, isn’t it proper to demand this much at least?”
Violet inwardly scoffed.
House Zerotta? What house?
Her father, Baron Antonio Zerotta, was a textbook example of a fallen noble. He struggled even to maintain their shabby, one-room home.
Yet here he was, clinging to the pride of nobility. The sight of it was almost laughable.
But Violet didn’t say any of this aloud, knowing it could earn her a slap. Instead, she kept her mouth shut.
Most likely, her father had found this absurd match while trying to pay off the gambling debt he owed to Count Beaumont.
“I understand, Father.”
Fully aware of everything, Violet didn’t object. As the youngest daughter of the Zerotta family, she knew her reality well.
Now that her father had spoken, he would see to it that she married this nameless knight, no matter what.
There was no one else in the family who could be forced into such a role except Violet.
She had two older sisters. One was already married, and the other—well, there was no way she’d be sold off in this manner.
Because—
“You’re remarkable, truly. How deeply you care for Violet! Honestly, where else can you find a father so devoted to his daughter’s future? Be grateful.”
The Baroness spoke with a smirk.
If Violet were her biological daughter, would the Baroness still have said such things? Violet wondered briefly.
That’s right. Violet was an illegitimate child her father had brought home from an affair. Her biological mother had long since passed away.
She was nothing more than an extra mouth to feed—perfect to pawn off in situations like this.
Having played the role of the family’s scapegoat her entire life, Violet could only give the answer they wanted to hear this time as well.
“Thank you, Father.”
And so, Violet calmly accepted her impending marriage.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.