And so, to everyone's surprise, the marriage between the Winterpel and Valajet families moved forward. After a short engagement and a simple ceremony, everything was finalised. A grand celebration was even held at the Valajet estate to mark the union.
Glenn spent most of the event looking as though he would rather be anywhere else. Specifically, far away from the southern nobles who would not stop whispering about him. Even when his new wife approached him for a dance, he looked as though he would prefer fighting monsters to stepping onto the ballroom floor.
Still, Nadia played her part flawlessly. Gentle, polite, harmless, as they began to dance. She tried to close the distance, testing the waters little by little. But Glenn shut her down every time. At one point he even told her it was too soon for them to use first names.
Too soon, from a man she was already married to.
Despite it all, Nadia endured it. The coldness, the rejection, the quiet humiliation of being treated like a stranger by her own husband in front of everyone.
Needing a moment to breathe, Nadia slipped out onto the balcony for some fresh air. Of course, peace did not last long. Ji-ho found her almost immediately.
Judging by his expression, he had taken this whole marriage situation very personally. In his mind, all of it was about him. That Nadia must have arranged everything with the Winterpel family just to avoid marrying him.
Nadia was caught off guard by how he reacted. What she really wanted was to throw the truth in his face, to remind him who had betrayed whom first. And why did he even care? He had been planning to discard her anyway.
But instead of saying all that, she kept her composure. She simply told him that they were never meant to work out, and walked past him, heading deeper into the garden in search of somewhere quiet.
Unfortunately, quiet and peace did not exist when Corrine was nearby. Her sister showed up right on cue, clearly eager to make things worse.
She mocked Nadia, saying she was nothing more than their father's pawn, just a piece to be moved around and sacrificed.
Nadia did not let that slide. She pointed out the obvious. Corrine was no different. And now that the marriage with Ji-ho had fallen through, the perfect legitimate daughter might be the next one used.
Corrine refused to accept that. In her mind she was superior because of her bloodline, her looks, and whatever else she used to prop up that fragile ego.
Then her eyes landed on something. The necklace Nadia could not stop staring at, the one her birth mother had left behind. And just like that, Corrine seized the opportunity. She dangled it in front of Nadia and demanded that she kneel and beg if she wanted it back.
So Nadia played along. She lowered herself, acting obedient, inching closer. And the moment she was within reach, she shoved Corrine straight into the pond and grabbed the necklace.
The best part was that this exact situation had happened in her previous life. Back then she had obeyed every demand and still had not got the necklace back. She learned from her mistakes.
Servants and guests rushed over as Corrine splashed helplessly in the water. The moment the Duke arrived, Corrine flipped the script — crying, yelling, throwing accusations, playing the victim perfectly.
But Nadia had levelled up. With flawless timing she acted confused and hurt, even tearing up just enough to sell it. Before long Corrine got too worked up and let it slip, accidentally exposing that she had been using their mother's necklace to threaten Nadia all this time.
No one sabotaged Corrine better than Corrine.
In the end, Nadia walked away with both the necklace and her dignity intact. Meanwhile, whispers spread through the crowd. Not about Nadia, but about the Duke's youngest daughter and her less than graceful behaviour.
After the celebration ended, Glenn set off for the northern Winterpel territory, his wife travelling by his side. Riding alongside them was his right-hand man, Fabian, who looked as though he was practically itching to ask questions about this sudden marriage. But Glenn was obviously not in the mood for conversation.
Naturally, suspicion still hung in the air. The Duke's involvement made everything feel like a setup. However, Nadia had played her role so well that Fabian was starting to wonder — what if this was actually a love match?
Glenn shut that idea down immediately. He warned Fabian not to be so easily fooled. Anyone from the Valajet family, he said, could switch sides faster than you could blink. And given the history between the two houses, this marriage was not going to magically create trust or unity. If anything, it was just tension wrapped in ceremony.
With that, he cut the conversation short and ordered Fabian to fall back and ride beside Nadia's carriage instead.
Nadia peeped out from the carriage, greeting Fabian with her usual warm smile. Being stuck between these two must have felt like walking a tightrope. One wrong move and there would be awkward silence forever.
The knight straightened up and introduced himself properly as Fabian Knox, explaining that he would be serving as her escort until they reached Winterpel. He tried so hard to stay formal and distant. It was almost as though he was afraid Glenn would accuse him of falling for her act.
Nadia did not push him away. Instead she gently reassured him that her feelings for Glenn were genuine.
One sweet smile later, and Fabian was done for. The poor man stumbled over his words, apologised out of nowhere, and then, completely forgetting Glenn's warning from seconds ago, offered to tell her stories to help pass the time.
Nadia had just secured her very first ally.