Chapter 2
I never expected it to be Evan Reed.
Of the three men my father had hand‑picked for me, one was an educator. Gentle and refined, he came from a family steeped in intellectual tradition.
Another was a broadcaster with a secure, prestigious position. Cultured and thoughtful, he was mature and considerate.
And Evan was known around the military camp as a reckless, unruly troublemaker.
Five years earlier, when he was only nineteen, he had gotten into a violent brawl. He struck brutally and stabbed another man, leaving the victim paralyzed.
Afterward, he refused to admit fault, stubborn to the end.
He even snuck into the hospital room and tried to yank out the guy's oxygen tube.
Rumor had it, the powerful Reed family paid a fortune to keep it quiet.
The guy who got hurt never pressed charges.
But after that, the Reed family sent him off to the Cloudvale Frontier as punishment.
He dropped out before he even turned twenty, hanging around the camp or the battlefield.
They said he was reckless, violent, and useless.
He got into fights, drank, and gambled. No vice was foreign to him.
My dad probably only put him on the list to make the other two look better.
He wasn't exactly a good match, but at least he'd barely been back in the past five years.
The Reed family elders had always been on good terms with my dad.
I figured they wouldn't treat me badly.
So, it didn't seem like such a bad deal.
My dad was seriously ill.
I didn't have any other elders left to help me with my marriage.
So, I went to the Reed family myself.
When Evan's parents heard why I was there, they were so moved they almost cried.
They said, "Sweetheart, you're a real angel.
"We'd already resigned ourselves to that troublemaker never getting married!"
Evan's grandma, Diana Reed, looked at me in utter disbelief. "Did that brat threaten you or something?"
I couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Diana fumbled in a fluster, slipping a gem‑set heirloom bracelet from her wrist and fastening it onto mine.
The Reed family insisted I stay for dinner, thanking me over and over.
I felt my face flush. "Well, I should probably ask him what he thinks."
The Reed family elders all looked at me. "Ask who?"
After a long pause, it finally dawned on them.
They said, "Oh, that troublemaker? He'll definitely say yes."
I was a bit taken aback.
Knowing Evan's personality, he didn't seem like the type to let his family decide his future.
Noticing my silence, Diana gave a soft cough. "That boy told us before he left. Let the elders settle the matter of the marriage."
Though I was filled with doubt, I knew Diana was a woman of integrity and senior standing, who would never tell a lie.
The Reed family was an established, prominent household. No marriage of theirs would ever be arranged in reckless haste.
I set the engagement party for two weeks later, and the Reed family sent word to Evan, telling him to take leave from the camp and come home.
I went back to the hospital.
As I reached the door to my dad's room, I overheard him sighing to Thomas. "Nina is nearly twenty‑five, and she still hasn't found a young man she cares for.
"Her mother died in childbirth, and her brother is gone too.
"Look at the state I'm in. If something should happen to me...
"She's in poor health. Who will look after her?"
Thomas brought him water and wiped his face with a towel, his eyes downcast, maybe feeling guilty.
He said in a low voice, "The doctors say you're stable now, so don't worry.
"Nina's still young. There's no rush to get married."
I walked into the room and cut him off. "I do have someone I like."