Chapter 3
"Your Highness, with your noble status, how could we possibly let an ordinary girl marry you and become Princess? Only my daughter Nicola is worthy to be your bride," Victor said.
His words sounded so heartfelt that, if I hadn't accidentally overheard their true thoughts, I might have actually believed them.
The entire Nell family was waiting for Jeremy to agree to marry me, but he stubbornly refused to give in.
His gaze swept over Hedda, who had been pampered since childhood and carried herself with elegance, then glanced at me, making my own appearance seem even more unrefined and awkward by comparison.
He said bluntly, "I don't care if she's the real heiress or not. As long as the Nell family acknowledges her, Hedda is officially a noble lady. There's no way I'd marry Nicola, that country bumpkin. At least Hedda is barely qualified."
"I'll come to marry Hedda in three months. Get ready," he added.
Hearing Jeremy's words, Steven blurted out, "Absolutely not!"
Jeremy's face instantly darkened.
"Absolutely not? What, do you really think I'm here to negotiate with you?" Jeremy said coldly.
Victor grabbed Steven's hand to keep him from saying anything else, plastered on a smile, and apologized to Jeremy, "My son was being rude. Please forgive him, Your Highness."
"It's truly Hedda's blessing that you've chosen her. Since you've spoken, we won't change the bride," Victor said quickly.
"Father..." Steven tried to protest.
But Victor shot him a fierce glare, silencing him instantly.
As soon as Jeremy left, Steven lost it and snapped at me, "Why are you so useless? You can't even pull off something this easy!"
My eyes started to fill with tears right away.
"What am I supposed to do if Jeremy doesn't want me? If you're so great, why don't you make him change his mind? What's the point of yelling at me?" I shot back.
After saying that, I ran off to my chamber, crying.
Once I got back to my room, I wiped away those fake tears and started making plans for myself.
Seeing how the Nell family was acting, there was no way they'd just let Hedda marry Jeremy and end up a living widow. They were definitely going to stir up trouble.
Even if they didn't, they'd probably just take it out on me and marry me off to whoever they wanted, just to get back at me.
Since I couldn't count on my family, I had to rely on myself and find a reliable husband as soon as possible.
So I got to work right away. While everyone at home was busy stressing over Hedda's wedding drama, I took the opportunity to meet a bunch of matchmakers and ask about all the promising, eligible young men in the capital who were close to my age.
After a month of digging around and meeting people myself, I settled on a Provincial Graduate. His family was nothing special, but he was driven and straightforward, and his home life was uncomplicated.
Victor was a Third-Rank Official, so for me, his daughter, to marry a Provincial Graduate was considered a huge step down.
When Victor and Erica heard about the guy I'd picked, they rejected my choice without a second thought.
"No way! Just a Provincial Graduate? How could someone like that ever deserve my daughter?" Victor barked.
I said, "Stanford Warren may only be a Provincial Graduate right now, but he's hardworking and smart. He's got a real shot at passing the Metropolitan Examination next year and becoming an Imperial Scholar. With Father's backing, moving up in the ranks shouldn't be a problem for him."
"And there's one more thing. Hedda's my little sister. If she gets married before me, the old guard will definitely say she's breaking tradition. She's going to be Jeremy's Princess, so she can't afford to give anyone a reason to nitpick," I added.
I let out a shy laugh and turned to grab Hedda's hand. "The timing's so tight, I might just end up getting married alongside my sister."
As soon as I finished speaking, the mood in the room changed. Everyone glanced at each other, their faces shifting.
Hedda's inner voice echoed in my mind, crystal clear.
[Getting married on the same day? That would make it so easy to switch the brides, and Nicola could take my place marrying Jeremy. Once they're officially wed, nobody could undo it, even if they tried.]
[But how could a Provincial Graduate from such an ordinary family ever be worthy of me?]
[Still, that's way better than being trapped as Jeremy's living widow. He'll never have kids, and sooner or later he'll get taken down by the new emperor. I don't want to die.]
[Nicola's got a point. Stanford might not look like much now, but with Dad being a Third-Rank Official, a little push from him and Stanford will have no problem moving up in the world.]
I couldn't catch what the others were thinking, but honestly, you could tell they were all plotting the same thing.
So Erica, Victor, and Steven, who were totally against it a minute ago, suddenly flipped and acted like they were all for it.
"Since you made the choice yourself, we'll let you have it your way. We'll set your wedding for the same day as Hedda's," Victor said.
With two weddings to plan at once, the Nell Residence was buzzing with preparations for two months straight.
Erica had matching bridal robes custom-made for both me and Hedda, with the only distinction being the design on our bridal hoods.
Mine was adorned with twin lotuses, while Hedda's featured mandarin ducks frolicking in the water.
Two months later, the wedding convoy from Longman Palace and Warren Residence lined up outside the Nell Residence, one after the other.
Erica was fussing over me and Hedda when the wedding convoy arrived. She hurriedly draped the wedding veils over our heads.
"The grooms are here! Hurry up and get outside!" Erica urged us.
The veil came down, blocking my sight.
Steven took my hand and helped me inside.
Once I was settled, I pulled up the veil myself, and just as expected, it was the one embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water.
So they want me to be Hedda's sacrificial lamb?
But who was really the sacrificial lamb here? That was still anyone's guess.
I smirked, arching my lips. "Good luck, dear sister."