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Reader POV

The day of the magic knights exam, my father died.

The family's curse acted upon him exactly as he turned 35 years old.

His mouth was filled with bloody rose petals and his hands holding red roses.

I leaned against the bed on my knees.

No one knew exactly when the (l/n) Curse came to be, but we did know it had something to do with one of our ancestors falling in love with the witch queen and he died at age 35.

They had already had a son who looked just like his father.

Overcome with grief, she cursed our family and closed off the witches forest to outsiders.

She banished him from her home at a young age, not bearing to look at him.

It must've been 200 years ago.

I stared at the dead body of my father, tears in my eyes that dripped down and stained the bed.

"Don't be scared sweetheart," my father's ghost said to me with a soft smile as he knelt beside the bed. "I'm right here."

"I know, but you're dead. I can't bring you back."

He nodded with sadness, my mother kneeling beside him as well as our ancestors.

I could see some, but the older they were, the more faint they were.

I lifted my head and gently took off the brooch my father wore, making a necklace out of it.

I left the room and called for the servants to take his dead body away.

I closed the curtains that he had open, wanting to see the sun one last time.

People at the funeral hours later all whispered and some offered their condolences, but it was all hazy to me.

He was buried with his favorite sword in his coffin and his arms in a cross position with a rosary in his hands.

I sat there with a frown on my face, unable to make any other emotions as people talked to me, speaking of how much of a wonderful man he was.

"I apologize for your father's passing," Solid Silva said to quietly.

I only leaned into his arms, allowing him to hug me.

He looked around for my fiancé as Langris could be possessive, but he was still talking with one of the servants.

Solid was actually going to be my betrothed at first until his mother decided that he should make his own choices and not pressure him to be already engaged.

So my father agreed to Lord Ledior Vaude's offer to have me marry his son and continue our bloodline as my older brother Shielo went missing when I was four and he six.

"So...what now?" Solid asked me. "What are you going to do? Surely you won't stay in this ghastly house?"

"That's exactly what will happen. Yes I will be busy at the Golden Dawn, but this is the only home I know. I can't possible imagine a life not here."

Langris was already walking towards us, glaring at Solid. "Well start imagining it, (l/n). If we're to be married, I do not wish to live in this creepy house."

"Show some respect to her," Solid snapped. "The girl just lost her father. She has no one else."

"Piss off. I'd say be nicer to Noelle, but we all know she's a failure. Go away."

I pushed Solid off me, looking away from my best friend and fiancé. "Just stop it. Both of you."

"Sorry," Solid whispered, not wanting to be on my bad side for a moment.

Meanwhile my fiancé who I did not ask for simply scoffed.

"How pathetic. To cry over an old and dying man."

I ignored his voice, closing my eyes and picturing myself running around my house and playing the piano for my father as he loved to hear it.

I could feel the stares of people around me as Langris and Solid began to argue.

"You don't even love her!" Solid spat. "She deserves someone who isn't as disgusting as you, noble."

"You're one to talk," Langris hissed back. "You abuse your sister Noelle. How rude of you to be hypocritical of me. And at least I would never lay a hand on her!"

"Ha. Don't make me laugh." Solid was about to pull out his grimoire when I shook my head, grabbing his hand tightly.

He stopped what he was doing and glared at Langris. "Listen. We don't need you here, ass. Go away."

"No."

Days later, I heard from Finral that Langris had plans to sell my house.

I confronted him about it after moving some things into my dorm room at the Golden Dawn.

"Why would you want to live there?!" He spat.

"It is my ancestral home," I said. "Please, just don't take that away from me."

"If you don't want me to take it away, what are you going to give me in return, bitch?" He asked me with a rude snide.

"I'll do anything! Just please-"

He sudden grabbed a lock of my hair, shoving me to the floor as his hand made its way to his belt. "Gods, seeing you beg makes me hard."

My eyes widened and I moved my head, only for him to grab my hair tightly. "No-"

"You said you'd do anything, right?" He unzipped his pants and threw the belt somewhere in his office, making sure the door was locked. "You can start by taking care of this."

I took a deep breath.

If this is to save my ancestral home, so be it.

I did as he ordered me to, feeling his substance trickle down my throat that he ordered me to swallow.

"You whore." He pulled his pants back up, smiling down at me. "The next time you come into my office, it better be to accept the fact that we're getting married and you're not getting out of it. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded and left his office, refusing to cry.

I went to my dorm and washed my mouth out, feeling incredibly sick from swallowing his salty seed.

I sat down on my bed that was also not mine, staring outside at the beautiful sunset.

How repulsive.

I closed the curtains that were specifically designed for me to block out any light as per my request.

I stared down at the photo of Finral, Langris, and I as children.

We were so innocent back then.

I took the photo from its hold, throwing it into the flames that flickered in the fireplace.

I blocked out the projections of my parents, knowing what they'd say to what just happened.

I already brought shame upon our house.

But to engage in such activities at the age of 15 years and seven months?

How disgusting.

I sat down on my bed, a permanent frown on my face.

There was a knock at the door a while later and I opened it only to see Nebra Silva.

"(y/n)," she said to me. "Nozel wants to talk to you regarding your family funds since your parents entrusted our family to take care of you."

I followed her out and we passed Hamon and Letoile on the way out.

We arrived at House Silva and I noticed Noelle was peeking shyly from a column.

I nodded once to her and she nodded back.

I entered Nozel's office and his sharp gaze softened a bit.

"Nebra, leave us be."

His sister left, closing the door behind her.

"Alright, (y/n). Let's talk money. My family has been entrusted to taking care of you. Seeing you'll be married in three years, I will do my best to ensure that you are fine for these next years." Nozel showed me a receipt. "As of right now, your family is worthy about 10.5 million."

As Nozel droned on, I made mental notes in my head about what he was saying.

"And if you spend your money well, it should ensure your children are also taken care of," the royal finished.

I looked up to him, startled. "Huh? Children?"

"Of course. Once you marry Lord Langris, you'll be expected to conceive a child as soon as possible, most favorable a son." Nozel frowned. "I know you're young, but in time you will understand this is the only way to ensure your family legacy is passed down to the next generation. With your brother Shielo's
disappearance, you're the sole heir to House (l/n)."

"So that's it?" I asked lowly. "I raise my child or children for about 15 years then I die at the age of 35, barely living."

"In a matter of speaking. yes." He frowned. "But I want you to also enjoy life."

"Ha..." I looked down at my shoes. "Is there any way I can disband the marriage in three years? I don't want to marry him."

Nozel looked upset.

He was torn between giving his favorite family friend whom he saw as a sister what she wanted, yet he didn't want to disobey what her parents and what the Vaudes wanted.

"I am sorry, but I cannot."

I sighed. "Thank you, Lord Nozel."

"Come now, I insist you call me Nozel."

I simply walked out of his office, leaving House Silva after seeing Solid in the courtyard with some of his friends, not seeing me.

I slipped into the shadows as it was starting to get dark outside, making my way back to my family house.

Only to see it getting torn down.

"STOP!" I yelled, seeing them use canon magic to make it collapse.

"Who are you?" The person in charge asked me with a scorn.

"Excuse me?! I am the owner of this estate! I'll thank you to stop it!"

"No can do. If you say you're Lady (y/n) (l/n), then you should know your fiancé has ordered the destruction of this gloomy place. About time anyway. Place is haunted."

Overcome with anger, I made my way to the Golden Dawn and saw Langris himself smirking at me.

"YOU LIAR!"

He uncrossed his arms, his eyes glittered with sadistic glee. "I did promise in our agreement that I wouldn't tear down the place. I just kindly urged the townspeople to do so for me."

I shook my head, gripping my shirt tightly. "You...you ass! You know how much that means to me!"

"Don't care. It will be turned into an orphanage for unwanted children. Don't be so sad. Everything in there was old and useless anyway. Besides, your family graveyard will still be there."

I shook my head with disbelief. "Langris Vaude, I hate you."

He only rolled his eyes. "Do I look like I care? If you're to die in twenty years, then I'll make sure you suffer. I never wanted to be engaged- especially to someone as dumb and creepy as you." He walked past me, bumping my shoulder.

I slipped back into the shadows, telling myself not to cry.

It just wasn't fair.

I did nothing to him yet he hates me beyond control.

To the point where he would take everything away from me.

And no one could help me.

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Ah yes, already starting with the fucked-up shit that will only get worse later.