After that day, I stopped talking to my family and treated them coldly.
My father seemed worried and tried to talk to me several times, saying that the Duke was a good man, trying to convince me that they did it for me.
My mother would always go out and brag to her friends that our family would be related to the Duke.
The only person who was really worried about me was my little brother who apologized for not being able to convince our parents to back down from their decision.
But what could a 17-year-old boy do in a situation like this.
I know that deep down, my mother is not a bad person, but her obsession with attracting attention led to this terrible moment.
Our only maid came to inform me of the wedding date, which was only a few weeks away.
Normally, planning a noble wedding takes six months, but my wedding was quick and would take place in the royal chapel.
Making a normal dress for nobles takes about one to three months, so due to the time constraints, the Duke sent me a wedding dress and I only had to modify it to fit my size.
(Even my dress was chosen for me) I thought to myself as I held the dress in my hand.
The night before the wedding, I put on the dress and looked at myself in the mirror of my room, and began to cry silently.
I had always been proud of my appearance, my emerald eyes were rare and my long black hair attracted attention wherever I went.
Although I was much taller than the type preferred by the nobles in the capital, they still followed me like bees.
Back then, I had constantly rejected them, believing that I had the power to choose who I wanted, and now I was faced with the reality that my family had sold me out for the highest price.
I, who had always thought that I would marry for love and live happily, would now become the second wife of a man who might think of marrying me to anger his lover.
At twelve o'clock noon in the year 1848, my wedding was held in front of all the powerful families in the country.
I walked with my head held high and waited for my groom to face another harsh reality.
The Duke did not come to our wedding in person, but sent an proxy instead.