150: 24 She Was Engaged To Nuri

24 She Was Engaged To Nuri

Sibyl’s POV

It's been three days since I returned to Rodriguez Castle in the capital. Life in the south was like a dream. I was Mrs. Rodriguez again, and Nuri was busy in the army like before, coming home late.

This trip has changed my relationship with Nuri a lot. Before, he always looked at me with cold eyes, making me feel afraid. Now he is still as domineering as before, but he is much gentler to me.

I'm used to being called Mrs. Rodriguez. Since I was born, my fate has always been in the hands of others. In the days of the palace, I feel like a dandelion, with the wind in the sky. I did not know where to go. Now that I am Nuri's wife, I don't know what the future holds for me, but at least he is nice to me now, and my life is easier than it was in the palace.

My expectations are not high. If I can live a life like this, it is also very happy.

I'm just worried about my brother. He was a weak prince of a declining royal family. In the books I've read, princes like him have all been killed in power struggles throughout history.

I can't be a woman who depends on her husband. I must be strong to protect my brother. I didn't have the chance before, but now I have more freedom and I can take on more responsibilities.

The family name Rodriguez is more respected in the country than even the Royal Campbell. By the time we got back to the capital from the south, word had spread that Nuri had got the Dragon Scale, and people were cheering us on both sides of the road, just as they had on our wedding day.

Nuri never told anyone that he had given me the gem made of the Dragon Scale. So everyone thought he'd put the stone in his Vulcan Bow, and Nuri never explained it.

I wore it around my neck. Many people thought it was an ordinary ruby. I didn't explain it either.

When I told Amy the secret, she exclaimed in surprise, “This is crazy. Sir Rodriguez is courting you. I've heard that knights will give their most precious trophies to the woman they love. It means that he has dedicated all his glory to this woman.”

Really? I looked at the ruby and I felt a little sweet inside.

Nuri chose not to hate me because I was not with the Queen and I was just a poor princess. But why does he love me? I don't understand.

I have no strong background, no talent, no ability to please men, and I am not the most gorgeous woman.

“Your Grace, why are you so insecure?” sighed Amy, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And you have something no other woman has. You are gentle and graceful. You have an attractive temperament but, at the same time, you make people feel comfortable. You're the best woman I've ever met, and your husband has a hundred reasons to love you.”

I laughed. Amy always encouraged me.

Amy pulls out an invitation. “Your Grace, I almost forgot, you got an invitation to a party.”

I looked at Amy's face. I knew she had something to say but she was trying to stop herself.

“There's nothing between us that we can't talk about, Amy.”

Amy had been my maid since she was seven, and our relationship had become something of a friendship.

Amy stamped her feet angrily. “I heard a rumor about this party today.”

“What?” I asked as I arranged the flowers. There is no shortage of gossip among the nobles and Royals. One of the ladies' pastimes is gossiping with each other.

“Your Grace, do you know the Windsor Family?”

“Of course I do. It's the second-largest noble family after the Queen's.”

“There is only one daughter in the Windsor family, Azariah Windsor. She has been pampered and brought up like a princess. This party is for her. She will be 18 soon.”

I nodded. When a girl is 18, it is a tradition for her parents to hold a party and help her choose a good husband.

“I heard Azariah is engaged to Nuri Rodriguez,” Amy said anxiously.

I was absent-minded, then my finger accidentally touched the thorn of the flower stem, and a drop of blood flowed out.

“Be careful.” Amy handed me a handkerchief.

“It's okay.” I put my injured finger in my mouth and sucked.

Amy went on with the news she had heard. “Azariah is said to have been the apple of the family's eye as a child. Her father will satisfy her as long as she wants something. When she was 12, she met Nuri Rodriguez at a party and fell in love with him. She went home and cried every day that she wanted to marry Nuri. His father couldn't bear to break her heart, so he made a contract with the Rodriguez family.”

Nuri is the son of the famous Rodriguez family, and it is no surprise that he is engaged. A noble knight and a favored noble daughter. What a good match. I was the strange woman who broke the romance.

“Your Grace, don't be sad. They only have an oral marriage contract, and there is no formal document signed. You know that in our country, an oral marriage contract has no legal effect.”

I tried to act like I didn't care. I didn't want Amy to see that I was upset.

Amy comforted me. “Sir Rodriguez doesn't like Windsor people. I heard that when his father died on the battlefield, everyone was estranged from the Rodriguez family so as not to offend the emperor, including the Windsor family. If they had any shame at all, they would not have brought up this informal engagement.”

I continued to arrange the flowers with my head down.

“Your Grace, if you don't want to go to this party, you can say no. You're the Princess and Mrs. Rodriguez. You're nobler than both of them. You can say no.”

To tell the truth, I don't want to go.

“Your Grace, Mrs. Carol Rodriguez invites you to her room.”

Oh, Grandma called me.

I changed into a blue dress and went to her room with some of my rose cakes.

Grandma was happy to see me. She talked about the weather and recent events. Then she took my hands and sighed. “I guess you got an invitation from the Windsor family.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

“Do you know anything about Miss Windsor?”

“I know she was engaged to Nuri.”

Carol shook her head. “It was a verbal engagement. And after Nuri's father died, they broke it.”

I'm surprised.

“It was a very casual arrangement. Five years ago, the King was so angry that many people thought our family was doomed, so the Windsor family quickly clarified that the engagement was a joke and did not count.”

I see.

Carol frowned. “I don't hate Miss Azariah Windsor, but I never wanted her to marry Nuri. She is so proud that no one around her has dared to say no to her since she was a child. She is like a peacock, very beautiful, but also very ostentatious. She's not the right Mrs. Rodriguez. But now that she's 18 and not engaged, I'm afraid she still wants to marry Nuri. After all, she'll do anything to get what she wants.”

I don't know how to respond to Carol.

I'm just a newlywed wife learning how to get along with my husband. I don't know how to handle this kind of thing.

“Grandma, I don't want to go to this party.”

“My Girl, if you run away, people will laugh at you even more. As Mrs. Rodriguez, you're going to face a lot of problems, and the first thing you have to learn is to accept them calmly. Remember, don't expose your emotions to your enemies.”

I looked at Carol gratefully. No one taught me these things before.

Running away is not the answer. If I want to be strong, I have to face difficulties.

“I'm going to the party in three days. I'm not going to do anything to hurt the Rodriguez family.”

Carol looked at me admiringly, “From the first time I saw you, I knew you were a girl of courage and wisdom. Being Mrs. Rodriguez doesn't just mean being Nuri's wife, you have to deal with a lot of people and things on behalf of our family. I know you can do it.”

“I'll do my best.”

“As for Azariah, this is between you and Nuri. I will not interfere in your personal affairs. You are husband and wife now. You have to deal with these problems yourselves. This is also a test of your relationship.”

Carol tapped me on the shoulder. “Being a couple is not an easy thing to do. It's a very complicated course that takes a person a lifetime to learn.” 1

Thinking about Nuri and Azariah's engagement, I felt a sudden pain in my stomach. I couldn't breathe, but I smiled at Carol and said, “Thank you, Grandma.”

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