It was larger than Lucas had expected. The main house was a sprawling two-story structure built from pale stone, with multiple wings and a slate roof.

Surrounding it were several outbuildings: workshops, storage facilities, servants' quarters.

Beyond those, Lucas could see rows of carefully maintained mulberry trees, their leaves rustling in the evening breeze.

The silkworm operation. The source of the family's wealth.

As Lucas approached the main gate, two guards moved to intercept him. They wore the family colors and their weapons were well-maintained.

"State your business," one of them said.

"My name is Lucas Estellan. I'm a classmate of Lady Marie at Lerastad Royal Academy. I've come to check on her wellbeing."

The guards exchanged glances. "Lady Marie is not receiving visitors at this time."

"Is she here? Is she safe?"

"That's not information we can share with..."

"Lucas?"

The voice came from behind the guards. They stepped aside, and Lucas saw a figure approaching from the estate house.

It was Marie.

But something was wrong.

She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and a tension in her shoulders that Lucas had never seen before.

Her usually immaculate appearance was slightly disheveled, and she wore a simple dress instead of her typical academy attire.

"Marie," Lucas said, dismounting. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

She glanced at the guards, then back at Lucas. "I... yes. I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"You left suddenly. In the middle of the night. Lydia said there was a family emergency." Lucas studied her face. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Marie's expression flashed with all kinds of emotion. There was surprise, gratitude, and something else. Fear?

"That's very kind of you, but unnecessary. I'm handling the situation." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You should return to the academy. The break will be over soon, and..."

"Marie." Lucas said. "What's going on? Really?"

She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

Finally, she turned to the guards. "Let him in. Take his horse to the stables and see that it's fed and watered."

"My lady, your father said..."

"I don't care what my father said. Lucas is my friend, and he's traveled a long way to check on me." Marie's voice had an edge to it now. "Unless you want to explain to him why you refused his daughter's direct order?"

The guards backed down. "Yes, my lady."

Marie gestured for Lucas to follow her, and they walked toward the main house in tense silence.

As they entered the estate, Lucas noticed more oddities. Servants moving quickly with their heads down and ushed conversations that stopped when they passed.

Something was very wrong here.

Marie led him to a private sitting room and closed the door firmly behind them. Only then did her composure crack.

"You shouldn't have come," she said, and there were tears in her eyes. "This is... Lucas, this is bad. Really bad."

"Tell me," Lucas said. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."

Marie laughed bitterly. "Will we? Can you stop a royal decree? Can you undo a contract my father signed without consulting me?"

"The marriage. Princess Leyla mentioned negotiations..." Lucas said.

"It's done. Finalized three days ago." Marie's voice was hollow. "I'm engaged to Lord Rathek Al-jack of Jazhad. The wedding is in two months."

Lucas stared at Marie in confusion.

"Lord Rathek Al-jack," he repeated slowly. "I don't know that name."

"You wouldn't. He's not exactly famous in polite society." Marie walked to the window, hugging herself. "Rathek Al-jack is the third son of Duke Al-jack, one of the most powerful nobles in Jazhad. He's twenty-eight years old, has a reputation for... excess, and his family wants a connection to the Lerastad royal bloodline, even a distant branch like mine."

"And your father agreed to this?"

"My father had no choice." Marie's reflection in the window looked haunted. "The Al-jack family offered to clear our debts. All of them."

"Debts? I thought your family's textile business was successful."

Marie turned to face him. "It was. But three years ago, there was a blight that killed nearly half our mulberry trees. We borrowed heavily to replant and keep the operation going. Then last year, a fire destroyed one of our main processing facilities. More debt."

She sat down heavily in a chair.

"We've been barely holding on, Lucas. One more disaster and we would've lost everything we had. The land, the business and our standing. The Al-jack family knew this. They've been circling like vultures, waiting for us to become desperate enough and it got even worse when they somehow convinced the king the marriage was a good idea."

"And now they have you as payment," Lucas said.

"A prestigious marriage alliance, they're calling it. A union between two noble houses." Marie said. "In reality, they're just buying a connection to the royal family at bargain prices and the king just sold it to them."

"So you're just supposed to accept this? Marry some stranger twice your age with a bad reputation?" Lucas said, enraged.

"What choice do I have?" Marie's voice cracked. "If I refuse, my family loses everything. My father, my mother, the hundreds of workers who depend on our estate, they'll all suffer. I can't be that selfish."

Lucas stopped pacing and knelt in front of her chair, looking up at her. "Marie, this isn't the time to be thinking about others. This is your life and your future we're talking about here."

"My future was already decided the moment I was born into a noble family, Lucas. We don't get fairy tale endings. We get duty and obligation." She met his eyes. "You're from a noble family too. You should understand this."

He did understand. In his original life, arranged marriages might have been mostly a thing of the past, but he'd read enough history to know how it worked. And in this world, among the nobility, it was still standard practice.

But understanding it and accepting it were two different things.

"Absolutely not. I won't accept my friend being married off to some jackass in the middle of nowhere against her will just because the king said so. There has to be another way," Lucas said.

"There isn't. Believe me, I've spent the last three days looking for one." Marie stood up, gently moving past him. "That's why you need to leave, Lucas. Go back to the academy. Forget about this. There's nothing you can do."

[Ding!]

[New Quest Available!]

[Quest: Homewrecker!]

[Objective: Find a way to nullify Marie's engagement to Lord Rathek Al-jack without destroying the Zellivan branch family.]

[Reward: 300 Villain Points!]

[Warning: This quest has a high difficulty rating. Failure may result in severe consequences.]

[Accept Quest? Y/N]

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