My father's face bloomed with joy. After all, the Archer family were royal merchants, far beyond the reach of the Frederick family, even though we owned the best medical clinic in Bulfa.
Who would have thought that in less than two years, Elyse would fall into the water and drown?
And Draven, whom the matchmaker had said wouldn't live long, was still alive and well.
Sacrificing one daughter had not been enough for my father. He was not about to let go of the wealth and status he had obtained so easily.
So, less than a month after Elyse's mourning period, he set his sights on me and sent me to the Archer family as a second wife for their short-lived eldest son.
The Frederick family had more than two daughters. I was the youngest, the fifth, and I had a third sister called Bianca.
But Bianca had always been my father's favorite. He could not bear to harm her.
When my father came to me that day, he looked guilty. He held my hand under the candlelight and spoke for a long time about how helpless he was and how much he was reluctant to part with me.