The Bride Who Refused, the Sister Who Accepted

My older sister, Nina Farro, is famous in Balthor's elite circle for being indifferent and refined. But I'm the only person who knows she's just pretending. The moment she finds out she's going to be married to Tristan Conte, the heir of a powerful family in Balthor, she locks herself in the chapel of the Farro residence and refuses to leave. "I don't care how impressive the family background is or how much power they hold. All I want is a peaceful and ordinary life." She sets three conditions for Tristan. First, he has to build a chapel for her in the Conte residence where she can pray in peace. Second, Tristan has to abstain from alcohol and meat for two months before their wedding. Third, Tristan has to agree to live separately from her for three years after marriage and not touch her, as proof of his sincerity. Tristan bursts out laughing in disbelief. "Am I at the right place? Is this the Farro residence or a convent?" "Mr. Farro, if you don't want the business deal in Yak City, plenty of people are ready to take it. We'll see how much longer the Farro family can keep its books balanced." My father, Saul Farro, is quick to apologize, while his wife, Celeste Silvi, puts on a smile and says everything she can to appease Tristan. Alas, no matter what they say, Nina refuses to budge. She insists that Tristan agree to her conditions before she agrees to the marriage alliance with the Conte family. "You can't force something that isn't meant to be. Mr. Conte, if you have no real intention of committing to this marriage, then please see yourself out." When it looks like Tristan is about to storm out and call off the marriage arrangement, I take a deep breath from the corner I was hiding in and dash out to stop him. "Mr. Conte, if Nina won't marry you, I will!" Chapter 1 The moment my older sister, Nina Farro, laid out her conditions, Tristan Conte's expression darkened. The rest of the Farro family were so terrified that they didn't dare to speak a single word. Put nicely, Nina was just trying to reclaim her freedom and refusing to be reduced to a bargaining chip in a marriage alliance. But the reality was that she was openly challenging the Conte family and humiliating Tristan in public. Tristan snorted out loud. "You can't force something that isn't meant to be, huh? If that's the case, Mr. Farro, the Yak City deal is off." The Farro family had a cash shortage and was waiting for the Conte family's funds to keep them afloat. They were the ones who now needed the Conte family's help. My father, Saul Farro, was so anxious that sweat poured down his face. "Nina just hasn't come around yet. Please don't hold it against her. She's always been stubborn. Just give me a few days to persuade her to say yes." Tristan's voice turned cold. "Look at her attitude. Will she really change her mind a few days later? Or have you already found another investor? Is that why you think you can disregard the Conte family? "Nina Farro, think about it carefully. Are you sure you want to call this marriage arrangement off?" Nina pushed the door to the chapel open and stood beside the door. She looked graceful, dressed in simple linen, with only light makeup on her face. Her voice was soft but determined, her gaze shining with indifference. "Mr. Conte, I believe I've made myself clear. As long as you agree to the three conditions I laid out, I'll marry you. Otherwise, I'd rather spend the rest of my life praying in peace and solitude than go against my own wishes and suffer through a marriage that brings me no peace." Tristan gave a sudden laugh, his voice cold enough to send a shiver down one's spine. "Suffer? I wonder if you will still have the luxury of sitting here praying when the day comes that the Farro family goes bankrupt and falls apart." The words "goes bankrupt and falls apart" hit everyone in the Farro family like a blow. They couldn't help but feel a chill of fear. Nina's mother, Celeste Silvi, burst into tears and begged, "Nina, I know this isn't what you want, but think about your dad and me!" Saul was already at his wit's end. He had no choice but to swallow his pride and beg, "Please, Nina. Just say yes for now." Nina merely stuck her chin up and said nothing. Tristan's gaze grew sharper as anger tore through him. Everyone in the Farro family held their breath, yet Nina still insisted on pursuing her own freedom and refused to become a sacrifice for a family alliance. I didn't understand why she was so determined, or why she was willing to drag the entire Farro family down with her. All I knew was that I didn't want to see the Farro family fall. Mom was still in the hospital waiting for money to proceed with her surgery. I dashed forward and stood in front of Tristan, my voice trembling but firm as I said, "Mr. Conte, if you don't mind, I'm willing to marry you!" The moment I said those words, the entire room fell silent. Tristan gazed at me in confusion. "Who are you?" Before I could explain, Celeste quickly cut in, "Mr. Conte, I'm embarrassed to say this, but her name is Stella Farro. She is the illegitimate daughter my husband had when he was young and foolish." She deliberately stressed the words "illegitimate daughter", as though she wanted to make sure Tristan heard every single word. Nina finally came back to her senses and looked at me with sympathy. "What are you doing? A woman doesn't have to define her life through marriage. Freedom matters more. Don't make a rash decision just because you're trying to help. I won't stand by and watch you walk into a marriage I know is wrong, only to suffer because of me." Tristan shot Nina a pointed look. "Suffer? So this is how the Farro family views the marriage alliance with my family." Chapter 2 Saul trembled in fear. "Nina, that's utter nonsense!" I turned to Nina and told her clearly, "I don't believe that. You don't have to feel guilty." Nina's eyes flickered as she let out a sigh. "Stella, this has nothing to do with you. I should bear the consequences myself, whatever happens. You have your own future ahead of you. How could I sacrifice you just to protect myself?" I fixed my gaze on her. "If you truly believe in karma, why do you even bother stopping me? I've already decided to marry into the Conte family in your place, so I can handle whatever comes my way. You don't need to feel guilty." Not expecting me to say that, Nina froze. Meanwhile, Tristan's gaze landed on me. "Nina said marrying me means a lifetime of suffering. Aren't you scared?" I turned to look at him and met his gaze without flinching. "I'm not scared. When I was three, I knelt in front of the Farro residence, begging them to save my mom. I was drenched in the rain until the fever almost took my life. After surviving that night, nothing else could ever be more frightening." The moment I said that, the entire scene fell silent. Tristan studied me for a long moment before letting out a soft chuckle. "It seems that the Farro family is capable of raising a decent daughter, after all. We'll put this marriage arrangement on hold for a couple of days." He then left with the marriage contract prepared by his mother, Teresa Valvano. If it hadn't been for Saul's father, Dante Farro, who had saved Teresa years ago, the Farro family would never have been chosen for this marriage alliance. Everyone waited until nightfall, but no one from the Conte family came to call off the marriage arrangement. Only then did we finally breathe a sigh of relief. I went to the hospital. Mom lay in bed, gazing at me with worry. "Stella, you shouldn't have offered yourself today. Don't you know who Tristan Conte is? He definitely won't let you off easily now that you've offended him." I glanced at the IV bag, which was almost empty, then pressed the call button. "Mom, if we offended Tristan, none of the Farros will escape his wrath. I don't want to be dragged down by Nina's selfishness. I need money, and the Farro family can't go down." Mom parted her lips and was about to say something when footsteps sounded outside the door. Nina didn't even bother knocking and walked straight in. She frowned slightly at the sharp smell of disinfectant in the ward. She glanced at the bedpan that was still sitting beneath the bed, waiting to be cleaned. "Maria Zanni, you're still part of the Farro family. Don't embarrass us here. That's really disgusting. Why can't you hire a caregiver to clean up? You need to remember to keep up appearances, especially when you're out in public." I smoothed out the blanket and looked at her. "Of course it can't compare to where you live. After all, we can't afford things like those rare sandalwood incense sticks that cost tens of thousands of dollars." Forget her precious sandalwood incense. I couldn't even afford the cheapest incense out there. There was no need to waste money on that. If praying worked, Mom would've recovered ages ago. I had never gone head-to-head with Nina. She stared at me, her brows knitting instinctively. "Stella, weren't you always so good at keeping quiet? What happened today? You finally decided to speak up? Don't tell me that you think making an appearance in front of Tristan today will change your fate. Do you really think you can take my place and marry him?" She wore an expression of helpless acceptance, as if she were simply stating an undeniable truth. "Some things are simply meant to be. There are things I may not even care for, but if fate has chosen them for me, no one can take them away. Just like the fact that you were born an illegitimate daughter. That's the life you were given, and no matter how hard you try, you can never change it." Her eyes swept over my face with pity as she clicked her tongue. "Is all you see in life love and money? How naive. You should learn from me and focus on finding peace within yourself, instead of chasing after these things. Pursue independence and freedom." I was indeed an illegitimate daughter because Mom had been forced against her wishes back then. That was a fact I couldn't change. Yet, I didn't understand it. What Nina was really saying was that the marriage alliance with the Conte family was not something they could just walk away from. She had already made up her mind to marry Tristan. Yet, she had publicly humiliated Tristan that day. Even though the Farro family risked losing the deal that could save them, she was still determined to pursue her freedom. Her words and actions were so contradictory, but some people still failed to see it and even praised her for being above worldly concerns and staying true to herself. "If you truly didn't care about these things, you wouldn't have insisted on burning sandalwood incense that costs tens of thousands of dollars." I gazed at her solemnly and continued, "If you're sincere, why would God care how much the incense you burn costs?" Chapter 3 Nina claimed that she was above material things, yet she insisted on using only the finest, most expensive incense. Despite her claim that she was indifferent to status and influence, she never missed a chance to show up at high-profile banquets dressed in understated clothes and subtle makeup. Her so-called detachment and compassion were built on top of the very privileges and benefits she claimed not to care about. Nina looked surprised for a moment, but quickly returned to her usual calm expression. "Stella, you used to be a kind-hearted person who would rather go without food than let a dog go hungry. What happened to you?" She was wrong. I said, "No, you were the kind-hearted one. I was just a starving child who had to compete with a dog for scraps for three whole days." I was eight when I was brought back to the Farro family. I wasn't welcomed and was made to live in a storage room at the back of the house. Even my meals were left outside the door by the household staff. One night, the guard dog stole my dinner. Desperate not to go hungry, I fought him for the food and ended up getting bitten on the leg. Nina happened to pass by and only glanced at me. "Danny was just hungry. He only wanted something to eat. Why would you go as far as fighting a dog for scraps?" She sauntered away after saying that. Yet the household staff took her words to heart and praised her for being kind-hearted. For the next three days, they fed my meals to the dog instead. Nina had long forgotten about it. To her, it was nothing but a trivial and insignificant matter. Her brows knitted as she stared at me. "Do you really think you have a chance of marrying Tristan?" Instead of answering her question, I said, "I just don't want to see the Farro family go bankrupt because of your selfishness." A furious voice suddenly came from outside the door. "You're just an illegitimate daughter. Who gave you the nerve to think that you could take Tristan away from Nina?" Celeste swept into the hospital room with an air of superiority, looking around with obvious disgust. Mom was lying in bed when she saw Celeste. She instinctively tried to sit up, but Celeste stopped her with a look of disdain. "You look terrible, Maria, so don't bother getting up. You look like you're about to collapse any second." Mom stiffened for a moment, then quietly lay back down without getting up. Celeste shot me a cold glare and scoffed. "Don't think that you can actually take Nina's place and marry Tristan just because you stepped forward today. You're nothing but a lowly wretch born to a slut. Even if Nina doesn't want something, that doesn't mean you can just claim it." I fixed my gaze on her and questioned, "Didn't Nina refuse to marry him? Has she changed her mind? Who is the lowly wretch here?" Celeste glared at me. "You mute, how dare you talk back to me! You think you're good enough for Tristan?" After that, she didn't spare me another glance. She simply took Nina's hand and strode toward the door. "Nina, let's go home. The Conte family sent over a gold bracelet from Teresa. Tristan must've calmed down. They're coming to confirm the engagement!" A flicker of delight crossed Nina's eyes, though she still wore a helpless expression as she let Celeste pull her away. "Mom, I never wanted to marry him. What's the rush…" I couldn't help but think about how exhausting it must be to live like that. Nina obviously wanted it, but she pretended otherwise, waiting for someone else to offer it first so she could accept while pretending she was merely going along with it. As for what the Conte family sent over and their attitude, I couldn't care less. All I cared about was the Farro family not collapsing and getting the money needed for Mom's treatment. Nothing else mattered. The following day, someone from the Conte family showed up. He was Leo Smith, a trusted aide of Tristan's father, Valter Conte. He also brought over more than a dozen boxes of gifts, along with a female assistant. Saul and Celeste personally received them, so I never met them. After Leo took a seat in the living room, he didn't drink the coffee served to him. He simply said calmly, "Mr. Conte picked the gifts himself. Have someone bring them to Ms. Farro." Saul perked up and quickly agreed, then cautiously asked, "Was Mrs. Conte Senior mad about yesterday's events?" Leo gave him a sideways glance. "She was naturally upset. You should count yourself fortunate, Mr. Farro, that you raised your daughter well. Otherwise, not even the life-saving favor you did for Mrs. Conte Senior would have been enough to save this marriage arrangement." Chapter 4 Saul wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and flashed a placating smile while nodding vehemently. Meanwhile, Celeste smiled and stepped in to smooth things over. "You're right, Mr. Smith. She may be a little spoiled and willful, but fortunately, Mr. Conte is generous enough to give her another chance. I'll be sure to talk some sense into her. She can't keep acting spoiled." Leo let out a cold snort and motioned for the female assistant beside him to step forward. "This is Lisa Pratico. Mrs. Conte Senior instructed me to bring her here for Ms. Farro. Feel free to ask for her help regarding anything." After Leo left, Celeste excitedly instructed the household staff to bring the gifts and Lisa to Nina. Yet, Saul seemed hesitant. "I couldn't help but think that the Conte family wasn't talking about Nina, but rather…" He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The daughter he supposedly raised well, mentioned by Leo, didn't seem to be Nina, as she was adamant about calling off the marriage arrangement yesterday. Celeste glared at him. "Who else could it be for if not Nina? Your illegitimate daughter? Have you lost your mind? The Conte family is prominent. There's no way Tristan Conte would marry an illegitimate daughter and make her the future mistress of the Conte family." After thinking it over, Saul thought she had a point. He nodded solemnly and said, "You're right. Nina is known in our circles for her accomplishments. There's no way Tristan would take an interest in Stella. Let's do as you say and send everything to Nina." Two days later, the Conte family's men arrived again. This time, Leo showed up with the marriage contract. Their intentions couldn't have been clearer. It was also a reminder to the Farros that the Contes had given them another chance. If they tried to push their luck again, Teresa wouldn't be considerate anymore. Probably because I had stuck my neck out without thinking last time, the Conte family didn't bother informing me this time. This time, Nina didn't flee to the chapel and shut herself away. Instead, she stood beside Celeste, looking helpless. Leo held the marriage contract up and was about to say something when Nina cut in, asking, "Mr. Smith, you're here today to finalize the engagement, right?" Leo paused and glanced at her. "That's right." Nina let out a sigh. "Since the Conte family insists, I won't refuse. But I did set three pre-wedding conditions to Tristan that day. I wonder if he agreed to them." That question stumped Leo. He recalled how Tristan had praised one Ms. Farro in front of Teresa, saying that she was the only clear-headed and intelligent person in the Farro family. Yet, Tristan didn't bring up any of her conditions. Seeing Leo lost in thought, Nina let out another sigh. "It seems that Tristan still won't budge. Well, since you're here today with Mrs. Conte Senior's decision, it's not like I have much of a choice anyway. But please pass along a message for me—never mind the other conditions. If he can just abstain from alcohol and meat for ten days before the wedding, I'll willingly marry him and be his wife." Her voice had barely faded when Tristan's voice sounded outside the door. "Forget the messenger. I'm right here." All eyes turned toward the door as Tristan strode in, a smile tugging at his lips. Leo explained, "Mr. Conte, Ms. Farro said that she raised three conditions with you. Why didn't you bring them up that day in front of Mrs. Conte Senior?" As Tristan walked in, a flicker of delight flashed across Nina's eyes, but she kept her expression calm. "Tristan, forget about the three requests I mentioned that day. Abstaining from alcohol and meat for ten days before the wedding is enough. After all, I used to lead a disciplined spiritual life. I need to show God my sincerity." She looked as though she had made a huge concession. Even Saul and Celeste thought Tristan would agree. After all, it was only ten days. Compared to the excessive conditions she had proposed before, this one was practically nothing. But Tristan didn't even spare her a glance and merely gave a mocking grin. "Mr. Smith, you're not going senile on me, are you? It seems that you can't even recognize my future wife."