He Chose Her. I Owned His Family.

When I barely escaped Dragon Valley with my life, the magic within me had completely run dry. Just at that moment, a transmission from my brother came through.

"Rosa, Mother just arranged an engagement for you! I've forwarded you his comm crystal signal. Head over to Winterhaven and meet him!"

I offered a bitter laugh, immediately complaining, "My adventure isn't even over yet!"

My brother instantly cut me off. "Rosa, just go see him. Mother is terrified you'll end up dead in some forgotten ruin without a soul knowing. Having a husband might actually help you settle down a bit."

"Fine, fine. My wand broke anyway, so I'll swing by and pick up a replacement while I'm at it!"

I thought that by returning to the Northern Territory, I could at least catch my breath. But the moment I stepped into Winterhaven’s largest wand shop and picked up that mithril wand, a hand adorned with a heavy ruby ring viciously snatched it from my grasp.

"I'll take this wand."

"I saw it first." I ruthlessly bit back my rising temper. "Don't you know the rules?"

The woman shot me a dismissive glance. "Listen well, outlander. I am the fiancée of Arthur, the young duke of the North. In Winterhaven, I am the rules."

I froze in place. My brother had clearly told me that Arthur was engaged to me.

I tightly gripped my comm crystal and connected to Arthur's signal.

"Who is this?" a male voice demanded.

"I am your fiancée. Right now, there is a woman claiming to be your fiancée, robbing me of my things in the North. Care to explain?"

"What low-class commoner dares to impersonate my fiancée?"

"Wait right there!"

The faint light flickered before the connection was abruptly severed from his end.

I stared down at the dead, gray crystal in my hand and shoved it back into my pocket.

Elena let out a light, mocking laugh. "You say you're Arthur's fiancée?" She took two steps toward me, her gaze lingering on the mud-caked tips of my boots. "When Arthur gets here, he will definitely throw you out on the street."

Her disgust was entirely undisguised. "After all, even the goblins sweeping the stables at the Duke's estate dress more decently than you."

My mana core throbbed with a dull, persistent ache. I didn't have the spare energy to argue with her over any of this.

I bypassed her entirely, walked straight up to the counter, and locked eyes with the shopkeeper.

"Wrap it up."

The shopkeeper violently wrung his hands, his eyes darting frantically between Elena and me. "Th-this... Miss, the high-tier magical items in our shop are strictly reserved for VIPs holding Northern noble credentials... My small business simply cannot afford the wrath of either side."

Elena laughed even louder. She reached into her velvet bag, pulled out a dark silver crystal card, and slapped it onto the counter.

"Do you see this clearly?" She leveled a glare at me. "This card is a certified VIP credential from the Northern Duke's estate. With this, the words I speak in this city are no different from the law. You won't even touch the edge of a card like this in your entire life."

My fingers slipped into my battered storage ring and brushed against a freezing cold surface.

Truth be told, I hated this card. The moment it came out, the situation would no longer be resolved by "Rosa," but rather by "someone's daughter"—the very thing I had wanted to rely on the least since I was a child. But my mana core was still throbbing, and today, I simply lacked the strength to reason with anyone.

I pulled out the pure black crystal card and slammed it down right next to hers.

The absolute second the shopkeeper recognized the intricate griffin crest carved into the black crystal, the flesh on his face went completely rigid. He didn't say a single word; his hands simply began to tremble uncontrollably, reaching shakingly toward the packaging box of the mithril wand. He recognized the crest on my card—it was an ancient mark, one far older and far heavier than any credential from the Duke's estate.

"Don't you dare touch that!" Elena lunged at the counter. "If you dare sell it to this outlander today, I'll have the young duke tear your shop down tomorrow! I will have your entire family chased out of the North like wild dogs!"

The shopkeeper's hand froze in midair as cold sweat beaded heavily on his forehead.

Then, he dropped to his knees. His two trembling hands respectfully pushed my black card back across the glass while he pressed his forehead hard against the edge of the counter.

"I'm not doing this business anymore... Please... find it in your heart to leave."

Several low-tier mages browsing in the shop quickly lowered their voices to hushed whispers.

"Is this woman crazy? Provoking Elena in the North?"

"Last time a mercenary talked back to her, a magic swordsman chopped off both his hands on the spot and fed them to the ice wolves."

"Stay away from her. Don't let her drag us down."

Every single word drilled directly into my ears. I looked down at the shopkeeper's forehead, pressed tightly against the edge of the counter, and remained silent for a long moment. I hadn't wanted to use that card in the first place, and now it stood returned to me by a kneeling man—a gesture that felt even more utterly desolate than if someone had ripped it to shreds right in front of my face.

Elena crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, a layer of malicious excitement simmering vividly in her eyes.

"Kneel," she commanded. "Kneel until I find you pleasing to look at. When Arthur arrives, I might just convince him to leave you a way out."