A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

Faye Sterling was doing it on purpose. Seraphina Sterling had only gone back to live in Tollan Town for a year, but from the way Faye told it, you’d think she had always lived in the countryside. The difference between ’just arrived in Aethelgard from the country’ and ’a native of Aethelgard who simply visited the country for a year’ was immense.

The way everyone looked at Seraphina immediately changed. They didn’t even bother with a greeting. They couldn’t be bothered to waste time on someone so worthless.

"Fiona, why are you still here? Come on, it’s time to cut the cake! Everyone in the living room is getting impatient!" The speaker, a youthful Nolan Patterson, looked nothing like the mother of a daughter Fiona’s age. There wasn’t a single trace of the years on her face.

"Mom, I just lost track of time talking to Faye, that’s all. I’m coming now. Besides, I’m still waiting for my presents! All of you, have your gifts ready. I’ll be opening them in a bit, and if I find out anyone forgot mine, I definitely won’t let them get away with it!"

Fiona Chapman lifted her chin, as proud as a swan. She shot Seraphina Sterling a loaded glance, then shared a smile with Faye Sterling and headed for the main hall.

"Aren’t you the only daughter in the Sterling Family? So where did this Seraphina Sterling pop up from?" Fiona Chapman had already decided she hated Seraphina. ’Just some country bumpkin, and she dares to wear the same color as me!’

"She’s my late uncle’s daughter. A total country bumpkin, don’t even bother with her. It makes no difference to me whether she’s here or not—I’m still going to be the one who inherits the Sterling Family! They can’t possibly hand everything over to a hick, right?" Faye Sterling acted completely nonchalant, but deep down, she was seething.

"That’s true. You’re so exceptional, that hick is no match for you at all! Just you wait, I’ll help you put her in her place later!" Fiona Chapman was no fool. Having learned from Faye about Seraphina’s standing within the Sterling Family, she immediately started plotting her revenge.

Fiona Chapman’s birthday banquet was incredibly lavish. As the new money of Aethelgard, the Chapman Family had invited nearly every prominent family in the city. It was clearly their official debut into Aethelgard’s upper crust. The four great super-clans were another matter, but while old-money families with deep foundations like the Sterlings hadn’t sent their patriarchs, most other major families had attended to show the Chapmans respect. And though Owen Sterling himself hadn’t appeared, Faye Sterling’s presence was a gesture in itself.

Fiona Chapman was undeniably the center of attention, standing in the heart of the crowd and accepting everyone’s well-wishes. Seraphina Sterling stood in a corner, her expression serene. She had seen such spectacles far too many times and had grown numb to them.

Suddenly, she noticed a slender figure in the backyard. The girl was gazing with undisguised envy at Fiona Chapman, the center of everyone’s adoration, her own eyes filled with a deep sadness. Turning away, the girl murmured to herself, "Nadia Chapman, happy birthday." She was two years older than Fiona, but they shared the same birthday. The difference was, no one had ever celebrated hers.

"Happy birthday," Seraphina said as she approached. She preferred the quiet out here to the clamor inside.

Nadia jerked her head up, her eyes wide with surprise and suspicion as she looked at Seraphina. "Are you one of tonight’s guests?"

"A guest of sorts," Seraphina replied with a small nod. Looking at the frail girl before her, she felt as if she were seeing a reflection of herself—lonely and helpless amidst the splendors of a powerful family, left to struggle in silence.

"Then why aren’t you in there fawning over The Little Princess? What are you doing out here? There’s nothing to be gained from being here!" Nadia’s lips twisted into a sneer thick with mockery and disdain.

Seraphina simply gave a faint smile and took a few steps closer. "Do you envy her? Are you jealous? You’re both daughters of the Chapman Family, and your claim is arguably more legitimate than hers. And yet, she’s The Little Princess everyone praises and flatters, while you can only stand here in the shadows, powerless to do anything but feel envious."