In the quiet countryside.
A plump little boy, Leo, hopped over cobblestone slabs and rushed into the nursery.
"Aryana, your uncle and aunt are here to fetch you," he announced.
"Ah, let them know I'm dead," Aryana Berry replied absently, still engrossed in watering her beloved plants. She was primarily focused on her herbs.
Her latest transplantation attempt had finally borne fruit.
Once the sweltering summer gave way to the coolness of autumn, her herbs would be fully grown.
That meant she could once again dive into her research on new medicinal formulas.
"Aryana, they said your grandfather was seriously ill. If you don't go and see them, you will lose your chance to see him in this lifetime." Leo said anxiously.
Aryana patted the soil off her palms and glanced at the chubby boy who was gnawing at his lollipop. "Still eating? Your face is bigger than the watermelon in my master's vegetable garden."
Aryana took off her straw hat, revealing a pair of sly eyes and a fair, lovely face. The only blemish on her beauty was the feathery red patches that extended from the corners of her eyes and eyebrows towards her hairline, marring her otherwise flawless appearance.
Leo pouted unhappily. Aryana pinched his cheek and turned to leave.
As soon as she entered the small hall, a glamorous couple grabbed her arms, making her immobile.
Her aunt glanced at Aryana in disdain and said with a haughty attitude, "Aryana, the Berry family has raised you, an orphan, for over a decade. Today, if you go back with us and marry in place of Katie, it would be considered a form of repayment to the Berry family."
Uncle's expression was stern, his tone sharp, "Rest assured, your grandfather has turned the corner in his illness. But if you don't marry to bring joy, you can forget about seeing the old man for the rest of your life."
Knowing that her grandfather was okay, Aryana rolled her eyes directly at her aunt and uncle.
So they made this long trip to the countryside to get her to go back and replace their "beloved" daughter Katie to marry on her behalf to bring good luck?
Marry for luck? These two certainly need to have their heads examined.
Seeing that Aryana disregarded them, her aunt bared her teeth in anger, nearly raising her hand to reprimand Aryana.
Aryana was quick on her feet, her two fingers slipped over her waist. Suddenly, a needle as thin as a strand of hair appeared at her fingertip, and it directly went into her aunt's acupoint.
"Aiyah!" cried her aunt, rolling on the ground in agony, bereft of all dignity. "It hurts so much! My entire body hurts! Help!"
Aryana innocently spread her hands and said, "That has nothing to do with me. The countryside has many insects; I think you should go back early to avoid getting bitten by some unknown bug."
Her uncle, in a fit of rage, exclaimed, "You stubborn girl! You don't know what's good for you! Today I'll teach you a lesson!"
As her uncle's large palm swung towards her, Aryana pretended to dodge and hurled two more needles directly into his back acupoints.
"Ha-ha-ha!" chuckled her uncle as he held his stomach, his entire face turning red from laughter while he started gasping for air, "You stink, ha-ha, child, ha-ha!"
Aryana sighed, "I told you there were a lot of bugs, but you didn't believe me. I'll have someone take you back."
As Aryana turned around, she noticed Leo giggling at the door. She pressed her index finger to her lips and slightly raised an eyebrow.
Just as she was about to leave, her uncle trying hard to control his laughter, grumbled, "Katie running away from her marriage has offended the Scott family's eldest son. If the Scott family blames us, our entire Berry family will pay the price! After your parents died, it was your grandfather who raised you single-handedly, can you bear to ruin all his efforts? Ha-ha-ha…”
When it came to her grandfather, Aryana still felt affection. However...
The eldest son of the Scott family? Alex Scott!
Wasn't he the person whom her master ordered her to treat yesterday? Her master even said that treating Alex could change her life!
It was said that Alex was a notorious and wicked man. Despite being 28, he was plagued by a strange disease that had destroyed his face. He looked both old and ugly, just like an old man.
Indeed, a challenging case.
Given her relationship with her grandfather, when this foolish couple offered an opportunity, she decided to go to the Scott family to deal properly with this 'ghost man', curious to see how this figure could alter her life.
Aryana's eyes flickered, "Okay, I'll marry him."
...
Like sparkling water, the summer night was radiant. The Scott family residence in Medstallwin was adorned with lights and decorations.
In the bride's room.
Dressed in a traditional wedding dress, Aryana sat on the bridal bed.
At that moment, the door was gently pushed open, the footstep sound drawing closer and stopping by the bed. A tall figure cast a shadow on the wedding canopy, eerily surreal.
The shadow outside the canopy lifted a slender hand, gently lifting the curtain.
Aryana saw two fingers as white as jade, lifting the red curtain, like cinnabar embedded in white jade. Following the direction, Aryana raised her eyes and reflected in them was a half-visible fairy-tale handsome face.
His shallow eyes appeared cold and lofty, the gaze as precious as pearls, with an air of indifference that suggested he was above worldly desires.
Aryana was startled. Where was the promised old and ugly man? Someone on his deathbed?
This was clearly a good looking, healthy man!
Alex curved his lips, a gleam of mockery across his eyes, "So, you're my third wife?"
