Kneel or Beg ? , Do Both

Delila had always been expected to hold her head high for the sake of her family's honor.

She was the sole hope of House Armaya, a noble family that had once been one of the most prominent houses in the kingdom. But after being betrayed by someone they had trusted, the family was forced to compensate the Crown for enormous losses. The payment nearly drove them to bankruptcy.

Their only chance of survival was to form an alliance with another powerful noble family—one wealthy and influential enough to help them recover from the financial disaster.

As the eldest daughter of House Armaya, Delila Armaya was expected to maintain the family's dignity at all costs. And the way her parents intended to secure that future was simple: she would marry Nathaniel Girvin, the eldest son of House Girvin.

The First Meeting of Nathaniel Girvin and Delila Armaya

Their first meeting took place at a grand coming-of-age celebration held for the daughter of one of the kingdom's ministers.

Nearly every young nobleman and noblewoman in the kingdom had been invited to the lavish occasion.

Delila and Nathaniel were among them.

Both had already reached adulthood.

Delila had never been interested in becoming the center of attention wherever she went. Her parents were constantly urging her to stand out from the other young ladies so she could attract the attention of influential noblemen.

But Delila had no intention of doing any such thing.

She was only attending the celebration because her parents had ordered her to. She had never been the type to openly disobey them. However, whenever they were no longer watching, she would quietly do whatever she pleased.

Just like tonight.

While everyone else was dancing and socializing, Delila had slipped away to a quiet corner, where she sat comfortably and helped herself to the snacks.

She was simply too tired.

Tired of the endless rules of aristocratic etiquette.

Sometimes, she felt as though she had been born a commoner and somehow ended up in the wrong world. She truly did not fit into the rigid life of the aristocracy.

Across the ballroom, another nobleman seemed equally bored with the celebration.

Nathaniel Girvin.

He couldn't understand why his family had insisted that he attend. He had plenty of work waiting for him, and he would much rather be handling business than wasting his time at a crowded celebration.

On several occasions, Delila and Nathaniel happened to exchange glances from across the room. Both were doing little more than sitting quietly and observing the crowd.

But since they had never actually met, neither felt any reason to hold the other's gaze.

They simply looked away.

Neither of them could have imagined that their brief encounter would eventually lead to something far more complicated.

Several months after that celebration, Delila's family suddenly found themselves facing a disaster beyond anything they had ever imagined.

Their family business collapsed after an insider betrayed them, causing enormous losses that affected the kingdom. To compensate the Crown, the Armayas were forced to sacrifice much of their personal wealth.

They were on the verge of losing everything.

"I've calculated the total losses we've suffered," Lord Derrick Armaya said grimly. "I'm not sure we'll be able to survive, let alone continue paying all the staff at our estate through next year."

"Then what are we going to do, my husband?" his wife asked anxiously. "Our daughter has already come of age, and our younger children are still studying at the Academy. Yet somehow, our family has fallen into bankruptcy."

"I've been thinking about a way out of this disaster," Lord Derrick replied.

"How?"

"We could arrange a marriage between Delila and the eldest son of House Girvin."

"House Girvin?" His wife looked uncertain. "Would they really agree to take a girl from a family that's on the verge of bankruptcy as their daughter-in-law?"

"They will," Derrick said confidently. "The head of House Girvin owes my father a great debt of gratitude. There is no way he could have forgotten how much our family helped his before his son ever became involved in their business."

Relying on the old debt of gratitude between the two families, Lord Derrick finally made up his mind.

He sent a formal letter to House Girvin, requesting a marriage alliance.

The head butler of House Girvin delivered the letter from the Armaya family to Gustav Girvin, the current head of House Girvin.

After reading it carefully, Gustav immediately discussed the matter with his wife.

"You really intend to accept their marriage proposal and marry Nathaniel to their daughter?" his wife asked hesitantly.

"To be honest, I'm reluctant," Gustav admitted. "But I'm also doing this for our family's reputation among the nobility. If we outright reject their proposal, people will accuse House Girvin of being ungrateful."

He paused before continuing.

"Lord Armaya once helped my father greatly. My parents respected him deeply. Even though they are no longer with us, we cannot simply forget everything his family did for ours."

"So they are using that old debt of gratitude to ask for a marriage?"

"Exactly."

"What if Nathaniel refuses?"

"I'll explain the situation to him. In the end, he can still marry another woman he loves if he wishes. But marrying Lord Armaya's daughter is something we must do to protect our family's reputation."

Gustav sighed.

"I'm sure Lord Derrick was deeply ashamed when he sent this letter. He wouldn't have asked for such a thing unless he was desperate to preserve the dignity of his nearly bankrupt family."

That very day, Gustav summoned his eldest son, Nathaniel Girvin, and told him about the arrangement.

"Father wants me to marry a girl from House Armaya?" Nathaniel asked flatly.

"Yes. Their family once did a great deal for ours. Considering everything that happened between our families, I believe this marriage is the right decision. Besides, they need our help now. We cannot simply turn a blind eye to their situation, Nathan."

"I don't see anything particularly noble about that girl," Nathaniel replied coldly. "There was nothing remarkable about her when I saw her. I could barely find a reason to speak to her, and now you're telling me I have to marry her?"

"You've met Lord Armaya's daughter before?"

"Once. At the minister's daughter's celebration. There was nothing interesting about her."

"Nathaniel," Gustav said firmly, "I won't discuss this any further. It is your duty to protect the dignity of this family. If you want the other nobles to ridicule House Girvin, then go ahead and do whatever you please."

"If they need help, then give them money or property. Why do I have to marry a woman I don't even like?"

"They don't merely need financial assistance. They need status and protection. The only way to guarantee their family's future is to marry their daughter to an established and influential nobleman."

Nathaniel fell silent.

With his family's insistence leaving him little room to refuse, he was eventually forced to accept the arrangement.

House Girvin sent their reply, formally agreeing to marry their eldest son to the eldest daughter of House Armaya.

The news brought great relief to the Armaya family, who were desperately struggling with their financial situation.

"Once you're married to the eldest son of House Girvin, you must respect him and treat him as though he were a husband you truly love," Delila's mother advised her.

"Yes, Mother."

Delila had no choice.

At first, she had wanted to refuse the marriage. But her family was in no position to be picky about the man she would marry.

Besides, nearly every aspect of her life had always been decided by her parents.

Marrying the man they had chosen for her was simply another duty she had to fulfill.

"Our family needs their help right now," her mother continued. "So you must be careful about how you conduct yourself around them. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

That night, her mother spent hours advising Delila on how she should behave toward her future husband.

Not long afterward, the marriage between Delila Armaya and Nathaniel Girvin was held.

"Wave to them, Delila," Nathaniel instructed quietly, a polite smile fixed on his face as he acknowledged the crowd gathered below the balcony.

Delila obediently raised her hand and waved.

She was already accustomed to living under someone else's orders.

At home, those orders had come from her parents.

Now, there was one more person who would be giving her orders.

Nathaniel Girvin.

Her husband.

Only after the grand wedding celebration finally ended that night was Delila allowed to retire to her bridal chamber.

From that day onward, she would live in Nathaniel Girvin's private residence.

Although she was now living away from her parents, the rules of aristocratic etiquette still followed her everywhere.

There were servants and estate managers constantly watching her conduct.

And above all, there was Nathaniel—her husband, a man known for being exceptionally strict and perfectionistic.

As far as Delila knew, Nathaniel was a reserved man who rarely spoke unless necessary. He was also extremely strict about the rules within his household.

But that rigid discipline was one of the reasons every business under House Girvin's name had flourished under Nathaniel's management.

And now, Delila would have to learn how to live under the rules of the man who had become her husband.