Chapter 28

I shook my head, feeling a dull ache inside. Fragments of mocking voices echoed in my mind. "How could someone from such a humble background possibly be a match for the Ford family?" "Jonathan is the brightest young man in all of Harthville. He could marry a princess if he wanted, yet he chose an ordinary student?" "Alicia's grandfather was my comrade in arms, and before he died, he entrusted his granddaughter to me. He's the pride of our family. Only he is fit to take care of her!" "Who does Elise think she is? Alicia is the heir I painstakingly groomed. Elise doesn't deserve that role!" Those words kept looping in my head, spinning like a storm I couldn't escape. A sharp jolt of pain surged through me, making me stumble slightly. Jonathan caught me just in time, steadying me with a hand. He looked at me with a hint of concern. Though his eyes were so guarded, it was impossible to tell what he was really thinking. I wondered if he was worried. However, I quickly shook off tha