Within the Raya Empire, at the south— there live a fascinating young noble lady, daughter of the southern county.

"I wish to call off my engagement to the young Duke of the eastern coast, father." Implied she, bursting into the Count's office in her indifferent attitude.

Her father— current Count of the house Belamin was flabbergasted by his daughter' daring statement. He couldn't believe it.

"W...what?! This is the 5th time you're cancelling your engagement prior the day of the wedding!" The count chided.

The young noble lady just stood there, directly glancing over her father across the room, fuming.

She sighed. Yes, this has been her 5th engagement with noble men across the continent.

First one was the earl' son. When the day of the wedding came, the young lady broke off the engagement and went out of the chapel like the wedding was an unimportant matter. Second time was with, the eastern count, but she did the same as the first.

Third; this time, she did marry the eldest son of the western Viscount, but had divorced him after two days, unfortunately. Fourth one, this is where she got engage with the fourth prince—instead of her being the one calling off the engagement, it was the prince. For once, she made herself unlikable, unbefitting to be a princess.

Fifth and the current one, her engagement with the second son of the eastern duke.

"Don't you want to get married, my daughter? Every men is such a fine catch for you why would—"

"I'm tired, I shall go back to my chamber now, father. Be well."

She didn't let her father finished his sentence and just immediately turned around and walked out of his office. She didn't even bother looking back when his father was yelling her name in frustration.

As she goes back to her chamber, the noble lady pondered;

Does marriage really that important? Even without love?

For her, that can not be called marriage. It was just a mere tie that got knot. A display in public. Arrange marriage never works.

"So, I guess you cancelled the wedding again? Typical you."

A baritone voice was heard from her behind, turning around she saw her older brother, shaking his head in utter disappointment.

It couldn't be help. She was a disappointment from the first time she had cancelled her wedding.

"You've retuned, brother. I see that you've been well." She said bluntly.

Her brother sighed. "And you're still the same as ever, uninterested in marriage— or in life rather. You have to get married whether you like it or not, sis."

She tilted her head, questioning. "Why must I? I'm not the heir, surely that can wait. In a sense, shouldn't you be the one getting married before I do, brother? After all, you're the next count of our house. I am merely your spare."

Her brother twitched as he soon scoffed. "Your mouth really doesn't filter things out, your straight forwardness frightens me at times. Although I guess that is your charm." He approached her as he patted her head, praising his sister.

"Shall I refer you a mage to marry? You seem to be done with noble men. What about a knight? A mage? A commoner— well, that is if you want— or perhaps someone much older than you? Or perhaps a noble lady!— huh? Hey Nyx! Don't walk away from me I'm not yet do— Nyx!"

The young noble lady — Nyx Hilary Belamin, couldn't bare the rambling of his brother and advanced away towards her chamber.

Marriage. Love. Friendship. She was so tired of it.

"How long do I have to do this? Living again and again. Marriage again and again." She muttered, closing the door behind her as she then head to her bed, plopping herself down.

"My 10th. . . This is already my 10th cycle, how long do I have to repeat this life? Why are the deities making me suffer like this? I'm done. . . But killing myself would just return me back when I was 7 years-old, How torturing."

***

Name Pronunciation

Nyx (Ni-cks)

Ever since at the age of seven, servants within the county who serves the young lady find her to be a strange child. At times, she acts more maturely than most adults. Instead of the appointed maid who is supposed to scold.her at things, the maid was the one getting scolded. So did the other servants.

She read books much advanced for her age at the county's library. Politics, history, trajectories of things, war, strategic planning and much more.

What's more odd was that, the young lady had perfect courtesy and manners despite that she still has no instructor on those things. She drinks, eats, reads and do unimaginable things that surprises everyone around her.

It was as if she was a genius.

However, her face was the same, indifferent. It was as if she had become uninterested in life, as if she was now bored, not a thing made her interested— even the maids tried doing things just so their young lady could at least say that she is interested in something.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. Marriage was an option on that too. But apparently, every engagement the young lady had ever gotten into was cancelled off, she had even gotten divorced once.

"Father, why are my maids relaying a news that I am once again engaged? It's had only been 4 months since my previous engagement got cancelled." Burst Nyx within her father's office.

The count lift his head and looked at his daughters' plain stoic expression. He expect her to have a knitted brow or even at least frustrated, but of course, he couldn't.

"Yes, that is indeed true," said the count as he leaned back to his chair. "But I wasn't the one who arranged this engagement, rather I just approved of it."

For the first time, his daughter showed displeasure and confusion. "What do you mean?" Nyx asked.

"Honestly, I've been avoiding their proposal since two years ago, but seeing how most of the noble houses rejects my proposal to take you leaves me no choice but to accept theirs."

Nyx was riddled by her father's statement.

There had been a house who proposed to take her as a wife-to-be? But why would her father keep this a secret and reject them countlessly?

But that wasn't important. Nyx still has no passion to go with this marriage.

"I'm not doing it, give my apologies to the family." She intoned.

"There's no turning back, Nyx. You have to do this." Persist her father.

She gaze directly at his father. She has to? Has her father finally sold her off?

"Have you finally decided to sell me off just so I could get married?"

"That's not it, sweetheart—"

"Then why can't I back out? Surely there's an option of cancellation. Just which noble house is it, and I'll tell them directly that I wish to cancel this."

The count took a deep breath before giving her daughter a answer. He knew her daughter would react this way, but it couldn't be help. This arrangement can not be cancelled no matter what Nyx do.

"It isn't from a noble house."

Nyx was silent, pondering. "Could it be, the crown prince?"

There is an old tradition, to whoever was chosen as the crown princess— she can never cancel this engagement. No matter how much she persist, it wouldn't work. That's the only thing that popped up within Nyx' mind.

"No, it isn't, you should know that the crown prince was already engaged with the Monty Dukedom of the west— You should participate more in social gatherings to know your surroundings and —"

"Just get to the point, father." Nyx interrupted his father's rambling.

The count cleared his throat before proceeding. He looked at his daughter with his earnest eyes.

"He's from an blue eyed tribe."

Silence fell.

Nyx wished to utter something, but she knew those words wouldn't do anything to abolish the engagement. It will continue, whether she likes it or not.

But there's this one simple yet she can not imagine how and why?

"Why me?" She uttered.

Her father— the count only locked eyes with her. Soon, he leaned his body forward, his elbows resting on top of his desk as his hands clutched together.

"They're the only one who can answer that."

The blue eyed tribe.

In the Raya Empire, the most common eye color were; crimson, gold and black.

There were fewer people who obtain blue colored eyes, and they were said to be originated within a mage from a few hundred years back. When the mage married, all the mage's children were born with blue eyes and so was their children until it basically was considered a passed gene to the generation of the mage's lineage.

Nyx lay on her bed, thinking of this 5th engagement. No matter what she does, be it trying to disown herself, cause a certain ruckus, yell for a divorce— nothing. She can't do anything.

Basically, she's chained on this engagement with the Chief's son of the blue eyed tribe.

She had heard about them, countless of times. In her 3rd round, 5th round and 7th round— but this life was the only time she was tied with them.

Must she say, it's fascinating, but also unacceptable?

In a book she had read for nth time— the blue eyed tribe's way of marriage was sacred. Meaning, whatever you do, if you accepted their offer of proposal, your daughter or son were already bounded by an unbreakable string of fate. That is their beliefs.

So no matter how hard Nyx would try to expunge this event. She can't. Not by burning the chapel down, not by signing divorce papers— none. Nothing. There is no plausible way of eradicating this engagement.

It has been four days since then. She still couldn't accept this. How dare they put her into something she can't turn back.

'So much for my effort of cancelling every wedding that came to me.'

Nyx sighed in distress, pulling herself up from the bed. Dragging herself within the balcony.

The warm afternoon breeze greeted her, the garden below was a beautiful sight as ever. Nyx leaned towards the railings of the balcony.

Dying is an option, she'd rather restart her life than to marry anyone. She had marriages along her previous lives, but none of them was worth remembering for. It was rather a traumatic event for Nyx— which goes why she's been against marrying or being wedded once again.

She grasp unto the railings, contemplating still. The height of her balcony was enough to get her bones broken, and get prick by the thorns of the roses below the flower bed.

Nyx took a deep long breath, as she looks down below, tilting her toes; readying herself to jump.

clack!

Her head whished back as she heard the clacking of her room door.

There Nyx saw his brother with raised brows, looking at her.

"What? Go on, continue with your abrupt suicide." He said, which made her to back off the railing and cluck her tongue. "Hmm? Not doing it? Damn, what a bummer." Her brother pouted jeeringly.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"I was told to see you and inform you that your fiancee-to-be will be visiting around this noon. Also because I wanted to see your miserable situation."

Nyx didn't bother herself replying to his brother's nonsensical comment. Miserable if miserable, she don't care. It was already here, she have to put up with it.

"You know, if you just have a lover, it would be easier to just ran away with him in a far away place. You're not being yourself this time, my cold stoic sister." He remarked.

Nyx advanced to her bed plopping herself down as she just unavoidably listened to her brother's rambling.

Unlike her, her idiot of a brother doesn't know how marriages work within the Blue eyed tribe. Running away doesn't exterminate the proposal, it will just make her unable to marry anyone else other than her fiancee-to-be for the rest of her life.

***

Just like what her brother informed, a man with a blue colored eye came to their household; with gifts and tributes, such as a bottle of their refined wine.

The two were left within the living room with tea and biscuit. No maid, no brother. Just them two. Nyx and her fiancee-to-be.

None of them were talking, but the air did not contain awkwardness nor any tension.

But Nyx was starting to get bored so she speaks;

"You are..?" She started by asking. Nyx didn't get his name when he introduced himself with her father and brother.

"Sean Maude." He shortly replied, taking a sip from his cup as he flip a page from the book he had borrowed, not even looking at Nyx.

Nyx didn't mind whether this man was being rude as such not lifting his head as he reply. That didn't bother her. She seem to have gotten the impression that, this man— Sean, did not want this marriage at all. But since both families had now agreed, they both can not do anything.

"Okay, Sean; let me make this clear. You don't like this, and neither do I, a mutual understanding, right?"

With her statement, Sean lifted his head as he gave a direct stare at Nyx who has her arms crossed below her chest with an earnest look.

"Since the wedding would go on, despite the fact we don't want to, how about we take this as a contract marriage. How does that sound?"

Sean who seem to had gotten interested leaned back as he place down the cup and book.

"A contract marriage? You do know this marriage can not be cancelled nor get exterminated. It's me and you till death. Wife and husband till our skin rot, buried on the ground."

Nyx lips curled up. Of course, she knew very well that this is an official marriage and will not be eradicated. But having a mutual understanding and contract between them after marrying would put her at ease.

"Absolutely. You and I, starting now, are tied with the unbreakable string of fate."

***

NAME PRONUNCIATION

Sean Maude \= See-yan Ma-yud