An Extra's POV: My Three Fiancees Hate Me-Chapter 23: A bet

"My dear grandson, sadly, there is no backing away," his grandfather said, then got up and walked to Riven.

"You have to win the heart of the duke's daughter and marry her because you are already engaged. Normally, I would say this is because your family's face is on the line, but no, it isn't.

The reason is because I, along with my three friends, have agreed to the four of you marrying, and there was a very deep reason to it.

And until the four of you are truly in love, you will never know what that reason is. But beyond that, you are Grave, the grandson of one of the greatest knights that walked Vermilion. You don't back down, and you don't give up."

"Your father and mother have always believed that I loved you more than I love your siblings, but that's wrong. You carried something that none of your siblings had—a resilience that couldn't be shaken.

And that was why when you put your mind to something, you went through with it no matter the repercussion. Sure, you did wrong things, but you still have that resilience, and I knew it was only a matter of time before you finally changed and used it for the better."

He placed his hand softly on Riven's shoulder and looked into his eyes. Riven nodded after hearing everything. He turned to his father and spoke.

"I'll do my best, no matter what."

"Good. No one knows of what we discussed here, no person aside from us three. I will not treat you any different when we are outside. You must earn the trust of your mother and siblings on your own," his father said.

"I'm already working toward that," Riven said, flashing a smile at them.

"You seem confident. That's good," his father said. "You can head back now. It's late already, you should rest up. After all, you'll have to talk to the Duke tomorrow."

"I'll be leaving now," Riven said and then bowed his head. He turned and walked to the door.

"Son, killing a man isn't something easy, so if the thoughts ever weigh on you, come and talk to me," his father said. Riven gave a slight nod and walked out.

He closed the door behind him and heaved a sigh of relief.

"I'm guessing it went well," Liam asked. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"You stayed here the entire time?" Riven asked.

"Of course. After watching you fight against those men, I knew you needed a lot more training with the sword. I don't know how you got your hands on such a good blade, but a good blade requires a good wielder as well," Liam said.

"I was that bad, huh? Well, what are we waiting for, let's head over there," Riven said and started walking. They made it down the stairs and were about to use the back when he spotted the duke's daughter, Liana, seated there. She held a cup of tea, sipping out of it as the steam rose.

Liam looked at the girl and then patted Riven on the shoulder. "I'll be waiting for you, take your time," he said and walked off.

"Tsk, who told you I wanted to talk to her," Riven muttered under his breath. He glanced at her again and took a deep breath before walking toward her.

He got into the room and made his way to a chair, seated immediately opposite her. She slowly dropped her tea onto her lap. Her eyes lifted up, locking gazes with Riven.

"Who told you to sit there?" she asked, her tone oozing with arrogance and pride.

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"I need permission to sit somewhere inside of my own home?" Riven asked.

"This little shack is not a home. You and your family should be honoured that the Duke decided to sleep here," she responded, taking the cup back up to her lips.

"If the house is not good enough, you can simply sleep outside. I'm sure the cold breeze of the night will be far more welcoming than a cozy house," Riven replied.

She raised a brow, staring at him fiercely. "You have a big mouth on you."

"I could say the same for you," Riven replied.

"Sigh," she let out an exhausted sigh and placed her tea on the table. She looked up at Riven and then spoke, "I don't know why my grandfather would engage me to someone like you," she put simply.

Riven didn't know why, but despite her sour attitude, he found it easy to talk to her, so he kept going.

"You mean someone that doesn't let you princess around them?" he asked.

"Hmph, I have enough people for that already. On a normal day, you would be nothing more than a dog to lick my boots."

"That's a really nasty way of thinking for someone your age," Riven said with a chuckle. "But that's not my business. I want to make a bet with you though," he said, his lip curling in a smile.

She immediately became curious. "What bet?" she asked.

"A bet that I can become someone you will respect," he said, his tone filled with confidence.

"Is that supposed to make me laugh? I don't laugh at people's pain," she said, but the mockery in her eyes showed it all.

"It's not a joke, not that you would know one even if it hit you on the face. I'm serious. I'll make you respect me, starting by making sure this engagement is not called off.

And all you have to do is not directly interfere with what I'm doing. If I win this bet, our engagement stays on, as simple as that. But if I lose, I'll become your servant," Riven said.

[Mission update: Win the bet, show the little girl that she is no match for you]

[Rewards: 2 level-ups, all skills level up, New skill]

[Penalty: Become her servant]

His eyes shined when he saw the mission. He had simply wanted to do this on his own, but now he had a very good reason to go for it.