"It seems your Ladyship is going to any lengths to slander me!"
Lin Yan smiled, but it was a bitter one. Tears finally welled up in the corners of her eyes.
The Marchioness of Huaiyin and Feng Yue were stunned. They never expected things to turn out this way.
At the same time, they realized they had lost to Lin Yan again this time. They should have investigated more thoroughly.
"Yanyan!" The Marquis of Huaiyin called out to Lin Yan, displeased. They were family, after all. If there was a misunderstanding, why not just clarify it? Why say such things?
"Does Your Lordship think I'm wrong? Every man sees benevolence in his own way. I merely chatted with my own nephew, and your Ladyship thought of me in such a way. It shows what kind of person I am in her heart." She couldn't even bring herself to call him Uncle anymore.
"Your aunt means well for you," the Marquis of Huaiyin tried to explain.
"Yes, I am your elder. Isn't it why you came to the Marquis's residence, to be raised by me? I am disciplining you, for fear you might do something wrong!" The Marchioness seemed to have found a handle to control Lin Yan.
"For my own good?" Lin Yan wiped away the tears on her face. "But what if I don't want it? The Marquis's estate is powerful, and the Lin family cannot possibly match it.
Your Ladyship need not show such disdain for me anymore. Let us call off the engagement between the Marquis's estate and the Lin family!"
"Yanyan, don't be rash," the Marquis of Huaiyin said unhappily.
"You said it yourself!" Feng Yue quickly chimed in.
"Yue'er, don't cause trouble!" The Marquis of Huaiyin rebuked Feng Yue.
The Marchioness looked at Lin Yan with a complex expression. She truly couldn't understand why Lin Yan would so easily utter the words "cancel the engagement."
Wasn't she supposed to cling to this engagement and marry into the Marquis's estate to become the future Marchioness?
Her perpetual dislike for Lin Yan stemmed from the fact that she felt Lin Yan was unworthy of her son, yet Lin Yan had managed to secure the engagement with her son due to her deceased mother.
"Yes, I said it." Lin Yan tilted her head up, trying her best to maintain the dignity of a Lin family daughter.
"Yanyan, stop being frivolous! An engagement is not a game, how can you just call it off? Your aunt was wrong today, and I apologize on her behalf. But regarding the annulment of the engagement, do not bring it up again."
The Marquis of Huaiyin did not wish to hear Lin Yan speak of canceling the engagement.
The Marchioness also looked at the Marquis of Huaiyin at this moment. It turned out she had been mistaken all along. Lin Yan did not desire this engagement. No wonder she showed no deference to her, her future mother-in-law.
All along, it had been her husband who insisted on this engagement. So, in his heart, his son's future was less important than his promise to his sister, was that it?
"An engagement is not a game, which is why I, Lin Yan, am insignificant and my words carry no weight. If Your Lordship does not value it, I will write a letter to have the elders of the Lin clan come.
I will not trouble Your Lordship's family any further. I have already purchased a residence in the capital, so I will not be causing any more inconvenience here."
Lin Yan refused to back down. This concerned her family's reputation. Although her parents were gone, she was still here. She would not allow anyone to question the upbringing of the Lin family.
"Yanyan, must you make things so strained?" The Marquis of Huaiyin couldn't understand what his niece was thinking. Marriage for a woman was like reincarnation. If she broke off the engagement with the Marquis's estate, what kind of man could she marry?
She was an orphan, after all. What kind of man would be willing to marry her? Feiyu was her best option. She was too young and didn't understand the harsh realities of this world.
If she broke off the engagement, what kind of match could the Lin family find for her? At best, it would be a rural gentry.
"Am I the one making things difficult?" Lin Yan retorted.
"Fang Mama, tell Chunyu to inform them to pack. We are leaving now!"
The Marquis of Huaiyin tried to stop her but was blocked by Feng Yue.
Although Feng Yue didn't know why her mother remained silent, she understood this was a good opportunity. A chance to get Lin Yan out of her sight.
"Let her go!" The Marchioness looked at the Marquis.
"She clearly doesn't care for this Marquis's estate. If you force her to stay, aren't you afraid you'll make an enemy of her?" the Marchioness said sarcastically.
"Your Lordship, this concubine is tired and will take my leave now." With that, she took Feng Yue away, ignoring her struggles.
The Marquis of Huaiyin looked at the empty room, at a loss for words. He only wanted to take care of his only sister's child. Why was it so difficult?
Lin Yan's belongings were only recently moved in, as she had no intention of staying long. Thus, she had only unpacked the essentials. The rest remained packed in chests.
Xiao Man had already efficiently informed the coachman and sent a servant to notify the old steward at the residence.
By the time Lin Yan reached the courtyard where she was staying, people were still busy packing. Lin Yan didn't go in to add to the chaos, but instead found a stool to rest.
The commotion here alerted everyone in the residence. Feng Qiong greatly admired this cousin, wondering how she had the nerve to quarrel with everyone.
Others, however, thought this cousin was too foolish. With no parents, if she fell out with the Marquis's estate, how would she survive?
Feng Feiyu also heard from the servants about Lin Yan's departure and rushed over.
"Cousin Yan, what is this?" Feng Feiyu didn't understand why Lin Yan was moving out again. She had only returned not long ago.
"The Marquis's estate is, after all, not my home. I should return to my own home," she said, not mentioning the harsh words the Marchioness had spoken to her.
Family bonds should not be strained by outsiders, and even if she told him, what could be done? Would he stand against his own mother for her?
No, all he could do was apologize on his mother's behalf and urge her to forgive.
But what she lacked was an apology; she lacked respect. Fair and just treatment.
"But this is your home, isn't it?" They were engaged. Wouldn't this Marquis's estate be her home in the future?
"Your Highness, it's best not to say things you don't believe yourself," Lin Yan exposed Feng Feiyu's self-deception. He clearly knew his mother's deliberate challenges towards her, yet he did nothing.
"I... I'm sorry!" He knew his mother disliked her, but he thought she was his mother, and for his sake, she should tolerate some things, especially since she was his elder.
"I too was a cherished daughter of my parents. Why should I suffer grievances in your home?" Lin Yan refused to speak with him further.
In the original story, he could fight against his mother for the female lead, fulfilling the promise of a lifetime commitment to one woman.
But towards the original owner and her, he had always made her tolerate his mother. So, it was simply because he didn't love her.
"But we are engaged," he said anxiously. It seemed something that belonged to him was about to be lost, yet he didn't know what he was losing, so he could only emphasize this.
"It won't be for long!" Lin Yan left these words behind and went straight into the room, shutting him outside the door.