Chapter 443 - Rutherford's Past (2)
When Rutherford's father heard that his son was about to make a move to quell these rumors that held no weight, he revealed something vital to this situation.
His father finally informed him about the engagement he had decided between the two youngsters which would be announced at Sophia's coming of age ceremony in a few months.
But how could Rutherford who had already once given up his dream of being a knight do something similar and give up on his dream to be with Raylene for the rest of his life?
Therefore, he fought tooth and nail with his father and rejected the very thought of being with someone else who wasn't Raylene.
His father's thoughts were valid as Raylene was a daughter of a Viscount while the other younger lady, Sophia belonged to an Earl's family like theirs.
The benefits in marrying Sophia were greater than the other.
However, no matter how much he tried to explain to his son, the young man did not budge.
In his mind, Raylene was the only one who could have the title of the Countess and stand by his side for the rest of his life.
After a few weeks of silent war between the father and son, the old Earl decided to give in to his son's wishes.
He had already snatched one thing that brought joy to Rutherford's life so he chose to atone for his sins by allowing him to marry Raylene Valente.
With much joy in his heart, Rutherford returned to his beloved Raylene's fief and brought a proposal of marriage with him.
Raylene was overjoyed but the Viscount and Marcus who knew of the news in the Capital weren't so happy.
Only after Rutherford had explained everything to the Viscount did he agree reluctantly.
But he was not able to convince Marcus who was against their relationship from the very beginning.
Regardless, the two got married in the St. Claire fief soon after, further incensing Marcus who broke all ties with them.
He did not wish for his sister to be called a third party in the relationship between Rutherford and Sophia but he failed to understand that there was no relationship in the first place.
With the rumors still rampant in Amarthea, when the newly wedded couple reached their Estate, everyone was shocked to see this new face with Rutherford.
At balls and parties, Raylene was introduced as his beloved wife which left Sophia Blaise with a darkened face.
The betrothal that was the talk of the town had fallen apart even before her coming of age ceremony where it could be officially announced.
This caused the two Earldoms to be at odds with each other but Old Earl St. Claire could only offer an apology as his son's heart already belonged to someone else.
He was guilty for what had happened but there was nothing that could be done now that they had already married each other.
When Raylene began socializing, she felt the cold stares and the unfriendly behavior of the noblewomen as they treated her as an outsider who had snatched Sophia's position.
Ignorant to their secret thoughts, she confided in her husband who finally revealed this matter to her.
Surprised as she was, she stood by Rutherford as she knew how much he loved her just like she loved him with all her heart.
However, she still felt responsible for this incident as, without her appearance, Rutherford would have had to marry Sophia under her father-in-law's coercion.
Therefore, she chose to meet with Sophia to apologize but never had a chance to do so as Earl Blaise and his son interfered, not allowing them to meet.
Rutherford coaxed her and asked her not to waste her effort on someone whom he had not met nor was he interested to meet in the future.
The entire incident had begun thanks to the two old Earls who wanted to combine their powers but fate had other plans for them.
With his words, Raylene gave up her attempts of meeting Miss Sophia who had been jilted before she was even considered an adult in the sights of the society.
As his narration came to an end, Marcus looked at his sister and her husband, ignoring everyone else.
"After that incident, Earl Blaise's sister had to marry a mere Baron which he regarded as something shameful." He added the reason why the Blaises were so hostile to the St. Claires.
His sister had to marry someone two levels below their title and that did not sit well with Earl Blaise who began to attack Rutherford at every turn.
These attacks were nothing for Rutherford who solved them each time so effortlessly.
'That explains why Earl Blaise always targets us!' Yvonne inferred after paying attention to the account that her uncle had just made.
With his sister being put to shame due to Rutherford's rejection, he was determined to avenge her tarnished honor.
The young man had chosen to marry a Viscount's daughter instead of Sophia Blaise, a younger woman from an Earl's family.
This news had already spread throughout the land, making people wonder why Rutherford, a smart man, would rather choose Raylene than Sophia.
The only valid explanation they could think of was that there was some fault in Sophia Blaise which had led him to choose someone else over her.
"What does any of that have to do with the soap maker's incident?" Rutherford glowered as he could not see the point of reminding them about these things of the past.
'My Ray gets upset every time she thinks about this!' He glared at Marcus who was poking old wounds.
His wife was a sensitive woman and when she was being treated like an outsider after her arrival at the Capital, he had revealed this matter.
Not only did she not get angry with him but she was also kindhearted enough to ask for forgiveness for something that she was not at fault.
Sophia's name being tarnished was due to the rumors that her family had started in order to coerce him to agree to the betrothal.
They had harmed their own reputation by using this underhanded tactic to force Rutherford into a corner so that he does not back out.
This fact, he had learned later on but he was nonetheless annoyed.
The Blaises were worried that Rutherford would not agree as he was a stoic and cold young man so they spread the news of the betrothal as he would not sully a young maiden's reputation by rejecting her.
When he showed the proof of this matter to his father, the Earl was equally enraged as they were treating him as a fool by working against his family in the dark.
Once he was aware of this, he did not show any affection nor was he considerate about the relationships that he wished to build with the Blaises.
The Earl then went on to make a public statement that while the two families were planning to get the children engaged, nothing was set in stone.
The Blaises were bold enough to spread these rumors about them so they should be able to bear the consequences of the same.
They had made a perfect plan to ensure that Sophia would become the next Countess of the St. Claire fief.
However, they had underestimated his love for Raylene as at that time, he did not bother about such things and had married her regardless of what the rumors said.
This marriage was a slap to the Blaise family's faces as their plan was thwarted and their reputation had also taken a hit.
Rutherford was not bothered about them but was worried for his wife as she might face backlash once again from these noblemen who would do anything to save face.
Thankfully, under his watchful eyes and his father's warnings to the Blaises to not play any underhanded tricks with his daughter-in-law, the matter was sorted out.
'He accepted her wholeheartedly after interacting with her.' Rutherford recalled his deceased father who had treated Raylene as a daughter after their marriage.
Though his father had made mistakes in the past, he stood by his son in times of trouble and never allowed anyone to harm his family.
Therefore, the Blaises were left with no choice but to marry Sophia off into a fief far away from the Capital as her reputation had taken a hit with the rumors they had spread and also the works of the other glib-tongued noblewomen of their society.
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