Forsaken to Treasured: A Short Story

6. Storm

As winter turned to spring, Arabella's fortunes seemed to be lifting. The time had come for the girl, who was nearly dying in the freezing snow just months ago, to turn her life around.

She had made a name for herself in the social circles of Northvale, and Princess Lena's compliments had become the topics of much discussion.

She became a social circle celebrity for a while, receiving countless invitations in Northvale.

Many rumors had spread that the heir to the Cavendish family had long admired Lady De Vere, but he took on the challenge of going to a hazardous place. He once challenged his best friend to a world championship in wingsuit flying. It was a high mountain in Asia with beautiful scenery, but deadly dangerous for the sport. The last time his friend challenged this mountain, he ended up dying there. Concerned that his adventurous actions would jeopardize Miss De Vere's life, he hastily broke off the engagement.

Others speculated that Samuel had moved on for fear of being caught up in a scandal, so he canceled the engagement in such a rush. What might a man abandon a talented, pretty and wealthy woman for? That would be another alluring and seductive female, of course. More likely, he doesn't like women at all. After all, it's the male who understands the man better. But this kind of cheating scandal will surely ruin the family's reputation once it is exposed, and it would be better to break off the engagement, which would perfectly solve the root issue.

There were many different opinions for a while, but there was an acknowledged opinion that the annulment of the marriage was not her fault.

And while the gossip was eagerly exchanged, people seemed to avoid the conversation about Arabella's current fiancé as if he was a blemish in her flawless profile and should not be exposed to the public.

Theodore Romanov's name had been demonized, and it was obvious that people were avoiding talking about him. Although the rumor mill is filled with stories, people do not want to say his name publicly.

The scenario at Wallace College was also changing.

The princess had straightened Wallace, and the original principal had been caught committing professional crimes. When the new principal took office, she rewrote the school rules, specifically highlighting that female students should be treated fairly, regardless of marital status.

After taking office, the new principal also gave a speech. "When Wallace was established, it hoped to give females a free space to learn and improve and to support each other as they continued to flourish. But it didn't occur to me that after a few decades, the world was scrutinizing women more and more and demanding them more and more.

"After a historical survey, we realized that the number of students who dropped out of the college due to changes in their relationships was surprisingly high over the years.

"You should know that the maintenance of a marital relationship, a marriage bond, is not something one can decide unilaterally. It's unfair to evaluate a female's character based on that!

"If we can't accept these girls at Wallace College, where else can we accommodate them?

"Prejudiced, truly closed, and corrupt minds should not be in Wallace. Wallace should always open its doors for all girls."

Sitting on the stage, Arabella couldn't help the tears swirling in her eyes.

She still remembered the winter she was withdrawn from her engagement when a snowstorm almost took her life.

Fortunately, a hand picked her up through the wind, snow, and darkness.

Life was unpredictable. According to the arrangement, Arabella was supposed to schedule her wedding with Samuel after graduation. Who would have thought that Arabella wouldn't make it to graduation and that she and Theodore would get engaged?