The Dark Blade: Return Of The General.

Chapter 2: The Contest

"I do not know how on earth she is part of this family. She should not be allowed anywhere close to this house after we find a horrible loser to take her from our hands."

Elizabeth Tate's voice echoed through the marble halls of the family mansion. She sat in her velvet chair, watching servants prepare for what she called the most shameful day in their family's history.

The Tate mansion was one of Seron's finest estates, with crystal chandeliers and oil paintings lining the walls. For three generations, the family had built their reputation on beauty and strategic marriages that elevated their social status.

Today, all of that was about to crumble because of one scarred daughter.

"Mother, I think she should be thrown out completely," Aria Tate said, examining her manicured nails. "Or maybe we can make her one of the maids if we cannot find someone to take her deformed self out of this house."

Aria was everything Anna was not - flawless skin, golden hair, and perfect beauty. As the pampered princess of the household, she had never known rejection. Her scarred sister's existence was an embarrassment she could not tolerate.

Ben Tate, the family patriarch, entered the room with slow steps. At seventy-five, he commanded respect through decades of business success. Behind him walked his son Kelvin, whose expensive suit could not hide the shame in his eyes.

"Are the candidates ready?" Ben asked, settling into his chair.

"Fifteen men passed the screening," Kelvin replied quietly. "Though their quality is questionable."

Elizabeth laughed bitterly. "What did you expect? No respectable man would want damaged goods. We are lucky anyone showed up."

On the mansion's balcony, fifteen men stood in an awkward line. They represented Seron's marriage market's bottom tier - desperate bachelors, fortune hunters, and men with secrets that made them willing to accept what others would reject.

There was Marcus Chen, a failed businessman drowning in debt. Beside him stood Thomas Reed, a widower whose drinking had destroyed his first marriage. At the line's end, elderly Peterson Webb wheezed through breathing problems, hoping for a third wife to care for him.

None knew that among them stood the continent's most dangerous man.

Jacob Krigg had infiltrated their group effortlessly. He wore simple clothes and kept his expression neutral, blending with the other desperate suitors. But beneath his calm exterior, rage simmered. Every cruel word from Anna's family added fuel to a fire that would soon consume everything.

The mansion doors opened, and Ben Tate stepped onto the balcony with theatrical flair. The old man surveyed the candidates like livestock at a market.

"Gentlemen, you have all passed our initial requirements," Ben announced. "You demonstrated financial stability, clean records, and willingness to accept our unique circumstances."

Several men shifted uncomfortably. They knew about Anna's appearance but had never seen her clearly.

"However, there is one final test," Ben continued. "We need to ensure you can truly commit to this marriage, not just endure it for money."

Kelvin appeared beside his father, face twisted with disgust. "We want to see if you can look at her without running like cowards."

The candidates exchanged nervous glances. Rumors about Anna's injuries were different from harsh reality.

Ben raised his hand, and a servant opened the doors. "Anna, come forward."

A figure emerged from the shadows, draped in white fabric covering her completely. She moved with careful steps - the walk of someone who had learned to avoid attention.

Anna Tate stopped beside her grandfather, head bowed in submission. Even through the veil, Jacob could see her shoulders trembling with humiliation. This was not how brides should be presented. This was how prisoners were displayed before execution.

"Gentlemen, meet my granddaughter," Ben said with cruelty. "Let us see who possesses the stomach for this union."

He reached forward and pulled Anna's veil away with a sharp motion.

Gasps echoed across the balcony. Anna's face was a map of old trauma - burn scars covered her left side, pulling at skin and creating uneven texture that spoke of unimaginable pain. Her left eye was surrounded by scar tissue, while her right side remained untouched, showing glimpses of former beauty.

"Dear God," Thomas Reed whispered, stepping backward.

"I thought they said it was minor," Marcus Chen muttered, face pale.

"She looks like a monster," Peterson Webb said loud enough for everyone to hear.

One by one, candidates began retreating. They mumbled excuses about emergencies, family obligations, and business commitments. Within minutes, fourteen men had fled the balcony, leaving only Jacob standing.

Anna's good eye found his face, searching for inevitable disgust and rejection. Instead, she saw something unexpected - recognition mixed with profound sadness.

"You," Ben said, staring at Jacob with surprise. "What is your name?"

"Jacob Krigg," he replied without hesitation.

The name meant nothing to them. The Krigg massacre had been covered up, their wealth absorbed by conspirators, their existence erased from memory.

"Well, Jacob, you have seen her face. Are you certain you want this marriage?"

Jacob looked directly into Anna's eyes, seeing past scars to the soul beneath. This was the woman who had risked everything to save a stranger. This was the hero who had pulled him from death and asked nothing in return.

"Yes," he said with absolute conviction.

Ben shook his head in bewilderment. "She is yours then. You should learn to love her, since you chose to accept her."

The old man walked away, disappointment obvious. Behind him, Elizabeth and Aria whispered cruel observations about their family's humiliation.

"This has to be embarrassing," Elizabeth declared. "Other families marry daughters to prestigious families. We settle for a common street man."

Kelvin could not look at his daughter. "I have business at the company. I cannot watch this embarrassment."

One by one, family members abandoned Anna on the balcony, leaving her alone with the stranger who had agreed to marry her out of what they assumed was desperation.

Anna stood in silence, her world collapsing. Her family had just sold her like unwanted property. The humiliation was complete.

Then she saw a hand extended toward her - strong, steady, somehow familiar.

"Give me your hand," Jacob said gently. "I will make sure no one ever hurts you again."

Anna stared at the outstretched hand, confusion clouding her features. Why was this stranger being kind? What did he want?

But something in his voice called to a memory she could not grasp. Something about how he looked at her reminded her of a moment long ago, when she had reached into flames to save a dying boy.

Hesitantly, she placed her scarred hand in his and felt warmth she had not experienced in fifteen years.

"Come on," Jacob said with a smile that seemed to hold ocean-deep secrets. "I will not let anyone harm you ever again."

As they walked away together, neither Anna nor her family realized they had witnessed Seron's most powerful son returning, and the beginning of a reckoning that would shake the city's foundations.