Nyissa parted her lips as she said, "You are right, Sage Han. I don't know Viktor really well."
Sage Han smugly smiled, seeing that she was right back on track, and even shot a provoking glance at Viktor.
However, Nyissa wasn't done and continued, "But whatever I know about him is enough for me to know that he would never let go of my hand just like now even if my clan or I get in trouble without him needing to say it. And it's not like the man my mother's clan had chosen is someone I know very well enough to put my faith and trust in him, is he?"
Nyissa didn't even mention the Azure Sea Clan as her own but as her mother's since she never felt that she was a part of that clan. At least not after how she was treated by them, especially her own mother.
Sage Han's previous smiling expression froze up as he never expected such a U-turn from her. Was she really not worried about her clan facing repercussions or have any desire to seek her mother's approval?
Still, Sage Han didn't decide to give up and said vehemently, "That is the point of marriages. To get to know each other. How can you know more about your true fiance without marrying him? How can you learn about his capabilities without even meeting him once? Our High Elders know the best, and they couldn't have picked a better man to be your future husband."
Nyissa maintained her gaze and said in a determined tone, "Then I will marry Viktor and get to know him more. How could I not learn how amazing he is after marrying him? How could I not know whether he is better than the man your clan's High Elders picked after marrying him? Besides, it doesn't matter if my mother will get disappointed in me because of this. I have already disappointed her a long time ago."
Nyissa did not want to say anything bad about her mother in public, even if it was true, but the amount of indignation and sadness she was holding in her heart was too much, making her say it in an indirect way.
Viktor was a bit surprised to see Nyissa being so confident and determined when talking to someone like Sage Han, who was coming from her mother's clan. He knew how complicated things were between her and her mother.
Nyissa could have used this chance to mend things between her and her mother by accepting their proposal. Despite not wanting to talk about her mother much, he knew Nyissa mentally wanted the approval of her mother instead of always being seen as a disappointment.
This made him feel glad to know that this woman was his fiance. Even if all these experiences were new to her, she was honest about her feelings and didn't have any second thoughts about them. She was indeed the headstrong woman he knew.
Sage Han's extremities were twitching, unable to believe how he was getting talked back to like this and even using his own argument as her point. But in the end, Nyissa had no ordinary status because of her mother, and so he was able to swallow it. After all, she was officially still the Young Mistress of their clan.
Still, wouldn't this mean that Nyissa had chosen Viktor over her mother's clan? This was a slap to their face!
What was he going to tell the High Elders once he got back to the clan? He might also risk taking a hit to his reputation for not being able to handle things with a lower-class clan.
Still, he knew he could bring up Viktor's name and how he was someone nobody expected to suddenly barge in or the fact that Nyissa would like him so much to the point of daring to defy their clan and get engaged with him.
"Young Miss, please don't assume things on your own. Your mother loves you more than you know and is not disappointed in you at all. But if you continue with this ceremony, then you might disappoint her for the rest of your life," Sage Han had no other cards but to use the name of her mother to persuade her, hoping that Nyissa had a desire to want her mother's love.
"If my mother is going to be disappointed because I am going to marry someone I want to, then no matter what I do, it will always be a disappointment to her. As for the High Elders, they have never even seen me once since the day I was born. How could they possibly know what kind of man would be most suitable for me? That is why it's not possible for someone to make better decisions for me other than myself. And I have decided to marry the man standing right beside me," Nyissa ardently said as she suddenly turned towards Viktor, held his right hand, and inserted the black diamond ring onto his ring finger, stunning everyone with the sudden turn of events.
Viktor smiled, feeling happy as she put the ring onto his finger, and then looked at her, finding her smile of happiness quite mesmerizing.
For a moment, the two felt as if they were the only ones in this world as they continued to gaze at each other, feeling as if they had taken a huge step forward together, holding each other's hands.
It would not be wrong to say that Nyissa was worried about her clan and had some complicated feelings about her mother. But with Viktor by her side, she felt that she could be whoever she wanted to be and do whatever she wanted.
As for the so-called consequences, she had already decided to face them with Viktor together. She was done living for others while suppressing her own desires and wishes or trying to gain the approval of others. Only now she realized how foolish she was to think that she could earn her mother's love by trying to live up to her standards.
Even if she could gain her mother's approval by agreeing to the marriage proposal from the Azure Sea Clan, Nyissa now didn't want that anymore. A mother's love should be beyond such things and never depend on these things in the first place.
And so, if her mother never cared about her, then she would never truly love her no matter what she does.
Viktor held Nyissa's hands lovingly after she put on the ring, and Brad, who was standing on the side, began to suddenly clap with a wide happy smile, startling everyone, including a dark-faced Sage Han as his bones began to creak when he clenched his fists.
