The trap was set.
As planned, William made contact with Elisha and the conversation between them was good enough to get her communication number.
After returning to the academy, he kept in touch with her through this. This part was important because she had to fall in love with him. If not, he won't get her and his great-grandma might not get the revenge that she sought.
This was something he wouldn't let happen.
Though this plan was supposed to cause damage to the two families, for him the girl was more important. Even if the part to cause tensions between Frostwolf and Siren's family fails, he doesn't care. What he cared about was whether he could get Elisha or not.
He loves his great-grandma but this is not her life or era. It is his life and the final decisions have to be made upon what he desires, not what others desire.
So he put in the effort to not only impress Elisha but also her parents.
---
The plan to trap Elisha worked perfectly. Even her parents wanted to give her to him but couldn't say it out loud.
Elisha was already bound to Magnus but they knew about the problems in the Frostwolf family. Moreover, Magnus is not even the heir candidate for the viscounty. If he was at least the first son, then the couple wouldn't have had such thoughts.
As the first son, there would be a chance for him to get the seat, though the law was for the firstborn to inherit the title. It only comes into play if the firstborn stays in the family and their child bears the family name.
If they want to leave for other families, they would lose the right of succession. It was true whether the firstborn was a boy or a girl.
Magnus has four siblings. So even if one or two leave, there would still be two more who would have more rights than him.
There are no eternal friends or enemies, only benefits.
Anyway, he instructed his daughter to greet Magnus but show no enthusiasm and make sure that the greetings last no longer than when greeting some stranger or someone of low class.
After that, she has to ignore him and meet others, especially William. If she acts closely with William, that may cause Magnus to burst out and cause a scene.
If he does that, it would be considered inappropriate and it opens the door to cancelling the marriage without any trouble.
---
Things didn't go as smoothly as Thomas wished. He wanted to give his daughter to William and to do so, the marriage contract had to be broken.
If they initiate the break, the compensation would be very high but if it comes from the Frostwolf family or if Magnus becomes the reason for the breaking of the contract, then they would be in the clear. The loss would not only be the resources but also their family's pride.
If the Siren family initiates the break, then it can be considered a Social Death among the nobles. They wouldn't associate with a noble family that breaks their promises.
It was not that they are saints but whatever they do, they would do subtly and never in the open.
H tried to subtly make Magnus cause a scene but he failed. There is no need to worry, he still has three years to revert this. After three years, William might not be available for her daughter and everything would be for naught.
These three years, he wanted to make his daughter skillful enough to make Magnus break the marriage contract on his own or make him commit something bad that would be good enough to break away from this marriage without paying any compensation and at the same time keep their dignity among the noble circle.
Even if his daughter fails, he is sure that William will try his best to break that contract before his hands are tied down forever. He was so sure because he saw how William looked at his daughter. He loves her and if given a chance William would make Elisha his.
This gave him the confidence that the marriage contract would break within the next three years.