In the morning, the girl did not run away immediately. Instead, she quietly returned to the room, gathered her belongings, and waited for the man to wake up.

When he went down into the kitchen, she was already waiting for him, calm but with a firm look. On the table lay copies of the documents.

“I know everything,” she said quietly. “But I’m not going to leave just like that.”The man turned pale. For the first time, he seemed insecure.

“If you want an heir,” she continued, “we’ll sign a new contract.” My father will be released immediately, my mother will receive treatment, and half of the property will be transferred to my name right now. Otherwise, these documents will reach the court and the press.

The man is silent for a long time. Then he slowly sat down and signed.

A year later, a boy was born in the house. But everyone in the village knew one thing: the young woman was no longer the frightened poor girl who had once looked helplessly out of the window. She was the man who had outwitted the rich landowner and saved her family.