SBMFMIL 10

Chapter 10: A Marriage Alliance for Revenge (1)

“W-What? Senile?”

Elise felt her head spin for a moment.

For someone who had lived gracefully only within a noble household, this was a type of insult she had never encountered before.

“M-Milady!”

“Don’t touch me!”

Harry tried to support the staggering Elise, but she roughly shook his hand away.

“Isn’t it only natural?”

Unfazed by the commotion, Reiner calmly folded the newspaper as he spoke.

There wasn’t a single hint of agitation in his voice.

“As the head of the family, I must uphold the dignity of the Ducal House.”

“What? Head of the family? You?”

Elise glared at Reiner, dumbfounded.

His declaration—proclaiming himself the head of the family—trampled all over her pride.

“I cannot possibly hand over the dukedom to a shameless brat like you! I’ll expose you for the bastard you are right now and have you dismissed immediately!”

Enraged, Elise swept the items off the desk with her arm.

A fallen ink bottle shattered, spreading a pitch-black stain across the carpet.

Only then did Reiner slowly rise from his seat.

His expressionless face was now laced with a chilling coldness.

He approached Elise menacingly.

“You…”

Elise, for the first time, truly realized just how robust and tall a man Reiner had become.

All this time, he had been nothing but a thorn in her side—a mere child.

‘M-Milady! Please, don’t hit me! I’ll be a good boy… Please!’

‘A good boy? Don’t make me laugh! Your very existence is a disaster!’

But now, Reiner stood a full head taller than her, his figure towering over hers.

His eyes no longer held the fear of Elise from the past.

“Go ahead, struggle all you want.”

Reiner smirked bitterly as he looked down at her.

His arrogant demeanor—as though he was always looking down on his opponent—wasn’t solely due to his height.

He already knew he was the victor.

“The vassals of House Hayes have already turned to my side. The moment you concealed Gilbert’s death, your trust crumbled.”

“W-What?”

“Tell me, why did you stoop to such despicable acts that even the lowliest of men wouldn’t dare commit?”

“Ha…”

“If you wish to raise a rebellion, go ahead. Show the world the tragic end of a power-crazed, ugly old woman. It would serve as a fine lesson to all.”

Struck speechless by his sharp, biting words, Elise stood frozen.

Reiner cast one last contemptuous glance at her before turning toward the window.

“Take this woman out. Immediately.”

At his cold final order, servants rushed in and seized both of Elise’s arms.

“Unhand me! How dare you touch my body!”

Reiner looked back over his shoulder, his gaze icy.

The sight of Elise being dragged out by the servants was utterly pathetic.

Watching from the window, Reiner felt an odd sense of futility.

It felt absurd—having feared a woman like that for nearly twenty years, desperately seeking her approval.

Of course, back then, he had no choice.

He had been small, weak, often malnourished—a child subjected daily to verbal abuse and beatings.

Besides…

‘Someone, please save me! The door is locked! It’s so hot!’

‘M-Mother! Mother!’

Recalling Elise’s unforgivable atrocities, Reiner clenched his fist.

The moment he had witnessed his mother’s death right before his eyes, Reiner’s heart shattered into pieces and completely closed off.

‘It’s still far from enough to repay what I’ve received.’

Sending Elise off like a piece of luggage wasn’t nearly satisfying enough.

Reiner quietly turned around.

The desk, which had been in complete disarray just moments ago, had already been neatly tidied up.

“Harry.”

At his master’s call, the adjutant approached.

Despite the earlier disturbance, Reiner’s expression was oddly refreshed.

Soon, it would be time to prepare for the succession to the dukedom…

“Prepare the marriage documents.”

“Understood, I’ll prepare the succession immediately—… Wait— Excuse me?”

Suddenly, marriage?

At the unexpected order, Harry doubted his own ears.

Then, letting out a light laugh, he shook his head.

“Ah, my apologies, Your Grace. Perhaps I’ve been overworking myself lately—I must have misheard…”

“No, you heard correctly.”

Harry’s jaw dropped.

He had always thought it was simply one of Reiner’s unfunny jokes.

Wasn’t this the same man who visibly bristled at the mere mention of marriage?

More than that, Harry had never even seen him so much as meet anyone.

“Who on earth are you marrying, then?”

“Cecilia Fanning.”

“Ex— What?”

Harry couldn’t help but let out a sharp gasp.

Reiner chuckled lightly, patting him on the shoulder.

“Why are you so surprised? You heard everything not too long ago.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Harry recall the conversation about Cecilia and Reiner’s contract marriage proposal.

He had nearly forgotten amid Elise’s commotion.

‘I’m not asking to be your real wife. Just maintain the marriage with me for three years. After that, I’ll leave cleanly.’

Her proposal—made with a poise increable a frail, doe-like woman—had left an impression.

It was also startling that she was privy to details about Mariana—matters not even Harry, his closest aide, fully knew.

Yet even so, the fact that Riner had actually accepted her proposal remained astonishing.

Harry cautiously ventured.

“Forgive my impertinence, but… are you truly going through with this marriage?”

“Three years free from the attention of unwed young ladies. Isn’t that alone worth it?”

Reiner tilted his head toward a thick stack of letters piled on one side of the desk.

They were love letters from the ladies of Brissen.

Some wrote daily; others even waited in front of the mansion.

“Well, if you put it that way…”

Harry, too, was thoroughly sick of the noble young ladies who clung so persistently to Reiner.

He neatly arranged the letters on the desk.

Despite the ladies’ diligent efforts, these letters were destined to become kindling for the fireplace.

Harry glanced hesitantly at Reiner.

“Still, since you’re getting married after all, wouldn’t it be better to try getting along with her…”

“No.”

Reiner cut him off in a low, resolute voice.

“If marriage is something I must do anyway, it’s cleanest to exchange only what’s necessary and be done with it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Harry quietly bowed his head.

Reiner watched his aide for a moment before sitting back down at his desk.

He folded his arms, leaned lazily against the chair’s backrest, and closed his eyes.

Naturally, a pair of emerald-green eyes surfaced in his mind.

Cecilia Fanning.

The strange discomfort he’d felt when seated across from her resurfaced.

“…Get along, my foot.”

Reiner narrowed his brows slightly, muttering involuntarily.

At that, Harry flinched.

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

Reiner opened his eyes again and straightened his posture.

As if it had never happened, his face had returned to that of Reiner Hayes, the man praised by the entire empire.

“I’ll need it by tomorrow. Start by preparing the contract immediately.”

The next day.

Thanks to the quick work of Harry, the marriage contract between Cecilia and Reiner was promptly drawn up.

Returning to the Seymour Hotel, Reiner handed the documents to Cecilia.

“I believe I’ve included all the necessary clauses. Please review them.”

Cecilia took the documents and read them carefully.

«1. Reiner Hayes and Cecilia Fanning shall maintain their marital union for a period of three years from the date of this contract.

2. Cecilia Fanning shall be granted all rights and privileges as the Duchess of Hayes and may exercise them freely.

3. Reiner Hayes shall adopt Evan March within six months of the contract date.

4. Reiner Hayes shall not interfere when Cecilia Fanning disciplines Evan March and his wife in the name of their mother. »

A satisfied expression crossed Cecilia’s face.

What pleased her most was Clause 4, which she had proposed beforehand.

‘To ‘discipline Evan and Rosena in the name of their mother’…’

Even writing it herself, she found it quite an interesting phrase.

Cecilia picked up the quill again.

“May I add one more?”

“What is it?”

“About the mindset we should both maintain during this marriage.”

Cecilia wrote the final clause at the very bottom.

«5. Reiner Hayes and Cecilia Fanning shall not allow personal emotions to interfere during the fulfillment of this contract. »

Upon reading the new clause, Reiner’s eyes narrowed slightly.

At his ambiguous gaze, Cecilia added an explanation.

“People’s feelings can get complicated, can’t they? But we can’t let personal emotions ruin our purpose. Having it clearly stated will make us think twice when emotions arise. For instance, if we were to quarrel…”

“…Or fall in love?”

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