Episode 09
Before Eileen walked down the wedding road.
Under the warm sunlight.
Guests in the shade of parasols fanned themselves as if they were hot, waiting for the bride and groom, the stars of the wedding.
Of course, the gossip directed at the two people was a bonus.
“I guess this marriage is going to be a disaster, right?”
“The bride might cry and say that she can’t have the wedding because the groom is so bad.”
“Maybe Eileen has finally come to her senses.”
“Why, how pitiful. No, is the Edgar family really sending their youngest daughter to this southern territory filled with nothing but rice paddies? My goodness, the smell of horse manure must have been so arduous on the way here…”
In fact, while the horses were worried about Eileen, they were also looking forward to someone coming out to the wedding hall soon.
Most of them wanted to see the ridiculous sight of the Southern Grand Duke.
As expected, the uniform is so tight on his huge body that he walks unsteadily, right?
They firmly believed that the rumors that spread like wildfire were true.
… …at least until I saw the face of the Southern Grand Duke standing on the wedding road.
A grand skeleton.
Dark tanned skin.
The Southern Duke was a strikingly handsome man with a smile as gentle as sunshine and angry arms that were not.
And most importantly, he is a man of considerable looks, worthy of being called a Northern Grand Duke.
The guests stood there with their mouths agape, their jaws dropping as they stared at Eileen, her groom, and the Southern Duke as they entered.
What the heck is going on here?
Everyone watched the meal with faces filled with curiosity, and Eileen, far from smiling shyly, had a face like an animal being led to the slaughterhouse.
‘F*ck, f*ck.’
Of all people, my husband is a super handsome man.
* * *
It was late at night and the bride and groom were having their first night.
An ordinary bride would have been waiting for her husband with a blushing face.
Eileen also blushed brightly.
“What are you, you swindler! This is a fraudulent marriage, a fraudulent marriage!”
Of course, it was more because of the excitement than because of the long run.
Floan gently laughed off the torrent of curses.
“What do you mean, ma’am, this is such a fraudulent marriage?”
“Are you crazy? You’re calling me your wife after getting married? And you’re saying you’re still human after doing that?”
“So if I’m not human, am I a monster?”
Floran smiled slyly and muttered something along the lines of, “You’re dressed up nicely. It’s strangely nerve-wracking to be dressed like this.”
Eileen responded haughtily, swatting away Floran’s hand that was fiddling with the hem of her transparent dress.
“It’s kind of similar to that for me.”
“why?”
“I have an allergy to handsome men.”
“What is that?”
“Yes. When a handsome man comes near, I get goosebumps all over my body.”
“Isn’t it like that now?”
Eileen slapped the back of Floran’s hand again as he gently pushed up her sleeve.
“Don’t touch me so carelessly, okay? And why are you talking so subtly?”
“It’s not like we’re meeting for the first time. We’ll be together as a couple from now on, so let’s not build too many walls, Eileen.”
“Huh! How shameless! Was that short southern duke a substitute back then?”
“Dalton would cry if he heard that I’m short. I’m a capable aide.”
“I thought it was perfect because it was short, but if I had known it was you, I would have—!”
“You wouldn’t have put in so much effort and praised the Southern Command back then, would you?”
“……is it so!”
“She’s a funny girl, really.”
Eileen thought she was really annoyed by the sight of him bursting into laughter.
No. This marriage must be overturned.
That handsome man is my husband, and he’s the Grand Duke of the South who kept his identity a secret!
This is bound to get complicated.
“I never imagined such a twist would exist!”
Floran shrugged.
“Think of it as a surprise event of its own.”
“I said no! This is all invalid, invalid! I’m going to sue you!”
“You’re not going to divorce me and then marry the Northern Grand Duke, are you?”
“…….”
“You came to me to avoid the Northern Duke’s courtship, didn’t you, Eileen?”
Eileen opened her mouth silently.
This mouth, this beak of truth, has finally done its job.
Inwardly blaming myself was a bonus.
“Don’t look at me like that, Eileen. It doesn’t seem like I’m doing anything wrong to you.”
Eileen’s face turned weepy. Her resolve to avoid getting involved with a handsome man, no matter what, had long since vanished.
“2 years.”
Out of the blue, Floran held up two fingers in front of Eileen.
When Eileen frowned, he continued speaking softly and soothingly.
“Let’s sign a contract marriage for the next two years.”
“Oh my God, my God, a contract marriage. As expected, the romance novel cliche has come up. Please protect me from the evil spirits of romance novels—”
“As expected, you have a bit of an odd side.”
“Please don’t let me be seduced by that handsome man—”
“In two years, I will be leaving the country. I will never return to this empire. Then, I will bestow upon you the title of Grand Duke of the South.”
“…….”
Eileen, who had been praying with her hands clasped together, slowly opened her eyes.
It felt just a little bit weird.
Eileen looked at him with a face full of questions, wondering why it had to be two years later, why he was going abroad, why me.
“Are you trying to commit fraud again? In this empire, a woman cannot inherit a title unless her husband dies and she becomes a widow.”
“That’s a sharp question, Eileen. I like you more and more.”
“Please put that kind of plotting aside.”
“I am going to die in two years.”
“Oh my god, a limited time?”
“No. I’ll die voluntarily. On paper, of course.”
“…….”
If the Northern Duke is decadent, is the Southern Duke warm?
What kind of crazy person is this?
“What good is it to be dead on paper? What secret are you doing?”
Eileen, who had been thinking all sorts of things in her head, shouted with a look of shock on her face.
“No way! No way! Fleeing overseas?! What crime did you commit, anyway?”
“……I don’t think people would normally think of it as a crime, Eileen.”
“Usually, rebellions, treason, and all that kind of sinister stuff are committed by northerners… What, you couldn’t possibly—”
“…….”
“……Could it be a spy?”
“…….”
“Ahem, no, that’s not it.”
Eileen casted ‘No, not that’, wondering if she had gone too far.
Floran looked at Eileen with a mixture of curiosity and strangeness.
“Whatever my identity is, it won’t harm Eileen.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am sure.”
Eileen put her hand on her chin.
If she became the Grand Duke of the South, she would be on equal footing with the Grand Duke of the North, so she would be able to avoid the pressure of status.
If the power of the South can be increased to the same extent as that of the North, it may be possible to oppose him while protecting the homeland.
‘Sure, the conditions are too good to be true.’
Above all, isn’t there no other better solution than this one right now?
‘Perhaps I should be grateful that Floran suggested it first…?’
Eileen, who could not resist temptation, opened her mouth slightly.
“……It’s certain that I’ll become the Grand Duke of the South after two years of contract marriage. This entire castle and territory will be mine.”
“Of course, there are conditions.”
“I knew it.”
“It helps revive the South.”
“Well, that’s about it… Just a moment.”
Eileen nodded easily, then hesitated.
“In the Southern Revival, surely, you have to have a successor or something like that—”
“Don’t worry, there won’t be any unwanted first nights or afterbirths.”
At his words, Eileen nodded again.
Strangely, everything is going smoothly, so I feel uneasy.
Contract marriage, then divorce.
Then all of this is mine.
Feeling a strange sense of unease, or perhaps a premonition, Eileen asked again.
“You won’t change your plans later, right?”
“doesn’t exist.”
“But, if you’re going to leave in two years anyway, why get married?”
