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Chapter 5
Richard had entered his office early in the morning and was taking care of his duties. The spacious room was large enough to fit several desks, yet the only place occupied was the one meant for him.
He rested his elbows on the desk and pressed the tips of his fingers together. It was one of the habits he had whenever he was deep in thought.
Across from him, his adjutant was giving him a report regarding official matters.
“……Because of the chaos caused by the bandits, it seems the young lord governing that territory has been struggling quite a bit.”
“Hmm……”
Richard’s eyes narrowed slightly. After remaining silent for a moment, he glanced at his adjutant and asked,
“Who is the young lord ruling that place?”
“It is Viscount Bitten.”
“Viscount Bitten……”
Richard tapped his fingertips against the large desk before suddenly stopping.
“It would be best to select five knights from the Blade–Olden Order of Knights and send them there.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“And tell the viscount that from now on, I will be sending people periodically to inspect the security of the territory.”
Viscount Bitten was someone who secretly skimmed money that should have been spent on maintaining the territory’s security and used it to fill his own pockets. However, he managed other areas fairly well, so Richard had been one of the people he had chosen to keep an eye on rather than immediately remove.
The security inspection was a warning.
A warning that if something like this happened again, he would be removed from his position immediately.
The adjutant understood Richard’s intentions and bowed his head.
“I will deliver your message exactly as you said.”
“Is there anything else to report?”
“There is one thing left. About the merchant company whose contract for mana stone transactions you canceled last time……”
“Ah, that matter.”
Richard smiled faintly.
Until recently, whenever this issue was brought up, his superior would become lost in thought. Seeing him smile now, the adjutant tilted his head in confusion.
Richard ignored his reaction and spoke with a smile.
“That matter is settled now.”
“Pardon?”
“I solved it.”
The adjutant stared blankly, unable to understand what he meant. At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached the room.
Richard calmly placed his arms on the desk, preparing to greet his visitor.
“She arrived at the perfect time.”
The adjutant turned toward the door. At the same moment, the door swung open, and Aileen appeared.
With blazing eyes.
“You have arrived, Lady Walker.”
Richard greeted her with a smile.
His calm attitude, as if he had known she would come, made Aileen narrow her eyes. She was about to say something when she noticed the unfamiliar man standing nearby.
Her excitement cooled slightly, and she regained her composure.
No matter what, it was difficult to get angry in front of a stranger—especially in front of a member of the imperial family.
Aileen walked straight toward Richard and placed the letters she had received that morning on his desk.
“What is this?”
“These are the letters I sent.”
“Among them, I mean this one!”
Aileen picked up the proposal letter Richard had sent among the documents and held it up.
The moment the adjutant realized what it was, his eyes widened.
Richard glanced at his adjutant before turning his attention back to Aileen.
“A single unmarried man sent a marriage proposal to an unmarried woman. Is there a problem?”
“A problem? There are plenty!”
Aileen slammed both hands down on the desk.
Seeing Richard’s unwavering expression even after that made her blood boil.
“You didn’t say a single word to me. What exactly were you thinking?”
Richard quietly met her fierce gaze. Just as Aileen was about to say more, he spoke.
“Let us move to the reception room first. There are too many eyes watching.”
Aileen turned around and saw not only Richard’s adjutant but also the mansion’s servants peeking inside from outside the door.
Aileen disliked having attention focused on her, so she bit her lip slightly before nodding.
“Fine.”
Richard stood up and guided her to the reception room.
Behind the two of them, the servants of the Olden household gathered.
“What exactly happened?”
“I wonder. Ah, Claude!”
At that moment, Richard’s adjutant, Claude, came out of the room, and everyone’s eyes turned toward him.
One of the maids asked him curiously,
“Did something happen inside?”
“Well……”
Claude’s gaze fell on Richard and Aileen walking away together.
Unable to hold back his laughter, he let it escape.
“It seems we have gained a mistress of the house.”
In the reception room, Aileen remained alone with Richard and stared at him intensely.
Even under her openly displeased gaze, Richard simply smiled.
“The tea will get cold. Please drink.”
“Tea is not important right now.”
Aileen placed the marriage proposal letter on the table and spoke.
“A marriage proposal? This is something we never discussed beforehand.”
“Even if we had discussed it, the result probably would not have changed.”
Richard said this while enjoying the aroma of his tea.
Aileen’s expression twisted at his incomprehensible words.
“What does that mean?”
“You requested that we stay together for one year as a condition of our contract. What better excuse could there be than the relationship of husband and wife?”
Richard smiled lightly as he said this, leaving Aileen speechless.
“Even without a marital relationship, there are business reasons……”
“A business relationship where two people meet every day and do nothing but hold hands? Do you think people would simply accept that without question?”
Even Aileen had to admit it sounded ridiculous.
As Richard said, in order to create mana stones, she had to continuously meet him and maintain physical contact.
It would look suspicious to anyone watching.
Even if they tried to keep it secret, that would only make things stranger.
If two unmarried men and women entered a room together and did not come out for a long time, rumors would spread immediately.
From that perspective, Richard’s proposal might actually be the better option.
However, Aileen still could not accept the proposal so easily.
“I am a noble family on the verge of ruin. And you are a duke, as well as a member of the imperial family. If someone like me marries someone like you, my existence will spread throughout high society, and I will surely receive unpleasant attention. Adrian will suffer the same.”
Aileen tightly gripped the edge of her dress.
The real reason she could not accept the proposal was Adrian.
If it were only herself, perhaps she could endure it.
But she did not want her young brother to hear cruel words because of her.
Seeing the worry for her younger brother in Aileen’s eyes, Richard quietly murmured,
“You truly love your brother.”
“He is the only family I have left.”
“Family……”
Richard repeated the word as if it were something unfamiliar.
Just when it seemed their marriage would fall apart, he suddenly spoke.
“The young count will not be able to avoid such gazes forever. If he restores the family, he will eventually have to face those same eyes.”
“I know that.”
“And above all, the young count is not weak.”
Aileen lifted her head.
Richard was speaking with an unusually serious expression.
“He grew up under a sister as strong as you. How could anyone call him weak?”
Hearing such unexpected praise, Aileen asked in surprise,
“Are you praising me right now?”
“I am merely stating a fact.”
Richard answered with a smile.
Aileen looked at him strangely and thought about her brother.
Adrian was not weak.
She remembered the time when their mansion collapsed and Adrian had run forward alone to punch Damon.
At that moment, Adrian had definitely been stronger than her.
“And as you said, I am a duke and a member of the imperial family. My existence may negatively affect you and the young count, but on the other hand, I can also become a reliable shield for you.”
Richard’s additional words pushed Aileen closer to making her decision.
However, there was one thing she had to confirm.
“If I marry you, I may bring shame to the name of Olden. Are you still fine with that?”
“Actually, I would prefer it.”
“What?”
When Aileen looked at him in confusion, Richard let out a small laugh.
“I wish my reputation would fall, as long as it does not cause me any actual harm.”
“What does that mean?”
“I will not explain the details. After all, we are only in a contractual relationship.”
Richard paused, then suddenly let out a small exclamation.
“Ah. Not yet, I suppose. So, will you accept my proposal?”
Aileen stared at him.
She did not know what his true goal was, but from her perspective, she no longer had a reason to refuse.
After making her decision, Aileen nodded.
“Alright. I accept your proposal.”
“You made the right choice.”
Just as Richard was about to stand, a hand suddenly extended toward him.
It was Aileen’s hand.
When he looked up following her hand, Aileen had an expression that clearly asked why he was not taking it.
“This is a handshake to celebrate the completion of our contract and to ask that we work well together from now on.”
“……The more I learn about you, the more unusual you become, Lady Walker.”
Saying that, Richard took her hand.
Aileen shook his hand and tilted her head.
Am I really that unusual?
Perhaps her confusion showed on her face, because Richard answered only with a gentle smile.
And from that day onward, news of their marriage spread throughout the empire.
The wedding date was set quickly.
This was because Aileen, who needed to repay her debt within one year, wanted to hurry.
Before the ceremony, Aileen and Richard officially registered their marriage first.
It was to create a proper reason for Aileen and Adrian to stay at the ducal residence.
Richard had noticed that the two of them were living in their collapsed mansion.
While staying at the Olden household, Aileen received skin care and bride training.
Although it was a marriage in name only, she would soon become the wife of a duke and a member of the imperial family.
Three days before the wedding ceremony, Aileen was choosing the dress and jewelry she would wear at the reception.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Madam!”
“How could even your hair be so lovely? It is truly beautiful blonde hair.”
“Do you think only her hair is pretty? What about Madam’s beauty itself?”
Surrounded by the maids’ compliments, Aileen looked at herself in the mirror and smiled awkwardly.
Perhaps because she would officially become the duchess tomorrow, the maids’ flattery was overwhelming.
Still, I suppose this isn’t too bad…….
It was an embarrassing thought, but even she had to admit that her reflection looked quite good.
The dress exposed her shoulders boldly and had an ivory color. Because of the color and the flower-shaped embroidery near her chest, it did not look overly revealing.
Following the maids’ suggestion, she left her hair down, making herself appear even more elegant and innocent.
The jewelry was made using the highest-grade mana stone that Aileen had created with Richard’s help.
Like water inside a bottle held up to sunlight, the purple mana stone near her ear shone brightly.
It added an almost mysterious atmosphere to her appearance.
After decorating her half-tied hair with a large butterfly accessory containing the same mana stone, her appearance for the reception was complete.
Aileen awkwardly turned her body several times, checking her reflection in the mirror.
How long has it been since I dressed up like this?
No, had she ever been dressed this beautifully before?
“Older sister.”
At that moment, the door opened, and Adrian peeked his head inside.
Aileen turned around to greet her younger brother.
