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Chapter 24
After breakfast, Arne went to take a nap. He said he would feel a little sleepy because of the medicine he had taken after eating. Owen and I carried Arne to the bedroom.
“What kind of medicine is Arne taking…? Is he seriously ill or something?”
As we were heading back to the reception room, I cautiously asked. The man smiled lightly, as if to reassure me.
“When he first arrived at the duke’s residence, I wouldn’t say his health was good. But he’s recovered significantly over the past few days. After today, he won’t need to take any more medicine.”
“…I see. That’s a relief.”
Owen said that on Arne’s first day here, he had the family physician check his condition. He also provided medicine, prepared a room, and took care of him in various ways.
Even if he didn’t show it, he had clearly been paying a lot of attention.
And there was one more thing. Arne didn’t properly remember his past before coming to the duke’s estate.
The only hint was that he had lived in a small house with people who seemed like a grandmother and grandfather, struggling to get by. That was hardly enough information to investigate him.
‘In the end, I’ll have to ask Eluise directly.’
I returned to the reception room with Owen, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Once we entered the room, the butler brought in tea. As soon as the teacups were placed on the table, Owen suddenly stood up with a hardened expression.
And then—
He knelt.
It was such a loud, heavy sound that it echoed—thud. He didn’t even care that the butler was still in the room!
“You’ve got to be kidding me! Why are you suddenly doing this?!”
I jumped up immediately, and the man bowed his head deeply.
“I must first apologize for causing you distress.”
“Right now you’re the one causing me distress!”
“No, Sophia. It’s about… the newspaper notice. I never imagined you would suffer because of it. I am truly sorry. If it helps you feel better, you may even strike me.”
What on earth.
I let out a laugh, my tension breaking.
“My hands are pretty heavy, you know.”
Owen’s eyes briefly shifted to my hands.
“Then, if possible, please allow installments. I will take one hit per day.”
Who does he think I am, a thug?!
“No, I don’t want to hit you at all.”
The man visibly relaxed. Tch. Did he really think I was going to beat him or what?
Owen returned to the sofa opposite me and, as if nothing had happened, sipped his tea.
“So, when should we hold the wedding?”
How does “so” lead to wedding talk?!
“When did I ever say I was getting married?”
“Didn’t you decide to accept Arne as family? Then naturally I would be your husband, so we must have a wedding. Since preparations take time, how about this weekend?”
What nonsense is this!
But I could tell he was serious. If I said “do whatever you want,” he would genuinely arrange a wedding by the weekend.
This man, who seemed to have everything—the favored child of the gods—was seriously, desperately wanting to marry me.
And it was clear he had feelings for me.
His behavior toward me, the engagement ring with a pink diamond he had given me without hesitation in case I refused, the mine he gifted me—surprisingly, the butler had shown me a deed proving ownership of a mine under my name as soon as I arrived at the mansion—all of it, even what he did for Abby.
“….”
All of it also made me uneasy. I couldn’t grasp what this altered timeline meant. And because it had appeared like a mirage, I felt it might disappear just as suddenly.
If that happened, could I endure the loss and the reality that would follow?
Moreover, this wasn’t just about Owen and me.
It was also about Arne’s life.
“….”
After gathering my thoughts, I slowly spoke.
“I find Arne very cute… and pitiful. And I think it’s a good thing that he’s attached to me.”
It’s good for a child to have someone they can rely on.
“Also, since this is something my sister caused, if someone has to take responsibility, it should be me.”
I glanced up to check his expression. Owen was listening seriously, which reassured me a little.
“First… I plan to find Ellie. I don’t know anything about how Arne came to be in our care, or who his parents are. After I find out those things, I’ll—well—even if we eventually part ways, I’ll take care of him in the meantime.”
Eluise was a mischievous, free-spirited troublemaker, but she wasn’t thoughtless. In fact, she was closer to a genius. So I didn’t believe she would have sent Arne to Owen saying he was my child without reason.
The place Arne came from likely wasn’t suitable for raising a child. And since she claimed he was my child, his biological parents were probably already dead.
“Owen, I truly appreciate your kindness. I really do. But I… don’t want to make such an important decision in a situation where everything is uncertain.”
I closed my eyes tightly.
“So please consider my decision to take Arne in and my decision to marry you as separate matters.”
“….”
Was this the right choice? Honestly, I wasn’t sure. It would certainly be difficult to raise a child alone. And it would also be strange for me, who had recently lost my fiancé, to suddenly bring in a child.
So maybe it would be better to grab Owen’s offer to share responsibility and marriage while he still insisted, and get some kind of written guarantee before he changed his mind.
But I couldn’t bring myself to do that. For his sake—and for mine.
The reception room was filled with silence.
How much time had passed?
Owen finally spoke in a low voice.
“I understand that my approach was incorrect.”
He stood up again and walked straight toward me. Then, just like in my bedroom earlier, he knelt on one knee in front of me.
He took my hands in both of his and asked in a serious voice:
“Sophia… do you not trust me?”
“Huh?”
There was no way that was true.
But he continued without waiting for my answer.
“If that is the case, then it is your responsibility. You are the one who said you would tame me.”
“That’s not how it works…!”
“Yes, I know it is unreasonable. But I must seize the opportunity somehow.”
He tightened his grip on my hands. His impossibly handsome face was too close.
Fixing his gray eyes on mine, he said,
“Let’s do this, Sophia. Let’s try living as a married couple for one year.”
“What?”
“For one year, judge whether I am suitable as Arne’s father and as your husband.”
The unexpected proposal left me staring blankly.
The man continued,
“Of course, I am confident. But if I fail to give you certainty within that year, I will give up.”
His words scrambled my thoughts.
I spoke in a trembling voice.
“There’s no such thing as a trial marriage in the Empire.”
“There is, actually. You simply annul it after a year.”
With that, he pulled out a document.
It was a marriage registration form submitted to the temple.
At the bottom, only one signature was written: “Owen ta Glentino.”
My signature line beside it was blank.
In the Empire, a marriage is only valid if both parties sign. Marriage is a sacred vow before God.
“If the temple receives the form like this, they do not thoroughly verify it. It will be processed as is. After one year, if you want to continue the marriage, you simply add your signature. If not, you file for annulment. The system is procedural.”
“….”
Honestly, it was absurdly favorable to me. He was essentially offering me a “duke’s wife trial version”—with no additional cost, renewable indefinitely, and even child support included.
If this had been reported in the imperial newspaper, it would have been called a scam advertisement.
My head spun.
I had never met a man who willingly entered such an unfavorable negotiation—before or after my regression.
Perhaps misunderstanding my expression, Owen added hesitantly:
“Of course… if you choose annulment after a year, you may face some social stigma. I will try to find ways to minimize that. And even after annulment, if you allow it, I would like to remain Arne’s father. And… if you allow it, I would like to continue supporting you financially.”
Good grief. This man was basically a pushover!
In truth, one year was already more than enough. With my current wealth, my allowance as the eldest daughter of House Bartoli, and the duchess stipend, I could live comfortably with Arne even without luxury.
He knew that. So this wasn’t out of necessity—it was entirely self-sacrifice.
While I stood there staring, Owen shifted his kneeling leg slightly, as if it had gone numb.
Even that looked cute now.
I must already be hopelessly biased.
A man like this… I wanted to have him. A man who stacked all the disadvantages on himself and still feared I might reject him. Honestly, with that face, I’d pick him up even if he were a vagrant.
The moment I admitted that, something inside me began to swirl violently.
It surged up my throat, forcing my mouth open.
And I spoke.
