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~Chapter 89~
“Really not possible?”
“…Not possible.”
Riden accidentally looked at Ethan, then quickly averted her eyes.
She had seen the disappointment flicker over his dark eyes.
From his perspective, it was something important to him, and it was understandable he would feel let down when things didn’t go his way.
“Well then, I’ve delivered the Count’s item, so I’ll just—”
At that moment, as Riden stood to leave the heavy atmosphere, Ethan grabbed her wrist.
“Do it anyway.”
“…?”
“Marriage.”
‘Are you a man who doesn’t know how to give up?’
She could have sworn she saw disappointment in his eyes earlier, yet now there was a relaxed smile spreading over his face.
“You’ll do it anyway.”
“…Haa.”
“Marry me. Who else would you even marry instead of me? Marry me.”
The wrist he suddenly grabbed began to feel itchy.
“Can we at least let go of this before we talk?”
Just as Riden was about to quietly pull her wrist free,
“Huh, what’s this!”
“What!”
Startled, she shouted, and he shouted back just as loudly.
Riden looked down at her freed wrist, her heart pounding.
‘…Did I just see shackles?’
It felt like massive shackles had been clasped around her wrist just a moment ago—was it her imagination?
“Your Grace, you don’t… do things like black magic, right? Like putting curses on people…”
There was nothing in his “settings” that said he could, but the image was so vivid she had to ask.
“Heh.” Ethan scoffed.
“I’m the one who gets cursed, not the one who curses.”
‘Yeah… even I know that was a ridiculous question.’
Maybe she was just imagining things because she hated hearing “marriage” so much, and he kept repeating it.
Riden checked her wrist again to make sure it was truly free.
“Anyway, no.”
“….”
“Marriage.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No!”
The conversation, which had started out with a bit of romance, had now turned into a contest of who could hold their ground better.
Riden lowered her voice seriously.
“Your Grace, there’s no love between us.”
“There is.”
“Where?”
“Here, inside me.”
Ethan thumped his chest with pride, wearing a handsome, sly smile.
Riden let out a small laugh.
“Pretty sure it’s the evil god living in there, not me.”
“…You’re cruel, hitting where it hurts.”
“….”
‘This shameless man hasn’t changed one bit since that day.’
Ethan tilted his head, looking closely at her face.
“How shameless are you planning to be? Is that what you’re thinking?”
“Please don’t interpret my expressions however you want. I never gave you permission.”
“Then don’t make such expressions. They’re too fun to watch.”
They couldn’t keep going in circles forever.
Riden sighed in resignation and bowed her head politely.
“I’ll be going now.”
Ethan only gave a slight nod, then told Stanley, waiting outside, to escort her—and left her with one last question:
“Do you think you can find love and get married before autumn?”
The words made her pause.
‘Autumn? Why before autumn?’
Maybe because the social season ended in early summer? She couldn’t be sure.
She couldn’t just leave without saying anything, so she gave a safe answer:
“I’ll try to look.”
Ethan’s gaze followed her as she walked away down the headquarters corridor until she disappeared from sight.
Right now, his feelings for her were too heavy for her to handle.
‘Let’s take it slow.’
The goal was clear—now it was just a matter of reaching it.
‘No need to rush.’
But despite that, an unavoidable impatience gnawed at him, and he kept staring at the empty hallway.
That evening, while handling some estate business, Riden asked Glen:
“Glen, are you busy?”
He looked up from his paperwork.
“When my lady needs me, I am always ready.”
Riden gave him a firm look.
“No third person speech.”
“Yes. What can I help you with?”
She still couldn’t stop thinking about Ethan’s earlier words:
“Do you think you can find love and get married before autumn?”
It sounded almost like he meant she had to marry before autumn.
“In the capital, nobles usually marry before autumn, right?”
Glen’s lips curved into a relaxed smile, assuming she was asking because she looked forward to a wedding with the duke.
“Indeed, the most popular marriage season is from late May to June, near the end of the social season. Early July is common too. But not always—provincial nobles often wait until after harvest, so September to October is common, and some wait for spring.”
“Mhm… I see.”
Then Glen asked with a pleased expression:
“Did His Grace say not to delay and to marry before autumn?”
Riden still hadn’t told him. She’d kept postponing—thinking she’d tell him once the contract was broken, or once the grace period was over.
“Well, actually—”
“My lady, you should marry sooner than most. How about setting the date for June?”
‘…Huh?’
A sense of unease crept over her.
She carefully repeated his words in her mind, then asked,
“…Why should I marry quickly?”
Glen glanced at her, gauging her reaction, looking as if he needed courage to say something difficult.
“You know the Count and Countess passed away unexpectedly in autumn. There’s still time until summer, but if you wed in June, it will be comfortably within the—”
“Glen.”
She cut him off urgently.
She suddenly felt she might have missed something huge.
“What does my parents’ death date have to do with my marriage?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? But there’s no need to worry, my lady.”
Seeing her expression darken, Glen spoke calmly, trying to reassure her.
“Legally speaking, you must marry within exactly one year of your parents’ death to inherit the title of Count and the estate.”
Her hands trembled slightly at his words—though Glen didn’t notice.
A few days later.
In a lavish second-floor waiting room of the palace, the duchess’s famed “Six Beauties” were all present for Riden’s debutante.
Standing before a mirror, Riden looked at her gloved hands.
‘Oh no, again.’
Sweat had soaked the palms, staining the inside.
“S-Se-ra Wang…”
Biting her lip in embarrassment, she spoke in a trembling voice:
“My gloves are wet again. Do you have spares? I’m sorry…”
She lowered her head.
“Ah! Take them off.”
Clicking her tongue, Sera Wang removed the gloves—already damp despite being worn only briefly.
“Ugh, soaked.”
“Hnn…”
Her head drooped further, but Sera Wang was a veteran. For a debutante, anything could happen—of course she’d brought extras.
“My lady, I do have more gloves, but we’re running low. Let’s try to sweat less, okay?”
“How do I do that?”
Honestly, she didn’t know why her hands sweated so much, or how to stop it.
Seeing her expression fall, Sera Wang couldn’t help but chuckle, joined by Merica, who was checking Riden’s makeup.
“It’s strange—your palms are flooding, but your face hardly sweats at all,” Merica said, studying her complexion.
“My lady, if you’re sweating this much, are you feeling okay? Sera Wang, don’t just hold the gloves—look at her face. Doesn’t she seem unwell?”
“She looks perfectly fine—just beautiful!”
Tiffany, who had been sitting on the sofa until now, finally stood up—it was her time to shine.
“Clothes, shoes, makeup—all done?”
“It’s done when she stops sweating,” Sera Wang muttered.
Ignoring that, Tiffany approached and opened a velvet box before Riden.
Inside was a jewelry set: necklace, earrings, and tiara. The gems were all diamonds except for some blue topaz accents.
The dazzling sparkle made Riden close her eyes for a moment before smiling.
‘Well, I decided to accept it, so I might as well enjoy it. Just this much!’
“Hold still, I’ll fasten them.”
Once everything was in place, her neck felt stiff under the weight.
The Six Beauties broke into praise.
“Perfect, my lady. Absolutely beautiful.”
Sera Wang and Tiffany spoke warmly.
Looking at their satisfied faces, Riden took a deep breath.
All preparations were complete—only going out remained.
