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Chapter 7
The merchants, all on the verge of tears, brightened up the moment they saw me and shouted with joy.
“Master! You’re back!”
“M-Master! Right now, your family is in the merchant house…!”
Surrounded by chick-like eyes looking at me as if I were their savior, I had to take a deep breath to calm the boiling anger inside me.
“Got nothing to say? Where’s my sister hiding? I asked you something! Not answering?”
CRASH!
Another ceramic dish shattered with a sharp sound.
“What the hell is going on here…? Stop this immediately, Dulian!”
As I rushed into the room, the one who had just thrown the dish at the wall turned to me with a perfectly calm expression.
“Pudding. You’re here?”
Ha!
There wasn’t a single unbroken porcelain item left in the room.
And judging by how the fragments were all near people standing around, it was clear he had thrown them deliberately in their direction. The poor merchants were trembling in fear beside the debris.
Just looking around at the obvious wreckage made my face stiffen.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Hmm… Asserting authority? These underlings were too dumb to understand my words.”
“What?”
This second son, who couldn’t even earn enough to replace one of those plates, had the nerve to call the hardworking merchants idiots.
I didn’t bother to hide how ridiculous I found it.
But Dulian, frowning, didn’t look at me — instead, he sneered at the merchants who had their heads bowed, afraid to meet a noble’s gaze.
“These fools didn’t know their place and tried to meddle in the affairs of their masters.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on. If you’re not home, it’s obvious where you’d be hiding — playing hide and seek around your little playground.”
Referring to the merchant house as my playground in front of everyone was just pure malice.
“So clearly, these little minions who serve you must know where you’ve been.”
No, you bastard.
The reason I didn’t tell the regular merchants — the ones who can’t disobey nobles — was exactly because I feared you’d pull a stunt like this.
Instead of stopping when you had no info, you went ahead and bullied them like this, completely disregarding your noble image or dignity.
‘He doesn’t care how undignified he looks to commoners, huh.’
As I rubbed my temple at the headache-inducing situation, Dulian nudged some broken shards with his foot and shot a mocking glance at a nearby merchant.
“Still keeping your mouth shut? How arrogant.”
“Stop it.”
The merchant visibly paled as Dulian approached.
I stepped in front to block his scary gaze, and Dulian clicked his tongue at me instead.
“Tsk. This is why I told you not to mingle with low-borns. Treat them nicely and they start thinking they can make decisions.”
“I said, stop.”
“When the master asks, they try to hide you? If something dangerous happens to you while you’re out playing runaway, who’s going to take responsibility?”
He seemed to be enjoying how the merchants flinched at every word.
Then, cutting through the tension like a blade, another voice interrupted him.
“Right. If something really dangerous had happened, like your brother says… what would you have done, my dear?”
Though the voice sounded gentle, the barely concealed irritation in her eyes made it clear — Mother was furious.
Dabbing imaginary tears with a handkerchief, she was still fully immersed in her role of “loving, concerned mother.”
“Do you know how much your poor mother worried…? Do you think it’s right to cause such distress to your family?”
“Yes, this time you were wrong, little one,” chimed in the eldest brother.
“You didn’t just make us worry, you know.”
“What?”
Before I could voice my growing sense of dread, someone who had been hidden behind the eldest brother stepped into view.
“Even Marquis Gaspar was worried about you.”
“Ahem.”
Sitting arrogantly in the most prominent seat like he owned the place, the marquis stroked his white beard and lifted his chin.
“Hoho. Look how much your fiancé already cares for you. Go on, thank him in person.”
“Ah!”
A sudden shove nearly made me trip forward.
Damn it.
As I ended up taking small, reluctant steps toward the marquis, I bit down a curse.
“Hmm.”
Still seated, the marquis scanned me up and down like he was appraising me.
How disgusting.
“Fiancée? Ha!”
Grinding my teeth, I threw out the one line guaranteed to ruin this ridiculous mood.
“Fiancée? I never agreed to that.”
“Oh my! Our daughter is just shy.”
The hand that had shoved me now gripped my arm tightly.
“She’s just acting her age. She’s a little shy, that’s all. As you know, we’ve raised her with such care and love…”
Mother hurried to cover up the situation by switching the topic to “the precious youngest daughter of the Singkere family.”
Eldest brother picked up on her cue immediately.
“We’ve pampered her too much, and she hasn’t matured yet. Haha.”
Their act as a loving family was laughably fake.
‘Because that sweet, innocent image of mine sells for a good price.’
The image they’d carefully built up in high society was this:
A cute little girl adored by her family.
The youngest daughter loved by all.
A naive noble lady raised in luxury, untouched by the real world.
‘Ugh.’
Disgusting as it was, that image sold — especially on the marriage market.
‘Pure, untarnished innocence’, or whatever other vomit-worthy reasons they had.
Which is why someone like the marquis — royalty-adjacent — was even considered.
‘Those fakes must think they hit the jackpot.’
That was why I had to destroy this engagement — not just because of the age gap.
Sure, that was bad enough, but more importantly…
‘They’ve always dreamed of aligning themselves with the royal family.’
The marquis was a sixth cousin to the emperor. I was a direct Singkere heir.
Marrying us would make their dreams come true — securing a strong tie to the royal bloodline.
And once I married into that ultra-conservative royal family, I’d lose all say in my life.
‘If I go through with this, all decisions will be the marquis’s — and I’ll just be a puppet they use to climb higher.’
Staring at the marquis, who looked at me like he was inspecting goods, I boldly declared:
“I’m sorry, but I can’t marry you.”
“What?”
The marquis finally looked me in the eye.
And I said it loud and clear.
“I’m already talking marriage with someone else.”
“Wh-What are you saying!”
Before my mother could slap a hand over my mouth, I shouted one more time:
“I have no intention of marrying anyone but him—mmph!”
“Marquis, please hear me out. I can explain everything…”
“You don’t make such low jokes to your future husband.”
“Yeah! Pudding, there’s a time and place for playing around!”
They were desperately trying to pin this on me as some childish prank.
I just smirked.
It wasn’t a lie — I was only telling the truth!
‘And do you really think a guy like the marquis will let this slide?’
But unfortunately, the marquis didn’t storm out in a rage.
Instead—
“Already making up lies? Such terrible habits.”
He scowled and stood up, leaning on his cane.
Tap. Tap.
He tapped the cane against the floor, as if making a point, and squinted at me while approaching.
“If you’re to be my wife, some discipline is clearly in order.”
Ugh.
His gaze felt like that of a snake tasting the air — disgusting and chilling.
I instinctively looked to my “family.”
‘…Of course. I didn’t expect anything anyway.’
No one moved to stop him. My brothers even stepped aside to let him through.
I bit my lip.
‘Right. Who’s going to protect me?’
I have to protect myself.
Reciting that life lesson — you’re always on your own — I kept my eyes on the marquis’s cane.
If it came to it, I’d just grab it and—
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a black crack appeared along the cane.
What? Did my eyes just do that? Did I unlock some laser vision power?
My thoughts were cut off by a loud CRACK — the cane snapped in half and clattered to the floor.
“Wh-What?!”
The marquis stumbled, caught off guard.
And someone stepped past me — placing themselves protectively in front of me.
A broad back completely blocked out the marquis and my “family.”
“Marquis Gaspar.”
The voice growled his name — and I recognized it instantly.
“What business do you have with my fiancée?”
