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Chapter 1
Prologue
Adelia stared at the man standing in front of her—Roerston—with her mouth slightly open.
“W-What did you just say?”
“I said, if you want to repay the debt you owe me, there is a way.”
“No! I mean what you said after that.”
“Ah, that method?”
The moment Roerston smiled, the atmosphere around them shifted.
He truly had a face worthy of being called the most handsome man in the world.
Hair like a burning sunset, perfectly sculpted features, eyes that were both masculine and strangely delicate. Confidence radiated from him, as if his entire being declared, ‘This is what noble blood looks like.’
The problem was, the words coming out of that perfect man’s mouth were utterly absurd.
“It’s simple. You want to continue your research, and I want to escape my noisy relatives. The solution that satisfies both of us is for you to marry me. If a permanent position feels burdensome, we can make it a contract marriage.”
Pretty shoes made of pale lavender satin with white lace hurried down a velvet-covered staircase.
Tap, tap, tap!
“My lady! There’s something you need to check over here!”
“I’m coming!”
“My lady, the marchioness you sent a letter to last time has replied again—”
“I’ll look at it later. Put it on my desk.”
“My lady! You must see this!”
“I’m late!”
“My lady! This must be checked before noon today!”
“My lady, are you listening?”
“My lady!”
The woman being called “my lady” stopped, clutching the railing with wide eyes.
People were rushing toward her from all directions.
Inside, she screamed as if pulling her own hair.
‘Oh my God… I’m so sorry for deceiving everyone!’
Someone save me!
8:00 a.m., the dining room of the Ipsel Ducal House.
The moment the grandfather clock chimed—
Snap.
A newspaper folded shut.
Servants, who had been waiting at a distance, stepped forward and began placing breakfast, coffee, and utensils neatly on the table.
Seated at the table was the master of the house, Duke Ipsel. He lightly brushed his sunset-colored hair and gazed quietly at the clock.
8:01… 8:02… 8:03…
Bang!
The dining room doors burst open loudly.
Only then did the duke smirk slightly and take a graceful sip of his coffee.
At the same time, a woman with messy, wavy brown hair rushed in on her toes and dropped into the seat across from him.
As she leaned back, catching her breath, food, tea, and utensils were swiftly arranged before her as well.
Once the servants withdrew, she straightened up sharply.
Then she slapped the table twice with her palm to get his attention.
The duke’s eyes were a deep emerald, like a dense forest—beautiful enough to be mesmerizing, yet today they were incredibly irritating.
“This is not what we agreed on, sen—!”
Adelia suddenly cut herself off.
She glanced at the head butler standing stiffly behind the duke, then bit her lip hard.
“This… this is not what we agreed on… d-dear.”
The duke glanced at her over his coffee cup, then calmly pulled out his pocket watch.
Without taking his eyes off Adelia, he snapped his fingers to call the butler.
“Go check if there are any important invitations.”
“Understood, Lord Roerston.”
The elderly butler left the room.
Soon, the dining room was empty, leaving only the two of them.
Roerston, Duke Ipsel, finally relaxed his posture, resting his chin on his hand with a faint smile.
“What could possibly be bothering my adorable junior this time?”
Adelia, who had been waiting for the butler to leave, slammed the table again.
“Senior! Are you really going to keep doing this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“How can you do this every morning?!”
“What exactly am I doing every morning?”
“Everyone is looking for me! I—I—! I can barely take care of myself! And washing my face three times is such a waste of time—and water!”
“All noble ladies do that, Adelia.”
She pressed her lips together before speaking again.
“That wasn’t in the contract I agreed to. It didn’t say I had to wash my face three times or handle this many tasks every morning.”
Roerston pulled out a neatly folded document from his jacket.
At the top, it read:
[Standard Guidelines and Contract Agreement for the Successful Marriage Fraud Between Adelia Whitten and Roerston Ipsel]
“Now, look here,” he said.
“Clause 3 of the contract.”
“…”
“After submitting the marriage registration, Adelia Whitten must act according to the role of the duchess of the Ipsel household.”
“…”
“Must act according to the role of the duchess.”
He repeated it for emphasis.
Adelia made a strange groaning sound and waved her hands awkwardly in the air.
She wanted to rub her face, but that would ruin her makeup. So instead, she just punched the air in frustration.
“It clearly says so in the contract. Washing your face three times is part of a duchess’s duties.”
“Then please add a special clause allowing me to wash it only once.”
Roerston clicked his tongue and shook his finger.
“That’s not possible. Noble ladies usually spend about two hours grooming after waking up. Since you can’t do that, I already made an exception for you.”
“But once I start working in the lab, even a face washed three times will end up looking like I haven’t washed it for days…!”
“If you reduce grooming time any further, the servants will start talking.”
“….”
“Oh? It’s already almost 8:30. Aren’t you going to eat? If you go to the lab on an empty stomach, you’ll run out of energy by lunchtime.”
Adelia gasped and quickly started eating.
She tore bread, stuffed it into her mouth, scooped soup with a spoon, and grabbed sautéed green beans with a fork—all at once.
Watching her, Roerston laughed.
“Normally, eating like that would also be a breach of contract, but I’ll let it slide just this once.”
Adelia puffed her cheeks like a pufferfish.
Roerston chuckled.
“I’ll have my carriage take you. Eat slowly—and don’t make yourself sick like last time.”
You should’ve said that earlier.
Her hand holding the spoon trembled.
The carriage crossing the main road began to slow down.
Adelia quickly grabbed the leather case beside her.
“Wait, junior.”
As Roerston reached out, the scent of lavender and apples brushed past her nose.
He adjusted her slightly crooked collar, his fingertips grazing her neck.
Each soft touch made her knees feel strangely weak.
“And the ribbon too.”
It’s still not over?!
Adelia fanned herself nervously, trying not to lower her head.
As he untied and retied the smooth silk ribbon, her heart raced wildly.
W-When are we arriving?
Just as her vision began to spin—
Creak.
The carriage came to a stop.
His fingertips brushed lightly along her jawline.
Why are even his fingers so soft…?
Her face flushed bright red, her eyes trembling.
“Hmm, pretty. Choosing a blue ribbon was the right call.”
“C-Can I get off now, s-senior?”
“What’s the rush? We arrived ten minutes early anyway.”
“But…”
Adelia kept glancing out the window, then back at him, not knowing what to do.
Her cheeks were burning, and her forehead felt hot.
This kind of contact early in the morning is too much! Way too much!
Ignoring her inner panic, Roerston spoke calmly.
“Go on, do your work. And when you’re done, wait for the carriage to pick you up. Don’t even think about walking back alone. Understood?”
“It’s not that far. Walking is good for your health—”
“What did Clause 3 of the contract say again?”
“…”
“Should I read it out for you?”
He rustled his jacket as if about to take out the contract again.
Was he really going to pull out that ridiculous document?
Startled, Adelia waved her hands.
They didn’t have time to argue over this.
“No, no! I’ll wait. I’ll wait.”
“Good.”
Smiling in satisfaction, he stepped out of the carriage first.
Then he took Adelia’s hand and gently helped her down.
