Episode 4

“Now, Anna. To prevent the merger, we need a family to inherit the Dukedom of House Vetra.”

“Yes.”

“But the spouse who comes in through marriage also becomes part of the duke’s family.”

“yes.”

“Then, if your spouse wants to inherit the dukedom, then so be it.”

“oh……?”

“It’s a bit of a trick. Putting your spouse’s name on the list of successors.”

A temporary wife and heir to prevent the merger.

“I will take on that role.”

Of course, I plan to tell the male lead that if he overcomes the crisis, I will divorce him in a year.

Actually, it doesn’t matter if I hand over the successor position to that child in the future.

By then, I would have established my position within the family.

In the end, everyone will be happy.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to hand everything over to the temporary spouse rather than have the Emperor covet the duchy with his nephew for the remaining year?”

Anna’s mouth opened as she understood my point.

“Miss, are you serious? You’re proposing marriage to the Duke as if you were negotiating with him?”

“Women can inherit titles, so what’s the problem? There’s no reason to disqualify them from the position of successor.”

I would rather be an adult and face the emperor than a child being bullied.

“That, that’s not the problem…….”

“Just wait and see. I’m sure he’ll embrace it.”

“No, it’s a one-time marriage!”

“It’s a one-time marriage, so I have to choose wisely.”

I was confident. By law, there’s no male protagonist in romance novels who refuses to enter into a contractual marriage.

Moreover, Ezekiel at this time offered the emperor an enormous amount of money and power in an attempt to cover up the situation.

Although he barely managed to maintain his title and estate, this incident left a deep trauma for both his nephew and Ezekiel.

It was a story about a saintly heroine named Monica who heals the psychological pain she suffered later on… … .

If she’s a great person like the original heroine, she’ll be able to carve out a life for herself even if she doesn’t have a connection with Ezekiel.

‘Let’s take care of the fire that’s right under my feet right now.’

So I wrote a letter to Ezekiel Betra proposing marriage.

“A contract marriage… Oh my gosh….”

Anna seemed a little surprised by the noble lady’s revolutionary ideas.

Anyway, I waited.

A few days later, a reply arrived. I opened the letter with a heart full of anticipation.

[It’s not possible.]

I was rejected outright.

No, why!

***

“You are a strange person.”

The aide tilted his head as he sorted through the letters that had arrived at the Duke of Vetra’s residence.

Then, Duke Betra, Ezequiel Betra, who was sitting in an armchair and reading a newspaper, showed interest.

“What do you mean?”

“This letter.”

The letter Ollie handed over was from the young lady of the Starache family. Judging by the absence of the family seal, it seemed like a personal letter, not an official one.

“Oh, that. I read it too. It suggests a contract marriage or something. It’s a novel, if not bizarre, proposal.”

Ezekiel dismissed the letter in one word.

“You’re a conman.”

A sacred marriage, a trick? It’s impossible for him, a conservative when it comes to marriage and love.

Ezekiel shook his head, trying to ignore the words “heir” and “merger of duchies” that appeared in the newspaper.

“Even if it’s urgent, you can’t just rush into marriage just to create an heir. You have to marry someone you really like.”

Of course, aside from that, I didn’t like the Starace family itself.

“That’s true. It’s a family whose name I’ve never even heard of.”

“I’ve heard. That Viscount from that family is incompetent and deeply in debt.”

Ollie’s forehead also furrowed at once.

“Is that so? If you have a lot of debt, it’s a place you shouldn’t approach carelessly.”

He asked, pushing the letter he was sending away far away without hesitation.

“By the way, where did you hear that information, Your Majesty?”

That would be the case, since the Starache family was a very humble family, even their name was unfamiliar to Ollie.

“I asked for it from the information guild I run on the side.”

“Ah. So those guys worked hard this time too?”

“Of course. I need to keep the information to maintain the dukedom’s autonomy.”

After answering jokingly, Ezekiel recalled the contents of the letter.

“Did he ask you to name him as his heir?”

After doing that, no one knew what the other person was up to.

In the worst case scenario, there was a possibility that he would attempt to assassinate Ezekiel as soon as he became the heir.

The possibility of collusion with the emperor’s side cannot be ignored.

‘It’s dangerous in every way.’

If the woman who sent the letter comes to me in person and succeeds in persuading me, that’s fine.

“Viola Starace. Nice try, but it’s not quite right.”

I was about to throw the letter into the fireplace, but decided to just write a brief reply out of courtesy.

[Impossible. It’s impossible to accept an offer from someone you’ve never even met face-to-face.]

Ezekiel’s lips twisted coldly. His aide, Ollie, met his master’s expression and flinched, his shoulders trembling.

“Are you angry?”

“No. I was just laughing.”

“I thought you were wondering how to chew on this letter.”

“You must be mistaken. Do I seem like such a bad person?”

There was no answer from the aide. Ezekiel stared at him intently.

Only when Ezekiel lowered his head and began to read another letter did the aide turn his head in a hurry and gasp for breath.

In the end, the day’s events passed off as a minor incident.

But the next day.

“Your Majesty, Lady Viola, the daughter of the Starace family, has come to see you.”

The person who wrote the letter was standing in front of the duke’s house.

***

With a firm resolve, I went to see Ezekiel. It was customary for nobles to send a letter in advance and set a schedule, but I didn’t have time for that.

How can I wait day after day when the first button of the plan is about to fall off?

So I just went there. I thought if I just stood there and waited, she’d probably meet me.

Anna had left her at home and came alone, and since there was no one to talk to, she just stared at the front door.

‘Wow. It’s so shiny.’

The grand gate of the duke’s residence in the capital was imposing. It was a stark contrast to my Starache residence, saddled with mounting debt.

The giant golden lion decoration shining in the middle of the main gate is the symbol of the Duke’s family.

Beneath the sentence were written the ancient words, ‘Glory to the Doxe of Vetra.’

As befitting a family with autonomy, there were people standing on either side of the main gate, wearing military uniforms in the Duke’s symbolic colors.

He was the Duke’s personal guard and soldier.

“Ahem.”

The guards glanced this way as if they were in trouble.

As I endured the awkward silence, ignoring their gazes, fortunately, not long after, an aide named Ollya came to see me.

“Come in. His Majesty is waiting.”

I followed Ollie inside, passing through a dazzling hallway and rows of portraits. In the portraits, it seemed as if the ancestors of the Duke of Vetra were looking at me with a look of bewilderment.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll pass.’

While I was silently leaving my greetings, the aide arrived in the reception room and bowed to the host.

“Miss Viola has arrived.”

Finally, it’s time to meet the male protagonist.

But there was no need to be afraid. Even if he was called a cold-looking guy, he was just a thin man who would just stare at people coldly.

The thought was shattered as soon as I moved my gaze.

‘… What is that face?’

Just meeting his eyes took my breath away. His piercing eyes seemed to pierce me. The moment I saw him, everything went dark.

Is that guy Duke Ezekiel Betra?

He exuded an intimidating aura that was enough to render anyone he encountered motionless.

Even the sight of him sitting still made him look like a listless leopard hunting for his opponent’s life.

In the original, that was just described as a ‘cool atmosphere’… … ?

“Good morning, Your Majesty, Duke Betra. I am Viola Starace, who sent you a letter regarding the contractual marriage last time.”

From the first time we met, he was stiff and stuttered.

A conspiracy theory began to well up in my mind, wondering if the reason his face hadn’t appeared in countless articles was because he had buried the reporters who had taken his photos.

“I was wondering when I received Miss Viola’s letter.”

The man nodded as he spoke, his eyes suggesting he explain.

I approached cautiously, as if I were approaching a leopard, and sat down on the opposite sofa.

All the while, the man was staring at me with an unreadable expression.