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Chapter 01
In Lacround, there were only two ways to obtain a noble title.
Inheritance and marriage.
Winter Blooming was the illegitimate son born to the Duke of Blooming before the duke got married. His biological mother was a foreigner.
He knew there was no chance of him inheriting the title.
At just the right time, the royal family of Lacround had fallen deeply into debt because of the failure of its national policies. Every day, protests were held in front of the royal palace, demanding that the king be executed.
In exchange for paying off the royal family’s debts, Winter was promised a marriage to Princess Violet Lawrence.
***
That was the reason for their marriage, and although most of the wedding ceremony was skipped, Violet was happy.
She had just turned eighteen, and her mind was filled with thoughts of wanting to talk to her husband as soon as possible.
‘I’ve never seen a man this handsome in my entire life…’
Just as the rumors said, Winter Blooming had inherited his foreign mother’s blood strongly, giving him gray eyes. She had heard that he was twenty-four, but he looked much more mature than she had expected.
Even though his facial features were handsome, there was something unfamiliar about his appearance. Violet loved that about him. No man had ever made her heart race like this before.
He was the first.
She had never imagined that she could fall in love with someone at first sight.
And the fact that the person she had fallen for was her husband made her feel incredibly lucky.
‘I wonder if he likes me too?’
Near the end of the wedding reception, Violet could no longer contain her curiosity. She closed her eyes tightly and suddenly grabbed Winter’s hand.
When her eyes met Winter’s, her heart began beating even faster.
Holding the hand of a strange man took a lot of courage. Violet desperately wanted to run away, but she forced herself to stay. She pulled the man’s hand toward herself and said,
“I realized how lucky I am after meeting you.”
The wait for his reaction felt like one second lasting a hundred years.
Winter was about to say something when he unconsciously turned his head toward the sound.
Violet’s older brother, Ash Lawrence, who was next in line to inherit the throne of Lacround, was tapping his wine glass with a spoon to get everyone’s attention.
He began to speak.
“I’m sure everyone knows that, in exchange for this marriage, Sir Winter Blooming has generously offered 24 million Lacnes.”
Why is he suddenly talking about money again?
Violet felt disappointed, but Ash continued.
“With this money, we have been able to pay off most of the debt our father incurred because of his failed national policies. But the royal family will not stop there. We also wish to apologize for putting Lacround in danger. As proof of this, starting today, we will dissolve the royal family and transfer all authority to the parliament. Furthermore, the Lawrence family will give up all of its noble titles.”
Silence fell over the wedding hall at Ash’s words.
But soon, someone among the guests began to clap.
Before long, everyone in the hall was applauding his brave decision.
Winter, however, stood up with his face twisted in anger. Everyone’s attention turned toward him.
At that moment, his entire fortune, which had made him a millionaire without a single failure, was about to disappear into thin air.
Because of his lifelong inferiority complex as an illegitimate son, he had spent all the money he had saved throughout his life for one purpose: to buy a noble title.
But now the Lawrence family had declared that they would dissolve the royal family and give up all their titles.
That meant the ducal title that was supposed to be granted to the princess’s husband would disappear as well.
Unable to hide his anger, Winter threw the wine glass he was holding onto the floor.
Crash!
Violet, who was sitting beside him, was startled by the loud sound and tightly shut her eyes.
Winter immediately left the reception hall.
A little while later, as if nothing had happened, people gathered around Ash and praised him.
Everyone there knew that Ash had sacrificed his younger sister to repay the debt and calm the protesters.
Still, because the two main people at the wedding had sacrificed themselves, many others were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Violet sat there in a daze, watching the furious members of the Blooming family approach her.
That had happened three years ago.
