TMRM 1

Chapter: 1

When I was young, my dream was to own a shop of my own.

It didn’t matter whether it was a convenience store, a bakery, or a stationery shop.

Born an orphan and raised in poverty, I believed that if I became a shop owner, I’d be able to have whatever I wanted.

As I grew older, I realized that owning a shop didn’t actually mean you could freely have everything you wanted—but even so, I worked relentlessly, determined to someday open my own store.

And on the very day I finally opened it with the money I had saved…

I died.

The cause of death was a heart attack.

But that wasn’t the end of my life. When I opened my eyes, I had possessed the body of a fifteen-year-old girl.

In most novels, aren’t you supposed to possess the body of someone special—like a duke’s daughter or a saintess?

But no.

I was an orphan again.

It really didn’t have to mirror my past life down to this detail.

Fortunately, in this country—the Empire—even orphans could become government officials if they studied hard, so at least making a living wasn’t a problem.

I decided that in this life, I would aim to become a civil servant early and secure a comfortable future…

“…So choose. Either stamp it here, or else…”

The man standing before me looked dangerous as his eyes gleamed.

Treon Ivaropa.

Despite his refined, handsome appearance, he was a man known for being utterly cold-blooded. He was a loyal vassal of Duke Valfruga, the male lead from the romance novel I had read.

Swallowing dryly, I looked down at the document placed in front of me.

Judging by the atmosphere alone, it looked like human trafficking or a loan shark contract—but it was actually a marriage registration form.

Damn it.

Only then did I remember who I had possessed, and what kind of world this was.

It seemed I had reincarnated into a romance novel with the somewhat childish title 짐승남 길들이기 (Taming the Beastly Man).

My name was Felia Foldvish.

In the original story, Felia—an orphan like me—marries the ten-year-old male lead at the age of fifteen.

Right in the middle of her sensitive teenage years, she suddenly ends up with a child husband.

Felia had no interest in the young male lead. As long as her basic needs were met, she settled quietly on the outskirts of the castle and lived her life there.

I don’t know how Felia truly felt about that life.

She didn’t know what was happening inside the ducal castle, nor did she know that the male and female leads had fallen in love.

Then, on the day the male lead demanded a divorce so he could marry the female lead, Felia saw her husband—now an adult—for the first time and fell in love with him.

She tried to drive a wedge between the two, claiming that she and the male lead had loved each other since childhood and that the female lead was nothing more than a temporary plaything.

Of course, her scheme failed.

Felia was killed by the male lead’s own hand.

She wasn’t even a final villain—just a disposable antagonist used to fuel the sickening romance of the two protagonists.

After Felia died, the scene where the male and female leads exchanged embarrassingly sweet confessions and went to bed together was written as something beautiful.

In a way, Felia was a pitiful woman.

From the beginning, her marriage to the male lead was purely for his benefit.

After his parents died, the young male lead couldn’t inherit his family title.

Although he was told it would be returned once he came of age, there was no guarantee it actually would be.

So he used an imperial law stating that married individuals could inherit noble houses—and married Felia to claim the dukedom.

It was a marriage meant to be used easily and discarded just as easily.

Without that reason, there was no way a ruined yet high-ranking noble would marry an orphan with no connections.

“…If I refuse this,” I began cautiously.

Objectively speaking, marrying him meant I’d at least see the male lead’s face and become part of a noble family, which would make becoming an official easier.

But I had no desire to die by his sword as a passing villain.

If I rejected this marriage, I could live peacefully without ever getting involved with him.

You go your way.

I go mine.

Let’s do that.

But before I could finish speaking, I saw the knight beside him place his hand on the hilt of his sword.

It was a clear message: now that I knew, they couldn’t let me live.

…If only I had realized sooner who I had possessed and where I was, I could have avoided this.

I shouldn’t have followed them just because the orphanage director said she’d secretly give me chocolate bread.

“I was joking. Why would I refuse such a wonderful opportunity?”

I smiled brightly.

“That’s a relief.”

The man smiled back at me.

Hahaha.

We stared at each other, smiling for quite a while.

Disgusting bastards.

They really were loyal servants of the male lead’s family.

Smiling obsequiously, I asked,

“So I just stamp here, right?”

“Yes. Next to your name.”

The male lead’s name already had the family seal stamped neatly beside it.

Holding back tears, I pressed my seal onto the marriage form.

Watching myself walk straight into the pit of evil was enough to make me cry.

Since things had come to this, I’d live quietly—barely noticeable—avoid getting killed by the male lead, and then divorce him as soon as possible.

A ducal castle was huge. He probably wouldn’t even notice I was there.

If things followed the original plot, I’d be sent to live outside the castle anyway.

Living alone might be a little lonely… but couldn’t I at least live in a village?

That resolve completely vanished exactly one week later, the moment I arrived alone at the ducal castle in a carriage.

* * *

“Wh-why is it so c-c-c-cold here?”

My teeth chattered as I put on yet another layer of clothing.

Even with two thick fur garments layered over each other, white breath still escaped my lips.

“I’m sorry, Madam. We couldn’t afford firewood, so… please at least use this blanket.”

The maid covered me with a thick quilt.

It was still freezing, but better than nothing.

The male lead hadn’t sent me to some abandoned palace the moment he saw me.

In fact, I hadn’t even seen his face yet.

The truth was simple.

This family was poor.

The male lead, as expected of a male lead, held a prestigious title.

A founding contributor of the Empire.

A ducal family.

And that ducal family was completely ruined.

“Ha…”

I pressed my fingers to my forehead.

The original story began after the male lead had grown up.

It casually mentioned that he was a genius who restored his fallen family.

But after that, he spent money like water.

If someone bid 100 million marks at an auction, he’d raise it to 1 billion without hesitation.

He bought the female lead expensive dresses and jewelry every single day.

This level of poverty was never shown even once.

And there were degrees to being poor.

This was a ducal family.

A territory vast beyond measure, once piled high with jewels and artwork.

I had imagined their finances were merely strained—not that they were this utterly ruined.

I looked around the room.

Even though this was supposedly the duchess’s chamber, there wasn’t a single valuable item in sight.

Despite the enormous castle, this maid was the only servant I’d seen.

Even her clothes were visibly patched.

“Ngh… excuse me.”

The maid smiled brightly.

“Please call me Bella, Madam.”

“Alright, Bella. Are you the only maid here?”

“No, there are a few others.”

“More than ten?”

“….”

Bella didn’t answer.

So no.

I decided to ask directly.

“Bella. Why is this ducal family so poor?”

They say even ruined rich families last three generations—this looked like loan sharks had already swept through three times.

“The thing is…”

And then Bella told me the story.

Three generations ago, the male lead’s great-grandfather had offended the Emperor.

By imperial command, he was ordered to hunt a dragon threatening the Empire.

Refusing would be treason.

But hunting a dragon wasn’t a simple task.

It required enormous amounts of money and manpower.

Normally, slaying a dragon meant gaining its hoarded treasure, so it wasn’t a bad gamble.

The great-grandfather invested everything into the hunt.

The problem was—the dragon was far stronger than expected.

He and all his vassals were wiped out.

All the invested wealth vanished into thin air.

The Emperor, who already disliked the ducal family, accused them of failing an imperial command.

From then on, the family lacked talent, money, and political influence.

They tried desperately to recover, but misfortune only piled on.

Every investment turned out to be a scam or a failure.

Talents who joined betrayed them or fled overnight.

They sold what little remained just to survive—but the family continued to decline.

Eventually, even the male lead’s parents died, leaving him alone.

Fourth generation, huh? Damn it…

“Bella. When will money for firewood come in?”

“I’m not sure…”

“Bella. This is a really, really ‘just in case’ question.”

I asked, desperately hoping for a positive answer.

“When was the last time you bought firewood?”

“…A year ago.”

I grabbed my head.

This ducal territory was in the northernmost part of the Empire.

Even indoors, breath turned white.

No money for firewood—did they even have money for food?

At this rate, I’d freeze or starve to death before the male lead ever killed me.

I forced myself to take a deep breath.

Now I understood why CEOs in dramas clutch their necks and collapse from shock.

This wasn’t just a scam marriage—it was the scam of all scams.

Thinking about it now, even for a disposable marriage, shouldn’t they have married into a weaker noble house?

There had to be a reason they chose an orphan like me.

Any sane parent would never marry their daughter into a family this ruined.

Keeping my composure, I spoke.

My voice trembled a little, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Bella. I have a question. Please answer honestly.”

“Y-yes…”

“If I hadn’t married my husband, what would’ve happened to this family?”

“Well… there’s still a little land left, so it would’ve been absorbed by another house, or taken by His Majesty.”

“Then my husband wouldn’t be a noble anymore?”

“Yes.”

Seeing my expression, Bella hurriedly added,

“M-Madam. If you marry as a minor, you can’t divorce until you come of age.”

She must’ve been afraid I’d try to divorce him.

I had thought about it—but gave up at her words.

I was fifteen. Adulthood was still five years away.

“That’s not it. Then… what about the Emperor? Does he still dislike this family?”

“No. He doesn’t really care… but he doesn’t seem to like you either.”

Why?! What grudge could he still have against a family already this ruined?!

“Why?”

“I don’t know…”

My head throbbed.

I couldn’t escape this family for the next five years.

When Taming the Beastly Man begins, the male lead is twenty-five.

He’s ten now—which means he rebuilt this family into the Empire’s strongest power in just fifteen years.

He was a swordsmanship genius—one swing could split mountains and seas.

In the novel, even the Emperor and other dukes bowed before him.

So saving this family wasn’t impossible.

But I couldn’t just sit around and wait for him to grow up.

Who knew when he’d start fixing things?

Waiting for a ten-year-old to support me would get me frozen to death.

In the end, there was only one option.

I would save this ducal family myself.

I’d revive the house, raise the male lead properly, and then divorce him.

If I saved the family, surely I’d get a decent settlement.

When the female lead appeared, I’d divorce gracefully.

Then I’d never die by the male lead’s hand—and I’d enjoy a happy second life with my alimony.

A perfect plan.