I felt the worn piece of paper crumple under the pressure of my hands. It felt as if Id be capable of tearing it with even the slightest of force

I wish I was able to easily solve my dilemma.

I threw the paper underwater and buried myself within the mountains. Id cast so many of them into the fire that Id since lost count.

But no matter how many hardships I endured, the letters on the paper did not fade away.

In the end, the two heads of the family surrendered to their ancestors whims.

The contents of the contract were simple.

We shall join the hands of our descendants after their birth. Though itd be a bit embarrassing if their age difference was too large or if they were of the same gender, so lets give them a longer deadline.

But they were both drunk and just coughed up whatever came to their minds, so the contract ended up looking like a joke. Although, the actual problem was the fact that the paper they used for the contract was no regular paper.

The contract must be fulfilled no matter what. Otherwise, the side-effects will not be pretty.

In the novel, this damned contract made Maevia Morganas life a living hell.

Her husband was awful beyond words.

I put down the contract and smiled at the wretched bastard sitting across from me.

Excellent. Marriage sounds good.

Wise choice. Then lets have a wedding ceremony that isnt too ceremonious. Following that, Ill need you to go down to the Fief and behave like the lady of the house until I call for you. Naturally, there wont be any time to spend in leisure whilst dousing yourself in luxuries, Gilbert Kallakis warned me in an arrogant tone.

Clearly, he was just brushing me off without a care in the world.

Ah, really. Im at a loss for words.

Even whilst I was reading the novel, I felt like the story was pulling at my leg. Then again, its even more ridiculous when Im actually experiencing the situation myself.

I retained a pleasant expression.

Who said I was going to marry you?

..Pardon?

Im not marrying you, but your father instead.

Yup, I wasnt referring to him using his title on purpose. Id like to just be able to refer to him as you. But it seemed like Gilbert didnt have time to care about things like titles.

What did you just. It seems like Ive misheard. Can you please repeat what you just said?

I held back the desire to let a smirk show on my face.

Do you need me to clean out your earwax for you? Well, the notary mustve heard what I said anyways.

Your father is a single man. Youre just holding onto a worthless stone block, knowing that it was a gold bar all along, so obviously theres still the possibility of your father being valid for the contract.

Theres no way those absurd words of yours are referring to me.

Oh my gosh, did it sound like I was referring to you?

I feigned innocence but didnt exactly deny it.

Gilberts face turned red.

Im not aware of a mistake Ive made that warrants this kind of embarrassment from you. Im not asking for much. All you have to do is fulfil the contract requirements and remain a faithful spouse.

Of course Ill do that, but not with you. Ill be marrying your father instead.

.I dont have time to play around with you, lady, Gilbert sighed.

Just tell me what you want. Jewelry? Dresses? How greedy must you be to not be satisfied with the title of Grand Duchess?

Hey, dont be such a little bitch. You think youre the only one with money? The only noble to ever live?

He wasnt even the real son of the Grand Duke. He was adopted, just like his brother.

If you wanted to marry me so badly, you shouldve just written your name on the contract. Does writing on a piece of paper hurt your little wittle pride? Or is it that youre physically incapable of doing that?

Lady, Gilbert nagged me.

I smiled sweetly.

Yes, I may be the only daughter of the Morgana family, but shouldnt you consider Grand Duke Kallakis family too? He has two sons, and both he and his other son are single. Unlike you, I have three options to choose from.

It seemed like hed only understand the situation if I explained it to him in detail.

His expression told me he thought I was spouting bullshit.

However, my father has a hard time getting out of his room. My brother is still much too young.

Oh my, youre not leaving yet? I thought our conversation was over already.

I glanced over at the notary, cutting off his rambling with knife-like precision. The notary silently took care of the contract.

I nodded at Gilbert, telling him to get out.

Please send my regards to his excellency the Grand Duke.

I dont have to see you off myself, do I?

I wouldnt go that far.

Gilbert eventually left with the notary, leaving behind a teacup in front of his empty seat. Uu, I didnt know whether or not he was going to throw it at me when I rejected him. I ordered the maid to throw out the teacup. Then, Monica Elaine approached me.

How was it?

She asked for the result of the affair. I thought shed wait until the end of the conversation but it looked like she hadnt left yet.

Time well spent.

It cant be that you have a crush on the young master, right? Make up your mind. The Elaine family has always sided with the Morgana family, but we will not close our eyes towards this situation this time.

It felt strange to hear this from Monica.

In the novel, she had an affair with Gilbert.

..That young master, its funny how hes trying to pretend to be someone whos been noble since birth just because he got adopted into a good family.

Oh well, thats what the novel said.

Monica Elaine attempted to get in between the relationship of Gilbert Kallakis and Maevia every chance she got in the novel.

A very popular subject was his dirty birth. They say lust can disappear very easily when youve got a pair of mismatched eyebrows.

So Monica always said the same thing.

-You think so, too, Maevia?

So thats why, when the flustered Maevia nodded her head on impulse, Monica snitched to Gilbert as if shed been waiting for that very moment.

-Maevia keeps cursing you behind your back I simply dont know what to do.

Monica fabricated rumours that Maevia had been talking behind his back. When Monica said that she wished Maevia happiness, Gilbert felt that she was far too pitiful to bear.

He was furious and asked Maevia if it was true.

Under such pressure, Maevia wasnt able to explain herself. Gilbert started to hate her and didnt even try to hide it.

Monica put on a pitiful expression whilst fiddling with her scarlet hair.

No matter how much I think of it, this is too much for My Lady. Imagine having to spend the rest of your life in the barren northern territory where theres nothing to do.

I smiled brightly.

Dont worry. I wouldnt fight a losing battle.

Ah! As expected, you must be looking forward to getting a divorce right after? Well, if its the Morgana family, theyll somehow work it out. But once you get married, wouldnt your decision end up becoming messy?

Monica kept talking without hearing my answer.

Anyways, young master Gilbert is a good-looking man. Its not everyday you see such a fine man in the capital.

The capital is already cramped.

Pardon? The capital is cramped?

She opened her eyes wide, looking as if shed heard something unbelievable.

You should leave now too. How annoying.

I rang the bell rope and called the maid over.

Monica, I will be very happy and well there, living in the cozy north with a husband thatll look only at me.

But Gilbert wont give up so easily.

As expected, a few days later Gilbert requested to meet up with me. I refused him and said that I had a cold. After that, he sent me a bouquet of flowers with a letter.

My maid Sarah, the one closest to me, told me,

Miss, I dont think this is right. Isnt it basic knowledge to know what it signifies when one gives a bouquet to another?

It was only natural for Sarah to be dumbfounded.

In the end, she went wild.

How dare he send you chrysanthemums?! Isnt this just declaring war on the miss?

Feeling her blood pressure go up, Sarah grabbed the back of her neck. However, this was only the beginning of the tricks Gilbert was going to pull.

My maid is precious so Ill send her to go get a medical examination. And Ill give her a raise.

I dont think its like that. I believe he just picked them because their shade of white looks virtuous. Anyhow, flowers are like humans to me.

Even if I was to explain it to her, she wouldnt understand what I meant.

Does the Grand Dukes household not teach manners or common sense?

I dont think the head of the house forced him to learn since he isnt going to be the successor.

Technically, Gilbert Kallakis was a failure. The main character of the novel wasnt actually Gilbert, but his younger brother Rehan Kallakis.

Gilbert was destined to be forever-second-best, a corrupted hero.

Unlike me, who remained calm, Sarah was out of control. Instead, she was near tears because she felt sorry for me.

Urgh. I cant even put this in a vase.

All right, all right, I get you. I, too, nearly broke the screen when I read the novel. I remember flipping through so many pages just to see Gilbert get punished.

Throw it away.

C-Can I really?

Id also like to throw that away.

I looked over to the letter and pointed at it. I hadnt even opened it yet, but I already knew its contents.

Gilbert was a prideful man.

He probably hasnt even told the Grand Duke about my preposition yet. Hed undoubtedly try to coax me into marrying him.

Sarah didnt even have to ask me twice; she threw the bouquet and letter out with a look of disgust on her face.