Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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“Are you alright now?”
As a dazzlingly clear, white light scattered from my fingertips, the deep wound instantly healed.
The boy, who had been groaning moments before, looked at the sight with wonder and said in an excited voice.
“Yes...! Lady Bestia, you truly seem like a reincarnation of a saint.”
Sharp. He might have just said that because we're in a temple, but his guess is half right.
That’s right. I have indeed reincarnated.
They say life doesn’t go as planned, don’t they?
But I was just too unlucky.
To be born an orphan twice…!
As an orphan, I was adopted into the House of Baron Rayl.
I thought my days of poverty were over, having been adopted into a noble family.
But what do you know.
The House of Baron Rayl was drowning in debt, no different from a commoner family, and there was a law in the empire stating that the children of indebted families could not sever their ties.
In other words, they adopted me thinking of me as a slave to repay their debts for them.
“Work m-m-more, and earn money! We took you in because we pitied you, dying on the streets. You ungrateful freeloader…!”
“Be grateful and live your life serving us, who accepted a useless worm like you as our child! Honestly, young people these days have no manners! No manners!”
Enduring their harsh words and actions, I pretended to comply and waited for my time.
This was all just a build-up, conceived after much thought on how best to slap my adoptive parents in the face when I finally cut ties with them.
Fortunately, there was at least one improvement compared to my previous life.
It was that I could use Healing Magic!
And my ability was exceptional.
Though it was in a rural backwater, my talent was well-known.
Moreover, since very few people could use Healing Magic, I could earn a decent amount of money by commoner standards.
Of course, compared to the House of Baron Rayl’s debt, it was like a drop in the bucket.
Would I spend my whole life just repaying debt and die?
Therefore, there was only one way to avoid a miserable end.
To repay the principal and interest all at once, and then sever family ties.
But where would a huge sum of money, enough to repay the debt in one go, suddenly appear from?
“Ah.”
Perhaps I had bitten my nails while worrying, as a drop of blood welled up on my fingertip.
There’s no need to use magic power for something like this.
Is there anything to wipe it with?
As I looked around, a handkerchief was thrust before my eyes.
“Wipe it with this.”
I slowly raised my head to see the owner of the handkerchief.
Golden eyes I had never seen before.
Lost in admiration of those eyes, I startled and stood up abruptly.
“Ah! Thank you.”
There was only one family in the empire with ‘golden eyes’.
The House of Duke Russell.
No, but why is the Duke here?
I lowered my head and darted my eyes around.
Ah, now that I think about it, I had heard rumors that the Duke was looking for someone skilled in Healing Magic.
There were whispers that it was because he had contracted a rare disease or was in a terminal condition.
“Are you alright?”
He knelt on one knee and gently clasped my wounded hand.
His hand, as warm as his voice, made a strange flutter in my chest.
“I’m fine. I get hurt this much on a daily basis…”
“Oh my. The one who serves God gets hurt so often? How cruel of God!”
God…?
Ah, the rumors about Duke Russell came back to me.
He was one of the few people in the empire who believed in God’s existence, in a land that did not.
In a world where only magic power, not Holy Power, existed, believing in God’s existence seemed strange.
Even people like me, who worked at the temple, didn’t believe in God.
The temple was merely a tourist attraction.
The reason I, who used Healing Magic, worked at the temple was because there were no hospitals in this rural area.
Come to think of it, even setting aside the fact that he was the empire’s only Duke, he was originally a famous person.
He became known as a madman… no, someone excessively passionate when it came to matters concerning God.
The House of Duke Russell had been known to believe in God for generations, but the current Duke was rumored to be particularly zealous.
Was he more obsessed because he was suffering from a rare disease, as the rumors suggested?
Recalling some of the rumors I’d heard…
He had punched a priest for a minor scratch on a statue of a goddess.
He was staging a protest with the Emperor to make the religion he believed in the state religion.
No way, he looks so gentle!
But if his illness is true, this might be an opportunity to repay my debt.
An opportunity that would never come again, to repay my debt in one go…!
Unaware of my worldly thoughts, the Duke was ordering a servant to fetch some ointment.
“By the way, what is your name?”
“I am Bestia Rayl.”
At that moment, the Duke’s hand, which had been holding mine, trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
“W-what did you say… did you say Bestia?”
Observing his expression, I blinked several times in surprise.
“Yes, that’s right. …Your Grace?”
What’s going on!
If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, the Duke’s eyes were bloodshot.
After a strange expression of emotion, the Duke opened his mouth.
“May I ask you for one favor?”
…A favor? What kind of favor could a Duke, who could have almost anything he desired, ask of me?
If he is indeed ill… did he come after hearing that I can use Healing Magic?
My goodness, fortune has come knocking on my door.
I desperately suppressed my rising smile and replied calmly.
“Please tell me, Your Grace.”
“Haha, it’s nothing much…”
No need to drag it out, Your Grace.
It seems we both want the same thing!
“Yes.”
“Would you perhaps become my daughter-in-law?”
The words, completely different from what I expected, made my brain work slowly for a moment.
…Daughter-in-law? Is ‘daughter-in-law’ used with a different meaning in the capital?
No, it’s not. I must be hearing things because I’m tired lately.
But the Duke merely looked at me with earnest eyes.
Is he serious…? But why…?
If I had to say, I had no intention of getting married.
For one, I’m too busy just trying to survive…
More importantly, I truly, deeply, incredibly lacked good fortune with people.
Every time I trusted someone, I was betrayed; every time I grew fond of someone, they left.
I even wondered if I had perhaps slapped God in the face in my previous life.
Well, that’s just a useless fantasy in this world where God doesn’t exist.
Just looking at my adoptive parents, my luck with people was the worst.
Thinking of those people makes me sick of the word ‘family’.
Having already decided on my answer in my heart, I slowly opened my lips.
“...May I ask why you are making such a proposal to me?”
“My dear daughter-in-law, do you happen to know our son’s name?”
My dear daughter-in-law…? What was that just now? Was it a hallucination?
“Isn’t it Young Duke Fitz Russell?”
‘Fitz’ was a name that showed how devoted the Duke was to God.
The Duke had even taken his son’s name from God.
“That’s right! Then, do you know the story of the god ‘Fitz’?”
“I’m afraid I know nothing about that.”
“The god ‘Fitz’ had a human lover. And Fitz loved her his entire life until she died.”
With that, the Duke gave me a meaningful smile.
Oh, what is this ominous feeling? It can’t be, right? No…
“...Is that lover’s name perhaps Bestia?”
“Good heavens, is our dear daughter-in-law a genius?”
He clapped his hands as if he had found a genius of the century, then glanced back over his shoulder.
The servants behind the Duke flinched for a moment, then, sensing the mood, began to clap along.
“Is the reason for this proposal because of my name?”
Surely, it can’t be just for that?
The pillar of the empire wouldn’t make such an impulsive decision, would he?
“...Yes, it is. Doesn’t it feel like fate?”
I wondered if he was joking, but his eyes were not just serious; they held a hint of madness.
I felt a sudden pity for the Young Duke, whom I had never met.
His father, who was deeply engrossed in God, suddenly telling him to marry a woman he didn’t know.
If I don’t draw a clear line, this will likely escalate.
“I do not believe I am suitable for the ducal family in terms of status. Nor do our families, the House of Baron Rayl and the House of Duke Russell, share compatible political interests.”
“...Are you worried about our family?”
The Duke brought both hands to his mouth, his expression genuinely moved.
Why is the conversation going this way, please stop.
“Ah, no. It’s more that my family is no different from commoners.”
“That matters not at all, my dear daughter-in-law.”
What doesn’t matter! Can’t you see the servants’ pupils shaking, their fists trembling…?
“More importantly, you will not be to the Young Duke’s liking.”
Although he rarely attended official functions, the Young Duke’s beauty was famous.
They say he is the most handsome man in the empire.
He is said to be as cold and aloof as his looks, making even the servants of the ducal family wary of him.
It’s even said he’s never had a conversation longer than three sentences with noble ladies.
Why would such a person want to meet me?
Even if we were to marry, I could foresee a life of being mistreated rather than receiving affection.
“That is not so, my dear daughter-in-law…”
The Duke seemed taken aback by my words, as if choosing his next words.
“Thank you for your words, Your Grace, but the circumstances are not favorable. I shall take my leave now.”
I should be able to slip away now, right?
But before I could feel a sense of relief, someone struck my back with words.
“I don’t mind.”
What is this now?
I turned my head towards the source of the voice, unable to hide my bewilderment.
Then, a man who looked about three or four years older than me was walking towards me.
Hair like fine, black silk, and long, thick eyelashes cast down slightly.
Contrasting with this were his vacant golden eyes.
An aura as cold as a snow-capped mountain.
Is that Young Duke Fitz Russell…?
No, but why are you agreeing?
I stared at him with wide eyes.
Whether I stared or not, he approached me wordlessly.
Standing before me, he met my gaze with an even more subtle look.
“I have no objections to this marriage.”
A certain persistence emanated from his eyes.
To be continued in the next chapter ▶
