Chapter 2
Episode 2
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“Just like my son.”
Excuse me, I understand you have a good father-son relationship, but what about my opinion...?
Has the meaning of marriage changed without my knowledge?
“Duke, I don't think this kind of marriage is right.”
Duke Russell, looking slightly flustered, chuckled awkwardly and asked.
“Is our son not to your liking?”
She couldn't possibly say he wasn't to her liking, not with a face that shone so brightly.
“It’s not that, but….”
“Then we’ll get married.”
The Young Duke cut her off before she could finish speaking.
I take back what I just said. He’s really not to my liking now.
He decided on his own marriage as casually as if choosing a lunch menu.
“Isn’t the Russell family the second highest-ranking family in the Empire, after the royal family?”
“What does status have to do with love, my dear daughter-in-law.”
...The fundamental premise of love is missing, though?
It seems impossible to persuade the Duke.
In that case, the next target is you. Young Duke!
“Aren’t you also much more attractive than I am, Young Duke?”
I sent a subtle glance towards the Young Duke, asking for his help.
Look at that sullen expression...! Honestly, you don’t like me either, do you? Cooperate quickly.
“Are you perhaps not looking in a mirror?”
The Young Duke scowled, his handsome brow furrowed, and glared at me as if I were absurd.
Is someone perhaps poisoning the Duke’s family’s food?
“I don’t expect much from you. You just need to fill the seat beside me.”
The Young Duke replied in a composed tone.
Come to think of it, there were rumors that he often followed the Duke’s orders.
It seems he’s thinking of just marrying the person his father chose and ending it all.
At that moment.
“D-Duke, it’s an imperial decree! You must go to the capital immediately!”
A man who appeared to be a servant of the Duke’s Mansion rushed over from a distance.
Thank goodness. I don’t know what’s happening, but please take these people away quickly!
“No. My prospective daughter-in-law and I haven’t finished our conversation yet.”
Wouldn’t one normally set aside everything for an imperial decree?
“...If you come right now, they said they would give you Titonos’s Diary.”
Suddenly, a dusty book with the words ‘Titonos’ written on the cover flashed before my eyes.
Titonos? I think I’ve seen a book with that name on it before.
The Duke, unlike before, frowned as if in thought.
“Father, please go ahead. I will speak with her separately.”
Can’t you all just leave together?
“Very well. I’ll leave it to you. We’ll see each other again soon, my dear daughter-in-law.”
The Duke kept looking back at me regretfully, but soon, urged by the servants, he bid farewell and disappeared.
It would have been less awkward if the three of us had talked.
“Ahem, ahem.”
The Young Duke cleared his throat awkwardly and suddenly extended his hand.
What is this? Why is he extending it?
When I just stared at it silently, he blurted out without meeting my gaze.
“Hand.”
What kind of situation is this?
Is he trying to train me?
As I stared blankly at it and remained still, he spoke again.
“May I have your hand?”
Why is he suddenly using polite speech?
Sigh, I can’t refuse due to our social standing. I’ll endure this.
“Why your hand….”
Before I could finish speaking, the Young Duke took out ointment and bandages from his pocket.
Despite his irritable tone, the way he held my wrist was quite careful.
More accurately, the expression ‘creaky’ might be more fitting.
As if displeased, he smeared ointment on my hand with a sharp gaze and meticulously wrapped it with bandages.
I just had a single drop of blood on my fingertip, you know?
After excessively treating my hand for a moment.
“How about you spend time at the Duke’s Mansion until you come of age and think about it? You can refuse afterward.”
My mind was buzzing with various thoughts at the sudden proposal.
My debutante is about a year away…
It’s not impossible, but there’s no reason why I have to.
“Young Duke, is there a reason why you absolutely must have this marriage?”
“My father never backs down from a decision once he’s made it.”
Does he want to fulfill his father’s wish, and since it doesn’t matter who he marries, he’s making this proposal to me?
Even so, marriage is a big decision in life, how can it be made so easily?
What should I do? As my head started to feel complicated. I suddenly heard people murmuring as they gathered around.
Ah, this person is clearly the Young Duke!
If this continues, I’ll have to go to work entangled in all sorts of gossip related to the Young Duke.
What should I do about him?
It doesn’t seem like he’ll be easily shaken off…
“Young Duke, would you like to come to my house and continue our conversation?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t feel burdened. My parents are away due to debt anyway!”
“...Does that mean.”
“It means there’s no one but me!”
“Beth, you shouldn’t say such things carelessly.”
Is it okay for you to call me by an affectionate nickname?
“Why shouldn’t I say such things?”
“...What I mean is, it’s dangerous to bring outsiders into the house carelessly.”
He seemed to have a lot to say, but he only opened and closed his mouth.
“Does that mean you are also a dangerous person, Young Duke?”
“No, I am clearly the Young Duke Russell, aren’t I? My identity is clear.”
Clear identity or not, we met for the first time today.
“Besides, I am also a prospective husband candidate who is proposing.”
The Young Duke’s confidence sparked my competitive spirit.
“So, if someone with a clear identity proposes, it’s okay to bring them home!”
“Is there such a person?”
Yes. The person in front of me, the one called the Young Duke.
When I didn’t answer, he rubbed his temples and said in a much softer tone.
“Correction. No one but me.”
“Understood. I’ll remember that.”
I replied without an ounce of sincerity or earnestness, but he seemed subtly pleased.
“Then, we’ll head to my house, and for now…”
I pulled the hat down low over the Young Duke’s head.
“No, Beth…”
“Let’s cover your eyes first!”
There were only two people in the Empire with golden eyes.
Duke Russell and his son.
I didn’t want to spread the word that I was with the Young Duke all over town.
He looked at me for a moment, then adjusted his hat without a word.
He’s surprisingly obedient.
\ \ *
On the way home.
The Young Duke’s expression grew more grim with each passing second.
Good! It’s exactly as I predicted…!
With liquor bottles scattered and cigarette smoke filling the air, it was a secluded street.
Chased by creditors, I hadn’t even thought about finding a place to live near a nice, bustling area.
Would he, who had lived as a noble his entire life, ever understand a life of poverty?
As soon as he saw the house, he might run away, saying this marriage wasn’t right.
“...You live here?”
“Yes!”
“And your parents hardly ever come?”
“Actually, I’m practically an abandoned child.”
“Ha…”
The Young Duke muttered softly, twisting one corner of his mouth upwards.
A chilling aura emanated from that cynical smile.
What is it? Why is he smiling like that…?
But I felt like I shouldn’t ask the reason.
“But what is that carriage?”
The Young Duke asked, pointing to the alley next to the house.
“...?”
Indeed. Why is something like that in front of my house…
Before I could even think about what it was, the house door opened on its own.
“Bestia! You’re here now?”
“...Mom? Dad?”
As I froze, the Young Duke beside me asked calmly.
“Beth, did you intend to push for the meeting of the parents today?”
He tidied his clothes as if greeting a prospective son-in-law.
Yes, I admit it. This person is definitely as insane as the Duke.
“Oh my, is this a friend? But what can we do? We have a distinguished guest who needs to be greeted right now…”
Whoever it is, they’re probably less distinguished than your friend here.
“It’s noisy outside.”
An irritable voice echoed through the open door.
“Count, I apologize. I haven’t raised my daughter properly…”
What? Count?
Inside, a 70-year-old man with a pregnant-looking belly and a lecherous gaze was reclining on a chair.
“Bestia, greet him. This is Count Devon, who will be marrying you!”
“...Marriage?”
Is it a trend these days to decide on a marriage without the parties involved?
“Yes! Count is going to marry you, and he’ll pay off our debts!”
Pay off what? You’re just selling me off!
“That’s absurd. How can I marry an old man who looks at least 70!”
“How can you say such harsh words...! No. Count Devon is 69 this year!”
“That’s the same thing!”
“Calm down. Count can hear you. Besides, we’ve already signed the contract.”
They’ve already drawn up a contract to sell me off?
“...Everyone is insane.”
My expectations for these people, who had been low since my childhood abuse, had hit rock bottom, but I never imagined they would do something like this.
Something hot welled up in my chest.
“Insane? Look, he has so many charming qualities!”
“I can’t see them even with my heart’s eye.”
“This child is too young to understand. Don’t you feel the maturity that can’t be found in people her age?”
“Ah, that’s true. I feel the maturity from his head.”
I said, pointing to the Count’s dry, sparse hair.
“Don’t speak carelessly. He’s just grieving the loss of his previous wives who passed away early.”
“Oh, so I will be the one to eliminate the last handful.”
“Are you really going to be like this? You’ll have to get married someday.”
“That’s for me to decide. And if I do, I’ll marry someone my age who is rich and handsome!”
I just blurted out anything to avoid this marriage.
“Think realistically. Why would someone like that meet you?”
A sudden sense of unease made me look to the side, and there he was, the one who met all these conditions, his eyes sparkling.
No, that’s not about you...!
Before I could stop him, the Young Duke spoke in a polite tone.
“Unfortunately, I proposed first. Mother-in-law.”
To be continued in the next episode ▶
