Translator: Nox

1 - How to Survive as the Wife of a Monster Duke

How to Survive as the Monster Duke's Wife

Episode 1: In Biften, the harsh winter claims more lives than Monsters.

Aden de Biften, the Duke of that land, was the worst possible groom, despite owning a vast territory.

Aden had spent more time encountering Monsters than women.

Always reeking of blood, he was virtually unknown in the Atenveld Empire's social circles.

His infrequent appearances fueled rumors of his ugliness.

When a noble curious about his face was found one day, his body frozen solid, the rumor spread like wildfire that he was someone to be avoided at all costs.

No woman wanted to marry the Duke of Biften, a man shrouded in ominous rumors.

However, the Biften family head, still in his prime, showed no interest in finding an heir or dispelling the rumors surrounding him.

Consequently, the elders of the Biften family were in a panic.

[There is no problem with the head of the Biften family.]

The elders spread rumors, but they were unlikely to reach Biften, which lacked any social scene.

When no one believed them, they eventually resorted to posting a notice to recruit a bride for the Monster Aden de Biften.

[Divorce is possible if desired.]

The extraordinary notice seeking a Duchess included an even more extraordinary condition: divorce was possible.

The notice stated that if desired, one could be secretly invited to Bifalten Castle to decide.

[No need to meet face-to-face.]

In short, after stripping away the lengthy aristocratic formalities, that was the gist of it.

However, this had the opposite effect.

In the land of Biften, teeming with monsters, they were asking someone to spend their wedding night in a pitch-black room with the Duke of Biften, who was said to be an even greater monster?

[Aden de Biften rarely stays at the mansion.]

So, they were suggesting living alone?

The elders' foolish attempts to somehow mitigate the Duke of Biften's bad reputation only backfired.

Thus, the recruitment of the Duke of Biften's bride failed for the first year.

It's a vivid dream.

Dreams that linger in my memory always have a marker.

In the dream, Illyin was looking up at the Mobile spinning on the ceiling.

Even though it wasn't a crib, there was a Mobile above the bed.

'Precognitive dream.'

Since childhood, dreams with a Mobile had always shown Illyin the future.

She watched herself in the dream.

She was carefully looking around the bright room, as if checking for another version of herself.

At that moment, the bedroom lights went out.

A voice echoed in the complete darkness.

"Illin de Biften."

Illyin's eyes widened.

My name?

No, the surname has changed.

Not Illin de Arlen, but Illin de Biften?

A sharp, dull pain struck the back of her head, as if hit by a hammer.

"Illin."

A low voice resonated near her ear.

With only the voice echoing in the pitch-black space, the sensation of it reaching her ear felt amplified tenfold.

The bed shook.

It felt as vivid as if something had touched her body.

Since it was a Precognitive dream, she knew.

The one who had climbed onto the bed was the Duke of Biften.

Aden de Biften.

His hand, which she expected to be cold, was passionately hot.

The hand that brushed against her lips, the touch that grazed the edge of her clothes, were more cautious than she had imagined.

It was a delicate touch, as if handling a fragile glass ornament.

"Haa..."

The her in the dream let out a deep breath.

The hand that carefully unfolded her clothes was reassuringly large.

She couldn't distinguish whether it was the sound of the fabric rustling or the blanket.

The sound of the cloth rubbing against each other felt much more intense than usual.

"Eung,"

Her waist arched upward.

The sensation of gripping the bedsheets was vivid.

The night was long.

Illyin opened her eyes.

In her hand was a letter recruiting a bride for the Biften Dukedom.

With a disbelieving expression, Illyin unfolded the letter, repeatedly confirming the name.

'Illin de Biften.'

The surname had changed.

Having the name of the Biften family meant that I would marry the Duke of Biften.

Illyin abruptly sat up in bed.

The old Mobile hanging down from the ceiling brushed against her forehead.

Rumors about Biften were rampant.

It was said that due to blizzards, even the outer walls of Bifalten Castle were impossible to see except in midsummer.

In winter, the cold was so severe that it was difficult to approach not only the castle but even the territory itself.

Only the people of the Biften family could guide outsiders there.

They alone knew the paths that could be traveled.

However, that harsh winter only extended to the border of the Biften territory.

Outside the border, as if drawn with a line and painted in a different color, warm sunlight shone as if it were a lie.

"Land forsaken by God..."

Illyin murmured Biften's nickname.

It was said that due to the cold, even Monsters that were completely different from those in other regions appeared.

A place teeming with monsters.

And what about the Duke of Biften?

There were rumors that he was ugly.

But that didn't matter.

It was said that if you made eye contact with him, your body would freeze.

And that he was a man who prioritized his sword over words.

That if you disagreed with him, he would behead you without even exchanging words.

The mad Duke of the North.

That was the assessment of the current Duke of Biften, Aden de Biften.

"Aden de Biften."

She looked down at the Biften family's bride recruitment letter.

[We are seeking a mistress for the Biften family.]

Below that, conditions that would enrage the young ladies of the Empire followed.

To put it briefly, it meant this:

Contrary to the rumors, the Duke of Biften is perfectly fine.

But if you are concerned about the rumors, you don't have to see his face at all.

Moreover, the Duke rarely comes to the mansion.

These were inconsiderate sentences that seemed intent on leaving the bride to wither away alone in a distant land.

Illyin's gaze moved downward.

[If you are uncomfortable, you may leave immediately.

We will take you wherever you wish, whenever you wish.]

It felt different from the dry, emotionless writing above.

It had a rough feel, but the content was gentle.

Although everyone in the Empire might not believe it, Illyin knew.

This was Aden de Biften's own handwriting.

This was one of the reasons why she wasn't as afraid of the journey to Biften as she thought she would be.

After all, the wedding night had been foreseen.

I will arrive safely at the Biften mansion.

And that man might be different from the rumors.

'Aheung,'

That wedding night was soft and sweet.

"Illin de Biften."

In the dream, it clearly foretold the wedding night with the Duke of Biften.

I will marry him.

"Fate cannot be avoided."

Since she was young, Precognitive dreams had never been wrong.

Even if she tried to avoid it, it would eventually come.

Illyin folded the letter and placed it on the table.

If it can't be avoided, I won't be dragged along.

Only the wedding night has been foreseen.

But how I live in Biften is up to me.

She stood up to take control of her destiny.

"Did you call?"

When she pulled the Signal Cord, the Maid knocked on the door after a while.

"Where is the person who brought this letter?"

A letter sent from Biften could only be delivered by someone from Biften.

Even if the Biften person used another local postman, the postman would know how to contact the Biften person.

It was time to send a reply.

That I would become his bride.

Illyin was slightly embarrassed.

Until she received this letter yesterday, she had no intention of marrying the Duke of Biften at all.

Her mind changed, of course, after having the dream.

That was why she couldn't immediately send a reply of acceptance with the postman.

That was only natural.

The problem was that the postman had left the mansion immediately after delivering the letter.

"You don't know which organization he belongs to?"

"No."

The Maid replied briefly.

Illyin gestured for her to leave.

There was no point in questioning a Maid who had no loyalty.

But it wasn't as if there was no way.

"Father, it's Illyin."

Illyin went to see her father, Earl Arlen.

"What is it?"

Earl Arlen was reluctant to even look at her face.

Even though they lived in the same mansion, it had been over a decade since they had a proper conversation.

Nevertheless, Earl Arlen didn't want to see her for even a moment longer.

His gaze said only one thing.

Horrifying.

"May I use the people of the mansion?"

Earl Arlen's face contorted.

He knew about Precognitive dreams.

He couldn't not know, since Illyin's first Precognitive dream at the age of seven was about the death of her younger brother, Sid.

After the dream came true and her brother died, and Lady Arlen went mad, Earl Arlen had treated her as something horrifying ever since.

"Did you have another dream?"

That's right.

But Illyin replied no.

"No."

She had already decided what to say.

"I thought it was time for me to find a marriage partner too."

"I see..."

Lady Arlen, who had gone mad after Sid's death, couldn't introduce Illyin to society.

As a result, Illyin's path to meeting the young nobles of the Empire was blocked.

"Are you thinking of attending a party?"

Earl Arlen asked with a reluctant expression.

That wasn't it, but Illyin nodded briefly.

"I'm going to find a merchant first."

What she was going to do there was different, but she didn't bother to say it.

Because if she did, she would end up talking about dreams again.

There was a reason why she hadn't talked to her father for over a decade.

Earl Arlen always suspected her.

He thought that her actions were always decided after having a Precognitive dream and refused to listen to her.

"You mustn't talk about dreams outside."

But finding a marriage partner seemed to be an exception.

Illyin stifled a laugh.

Yes, he probably didn't want to keep something horrifying in the house any longer.

"Go. You can use the people."

At the order to leave, Illyin retreated silently.

It was enough since she had gotten what she wanted anyway.

There was no need to talk to someone who treated her like a monster any longer.

For me, who is treated like a monster, to marry a monster Duke, what could be a more fitting combination?

Illyin, who had laughed in vain, called a knight of the Earl family.

"Find out the list of merchants going north and the location of the capital branch."

The knight knew what the daughter of the Arlen family meant to his master.

So he said with a sneer.

"There's more than one or two, Miss."

His face clearly showed mockery.

She was only called Miss, and it was as if he didn't feel like serving her at all, to the point where you could believe that it was a title he called her instead of her name because he didn't want to call her name.

She was treated like someone who had only grown up inside the mansion and didn't know the ways of the world.

It was the treatment she had always received for nearly twenty years.

She was used to these gazes and words.

"To a merchant that regularly delivers a lot of goods to the north. The goods must mostly consist of food that can last for several months and must only be made of things that come from warm places."

This should narrow it down to a few places.

There were hardly any territories near Biften in the north that could consume large quantities of food.

There were unlikely to be many people who wanted to live near a territory teeming with monsters.

"But why are you looking for this?"

The knight asked rudely even while receiving the order.

"To find a marriage partner."

Marriage partner, the knight's voice was heard faintly, mocking her.

He probably thought that there was no one who would marry me.

Illyin thought.

The rumors about Illin de Arlen had already spread enough in society.

That she was a young lady who hadn't even debuted in society even though she was in her mid-twenties.

Why would she do that unless there was something wrong with her?

And they might have imagined and chewed on what that flaw was among themselves, creating something amazing.

"Get out."

The knight turned his back and left without even answering.

It was a sight that lacked all manners.

"..."

Illyin endured.

She was also a person.

There was no way she wouldn't be angry.

But it's okay.

It's what I've always done.

It's okay.

I'll never come back to this mansion again.

So it's okay.

She lulled herself to sleep, as she always had.

How to Survive as the Monster Duke's Wife

Written by: Danlihan

Published by: Pilyeon Management

E-mail: [email protected]

Price: Serial price

ISBN: 979-11-89622-21-3

* This book is a copyrighted work protected by the Copyright Act, and you must obtain the consent of the copyright holder to reuse all or part of the contents of the book.