Translator: Nox

Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Marriage is broken like this

==========

The fiercely burning pile of fire smelled of well-baked bread. This was because it was wheat that was giving itself to the flames.

The man who threw another bundle of wheat into the fire finally cursed.

"How long do I have to keep doing this crazy thing?" Why are you burning perfectly good wheat? It would be better to give it to the pigs."

Then, the man next to him trembled as if having a seizure and glared.

"Do you want to die? Lower your voice!"

"Taylor is coming to an end like this. Ever since the late Duke and Duchess Taylor passed away so suddenly, this family has been doomed."

"Speak quietly, quietly!"

"They're in debt everywhere and use most of the wheat to pay it off, yet they're doing things like this. To think that such a historic Duke family would collapse in less than ten years."

The man, who was constantly looking around anxiously, eventually shook his head slightly and muttered.

"...They're getting money from somewhere in exchange for burning this much wheat."

"If the wheat decreases, the price will go up, so it's a profitable business. But I wonder if they know this is quasi-treason."

"......"

"If it weren't for our Princess Grace being alive, there might still be some hope."

The man threw the last few bundles of wheat into the flames as if abandoning them, then let out a deep, long sigh.

"Well, she's not a Duke, but a Princess. All they have to do is marry her off and send her away somewhere."

In the end, the man's eyes turned red.

"Still... to think that the other party is a notorious scoundrel even among us commoners. Isn't that too much?"

"Wait and see. Our Princess Grace will have something in mind."

The men's gazes in front of the huge fire simultaneously turned in the same direction. There stood the large and magnificent Taylor Duke's Castle. The deep darkness cast over the castle felt very pathetic and sad.

Just like the night 13 years ago, when the late Duke and Duchess Taylor suddenly met their mysterious deaths.

＊ ＊ ＊

"Mother!! How do I look?"

Duchess Taylor Emma Taylor, who was reclining languidly and getting her nails done, raised her eyes. Her daughter Rosette Taylor was looking in the mirror, moving her shoulders slightly while wearing a splendid pink dress.

"You are beautiful, Princess Rosette."

"Right?"

Mrs. Cornwall, who was waiting beside her, praised Rosette in a gentle tone, but the Duchess Taylor looked at her daughter up and down and said indifferently.

"Don't overdo it. You're much more beautiful without doing that."

Rosette's brow furrowed as she stared intently at the mirror. She turned her body sharply towards her mother and complained.

"I want to be the most eye-catching at the wedding."

"Don't worry. You will shine the brightest on that day too, Princess Rosette."

Mrs. Cornwall soothed Rosette gently, but the Princess Rosette opened a red jewelry box placed on the table with a sulky expression. Inside were jewels so precious that even Rosette, the Princess of the Taylor Duke Family, would be wide-eyed.

"Grace, does that insignificant girl deserve such jewels?"

Knowing that it was a wedding gift from the groom's side to the bride, Rosette was simply resentful and displeased. It was natural for the bride to be the most eye-catching at the wedding as she was the main character of the day, but she couldn't sleep at the thought of all the nobles' attention being focused on Grace.

The Duchess Taylor chuckled at her daughter's immature grumbling and dismissed the maids who were doing her nails. Then, she looked at her beautifully manicured nails and said softly.

"Then, will you marry Viscount Sachsen instead of Grace?"

At her mother's question, Rosette was startled and shook her head violently.

"Mother!"

"Yes. My daughter should never marry such a man. He's said to have six known illegitimate children, and his hand is quite bad. So, at least tomorrow, you should be lenient towards Grace."

And that wasn't all. According to the custom of holding the wedding in the bride's territory, the Count Sachsen Family was currently staying at Taylor Duke's Castle. Jack Sachsen, the Viscount, was not only flirting with the maids here, but also occasionally hitting them. The number of servants who had been beaten while attending to him already exceeded ten fingers.

Emma smiled bitterly as she thought of Grace Taylor, who resembled the late Duchess Taylor exactly.

"By Grace marrying such a man, our debt to Sachsen will disappear."

The Count Sachsen Family would not only not receive a dowry, but also forgive all the enormous debt that the Taylor Duke Family owed them. That extraordinary measure was also a reflection of how much of a nuisance the scoundrel Viscount was.

In any case, from the Taylor Duke Family's point of view, they were not only relieved of the burden of debt, but also had the Count Sachsen Family, the Empress's family, as their backing, so they were selling off Grace to gain a great advantage.

Nevertheless, Rosette pouted and muttered.

"It's a proper reward for what Mother and Father have raised her for."

"Of course, it is."

The Duchess Taylor got up from her seat and tapped her daughter's shoulder.

"So, stop talking about jewels."

"...Okay."

After sending Rosette back to her room, the Duchess Taylor walked down the corridor where the lamps flickered with a lighter step than ever before. She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.

Thirteen years ago, the late Duke and Duchess Taylor passed away on the same day. They had only one young daughter, and according to the customs of the Empire, a daughter could not inherit the family unless she married and ruled with her husband.

In a situation where there was no heir to the family, the collateral families who had been loyal to the late Duke also met mysterious deaths one after another. Thanks to this, the Taylor Dukedom was passed on to John and Emma, who had a humble baronetcy.

How much she trembled on the day she first set foot in this castle, as if nothing was hers. But Emma, who became the new Duchess Taylor, soon changed her mind.

This family was originally destined to be hers.

Emma Taylor had the portraits of the late Duke and Duchess Taylor taken down and moved to a damp warehouse, and all those who missed the late Duke and Duchess Taylor were expelled from the family.

She wanted to erase all memories of the predecessors from this family. She wanted to make it as if she had been the owner of all this from the beginning.

"You've arrived."

Grace, who was looking at the family's documents until the day before the wedding, stood up from her seat with a calm attitude.

Grace Taylor.

The only bloodline left by the late Duke, and the 'real' Taylor.

On the day Emma first met Grace, she knew that she would never be able to love the girl. The people of the Taylor Duchy loved and cherished Grace more than their own daughter, as much as they respected the late Duke and Duchess Taylor. Grace Taylor was a trace of the late Duke and Duchess Taylor that could not be erased no matter how much she tried.

But today is the last day. In the end, all of this belongs to her, not Grace.

The Duchess Taylor said with a friendly expression.

"His Grace has chosen a groom for you who is too good for you."

"......"

"The wedding gifts are very beautiful."

Grace, who had been slightly lowering her gaze, raised her eyes. Emma Taylor looked into those verdant eyes and slowly approached, covering her mouth with her hand as she stood across the desk and laughed.

"So, you must endure even if your husband brings in illegitimate children, or even if he sometimes hits you. Life will continue in what you think is the bottom, but what can you do? The only thing you can do is endure. That's something you're quite good at, isn't it?"

The bitter malice mixed in her smile grew thicker and thicker.

"Once you get married, you're an outsider, so don't even think about asking the Duke Family for help in the future. Don't act rashly and tarnish the family name, just endure. If you endure for about 20 years, you'll have the name of the mistress of the Count Sachsen Family."

Of course, that's if you can survive that hell until then.

"Anyway, live well."

The Duchess Taylor elegantly spewed out abuse close to a curse and turned around.

The reason why she hated the young Grace so much was because, even though she was only a 10-year-old child, she exuded the dignity of a great noble that even Emma, who had become the Duchess Taylor, did not possess.

It's the same now. That brazenly indifferent and aloof expression. Emma Taylor shook her head violently as if she was getting goosebumps and left the room.

Grace stared at the place where the Duchess Taylor had disappeared, and her eyes met with Head Maid Mrs. Cornwall. The two looked at each other in silence for a moment. Soon, Mrs. Cornwall also left the room, and Grace turned her gaze to the neatly arranged piles of documents on the desk.

Surprisingly, countless documents regarding the Duke Family's finances and territory management, which should have been handled by the head of the family, were pouring in on her.

The current Duke Taylor John Taylor, who was no different from a mere Baron in name, had no ability to lead this vast and historic family. The reason why he had not completely expelled some of the retainers who had been loyal to the late Duke, even though he had driven them all out, was because there was no way to handle these many documents. Furthermore, he had no intention of learning new things.

Not only the Duke, but also the Duchess Taylor, the Young Duke, and even the Princess Rosette were only focused on suddenly seizing Taylor's immense power and wealth and squandering it, and paid no attention to the family's affairs.

However, it was impossible to handle all the Duke Family's affairs with only a few retainers. Grace was the one who learned from them and handled all the tasks that required the head of the family's decision-making.

It was when Grace was about to sit down again.

"Princess Grace, Princess Grace!!"

A maid ran to Grace with a breathless face.

"What's wrong?!"

At the same time as the question, a piercing scream was heard from somewhere. The maid cried out in a tearful voice.

"Viscount Sachsen is doing something to Jessie……!"