When I looked straight at Dante and spoke, he chuckled.
“Oh, right. That boring plan.”
...Boring?
I lost my mind for a moment and stared blankly at him.
The second day we met when I officially signed the contract with him.
I had roughly explained my plan.
Of course, it included a plan to make Lucas look good on the wedding day.
‘That boring?’
“The reason I didn’t ask the Duke to come to the wedding was because I thought it was too presumptuous. But I am grateful that you are willing to help me.”
Dante’s eyes widened slightly.
I faced him without wavering and continued.
“Then I will send it today. My wedding invitation.”
“...Ha.”
After a moment of silence, he let out a sharp laugh.
“As expected.”
Dante stopped laughing and stared at me. His black pupils in his red irises flashed darkly.
“You know how to make things exciting. You.”
The sledgehammer slid into Count Lopez’s mansion.
As the carriage came to a stop, a familiar face popped out through the window.
“Miss, I’m here!”
It was Sophie.
As if she had spent a week-long vacation worthwhile, her eyes were filled with liveliness.
I smiled happily and stepped out of the carriage.
“Ah, Sophie.”
“Oh, my, I should have come earlier! If I had known you would be walking around like this all by yourself... Oh, my! Miss!”
I stumbled slightly as I touched the ground, and Sophie screamed and caught me.
I quickly straightened my legs, which had been slightly relaxed.
“Oh my! Are you okay, Miss? Where are you hurting?! Oh, your face looks thinner now that I look at it!”
Sophie looked at me and fussed.
She seemed to think I must have caught a mild cold.
The weight loss was simply because I was lacking sleep from looking at the music sheet every night.
“I just stumbled for a moment. It’s okay.”
Even though I explained, Sophie didn’t stop worrying.
It was the man’s fault. I always felt exhausted whenever I met him.
“Did you have a good vacation, Sophie?”
“Ah...!”
When the topic of vacation came up, Sophie’s face became filled with mixed emotions.
The girl suddenly nodded.
“Thank you, Miss.”
“Huh?”
“Thanks to you giving me a vacation, I was able to go down to my hometown and see my mother... I almost couldn’t even get into the house because no one would open the door.”
I stared at Sophie, anticipating what she would say next.
“My mother had the flu and couldn’t even get up. I rushed her to the doctor, but if I had been even a little late, she would have gotten worse with pneumonia.”
Sophie’s eyes turned red.
“I was able to pay for the treatment thanks to the vacation money you gave me. I paid for the medicine and the health food for my mother with that money. Thank you so much, my lady.”
Sophie bowed her head deeply again.
“If it weren’t for you, I might have just let my mother go without even knowing she was sick. She said she had been sick for quite some time, but she never showed it to me even though she kept writing to me. Like an idiot...”
Sophie wiped her eyes and raised her head sharply, looking up at me.
“My lady. I will never, never forget this favor.”
Her brown eyes, stained with determination, looked straight at me.
“My mother owes you her life. So I will give my life to you, my lady.”
I shook my head as I looked at her solemn face.
“Your life is yours, Sophie. That is too much for me.”
“I am serious!”
I stared blankly at Sophie, who was clenching her fists and protesting.
“You shouldn’t carelessly leave something so precious to someone else.”
However.
I gently grabbed Sophie’s shoulder, who was about to object.
“If there’s anything you can do to help me, would you?”
Sophie’s eyes widened.
There was no one in the mansion.
Edward was probably still asleep, and Elena had rushed out of the rehearsal earlier, so she would probably be hanging out in a salon or tea room somewhere by now.
“Welcome, my lady.”
“Oh, butler.”
I said to Wilhelm, who was coming out to greet me politely.
“Isn’t all the invitations already sent out?”
“I sent them out to all the guests on the list last week. Why is that?”
“Are there any left? I have somewhere I want to send them.”
“Oh, of course. If you tell me the address, I’ll send them, my lady.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll ask you to the Duke of Heigenberg’s residence.”
“Yes. Duke of Heigenberg... Yes?”
Wilhelm, who had been faithfully repeating what I had said, blinked his eyes blankly. It was a rare sight for the always-calm Wilhelm.
Sophie also looked at me with startled eyes.
They say that children are treated like monsters who will take away the war hero Duke if he cries his name. Just hearing the name made him look like a child, scared.
“Oh, Miss. Is there something going on with His Highness the Duke...?”
Her expression clearly showed that she was worried that I might have gotten into trouble with the Duke.
I slowly looked around at the two surprised people.
“I have something to say to you two.”
“Go ahead, Miss.”
I looked at Wilhelm in silence.
Since I was born, no. Long before that, Wilhelm had been working at this mansion.
He was a butler and also my grandfather’s close friend.
I heard that when they were both boys, my grandfather had saved Wilhelm’s life.
The most important thing to Wilhelm was the family name, ‘Lopez.’
As it was the will of my maternal grandfather, who was his long-time friend, to protect the family line.
“I will not marry Lucas Pedegreen.”
“Yes?”
“...Miss.”
The two looked at me with surprised eyes.
If they're going to be surprised, they might as well be surprised all at once. I smiled faintly and continued.
“And, I plan to become the Duchess of Heigenberg. Even though it’s a temporary position.”
“Yes?”
“...”
Sophie was so surprised that she almost fell back, and Wilhelm opened his mouth slightly and asked.
“Young lady, what do you mean by temporary position...”
“It’s exactly as it is. I have a contract with the Duke. Our marriage will last for a year or two at the most. I plan to get Lopez back within that time.”
This time, neither Sophie nor Wilhelm said anything.
I looked at the two who seemed overly surprised and said.
“The real ‘Lopez,’ who was renowned for his music and was a role model for good deeds and culture.”
“Oh, right. That boring plan.”
...Boring?
I lost my mind for a moment and stared blankly at him.
The second day we met when I officially signed the contract with him.
I had roughly explained my plan.
Of course, it included a plan to make Lucas look good on the wedding day.
‘That boring?’
“If it were me.”
Dante’s eyes slowly scanned my face, which must have been filled with embarrassment.
“I would have made it more provocative, Lopez.”
“..More than that?”
A bride who rejects her groom in front of everyone on the wedding day.
What could be more provocative than that?
“Don’t you know?”
Dante raised the corners of his lips as he stared at me, furrowing his brow slightly.
“It’s a little disappointing. In terms of imagination.”
“...”
There might have been some rebellion in the gaze he was looking up at.
Dante sneered and slightly lowered his head toward me.
“I told you to use me as much as you can, didn’t I?”
“...”
No way.
I looked at him with wide eyes.
“How about I barge into the wedding and shout that this marriage is invalid? Ask me, who knows? I’ll act it out with all my heart.”
My body froze.
It was because his big, warm palm was wrapping around my wrist.
I looked up at him, forgetting to breathe. His face was so close, so beautiful that it almost felt unreal.
“It would be fun to walk up the wedding road and grab this wrist and kiss it.”
Dante brought my wrist close to his lips. The precarious distance between us tickled the thin skin of my wrist.
“Was it the Marquis Pedegreen? How would he react if I coveted you in front of him?”
A low voice whispered rudely.
Starting with the voice that seeped into my ear, goosebumps spread up my spine.
Dante raised the corners of his mouth and said,
“This will definitely be an unforgettable wedding for him. If he sees his bride being held by another man on her wedding day, he’ll never dream of getting married again. Isn’t that a good revenge?”
His eyes, which seemed to be burning with flames, were right in front of me. His pupils were dark as an abyss in the center of them.
It was inevitable that I would suddenly become aware of the man’s body scent.
The unfamiliar body scent tickled my lungs and the hot heat wrapped around my wrist.
My heart began to beat quickly, at a speed I didn’t know.
I felt surrounded by a world I didn’t know. And the unknown always gives me a strange fear.
If I could, I wanted to twist my wrist away and run away from this place.
However, at that moment, another voice of Dante flashed through my mind.
“There’s no charm in acting like prey to be eaten.”
If I showed my fear here, if I was labeled a ‘petty woman,’ this man might lose interest in me.
I moistened my dry mouth and slowly opened my mouth.
“... That’s right, Your Excellency.”
Dante’s eyes slowly scanned my face, which must have been filled with embarrassment.
“I would have made it more provocative, Lopez.”
“..More than that?”
A bride who rejects her groom in front of everyone on the wedding day.
What could be more provocative than that?
“Don’t you know?”
Dante raised the corners of his lips as he stared at me, furrowing his brow slightly.
“It’s a little disappointing. In terms of imagination.”
“...”
There might have been some rebellion in the gaze he was looking up at.
Dante sneered and slightly lowered his head toward me.
“I told you to use me as much as you can, didn’t I?”
“...”
No way.
I looked at him with wide eyes.
“How about I barge into the wedding and shout that this marriage is invalid? Ask me, who knows? I’ll act it out with all my heart.”
My body froze.
It was because his big, warm palm was wrapping around my wrist.
I looked up at him, forgetting to breathe. His face was so close, so beautiful that it almost felt unreal.
“It would be fun to walk up the wedding road and grab this wrist and kiss it.”
Dante brought my wrist close to his lips. The precarious distance between us tickled the thin skin of my wrist.
“Was it the Marquis Pedegreen? How would he react if I coveted you in front of him?”
A low voice whispered rudely.
Starting with the voice that seeped into my ear, goosebumps spread up my spine.
Dante raised the corners of his mouth and said,
“This will definitely be an unforgettable wedding for him. If he sees his bride being held by another man on her wedding day, he’ll never dream of getting married again. Isn’t that a good revenge?”
His eyes, which seemed to be burning with flames, were right in front of me. His pupils were dark as an abyss in the center of them.
It was inevitable that I would suddenly become aware of the man’s body scent.
The unfamiliar body scent tickled my lungs and the hot heat wrapped around my wrist.
My heart began to beat quickly, at a speed I didn’t know.
I felt surrounded by a world I didn’t know. And the unknown always gives me a strange fear.
If I could, I wanted to twist my wrist away and run away from this place.
However, at that moment, another voice of Dante flashed through my mind.
“There’s no charm in acting like prey to be eaten.”
If I showed my fear here, if I was labeled a ‘petty woman,’ this man might lose interest in me.
I moistened my dry mouth and slowly opened my mouth.
“... That’s right, Your Excellency.”
As a calm voice flowed out of my lips, Dante raised one eyebrow.
“The reason I didn’t ask the Duke to come to the wedding was because I thought it was too presumptuous. But I am grateful that you are willing to help me.”
Dante’s eyes widened slightly.
I faced him without wavering and continued.
“Then I will send it today. My wedding invitation.”
“...Ha.”
After a moment of silence, he let out a sharp laugh.
“As expected.”
Dante stopped laughing and stared at me. His black pupils in his red irises flashed darkly.
“You know how to make things exciting. You.”
***
The sledgehammer slid into Count Lopez’s mansion.
As the carriage came to a stop, a familiar face popped out through the window.
“Miss, I’m here!”
It was Sophie.
As if she had spent a week-long vacation worthwhile, her eyes were filled with liveliness.
I smiled happily and stepped out of the carriage.
“Ah, Sophie.”
“Oh, my, I should have come earlier! If I had known you would be walking around like this all by yourself... Oh, my! Miss!”
I stumbled slightly as I touched the ground, and Sophie screamed and caught me.
I quickly straightened my legs, which had been slightly relaxed.
“Oh my! Are you okay, Miss? Where are you hurting?! Oh, your face looks thinner now that I look at it!”
Sophie looked at me and fussed.
She seemed to think I must have caught a mild cold.
The weight loss was simply because I was lacking sleep from looking at the music sheet every night.
“I just stumbled for a moment. It’s okay.”
Even though I explained, Sophie didn’t stop worrying.
It was the man’s fault. I always felt exhausted whenever I met him.
“Did you have a good vacation, Sophie?”
“Ah...!”
When the topic of vacation came up, Sophie’s face became filled with mixed emotions.
The girl suddenly nodded.
“Thank you, Miss.”
“Huh?”
“Thanks to you giving me a vacation, I was able to go down to my hometown and see my mother... I almost couldn’t even get into the house because no one would open the door.”
I stared at Sophie, anticipating what she would say next.
“My mother had the flu and couldn’t even get up. I rushed her to the doctor, but if I had been even a little late, she would have gotten worse with pneumonia.”
Sophie’s eyes turned red.
“I was able to pay for the treatment thanks to the vacation money you gave me. I paid for the medicine and the health food for my mother with that money. Thank you so much, my lady.”
Sophie bowed her head deeply again.
“If it weren’t for you, I might have just let my mother go without even knowing she was sick. She said she had been sick for quite some time, but she never showed it to me even though she kept writing to me. Like an idiot...”
Sophie wiped her eyes and raised her head sharply, looking up at me.
“My lady. I will never, never forget this favor.”
Her brown eyes, stained with determination, looked straight at me.
“My mother owes you her life. So I will give my life to you, my lady.”
I shook my head as I looked at her solemn face.
“Your life is yours, Sophie. That is too much for me.”
“I am serious!”
I stared blankly at Sophie, who was clenching her fists and protesting.
“You shouldn’t carelessly leave something so precious to someone else.”
However.
I gently grabbed Sophie’s shoulder, who was about to object.
“If there’s anything you can do to help me, would you?”
Sophie’s eyes widened.
***
There was no one in the mansion.
Edward was probably still asleep, and Elena had rushed out of the rehearsal earlier, so she would probably be hanging out in a salon or tea room somewhere by now.
“Welcome, my lady.”
“Oh, butler.”
I said to Wilhelm, who was coming out to greet me politely.
“Isn’t all the invitations already sent out?”
“I sent them out to all the guests on the list last week. Why is that?”
“Are there any left? I have somewhere I want to send them.”
“Oh, of course. If you tell me the address, I’ll send them, my lady.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll ask you to the Duke of Heigenberg’s residence.”
“Yes. Duke of Heigenberg... Yes?”
Wilhelm, who had been faithfully repeating what I had said, blinked his eyes blankly. It was a rare sight for the always-calm Wilhelm.
Sophie also looked at me with startled eyes.
They say that children are treated like monsters who will take away the war hero Duke if he cries his name. Just hearing the name made him look like a child, scared.
“Oh, Miss. Is there something going on with His Highness the Duke...?”
Her expression clearly showed that she was worried that I might have gotten into trouble with the Duke.
I slowly looked around at the two surprised people.
“I have something to say to you two.”
“Go ahead, Miss.”
I looked at Wilhelm in silence.
Since I was born, no. Long before that, Wilhelm had been working at this mansion.
He was a butler and also my grandfather’s close friend.
I heard that when they were both boys, my grandfather had saved Wilhelm’s life.
The most important thing to Wilhelm was the family name, ‘Lopez.’
As it was the will of my maternal grandfather, who was his long-time friend, to protect the family line.
“I will not marry Lucas Pedegreen.”
“Yes?”
“...Miss.”
The two looked at me with surprised eyes.
If they're going to be surprised, they might as well be surprised all at once. I smiled faintly and continued.
“And, I plan to become the Duchess of Heigenberg. Even though it’s a temporary position.”
“Yes?”
“...”
Sophie was so surprised that she almost fell back, and Wilhelm opened his mouth slightly and asked.
“Young lady, what do you mean by temporary position...”
“It’s exactly as it is. I have a contract with the Duke. Our marriage will last for a year or two at the most. I plan to get Lopez back within that time.”
This time, neither Sophie nor Wilhelm said anything.
I looked at the two who seemed overly surprised and said.
“The real ‘Lopez,’ who was renowned for his music and was a role model for good deeds and culture.”
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