Chapter 1 – RSMF

Chapter 1

An old piece of paper fluttered in my hand. It looked like it would tear with just a little force.

If only things could be resolved that easily.
This paper had been thrown into the sea, buried in the mountains.

It had been tossed into fire more times than I could count.

And yet, despite enduring all that, not a single letter had faded.

In the end, the two families surrendered to their ancestors’ stubborn will.

The contract’s contents were simple:

“When your descendant and mine are born, have them marry. Of course, since the age difference might be too big or they could be the same gender, let’s keep the timeframe flexible.”

It sounded like a drunken joke the elders made on a whim.
The problem was, it wasn’t written on ordinary paper.

This contract had to be fulfilled. The side effects were anything but trivial.
In the novel, this damn contract ruined Maybea Morgana’s life.

Her husband had been absolutely terrible.
I put down the contract and smiled at that terrible man sitting across from me.

“All right. I’ll marry you.”

“A wise decision. Then we’ll hold a simple ceremony. After that, I expect you to go down to the estate and behave like a proper lady of the house. Obviously, there won’t be any leisure for luxury.”

Gilbert Calakis warned arrogantly.
His disdain for me was clear as day.

God, seriously. I couldn’t believe it.
Just reading about it in the novel had made my blood boil. Experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely.

Still, I kept a sweet smile on my face.

“Who said I was marrying you?”

“…What?”

“Not you—I’ll marry your father.”

Yep, I’m definitely not calling you “young master” on purpose.
Honestly, I’d rather call you a punk.

But Gilbert didn’t even seem to have the composure to care about titles.

“I must have misheard you. Could you repeat that?”

I gently suppressed the smirk creeping onto my lips.

Maybe you should get your ears checked. The notary seemed to understand just fine.

“Your father’s an unmarried man, isn’t he? He’s been clinging to a lump of rock thinking it’s gold for eight years, but technically, he’s still a valid candidate.”

“You can’t possibly be referring to me with that crude insult.”

“Oh my, did it sound that way?”

I played dumb but didn’t deny it.
Gilbert’s face turned red.

“What did I ever do to you to be put in such a difficult position? I’m not asking for much. Just for the contract to be fulfilled and for you to be a dutiful wife.”

“Of course I’ll do that. As your father’s wife, that is.”

“…Lady, this is no time for jokes.”

Gilbert let out a sigh.

“Just tell me what you want. Jewels? Dresses? How greedy must you be to not be satisfied with the position of a duke’s wife?”

Wow. Don’t flatter yourself. You think you’re the only one with money? The only noble?
And anyway, Gilbert wasn’t even the duke’s real son.
He was adopted. Just like his younger brother.

“If you wanted to marry me so badly, you should’ve put your name on the contract. I guess your pride couldn’t handle it, or maybe you just weren’t capable enough.”

“Lady.”

Gilbert’s voice was practically trembling.

I smiled sweetly.

“Yes. I am the sole lady of House Morgana. But what about House Calakis? The duke is still unmarried despite adopting two sons, and there’s also your younger brother. Unlike you, I’ve got three choices.”

After I spelled it out, he finally seemed to grasp the situation.

Gilbert looked at me like I was spouting utter nonsense.

“But my father can barely get out of bed. And my brother is too young…”

“Oh my, you’re still here? I thought our conversation was over.”

I shut him down coldly and turned to the notary, who quietly gathered the contract.

I gave Gilbert a slight nod that clearly said ‘get lost’.

“Send my regards to the duke.”

No need to see me out.
I won’t go far.

—

In the end, Gilbert left with the notary.
An empty seat, and a lone teacup sat upon it.

Ugh, maybe I’ll attract bad luck if I reuse that thing.

I was about to tell a maid to throw it out when Monica Elaine barged in.

“How did it go?”

She cut straight to the point. She’d said she’d wait until the conversation ended—but I didn’t think she’d actually stick around.

“It was… enlightening.”

“You didn’t fall for him, did you? Please stay strong. The Elaine family has always stood with Morgana, and we won’t let this slide either.”

It felt strange, hearing her say that.
In the novel, Monica had an affair with Gilbert.

“…That young master… it’s laughable how he pretends to be a noble just because he was adopted into a good family.”

Right, she said the same thing in the book.
Monica Elaine never missed a chance to mock Gilbert Calakis in front of Maybea.

“Filthy birth” was her favorite insult. When she ran out of material, she’d say she hated how his eyebrows were uneven.

And she always added the same line afterward:
—’You think so too, don’t you, Maybea?’

When a flustered Maybea so much as slightly nodded, Monica would rush straight to Gilbert and tattle.

She’d say, “Maybea keeps talking badly about you, and I don’t know what to do.”

She turned every vile thing she said into something Maybea supposedly had.

Then she’d whisper, “I want Maybea to be happy, but… I just feel so bad for you.”

Gilbert, furious, would confront Maybea and ask if it was true.
Overwhelmed, Maybea wouldn’t be able to defend herself, and from then on, Gilbert would openly despise her.

Now, Monica smoothed her bright red hair and sighed with a sad expression.

“It’s just… such a waste. For Maybea to spend her life in the barren, joyless North…”

I gave her a dazzling smile.

“Don’t worry. I don’t fight battles I can’t win.”

“Ah! So you do plan to divorce after the wedding? The Morgana family can clean up that kind of mess easily, after all. But once you actually become husband and wife, won’t you lose your resolve?”

Without waiting for my reply, Monica kept rambling.

“Anyway, Lord Gilbert is incredibly handsome. Even in the capital, it’s rare to find someone that good-looking.”

“That’s true—for the tiny capital, at least.”

“…The capital is… tiny?”

Monica’s eyes widened as if she’d just heard something unthinkable.

Now seriously, get lost. You’re annoying.
I tugged the bell cord to call a maid and added one last thing.

“Monica, I’ll live very happily. In the North, with a husband who only has eyes for me.”

But of course, Gilbert wasn’t going to give up that easily.

—

As expected, it didn’t even take a few days for Gilbert to request another meeting.
I turned him down, claiming I had a cold.
In response, he sent a bouquet and a letter.

Sara, my closest maid, was stunned.

“My lady, even I think this is too much. Isn’t it basic etiquette to know what the flowers you give someone mean?”

Sara had every right to be appalled.
She soon exploded in outrage.

“Seriously, how could he send chrysanthemums?! Is he wishing something terrible happens to you?”

Clutching the back of her neck like her blood pressure was spiking, Sara fumed.

Oh dear. This was only the beginning of Gilbert’s blunders.
I should probably get Sara a health checkup. Maybe even a raise.

“He probably didn’t mean it. He just saw the white color and thought it looked ‘pure.’ He’s the type who thinks all flowers are the same anyway.”

Even after my explanation, Sara remained baffled.

“Does the ducal household not teach basic manners or common sense?”

“The Duke doesn’t really bother. It’s not like Gilbert’s going to inherit the title anyway.”

Gilbert Calakis, strictly speaking, was a failure.
He wasn’t even the novel’s male lead—his younger brother, Lizen Calakis, was.
Gilbert was forever second best. A fallen hero in the making.

Despite my calm demeanor, Sara was far from soothed.
If anything, she looked more hurt—on my behalf—and got teary-eyed.

“Ugh… I can’t possibly put these in a vase.”

I get you, girl. I nearly shattered my screen reading the novel too.

I remember flipping through the pages desperately, wanting to see Gilbert finally get what he deserved.

“Just throw them out.”

“R-Really? Is that okay?”

“Feel free to toss that too.”

I gestured at the letter.
I hadn’t even opened it, but I could guess what was inside.

Gilbert was a man of pride. He probably hadn’t even told the Duke about my refusal yet.
He was still trying to cajole me into going through with the marriage.

Sara didn’t ask twice.
Shuddering, she left the room with the bouquet and the letter in hand.