I felt the worn piece of paper crumple under the pressure of my hands. It felt as if I'd be capable of tearing it with even the slightest of force
I wish I was able to easily solve my dilemma.
I threw the paper underwater and buried myself within the mountains. I'd cast so many of them into the fire that I'd since lost count.
But no matter how many hardships I endured, the letters on the paper did not fade away.
In the end, the two heads of the family surrendered to their ancestors' whims.
The contents of the contract were simple.
We shall join the hands of our descendants after their birth. Though it'd be a bit embarrassing if their age difference was too large or if they were of the same gender, so let's give them a longer deadline.
But they were both drunk and just coughed up whatever came to their minds, so the contract ended up looking like a joke. Although, the actual problem was the fact that the paper they used for the contract was no regular paper.
The contract must be fulfilled no matter what. Otherwise, the side-effects will not be pretty.
In the novel, this damned contract made Maevia Morgana's life a living hell.
Her husband was awful beyond words.
I put down the contract and smiled at the wretched bastard sitting across from me.
"Excellent. Marriage sounds good."
"Wise choice. Then let's have a wedding ceremony that isn't too ceremonious. Following that, I'll need you to go down to the Fief and behave like the lady of the house until I call for you. Naturally, there won't be any time to spend in leisure whilst dousing yourself in luxuries", Gilbert Kallakis warned me in an arrogant tone.
Clearly, he was just brushing me off without a care in the world.
Ah, really. I'm at a loss for words.
Even whilst I was reading the novel, I felt like the story was pulling at my leg. Then again, it's even more ridiculous when I'm actually experiencing the situation myself.
I retained a pleasant expression.
"Who said I was going to marry you?"
".....Pardon?"
"I'm not marrying you, but your father instead."
Yup, I wasn't referring to him using his title on purpose. I'd like to just be able to refer to him as 'you'. But it seemed like Gilbert didn't have time to care about things like titles.
"What did you just.... It seems like I've misheard. Can you please repeat what you just said?"
I held back the desire to let a smirk show on my face.
Do you need me to clean out your earwax for you? Well, the notary must've heard what I said anyways.
"Your father is a single man. You're just holding onto a worthless stone block, knowing that it was a gold bar all along, so obviously there's still the possibility of your father being valid for the contract."
"There's no way those absurd words of yours are referring to me."
"Oh my gosh, did it sound like I was referring to you?"
I feigned innocence but didn't exactly deny it.
Gilbert's face turned red.
"I'm not aware of a mistake I've made that warrants this kind of embarrassment from you. I'm not asking for much. All you have to do is fulfil the contract requirements and remain a faithful spouse."
"Of course I'll do that, but not with you. I'll be marrying your father instead."
"....I don't have time to play around with you, lady", Gilbert sighed.
"Just tell me what you want. Jewelry? Dresses? How greedy must you be to not be satisfied with the title of Grand Duchess?"
Hey, don't be such a little bitch. You think you're the only one with money? The only noble to ever live?
He wasn't even the real son of the Grand Duke. He was adopted, just like his brother.
"If you wanted to marry me so badly, you should've just written your name on the contract. Does writing on a piece of paper hurt your little wittle pride? Or is it that you're physically incapable of doing that?"
"Lady", Gilbert nagged me.
I smiled sweetly.
"Yes, I may be the only daughter of the Morgana family, but shouldn't you consider Grand Duke Kallakis' family too? He has two sons, and both he and his other son are single. Unlike you, I have three options to choose from."
It seemed like he'd only understand the situation if I explained it to him in detail.
His expression told me he thought I was spouting bullshit.
"However, my father has a hard time getting out of his room. My brother is still much too young...."
"Oh my, you're not leaving yet? I thought our conversation was over already."
I glanced over at the notary, cutting off his rambling with knife-like precision. The notary silently took care of the contract.
I nodded at Gilbert, telling him to get out.
"Please send my regards to his excellency the Grand Duke."
I don't have to see you off myself, do I?
I wouldn't go that far.
Gilbert eventually left with the notary, leaving behind a teacup in front of his empty seat. Uu, I didn't know whether or not he was going to throw it at me when I rejected him. I ordered the maid to throw out the teacup. Then, Monica Elaine approached me.
"How was it?"
She asked for the result of the affair. I thought she'd wait until the end of the conversation but it looked like she hadn't left yet.
"Time well spent."
"It can't be that you have a crush on the young master, right? Make up your mind. The Elaine family has always sided with the Morgana family, but we will not close our eyes towards this situation this time."
It felt strange to hear this from Monica.
In the novel, she had an affair with Gilbert.
"…..That young master, it's funny how he's trying to pretend to be someone who's been noble since birth just because he got adopted into a good family."
Oh well, that's what the novel said.
Monica Elaine attempted to get in between the relationship of Gilbert Kallakis and Maevia every chance she got in the novel.
A very popular subject was his 'dirty birth'. They say lust can disappear very easily when you've got a pair of mismatched eyebrows.
So Monica always said the same thing.
-You think so, too, Maevia?
So that's why, when the flustered Maevia nodded her head on impulse, Monica snitched to Gilbert as if she'd been waiting for that very moment.
-Maevia keeps cursing you behind your back… I simply don't know what to do.
Monica fabricated rumours that Maevia had been talking behind his back. When Monica said that she wished Maevia happiness, Gilbert felt that she was far too pitiful to bear.
He was furious and asked Maevia if it was true.
Under such pressure, Maevia wasn't able to explain herself. Gilbert started to hate her and didn't even try to hide it.
Monica put on a pitiful expression whilst fiddling with her scarlet hair.
"No matter how much I think of it, this is too much for My Lady. Imagine having to spend the rest of your life in the barren northern territory where there's nothing to do...."
I smiled brightly.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't fight a losing battle."
"Ah! As expected, you must be looking forward to getting a divorce right after? Well, if it's the Morgana family, they'll somehow work it out. But once you get married, wouldn't your decision end up becoming messy?"
Monica kept talking without hearing my answer.
"Anyways, young master Gilbert is a good-looking man. It's not everyday you see such a fine man in the capital."
"The capital is already cramped."
"Pardon? The capital... is cramped?"
She opened her eyes wide, looking as if she'd heard something unbelievable.
You should leave now too. How annoying.
I rang the bell rope and called the maid over.
"Monica, I will be very happy and well there, living in the cozy north with a husband that'll look only at me."
But Gilbert won't give up so easily.
As expected, a few days later Gilbert requested to meet up with me. I refused him and said that I had a cold. After that, he sent me a bouquet of flowers with a letter.
My maid Sarah, the one closest to me, told me,
"Miss, I don't think this is right. Isn't it basic knowledge to know what it signifies when one gives a bouquet to another?"
It was only natural for Sarah to be dumbfounded.
In the end, she went wild.
"How dare he send you chrysanthemums?! Isn't this just declaring war on the miss?"
Feeling her blood pressure go up, Sarah grabbed the back of her neck. However, this was only the beginning of the tricks Gilbert was going to pull.
My maid is precious so I'll send her to go get a medical examination. And I'll give her a raise.
"I don't think it's like that. I believe he just picked them because their shade of white looks virtuous. Anyhow, flowers are like humans to me."
Even if I was to explain it to her, she wouldn't understand what I meant.
"Does the Grand Duke's household not teach manners or common sense?"
"I don't think the head of the house forced him to learn since he isn't going to be the successor."
Technically, Gilbert Kallakis was a failure. The main character of the novel wasn't actually Gilbert, but his younger brother Rehan Kallakis.
Gilbert was destined to be forever-second-best, a corrupted hero.
Unlike me, who remained calm, Sarah was out of control. Instead, she was near tears because she felt sorry for me.
"Urgh...…. I can't even put this in a vase."
All right, all right, I get you. I, too, nearly broke the screen when I read the novel. I remember flipping through so many pages just to see Gilbert get punished.
"Throw it away."
"C-Can I really?"
"I'd also like to throw that away."
I looked over to the letter and pointed at it. I hadn't even opened it yet, but I already knew its contents.
Gilbert was a prideful man.
He probably hasn't even told the Grand Duke about my preposition yet. He'd undoubtedly try to coax me into marrying him.
Sarah didn't even have to ask me twice; she threw the bouquet and letter out with a look of disgust on her face.