HDTRML I Chapter 02

Chapter 02

Rena Palles was the daughter of a poor noble family. At twenty-one, she was already an orphan—both her parents dead, leaving behind nothing but heavy debts.

Her mother, desperate to pay off her late husband’s debts, had borrowed money from Marquis Houre, an older man who had been eyeing Rena for years. The contract was cruel: if the money wasn’t repaid within three months, Rena would be sent to him as his second wife.

But within a month, her mother also died.

So when Rena, still grieving, visited the temple before her forced marriage, she happened to meet Duke Keith Ricardis.

“Instead of being sold to the Marquis, how about being sold to me?”

Keith Ricardis—the head of the Empire’s most powerful noble family, a man of royal blood—proposed marriage to the penniless orphan from a minor baron’s family.

Why such a ridiculous proposal?

Because that bastard had a… problem.

There are two kinds of sexual dysfunction: qualitative and quantitative. Keith’s problem was quantitative. And even within that, there are two kinds: excess and deficiency.

His condition was deficiency. In other words—he was impotent.

To put it bluntly: a eunuch in practice.

What kind of cursed luck was this? I died without ever having a boyfriend, only to wake up in the body of a woman married to a man who couldn’t even function.

When I realized I had become Rena Palles, my heart sank like a stone.

But honestly, the problem wasn’t the lack of intimacy. The real issue was that the Duke needed a shield—a wife to cover up his condition. And I was chosen for that role.

Rena Palles fit perfectly:

Still a noble by birth, despite the debts.

An orphan with no family support.

Beautiful enough to present as a Duchess.

Desperate enough to obey without question.

To him, she was nothing but a convenient, insignificant woman.

“I do not love any woman. I only need someone to sit in the Duchess’s seat. If you cannot live as a puppet wife for life, walk away now.”

That’s what this arrogant male lead said.

And what did Rena reply?

“I won’t give up.”

Then she followed him straight to his mansion.

Well, of course she did. That day was the deadline to pay the debt. If she didn’t marry the Duke immediately, she would be dragged into the Marquis’s house by tomorrow. She had no choice.

But for me… thinking about living through the events of the novel myself made my vision go dark.

They say the appeal of a “regret male lead” is watching him suffer later. But I never lasted that long. I dropped the book right when his perspective was about to appear.

Why?

Because I like kind and loyal male leads—the sweet ones, the puppy-like ones. By then, I already hated him so much I didn’t care about his regrets.

And honestly, the heroine didn’t help either.

“This is the marriage contract. As I said, I am paying your debt in exchange for your cooperation. If you cannot honor it, walk away now. Read it carefully before signing—I despise vague people.”

That’s what the Duke said.

And she answered, without even reading it:

“Whatever the terms are, I’ll accept them. I’m just grateful you’re marrying me.”

Then she signed.

After that, she worked tirelessly to meet every one of his expectations. So much that it hurt to watch.

In truth, part of why the Duke was seen as such trash was because readers—myself included—became too emotionally invested in the heroine’s unrequited love. His cold rationality looked even crueler in contrast.

And to make it worse… this was a “pregnancy escape” story.

Three years later, despite his supposed impotence, Rena became pregnant. Exhausted from her one-sided love, she ran away while carrying his child. It was heartbreaking to read.

How could she get pregnant if he was impotent? That’s explained later in the hidden backstory. But that’s not important right now.

Back to me—

“No… I don’t want this,” I whispered helplessly, staring at the fresh ink drying on the marriage contract.

I couldn’t just accept it this easily.

“What did you say?” the Duke asked.

“Is it possible to revise the terms of the contract?”

The truth was, I had no other choice but to marry him. Otherwise, I’d be sent to the Marquis tomorrow.

For a moment, I even thought about bargaining: offering him a way to fix his impotence in exchange for paying off my debts. After all, I knew his secret weakness.

But in the novel, not even the lawyer who drafted this contract knew about his condition. Even the original Rena hadn’t known. If I suddenly revealed it, the Duke would never trust me. And I didn’t have the time to slowly persuade him.

Today was the deadline.

If he got suspicious, he might cancel the marriage altogether. I couldn’t risk that.

So for now, the best option was to marry him, clear the debt, and divorce later. Still, I thought maybe I could adjust the contract just a little…

“…Didn’t I just tell you to read carefully before signing?” His cold voice grew even colder.

Excuse me—I only woke up after the signature!

“I just signed it a moment ago, so I thought maybe it was still possible.”

“…”

The Duke glanced at his lawyer, silently passing the responsibility to him.

“If you had asked before signing, perhaps. But once it’s signed, the terms cannot be changed. If you wish to cancel, it will be treated as a simple change of heart, and you will owe five billion talans in compensation.”

The lawyer explained in a flat voice.

“W-what?”

Five billion?

Talans were about equal in value to Korean won. That meant 5 billion won—for a single signature.

“And if you cancel the marriage, the 200 million talans that were promised to repay Marquis Houre will also be withdrawn. That payment only applies if the marriage lasts at least six months. If canceled earlier, the debt remains yours.”

Six months minimum? I hadn’t known that. The original Rena hadn’t read the contract at all, so of course she never considered divorce that soon.

If only I had transmigrated before the signing, I could have negotiated. But now, that option was gone.

This wasn’t the time to complain about the “regret male lead.” I had to accept the most realistic choice.

“If you still wish to cancel, then regarding the compensation—” the lawyer continued.

“I—” I opened my mouth to say I wouldn’t cancel.

“Dawson, wait.”

The Duke’s voice cut me off.

“Yes, my lord,” Dawson, the lawyer, replied immediately, turning to him.

The Duke looked directly at me.
“Lady Palles.”

“Yes, Duke?”

“If you wish to cancel, then let’s cancel. The marriage has not yet been publicly announced, and the contract was only just signed. Such fickleness, I can tolerate. After all, someone who demands revisions the moment the ink dries is hardly a fit partner for me.”

“What?”

No—this wasn’t it! I was about to say I’d accept the contract exactly as it was!