YSLM 02

Chapter 2

There was someone desperately waiting for Lea on the first floor’s reception room.

It was Raymond Flynn.

“Why is this girl taking so long to come down? Oscar will be here soon.”

As he waited while nervously shaking his leg, Lea finally came down the stairs.

But instead of the cream-colored dress she had ordered Paula to make her wear, Lea appeared in completely worn-out clothes.

The relief on Raymond’s face quickly changed into shock.

Unless something had happened to Lea’s mind, there was no way she had forgotten that she was supposed to receive Oscar Donnen’s marriage proposal today.

“Lea! What are you wearing?!”

After seeing her brother, Lea frowned.

“……Raymond.”

Raymond Flynn.

The eldest son of the Flynn family and Lea’s older brother by three years.

He had outstanding looks and an impressive physique, but only his appearance was normal.

Without a proper job or income, he lived by sucking the life out of his younger sister.

On top of that, his gambling debts had made their already difficult financial situation even worse.

He was nothing more than a useless piece of trash.

The reason Lea Flynn, who had once been a promising battle mage walking a bright future, had entered the workforce was because of him.

During the day, she worked as a researcher at the Mage Tower and received a tiny salary.

At night and on weekends, she accepted guild requests and worked two jobs.

Because of that, she had barely managed to prevent their mansion from being seized.

‘Hey, if you can’t pay back everything by next month, don’t blame us if both of you are dragged away as slaves.’

This time, the situation was truly serious.

The illegal private loan Raymond had secretly taken had grown into a mountain of debt.

By the time Lea discovered the situation, it was already impossible to fix.

When everything seemed hopeless, the hand that reached out to save them was the Donnen family.

“We would like Miss Lea Flynn to become the bride of our family’s heir, Oscar Donnen.”

What the Donnen family wanted was a bride with exceptional magical power.

In exchange, they offered to erase all of the Flynn family’s debts.

It was no different from a marriage contract for trade.

In this country, magical ability was an essential condition for entering the upper class.

Furthermore, magic was a power inherited through the mother’s bloodline.

And because Lea was a top graduate of the elite Mage Academy, she had received such proposals many times before.

Every time, she had rejected them without hesitation.

‘Back then, I was in a situation where I had no choice but to grab onto even a rotten rope.’

She never imagined that it would actually be a rotten rope.

Lea glared at Raymond while grinding her teeth.

“Lea, are you out of your mind right now? Sir Oscar is coming! Hurry upstairs and change your clothes—”

“You damn bastard!”

Lea’s fist struck Raymond directly in the stomach.

A painful groan escaped from his mouth.

“Cough!”

“You… what is this supposed to mean?”

“Do you know what kind of hell I went through because of you?”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“You’re the obstacle in my life! You’re nothing but a burden!”

As Lea raised her fist again, Raymond quickly backed away.

“H-hey, calm down. Calm down!”

“Miss Lea?”

Paula, who entered the reception room, widened her eyes.

Lea was breathing roughly while glaring furiously.

“Sir Oscar has arrived.”

The moment she announced his arrival, Oscar Donnen walked into the reception room.

A man with burning red hair, dark skin, sharp eyes beneath thick eyebrows, and a strong, masculine appearance with a sturdy build.

“Oh my, he looks even more handsome today.”

At Paula’s quiet comment, Lea smiled bitterly inside.

‘Well, anyone can tell he came here to propose.’

He wore a white shirt, a light gray vest, and a frock coat.

A golden watch chain hung outside his inner pocket.

He looked like the perfect gentleman.

And in his hand, he carried a bouquet of Adonis flowers, Lea’s birth flower.

Perhaps because she was already used to the flashy appearances of her brother and her childhood friend Kevin, Lea was not easily impressed by most men’s looks.

But Oscar’s gentle smile and sweet eyes had the power to completely disarm even her.

Besides, that impression was not completely false.

Sir Oscar Donnen truly had a warm personality, and treating others with respect was something naturally engraved into him.

‘But the reason why I have to reject this wonderful man’s proposal is because…….’

This seemingly perfect man had a fatal secret.

Oscar approached her with a bright smile despite her stiff expression.

“Miss Lea, it has been a long time.”

“Yes, it has been a long time.”

Lea took the bouquet awkwardly while calming her rough breathing.

Actually, she could not remember exactly what kind of relationship she and Oscar had at this time.

That was understandable.

It had been a whole year ago.

Oscar, who probably expected her to say something like, ‘What are you talking about? We saw each other just last night,’ looked slightly confused.

Raymond quickly took advantage of that moment and stepped forward.

“Haha, this child was so busy that she didn’t even have time to properly prepare herself.”

“Not at all. Until now, I have only seen Miss Lea dressed up beautifully. Seeing her like this is quite refreshing. It also reminded me once again that Miss Lea is beautiful even without dressing up.”

Oscar said those embarrassing words without the slightest hesitation.

‘Amazing.’

While Lea admired him inwardly, their greetings and small talk gradually came to an end.

When she casually raised her head, she saw Oscar kneeling down and reaching inside his jacket.

‘That is—’

Wasn’t that the posture of someone preparing to propose?

Lea hurriedly shouted.

“Wait!”

At her words, Oscar straightened his body before he could kneel completely.

With tension filling her eyes, Lea continued.

“I’m really sorry, but…… I cannot accept Sir Oscar’s proposal.”

The first person to understand what had happened was surprisingly Raymond.

Raymond quickly approached and grabbed Lea’s shoulder.

However, Lea glared at her brother with such a sharp expression that he immediately flinched.

Raymond removed his hand from her shoulder.

Then Oscar opened his mouth with a shocked expression.

“Miss Lea, what… what exactly do you mean? Did I perhaps do something that upset you? If there is something you dislike, please tell me honestly.”

“No, that’s not it. Sir Oscar, you are an excellent person. However……”

Perhaps noticing that Lea was acting differently from usual, Paula quietly looked at her as if asking what was going on.

Lea could not respond.

She could only let out a sigh.

‘Of course he would react like this.’

Today’s proposal was only a formal step.

Everyone around them must have expected the marriage arrangement to succeed without question.

And that expectation was not wrong.

Because the Lea from before had accepted Oscar’s proposal on this exact day.

‘But I know now that I cannot marry him. Because……’

Oscar Donnen.

The reason she had died such a meaningless death one year from now—

was all because of this perfect man.

The Lea before her regression had accepted Oscar Donnen’s proposal on this very day.

The heir of the Donnen family, which operated a massive merchant company, was the perfect husband candidate.

So perfect that she had wondered why someone like him had proposed to her.

Her one-year marriage life with him was not bad.

Even if it was not love, there was kindness and gratitude between them.

And Lea’s trust toward her husband gradually grew.

However, one day, while organizing his study, she discovered the ‘problematic item.’

‘What is this?’

Hidden deep inside Oscar’s drawer was a strange book known as a “secret pleasure for gentlemen.”

The moment Lea discovered the explicit and embarrassing illustrations filling the pages, her eyes widened.

‘Oscar had this kind of hobby……?’

The moment she thought that—

‘Did you see it?’

Oscar entered the room with a terrifying expression.

When Lea instinctively hid the book behind her back, his arm grabbed her.

‘I asked if you saw it!’

Perhaps this was a secret he wanted to take to his grave.

Oscar, who had accidentally been exposed, panicked and pushed her away.

Lea fell backward.

Unfortunately, her head struck the corner of the desk.

She died instantly.

After that, the world went dark.

Then, when she opened her eyes again—

she had returned to one year before she was killed by her husband.

Looking at Oscar’s devastated expression, Lea hardened her resolve.

If she wanted to reject his proposal, she had to deliberately make herself seem unacceptable.

“No, it’s not because of that.”

“If that is not the reason then—”

“I have many flaws that Sir Oscar does not know about.”

Lea counted them on her fingers.

“First, I have an enormous appetite. I am a woman who loses control whenever I see food.”

“From my perspective, that is a good thing. Whenever I see Miss Lea enjoying food, I naturally become happy as well.”

Lea did not give up and launched her next attack.

“My toes.”

That unexpected word made Oscar blink.

“Excuse me?”

“I constantly wiggle my toes without realizing it.”

Oscar’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Especially my fourth toe looks like the head of a cobra. Ah, you know what a cobra is, right? The snake often seen in deserts.”

Lea spread her right hand slightly and bent her wrist sharply, imitating a snake opening its mouth.

Oscar remained silent for a while before finally speaking.

“It is a little surprising.”

“A little? You must be very surprised.”

A gentle smile appeared on his lips.

“It makes me even more curious to see that fourth toe that supposedly looks like a cobra’s head with my own eyes.”

“Ah.”

The person who became embarrassed was not Oscar.

It was Lea.

‘Now I’m already out of things to say!’