ā Chapter 4 ā
The Marriage Proposal Sent by the Monster Prince
To Mrs. Calypse Patuang.
Date: July 11
Time: 2:00 PM
The contract will be carried out in person at the Crade Estate, No. 23.
The letter was simple and only contained what needed to be said.
Even if it was a contract marriage, it was still a marriage.
Yet it was simply written as a contract.
It felt a little too businesslike, but honestly, that made things easier.
Because my plan was to avoid getting involved with Macaron as much as possible during our one-year contract.
As I organized my affairs and sold off my property, the promised day slowly drew closer.
And the closer it came…
the more curious I became about Macaron.
The day I headed to the Prince’s estate…
The Romanti Empire lived up to its name with its beautiful weather.
After closing the window, I immediately began getting ready.
As the future lady of the Crade household, I would have to earn the trust of the servants if I wanted to properly manage the family.
A good first impression was important.
Not makeup that looked too strongā
just a sharp eyeliner that gave the image of a capable career woman.
Highlighter and contour to give my nose a proud, elegant shape.
Straight eyebrows to create a gentle and trustworthy impression.
Finally, after neatly tying up my hair…
my “Lady Makeup” was complete.
The woman in the mirror looked like the kind of elegant older sister you’d want to take home with you.
But after staring for a while, I wondered if I looked too strict.
What if Macaron found me intimidating?
So I let my hair down again.
Just by loosening my hair, I looked much softer and more graceful.
After dressing Coral in the ribbon dress I had recently bought for her, I smiled with satisfaction.
Together, we looked like a dependable older sister and her adorable little daughter.
When I braided Coral’s hair into twin braids just as she wanted…
a bright smile spread across her face.
“Don’t smile like that, my daughter. Mom might end up tearing the house apart.”
Maybe because it had been so long since our last outing,
Coral couldn’t stop bouncing with excitement until we climbed into the carriage.
When I told her we were going on a date today,
she was so excited that she barely slept,
just like an elementary school child before her very first picnic.
She likes this so much… I should’ve taken her out more often.
Lately, I had been too busy preparing everything and sorting out my affairs.
Realizing that made my heart ache.
The coachman joked that we must be going somewhere wonderful before setting off.
Since Coral usually walked everywhere,
her rabbit-like eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked outside the carriage.
“Mom, are we going somewhere far away?”
…
I should’ve told her beforehand.
The truth was…
I had spent days wondering how to explain it.
I can’t exactly tell her I’m going there to remarry…
From Coral’s perspective,
accepting my remarriage might not be easy.
She only just started opening her heart to me…
How will she react if I tell her I’m getting married again?
Since I didn’t even know what would happen,
bringing it up now felt too soon.
“We’re going into town to eat some delicious desserts.”
“But before that… there’s somewhere we need to stop first.”
I paused for a moment.
Coral smiled with crescent-shaped eyes and tightly held my hand.
“It’s okay. As long as you’re with me, Mom.”
I quietly held my chest and gently stroked her silver hair.
Somehow…
I managed to hold back my tears.
Then I smiled warmly.
“We’re going to the biggest mansion in the Crade Estate.”
“Who lives there?”
Your future husband.
Don’t worry, Coral.
Mom will properly educate your future husband.
A husband should be talented…
young, handsome, tall, and rich…
kind,
pure,
and gentle all the way to his heart.
Since Coral hadn’t slept well the night before,
she began nodding off as soon as the carriage started moving,
before I could even answer her question.
It was a perfect day…
for getting remarried.
My reflection in the carriage window looked beautiful.
Yet inside my heart,
emptiness and fear existed together.
Is it because I’m getting remarried so soon after my divorce?
Or…
was I simply nervous because I was finally about to meet Macaron?
When we arrived at No. 23,
a huge mansion stood before us.
The peaceful territory, located a little outside the capital,
had been granted to Macaron after his achievements during the Stace War.
Macaron was rather unusual.
Here,
he preferred people to call him not “Prince,”
but “Lord”
or “Grand Duke.”
His followers respected his wishes completely.
Of course,
this was also his way of announcing that he had no intention of taking part in the Imperial family’s political struggles.
The territory,
known as Macaron Estate,
had completely recovered from its ruined past.
At a glance,
I could see rich farmland managed with organized farming methods.
People busily worked according to their assigned roles.
Even the junior mages installing defensive and quarantine magic looked occupied.
Everyone was busy…
yet no one looked unhappy.
As we entered the garden,
the loud battle cries of knights training together echoed through the air.
Seeing servants independently carrying out their own duties was strangely impressive.
After walking for a while,
a young butler came to greet us.
Dark brown hair with the color of autumn leaves.
Deep double eyelids.
A slim figure.
The moment I saw him,
I knew who he was.
Momont.
Wearing a neat suit,
he had served Macaron faithfully for many years.
Although he looked like an ordinary butler,
he would later become one of Macaron’s greatest strategists.
He possessed an extraordinary mind.
A maid could’ve greeted me instead.
If he came himself… he must be here to observe me.
Although he tried not to show it,
I could feel him carefully studying me.
He probably already knew everything about me.
Naturally,
his first impression of me couldn’t have been very good.
Even so,
like the excellent butler he was,
he calmly guided Coral and me without showing it.
“This way, please.”
After walking farther inside,
another man appeared.
His huge body immediately caught my attention.
Aint…!
He would one day become one of the greatest heroes of House Crade.
After giving us a brief knight’s greeting,
he silently stepped aside with his usual expressionless face.
People later said Macaron had simply been lucky to gather such talented people around him.
But that wasn’t true.
Momont had been looked down upon because he was born out of wedlock.
Macaron was the one who recognized his talent.
His ability to judge people had allowed him to prepare for the future long before everyone else.
When we arrived outside Macaron’s study,
the two men prepared seats for us.
“His Highness is currently inspecting the territory.”
“He should arrive shortly.”
Tea was soon served.
An awkward silence filled the room.
Coral nervously looked around while fidgeting with her fingers.
Even while walking through the hallway,
she had stayed glued to my side because she felt uneasy in the unfamiliar place.
Seeing that worried me,
but I smiled anyway to reassure her.
I couldn’t leave Coral home alone,
so I had brought her with me.
But…
I need to meet Macaron alone…
What should I do with Coral?
Leaving her by herself made me uneasy.
“Would it be possible for one of you to look after Coral while I speak with His Highness?”
Momont and Aint both turned to look at me.
Then,
their eyes shifted toward Coral.
Coral hid behind my back,
only her eyes peeking out.
Seeing that,
my heart ached even more.
“Coral, would you stay with these gentlemen for just a little while?”
“Mom will be right back.”
I smiled as naturally as possible.
Coral lowered her head before quietly nodding.
“Promise.”
I held out my little finger.
Only after Coral hooked hers around mine did she finally relax.
At that moment,
Momont smiled at Coral.
“Would you like to eat something delicious with your big brother?”
“-Pfft!”
I almost burst out laughing when I heard him call himself “big brother.”
At the same time,
my eyes met Aint’s.
He also looked like he was trying not to laugh,
but immediately turned his head away.
After calming myself,
I looked back.
Coral was staring at me.
I nodded.
Only then did she gently take Momont’s hand.
As they walked down the hallway,
Coral kept turning around to look at me.
I silently mouthed,
“I’ll be back soon.”
Only then did she disappear around the corner.
Now,
only Aint and I remained.
Feeling awkward,
he wandered over to the window instead of sitting down.
The silence grew heavier and heavier.
It made me realize just how important Momont’s cheerful personality really was.
Fortunately,
before long,
the sound of horse hooves echoed outside.
“He’s here.”
Startled,
I quickly stood up.
The door opened.
“His Highness, Prince Macaron.”
A large shadow slowly approached.
Without a single careless movement,
Macaron walked toward us with graceful steps before taking his seat.
Tall.
A small, breathtakingly handsome face with perfect proportions.
A strong body that looked as if it had been carved from stone.
I swallowed unconsciously while admiring him.
When I finally came back to my senses,
his gaze was already fixed on me.
His ruby-red eyes felt as though they could see straight through me.
He was observing me.
But I couldn’t complain.
Because…
I was observing him just as closely.
My professional instincts had already begun analyzing every detail of his face.
How incredibly seductive he would look with gray eyeshadow…
A breeze from the window gently lifted his jet-black hair.
His ruby-colored eyes stared directly at me.
Only then did I snap back to reality.
I had completely lost track of time because of his face.
“Hello.”
“I’m Calypse Patuang.”
I held out my hand.
The corner of his lips lifted ever so slightly.
…Did I do something wrong?
As I wondered that,
he looked at my outstretched hand before calmly saying,
“You do know who I am, don’t you?”
…What?
Did this man forget what manners are?
Does he think everyone in the world automatically knows who he is?
I was genuinely confused.
There had never been anything in La Vie en Rose about Macaron being a narcissist.
Well…
if God had given him heavenly beauty in exchange for taking away his humility,
I could understand.
Hiding my confusion,
I slowly lowered my awkwardly outstretched hand.
Even then,
he simply watched me quietly.
“I’m a man cursed by a terrible curse.”
“I don’t think it would be good for you to come into physical contact with me.”
“…”
“If I’ve been rude, then I apologize.”
His calm expression now looked strangely pitiful.
Anyone meeting him for the first time would probably believe every word.
But…
I was simply dumbfounded.
He wasn’t even a monster.
Yet he was pretending to be one.
“Why is he going so far just to act like a monster?”
