TFLMLD 05

◊ Chapter 5 ◊

I Remarry the Male Lead’s Father

I already knew he was an incredibly calculating man.

But I never imagined he would even use his schemes on his contract wife…

Just then, the curtain fluttered in the breeze.

Sunlight poured onto his handsome face, the kind that looked even more attractive in the shadows.

Because of the bright light, I couldn’t clearly see his face.

Only his voice echoed through the room.

“I’ve already prepared the contract. Please read it.”

His voice was calm and emotionless.

But it didn’t bother me at all.

This was exactly the kind of relationship I wanted.

As I read through the contract,

I finally understood why he had put on that ridiculous act earlier.

1. Mrs. Calypse will stay in the east annex, while Macaron will stay in the west annex.

2. Except during official events, neither party will interfere in the other’s private life.

3. There will be no marital relationship.

In short…

we weren’t even supposed to touch each other.

Isn’t this a divorce agreement instead of a marriage contract?

The last clause was even more unbelievable.

4. The contract will last for one year. After it ends, both parties will divorce peacefully.

He really knows how to build walls around himself.

He’s already rejecting his wife before they’re even married.

Any other woman would probably have left after reading such cold terms.

But I had no complaints.

In fact…

I especially liked that our living spaces were completely separate.

As I reached the end of the contract,

I noticed the section about my living allowance.

I had secretly been looking forward to that.

But the amount was far greater than I expected.

A smile slowly spread across my face.

As expected of a Prince.

Even the way he spends money is on another level.

Then my eyes widened at the final compensation clause.

“After one year, you will receive 100 million Derks as alimony, along with Lloyd Island.”

Now this man knows what he’s doing.

Money…

and real estate.

It really was a reward worthy of House Crade.

With this much,

I could easily open an entire makeup shop after the divorce.

Just imagining that golden future filled me with excitement.

It was a little ridiculous…

thinking about divorce before the marriage had even begun.

But honestly…

I considered that the true beginning of my second life.

After making sure my favorite character had a happy future,

I could finally enjoy a peaceful life of my own.

What could be better than that?

I’d open a small makeup shop,

live comfortably,

and enjoy all the simple happiness I wanted.

To be honest,

I was confident I could make it a huge success.

I already had plenty of new ideas waiting to be developed.

Coral would stay here and end up with Kai.

I’d leave with my divorce settlement.

A perfect happy ending.

Everything was going according to plan.

“So…”

“I just need to sign here, right?”

…Did I answer too quickly?

One of Macaron’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Maybe a fly had landed on it.

But it was still the biggest expression change I’d seen since arriving.

He looked at me suspiciously.

“I find it hard to believe.”

“You’ve probably heard the rumors about me…”

His red eyes glowed softly as he lazily rested his chin on one hand.

“To be honest… I never thought anyone would actually agree to marry me.”

Just resting his chin like that made him look like he belonged in a magazine photoshoot.

But I ignored it completely.

I’m not about to ruin my bright future.

Thankfully,

after living two lives,

it was easy to keep a perfectly expressionless face.

As I reminded myself to keep everything clean and professional,

he continued speaking in the same calm tone.

“If you don’t mind me asking…”

“Why did you decide to marry me?”

What?

First he searched for someone to marry,

and now he was asking why I accepted?

That never happened in the original story.

Macaron had been completely indifferent toward Calypse.

Still,

it wasn’t a difficult question.

“It’s because of my child.”

“I want her to grow up in a better environment.”

That sounded convincing enough.

And it was the truth.

Yet Macaron tilted his head,

as if my answer had completely surprised him.

He already knows Coral is my stepdaughter.

He must have received a full report about Calypse.

Maybe that wasn’t the answer he expected.

A moment later,

I added something that suited the image of a selfish villainess.

“To be honest… I’m also interested in the divorce settlement.”

Macaron finally relaxed.

He nodded as if everything now made sense.

“I was worried you might have feelings for me.”

“I’m relieved.”

“…?”

Was Macaron always this full of himself?

Perhaps he noticed my expression,

because he calmly added,

“I’m joking.”

You call that a joke?

He looked even more serious before continuing.

“I’ve never met a woman who wasn’t captivated by my face.”

…Well,

that was probably true.

Who wouldn’t fall for a face like his?

Still,

he was the first person I’d ever heard say something like that so openly.

Maybe he noticed my surprise.

A faint smile appeared on his handsome face.

Then he held out the pen,

telling me to sign.

“Before I sign…”

“I have one request.”

As if he had expected this,

he quietly set the pen back down.

“Go ahead.”

Macaron clearly knew how handsome he was.

Only someone like him could strike poses like a professional model without feeling embarrassed.

Any other woman probably would’ve fainted by now.

But he wasn’t my man.

Admiring him wouldn’t do me any good.

My mind was already focused on the future.

“I’d like you to give me full authority as the lady of the house.”

First,

I had to properly plan the one year I’d be living here.

During that time,

I would rebuild House Crade…

so I could leave it to Coral.

I wanted Coral to keep walking a road filled with flowers,

even after I was gone.

Macaron raised one eyebrow.

He looked genuinely surprised.

“Why?”

“It won’t be an enjoyable job.”

“There will be many responsibilities.”

From his perspective,

my request probably sounded ridiculous.

A contract wife asking for that much authority…

He might even think I was shameless.

Even so,

he had little choice.

After all,

I was the only woman willing to marry him.

“I understand that.”

“But once I enter this house, I’ll be its lady.”

“If that isn’t made clear, the servants will only become confused, and conflicts will eventually appear.”

He quietly watched me,

waiting for me to continue.

“There will be children’s education…”

“Managing House Crade’s public affairs…”

“And many other responsibilities.”

“But isn’t that only natural?”

“…”

“Even if it’s only for one year… I’ll still be the lady of this house.”

From beginning to end,

Macaron remained completely expressionless.

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Finally,

I played my last card.

“If you can’t agree to this condition… then I’m afraid I can’t marry Your Highness.”

I smiled confidently.

To my surprise,

Macaron suddenly laughed.

It was the biggest smile I’d seen from him all day.

Did I say something that funny?

I didn’t think so…

Once he stopped laughing,

he nodded.

“Very well.”

“I’ll instruct the butler.”

He added my condition to the contract,

then handed me the pen again.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Only then did it finally feel real.

It hadn’t even been that long since I signed my divorce papers…

Yet here I was,

getting married again.

And…

this marriage would probably end in divorce too.

It left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

But I didn’t mind.

As long as Coral could live a happy life,

this was nothing.

Then I suddenly realized something.

He still hadn’t introduced me to his son.

“Where is your son?”

To be honest,

I had been looking forward to meeting the original male lead,

Kai.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

It looked like Macaron had inspected the territory alone.

“Today is only for signing the contract.”

“I’ll introduce him properly next time.”

It was probably the same reason I hadn’t told Coral everything yet.

Macaron loved his son just as much—

perhaps even more than I loved Coral.

You would think someone called the Monster Prince

would raise his son with harsh discipline.

But he didn’t.

For now,

his parenting seemed perfectly fine.

However…

that kindness would become poison for Kai in the future.

After all,

Kai was destined to become Emperor.

Growing up like a flower in a greenhouse

left him unprepared for the throne.

Many hardships awaited him.

And Coral…

would walk that difficult path beside him.

From now on,

I had two important goals.

To make sure Coral could inherit this territory one day and live comfortably as its Duchess.

And…

to properly educate Kai,

who still had no idea he would become Emperor.

Also…

The male lead and the female lead…

were both about to become my children.

Life really was full of surprises.

Meanwhile…

Kai stared at the scene before him with wide eyes.

That person is going to be my new mom…?

Even after hearing Aint and Momont talking about it all morning,

he still couldn’t quite believe it.

I’m finally getting a mom too…!

At the Academy,

he had been so distracted by that thought

that the professor had called his name several times.

Actually,

a year ago,

on his birthday,

Kai had begged his father to find him a mother.

The first time Kai learned what a “mother” was…

was at the Imperial Academy.

He only knew that it was someone like a female version of his father.

At first,

he didn’t think he needed one.

Dad always gives me more than enough love.

He’s the best father anyone could ask for.

But the other children kept hurting him.

“Do you really not have a mom?”

“Did you eat your mom?”

“Motherless brat.”

Every time someone bullied Kai,

they ended up suffering mysterious accidents.

His father was the Empire’s greatest pharmacist,

so Kai naturally had many chances to learn about medicine.

His talent was extraordinary.

In only two years,

he passed the national examination—

something even most adults couldn’t do.

Everyone already considered him a future genius.

Kai always used his skills well.

One medicine made people cry endlessly.

Another made someone fart while using voice-amplifying magic.

The worst bully…

received a drug that made him hear voices.

The voice kept repeating,

“You’re an idiot.”

Those were the exact words the boy had once said to Kai.

Then another voice whispered,

“Someone like you thinks Coral would like you?”

Again…

those were the same words Kai had once heard.

But the words Kai hated the most were these—

“Why would Coral ever like a boy who doesn’t even have a mother?”

After that,

Kai had nightmares almost every night.

In his dreams,

Coral pushed him away while glaring at him.

“Did your mom run away because of you?”

Even though he knew Coral would never say something like that…

the nightmare kept returning.

Coral was the brightest star at the Academy.

Not only in Kai’s eyes.

Many other boys liked her too.

Fortunately,

everything changed soon after.

Rumors spread that Kai’s father was Prince Macaron.

The bullying decreased.

The other children stayed away from him.

They were even afraid to speak to him.

Why is everyone acting like this?

Kai still couldn’t understand.

My dad isn’t scary at all…

Whatever their parents had told them,

the children started treating Kai as someone dangerous.

From that day on,

Kai became lonely.

The only one who stayed beside him…

was Coral.

Yes…

Coral was truly beautiful.

Far more beautiful than words could describe.

Kai didn’t understand it,

but every adult always said the same thing.

That it was a pity he didn’t have a mother.

That was also why…

he had never gathered the courage to confess his feelings to Coral.

“Once I have a mom too… I’ll be unbeatable.”

This time,

Kai had decided.

He would definitely confess to Coral.

And from the small gap in the doorway,

he could already see his new mother.

She looked like someone whose embrace would be warm and comforting.

Even the hallway carried her gentle fragrance.

To Kai,

his new mother was simply…

a beautiful person.

Just then,

his father’s deep voice echoed from inside the room.

“I heard you have a daughter around Kai’s age.”

A daughter?

The same age as me?

“Yes.”

“She turned seven this year.”

Seven?

That means she’s my little sister!

She must be adorable.

A mother…

and now a younger sister too.

Kai couldn’t stop smiling.

Then—

“Her name is Coral.”