Chapter 10
“What?! …C-Count?”
He glared at Hasan before speaking arrogantly.
“You’re not worthy of teaching my daughter. Forbidden magic? Do you think my daughter is someone like you?”
And, of course, it would probably be difficult for Hasan to find work anywhere else after this.
Count Florette had clearly protected me. He kept Mariposa and me completely separate and even dismissed Hasan.
It was completely different from my past life, where I never even had the chance to meet him and was looked down on as a worthless, stupid girl just for existing.
But…
[Giselle Florette ‘Steals’ Count Sehera’s Heirloom?]
[Although the exact nature of Count Sehera’s heirloom is unknown, it is certain to become a major controversy after falling into the hands of someone unqualified… (excerpt)]
[Interview with Hasan, the magic instructor unfairly dismissed from a certain noble house!]
[“She truly was an incredibly foolish young lady. Now I’ve completely lost my livelihood…” (excerpt)]
Completely furious, I gripped the daily newspaper titled Daisy Gossip and let out a sinister laugh.
“Wow. They really wrote it as if I were the one in the wrong.”
It must be that “protagonist buff” the author of Will You Regret It If I Die? mentioned.
No…
It was the “unfair plot armor” working exactly as intended.
Of course, since I was the heroine of a regret novel, I had expected a few frustrating obstacles.
If I thought that simply changing a few things inside the family would get rid of this unfair fate, I’d be seriously underestimating this novel.
After waiting a few more days, I confirmed that none of the false rumors about me had been corrected.
Looks like I need to twist this damned story even more.
Nothing works better than adding a brand-new keyword to the plot.
I needed to add a new keyword.
Contract Marriage with the Villain.
Besides, it’s a chance to earn a fortune and get some excellent potions.
Filled with grand ambitions, I arrived at the office of Duke Kalinos, head of the famous magical family.
I handed him a neatly organized stack of parchment I had prepared at home and declared,
“I’ll do it. I’ll marry you.”
Giselle Florette’s Report on Her Public Troublemaker Record
Tea Party Disturbance Incident
Heirloom Incident
Starting from the table of contents to the attached documents…
After carefully reading my report, the duke looked genuinely impressed.
“What is this…? You even organized everything so thoroughly.”
“Yes.”
“Newspaper clippings, personal profile, and everything arranged with a proper beginning, middle, and end.”
Well…
Yesterday, while I was organizing the report to show Duke Kalinos just how troublesome I could be…
I finished writing and put down my quill.
Suddenly, the heirloom necklace Father left me began to glow.
Then, in an instant…
It corrected and edited everything I had written on its own.
So this is the hidden function Count Florette mentioned!
The disguise artifact didn’t just change a person’s appearance.
It could also automatically rewrite documents, making them cleaner, more polished, and much more elegant.
Even better, rewriting text consumed far less mana than changing appearances.
The only problem was…
“I’ve never seen such a perfect document in my life. Were you once appointed as an administrator?”
…Apparently my father had been a little too good at magic.
I hurriedly answered,
“Um… no.”
“Then you must be the God of Language.”
What was with this man?
He suddenly became strangely respectful.
And he looked completely serious.
At this point, it was getting embarrassing.
“Well… maybe I am. It’s not easy to find someone this capable.”
Which reminded me.
“As the God of Language, I’d like to add two more conditions to our contract marriage.”
“What are they?”
People say a gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years.
But a regret novel heroine’s revenge should happen as quickly as possible.
“I want you to shut down Daisy Gossip using your authority.”
“…Why?”
Because they had annoyed me.
Daisy Gossip.
They had falsely accused me of stealing my biological father’s rightful heirloom and even published Hasan’s ridiculous interview.
You dared insult me? I’m not that forgiving.
But I gave him a perfectly reasonable explanation.
“From the perspective of the God of Language, the writing quality is simply too poor. It deserves to be shut down.”
He nodded as if my reasoning made perfect sense.
“Very well. What’s the second condition?”
He accepted suppressing the press without hesitation.
As expected of someone holding the highest noble title in a class-based society.
Smiling with the smile of a devoted capitalist, I asked gently,
“Could I receive an advance payment?”
One thing I had learned from years of part-time jobs was this:
Never trust society.
Always have a written contract.
And always get paid in advance.
That’s also why I spent so much time preparing documents and proving my worth before negotiating.
Apparently recognizing my ability, he nodded.
“I’ll have it paid immediately.”
How generous.
In my experience, employers like this usually turned out to be excellent bosses.
“Then let’s go over the contract details. First, how long is the contract?”
“One year.”
“I want my family to become so sick of marriage that they’ll never even mention it again.”
I quickly made a mental note.
“Understood. Causing trouble is my specialty. But I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“Please add a clause guaranteeing my safety.”
I was planning to be unbelievably annoying.
What if someone got so angry they tried to assassinate me?
“…I’m curious just how dangerous your behavior is going to be.”
“I’m going to create chaos worthy of every coin you’re paying me.”
I dramatically twitched my eyebrows as if showing off my professional troublemaking skills.
He gave a short nod of approval.
“Naturally. I’ll protect you, and we’ll draw up a proper contract.”
“Yes, Master… I mean, Employer. I’ll provide enough trouble and chaos to completely satisfy you.”
The contract was perfect.
Let’s see.
This is even better.
I’ll act like a complete menace in public while secretly working behind the scenes.
In front of everyone…
I’d earn five billion gold by terrorizing my in-laws.
Behind the scenes…
I’d secretly help the Kalinos family, using my disguise artifact if necessary, while making Mariposa and those two regretful male leads ruin themselves.
…And while I was at it, I’d secretly drink the Kalinos family’s potions and improve my magical abilities.
A hidden powerhouse disguised as an outrageous troublemaker…
This is going to be fun.
The farther this story moved away from being a regret novel…
The happier I’d be.
Then he continued saying things I liked even more.
“Anyway, even after becoming the Duchess, you won’t have any particular duties.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve already established a complete administrative system for the family. My late elder brother already left behind a son as the heir.”
“In other words, I have no need to marry or produce an heir.”
Perfect.
Still…
There was one thing bothering me.
“I have just one last question.”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s a personal question…”
“Why don’t you want to get married?”
Simply having a wife on paper wouldn’t inconvenience Duke Kalinos or his family very much.
So there had to be a reason he was willing to pay me five billion gold.
“Marriage is extremely inefficient.”
“…”
“I’d be forced to waste time every day.”
“I’d have to sleep with someone I don’t want.”
“I’d even have to produce heirs like a breeding stallion.”
“And a marriage without love goes against a researcher’s ethics.”
…What was this scientist mindset?
Where had “research ethics” suddenly come from?
It feels like he’s hiding something.
Well… it doesn’t really matter.
The gamble was still worth taking.
“Understood, Your Grace. Let’s proceed.”
I smiled with my signature professional troublemaker smile.
“Before that, there’s something you should know.”
“A marriage requires both the approval of my blood relatives and the Elder Council.”
“Hmm…”
“You don’t need to worry about my relatives. Their approval isn’t necessary.”
Normally, a duke’s marriage required approval from the family’s Elder Council, blood relatives, and even the Emperor.
But the Kalinos family ruled territory bordering the Land of Monsters.
Because successive dukes often died young fighting monsters, their marriage procedures had been simplified.
Only the duke and the Elder Council needed to agree.
“However, the Elder Council may become a problem.”
“There are ten members.”
“Five always support me.”
“So you still need one more vote for a majority?”
“Exactly.”
He handed me a list.
“These are the five members opposing the marriage.”
Wait… he already prepared a list?
Impressed by his thoroughness, I looked over the names.
Then my eyes widened.
Chairman of the Elder Council — Hennessy Kalinos
If I’m going to win someone over… I might as well start with the most powerful one—the chairman himself.
