Chapter 1: Prologue

“Marry me.”

I stared blankly at the man standing in front of me.

His silver hair shone like silk, and beneath his neatly brushed bangs was a cool, smooth forehead. Below that were his striking red eyes.

Maybe it was because of the sunlight pouring into the garden.

Today, his unrealistically handsome face stood out even more than usual.

But this was not the time to be thinking about that.

…What did he just say?

“Pardon?”

At my confused reply, Cain narrowed his eyes.

His expression was usually emotionless, but today I couldn’t read what he was thinking.

“I don’t understand why you’re so surprised. Weren’t you the one who said you wanted a contract marriage?”

…Well, it was true that I had said that.

This was the world of a childcare novel.

To protect both my daughter, Melody, and myself, I needed to get married somehow.

But I never meant that I wanted to marry the Duke!

“W-Wait a moment, Your Grace. It’s true that I need a contract marriage, but this is…!”

Cain was the head of House Ashelrn, a ducal family whose wealth and power rivaled even the imperial family.

As expected of the father in a childcare novel, he possessed beauty that hardly seemed human.

People said he had a flawed personality because dragon blood flowed through his veins…

Even so, he was still the most desirable bachelor in the Empire.

As for me?

In high society, I was nothing more than an unmarried mother who had been abandoned by a man and was raising a child alone.

Of course, I was only pretending because of certain circumstances.

But to everyone else, that was exactly how I looked.

If I enter a contract marriage, we’ll eventually get divorced…

I was prepared for that.

But I didn’t want to leave a stain on Cain’s life.

He had already helped me so much.

I couldn’t burden him any further.

Feeling guilty, I hurriedly said,

“There’s no need for Your Grace to sacrifice yourself…! This is my problem. I’ll find someone else somehow—”

At that moment, a complicated emotion flashed across Cain’s usually expressionless face.

Was he angry?

Or was he hurt?

Frowning slightly, he looked straight at me.

“I should be the one asking.”

“…”

“The person who promised to protect you and Melody is standing right in front of you. Yet you’re saying you’ll marry another man?”

No one ever said marriage was part of the contract.

The words reached my throat, but his sharp gaze stopped me from saying them.

Cain stepped closer.

“I don’t understand. Am I not good enough to be your contract husband? Or… do I not meet your standards?”

No.

Of course not.

Far from being lacking, he was far more than enough.

I quickly shook my head.

The corners of his lips relaxed ever so slightly.

“Then… have I failed to earn your trust?”

You’ve earned more than enough…

I was about to nod again before catching myself.

“That’s not it, but marriage is a completely different matter…!”

“I’ll treasure both you and your child. So, Viola.”

Without breaking eye contact, he gently took my hand and held it tightly.

“Marry me.”

His deep, gentle voice somehow made my throat go dry.

“You mean… a contract marriage, right?”

Instead of answering, Cain simply curled the corners of his lips into a meaningful smile.

How did things end up like this?

My thoughts drifted back to what had happened a few months earlier.

***

“Miss Viola, are you there?”

“Yes! Just a moment!”

Hearing someone call from outside, I hurried to open the pharmacy door.

Phew… Today’s been unbelievably busy.

Grinding medicine.

Making ointments.

Cleaning.

There was always plenty to do.

The village’s only pharmacy and clinic kept me constantly occupied.

Of course, I also had to buy herbs from the herb gatherers.

“You’re here early today. Thank you for always coming all the way here. It must be troublesome.”

“Haha. I just stop by because it’s on the way.”

James scratched the bridge of his nose shyly as he laughed.

As if.

It was an obvious lie.

He’s such a sincere person.

Not just James.

Most of the people in Hayron Village were like that.

Maybe that was why Melody and I had settled in so well.

Come to think of it, it’s already been a year since we moved here.

Honestly, I had worried about many things.

It was my first time living in the countryside.

And to everyone else, I was an unmarried mother.

To be honest, my biggest worry was whether I’d be able to raise a three-year-old child properly…

But instead of rejecting us as outsiders, the villagers had warmly welcomed us.

Thanks to them, I had even opened this little pharmacy and was living comfortably.

While I smiled to myself, James placed a bundle of herbs on the table.

“Will the herbs we talked about yesterday be enough?”

“Yes! That’s perfect.”

As I organized the herbs one by one, something suddenly came to mind.

“Oh, right! Do you happen to have any Sharpleaf Grass? I’m almost out.”

“I won’t be able to get any for a while…”

“What? Sharpleaf Grass? Why?”

“It seems some important noble has been buying huge amounts of it at a premium price. Even the herb gatherers from the neighboring village came and bought everything.”

My eyes widened.

“That’s really strange.”

Of all herbs…

Why that one?

It was gentle enough for children to use.

But it was also known for having only weak effects.

James simply shrugged as if it were nothing.

But something about it bothered me.

This feels suspicious.

Almost no one knew this, but I knew one hidden property of Sharpleaf Grass.

…Could it be?

For a moment, a certain noble family came to mind.

But I quickly shook my head.

No. What’s the point of thinking about it? I’m not a noble lady anymore.

I had long since been disowned by my family.

There was no reason for me to get involved with nobles again.

“More importantly, Miss Viola.”

“Yes?”

“Did you hear they’re holding a festival in the lower village?”

A festival.

The pleasant topic instantly pushed my worries away.

“Of course! I was actually thinking of taking Melody.”

“Ahem… Well… Would you perhaps like to go together with—”

“Mamaaa!”

Just then, Melody, who had been quietly waiting during the herb transaction, suddenly ran around us.

Sigh… She must be bored.

“Melody~ No running!”

“Uu…”

“Hey now. It’s dangerous to run inside the pharmacy. We’ll play outside later.”

“Uu…”

As soon as I spoke in a slightly stern voice, Melody drooped her shoulders sadly.

I couldn’t help smiling.

She always acted so grown-up, but she was still just a child.

As I hugged the pouting Melody, I suddenly remembered James had been saying something.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t hear you. Could you say it again?”

“Oh… Right!”

James had been frozen in place.

He quickly came back to his senses and tried again.

“I was wondering if the two of us could go to the festival—”

“Mama!”

Melody suddenly threw herself into my arms and rubbed her face against me.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Uu… Mama…”

Looking as if she were about to cry, she repeatedly pointed toward the kitchen.

“Are you already hungry?”

“Uu!”

I thought I had fed her a big lunch.

Children really did digest food quickly.

“I’m sorry, James. Melody keeps interrupting us today.”

“Well, I…”

“Mamaaa.”

Seeing him about to continue, Melody started whining again.

“What should I do? She’s unusually clingy today. Let’s finish this conversation another time! Thank you again!”

After quickly paying him, I watched James walk away with a disappointed expression.

His slow footsteps looked strangely lonely.

“Hehehe.”

“And what’s with that suspicious laugh?”

“Uu!”

Melody simply shrugged as if she had no idea what I meant.

Then she jumped down from my arms.

Following her into the kitchen, I began slicing the bread I had bought that morning.

“What kind of snack do you want? Bread with grape jam? Or cheese with flower-shaped slices of ham?”

I was actually quite good at decorating food.

It was a skill I had naturally learned because Melody looked so adorable eating like a little hamster.

“U!”

But the little girl who had just been saying she was hungry suddenly shook her head.

“Huh? Didn’t you just say you were hungry?”

“Uu.”

She patted her stomach as if it were completely full.

What’s gotten into her today?

She had been acting strangely ever since James arrived.

Just then…

“Ah.”

A sharp sting shot through my finger.

The knife had cut me.

Seriously… Today has been so strange.

I’m old enough to know better than to make careless mistakes like this.

“Mama?”

“I only cut it a little. It’s okay. Some medicine will fix it right away.”

I forced a smile while secretly watching Melody’s reaction.

Just as I expected.

She looked as though the world had collapsed.

Really, it was just a tiny cut.

Besides, my wounds had always healed quickly.

Ever since I was little, even serious injuries had never left scars.

But Melody clearly didn’t think it was fine.

With teary eyes, she tightly held my finger.

Then she gently blew on the wound.

Suddenly…

A brilliant golden light spread from Melody and wrapped around my hand.

In an instant, the wound completely disappeared.

I froze.

“Wh… What? Holy power?”

And not an ordinary amount.

Healing a wound instantly meant it was incredibly powerful.

But why did Melody have holy power?

I stared at her in shock.

Yet Melody herself looked even more frightened.

Her eyes were as wide as a rabbit’s.

Like someone whose biggest secret had just been exposed.

Then it happened.

Ugh!

A violent headache struck me.

At the same time, memories from my previous life flooded into my mind.

“Mama?”

Melody called to me.

But I couldn’t answer.

One overwhelming truth filled my mind.

Rule No. 1 of childcare novels: The heroine’s mother always dies early in the story.

This was the world of the childcare novel I had read in my previous life.

The main character…

…was Melody.

Which meant…

I was the heroine’s mother.

What?! Someone save me!