HDTRML I Chapter 03

Chapter 03

“Do you not understand?”
“No, I just…”

“It means you won’t have to pay the 5 billion talans penalty. It would be unfair to demand such an amount just because you were reckless and fickle. You don’t even have the 200 million talans to pay off the Marquis, so how could you possibly have 5 billion?”

What the—? Did he just beat me over the head with facts?

So basically, he was saying I was both poor and reckless and fickle!

I already resented being thrown into this situation, and now he was insulting me too. I felt humiliated. And the worst part was, I couldn’t even argue back.

“Of course, since the marriage contract is canceled, I won’t be paying off Marquis Houre’s debt for you. You’ll have no choice but to be sold to him. But that was your choice, after all.”

What a bastard.

“I was only asking if there was any way to revise the terms of the contract.”

“Hm. Are you lacking comprehension as well? The deal was simple: I’d pay your debt in exchange for you accepting this contract. Didn’t I say it myself? Better to be sold to me than to the Marquis. And you accepted. No one forced you.”

“…”

What kind of man was this? Put water in his mouth and it would probably freeze.

“If you cannot accept it, then by all means, be sold to the Marquis as originally planned.”

You son of a—! Did you really have to put it that way?

But I bit my lip and stayed silent. If this contract really fell apart, I would be sent to the Marquis. I couldn’t risk speaking out of anger.

“And even if the contract is canceled, the confidentiality clause remains in effect. If you ever reveal the existence of this contract, you’ll owe a penalty of 5 billion talans.”

“Five… billion?”

Why was every number in this damned contract so outrageous?

“The penalty won’t apply as long as you keep the clause. I trust you’ll be careful.”

“Yes… I understand.”

Ugh. That was all I could say, even as I felt cornered.

“If that’s the case, our business here is done. To avoid any breach of confidentiality, you should leave the contract here. If you take it out and talk about it, you’ll only make trouble for yourself.”

“…Yes.”

I answered stiffly. Across from me, the Duke stood as if the conversation were finished.

“Wait, just a moment—”

“Dawson, stop the payment intended for the Marquis.”
“Yes, my lord.”

My attempt to stop him was drowned out once again by his curt orders.

“Lady Palles, I’ll have the butler escort you home. Farewell.”

“…”

No. This wasn’t right. I hated the Marquis even more than this Duke!

“Shall we leave, then?” Dawson, the lawyer, asked, holding the contract I should have been holding.

If I hesitated any longer, I really would end up in a sixty-year-old man’s bedroom. I clenched my fists and forced myself to act.

“Sir Dawson… what if I don’t cancel? The contract is still valid since I already signed, isn’t it?”

“…What?” He frowned, and even the Duke, who had already walked back to his desk, lifted his head to look at me.

Mortified, I pressed on. Better to be embarrassed now than ruined later.

“I—I lost sight of my situation and got weak for a moment. I’m sorry. I’ll keep the marriage. I won’t be fickle anymore. Forgive me, Duke.”

Without realizing it, I’d turned my gaze from the lawyer back to the Duke as I spoke.

I’d always been the weaker party, but now I must have lost even more of his trust. Still, all I could do was humble myself further.

“…Lady Palles.”

“Yes, Duke?”

“That’s not possible.”

“W-what? Why not?”

Not possible?

“In less than thirty minutes, you’ve changed your mind twice. Even in a contractual marriage, the Duchess of Ricardis must be steady. A Duchess as reckless as you is unacceptable. This contract is already void.”

Damn it. He was like a block of ice—stab him with a needle, he wouldn’t even bleed.

“Duke, please reconsider. I never said I wanted to cancel. I only asked if revisions were possible.”

I paused, carefully watching his reaction. At least he didn’t cut me off, so I continued.

“But you immediately jumped to canceling the contract. I only wanted to ask a question, not annul our deal. And yet, you’re accusing me of canceling something I never actually said I would. Now you claim I’m trying to reverse that cancellation too?”

“…”

He kept staring at me silently. Maybe my logic was getting through?

“Besides, as you said, it’s either you or the Marquis. If I really wanted the Marquis, would I have come here to you at all?”

The Duke, as I knew from the novel, was the very definition of a rigid and logical. So logic was the only way to persuade him.

“But from my side, suddenly marrying someone is confusing. Wouldn’t it be strange if I wasn’t shaken at all? Maybe you’d prefer a doll-like wife who only says ‘yes, yes,’ but I’m still human. I get scared, nervous, and worried. That’s why I asked. I didn’t even properly read the contract. I was just frightened.”

I explained as calmly as I could. Logic for the logical. No emotional whining. Please let this work…

“…This will be the last time I show leniency toward your fickleness. If you change your mind again without cause, I will demand the full penalty.”

Phew. It worked!

He wasn’t kind, but at least he agreed to keep the contract this time. My shoulders sagged in relief.

So he wasn’t completely unreasonable. He could be swayed—if I put my whole heart into it.

But relief came with despair too. I had tried to negotiate, and now I had fallen even further—beneath “the weak party” into “the pitiful one.”

“Of course, Duke! I won’t be fickle again.”

At least not for six months.

“Very well. Since we have both signed, the marriage is valid as of now. Dawson will escort you out, and the butler will show you to your room.”

“Yes.”

I replied meekly.

I couldn’t control the bad timing of my transmigration. The only option was to accept reality and make the best use of it.

The past was gone. I had to focus on what came next.

So when the butler showed me to my room, I didn’t even glance around. I immediately pulled out the contract and began to study it.

“My god… this entire thing is just about money.”

Every tiny matter had a financial penalty attached.

And then—

“…What the hell is this?”

My face twisted as my eyes landed on a particularly absurd clause.