Chapter 9

“Mar… what did you say?”

For a moment, Belek stood there looking as if he’d been punched in the face.

Then, apparently deciding I had to be joking, he let out a dry laugh.

“You become more talented at provoking me every day. If that was supposed to be a joke, it wasn’t funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Deborah, don’t say such absurd things so carelessly. You’re declaring that you’ll abandon the duties expected of a noble lady. Have you lost your mind? Or are you seriously planning to enter a convent?”

“…”

The moment the word convent left his mouth—the ending I desperately wanted to avoid—my heart sank.

“Watch what you say. Stop bringing shame upon this family.”

Just then, his retainers approached from behind.

Still radiating murderous intent, Belek clicked his tongue and stepped back.

“We’ll continue this conversation later.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

I answered while clenching my trembling hands into fists.

“Whether you like it or not, there will be. And as your older brother, let me offer you one sincere piece of advice.”

“Give up on Pilaf Montes.”

“…”

“Louis Gazelle is a respectable match. His family is wealthy. One day, you’ll thank me.”

Putting on a fake smile, Belek lightly patted my shoulder.

“You’re past the age where you can have everything you want.”

Having said everything he wanted, he turned and walked away without another glance.

A convent…

Pressing a hand against my throbbing temple, I stood there blankly for quite some time.

After my argument with Belek, I remained in a state of panic.

Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined Belek Seymour himself would step in to arrange my engagement.

The authority and influence he wielded within the family couldn’t even be compared to that of an ordinary duke’s daughter like me.

This is bad.

Deborah was nineteen this year.

Once she completed her debutante this autumn, she’d be legally old enough to marry.

At this rate…

I’d end up marrying that perverted freak Louis Gazelle without any way out.

“I’m doomed.”

To think the novel had been hiding such a horrifying setting.

No wonder Deborah had been so obsessed with tormenting the heroine.

For someone as proud as Deborah, having Count Gazelle’s son constantly pushed on her would have been unbearable.

On top of that, the heir of House Montes—the man she’d admired for so long—had fallen head over heels for an unknown girl from a ruined family.

Every time Deborah saw Mia, she must have wanted to explode with jealousy.

“Argh!!”

I wanted to explode too.

After getting burned by a complete jerk like Kim Han-jun in my previous life, I didn’t even want to date anymore.

And now they expected me to marry a perverted jerk?

That was complete nonsense.

Things were going too smoothly. I should’ve known.

Feeling frustrated and wronged, I repeatedly punched my fluffy pillow as if it were a punching bag.

I’d foolishly assumed that as long as I didn’t bully the heroine anymore, I’d avoid the convent ending and simply continue living comfortably.

“Wait.”

Still lying face-down with my hair a complete mess, I suddenly sat bolt upright and called over the maid who had brought me tea.

“Yes, my lady.”

The maid quickly set down the tray and knelt, her face turning pale.

“What happens if a noble lady refuses the marriage her family arranges for her? I’m suddenly dying to know.”

As I grabbed at my hair, the maid grew even paler.

After all, crazy people were always scarier than bad people.

“I-I’m sorry, but… such a thing simply doesn’t happen…”

“Use your imagination.”

“If… if she refused to marry…”

What the maid said next plunged me into despair.

If a noblewoman refused marriage indefinitely, she would have no family name to inherit.

Naturally, her noble status would be stripped away.

She would be cast out of noble society…

…and sent to a convent.

This is driving me insane.

How is that any different from the original ending?

Was I always destined to end up in a convent?

Now I finally understood why Belek had reacted as though my declaration of lifelong singleness were utter madness.

It really was an impossible thing to say.

Feeling utterly dejected, I desperately grasped at straws.

“That’s strange. Why has no one ever refused marriage? Surely there are cases where a family tries to force someone to marry against her will.”

People were people.

There had to be exceptions.

“Surely there’s been at least one unusual case? I’m curious. And when I’m curious, I can’t sleep. If I can’t sleep, are you going to take responsibility?”

I pressed the issue with completely ridiculous logic.

If I kept digging, something had to come out.

Thanks to the original novel, I already knew how well-informed the maids were about noble society.

Servants in aristocratic households were practically the source of every rumor.

Gathering together during breaks to gossip about high society was one of their greatest pleasures.

“Keep thinking until you remember.”

I glared at her as though I had no intention of letting her leave without an answer.

Sweating profusely, the maid desperately searched her memory before blurting out,

“Ah! There was once a noble lady who fell in love with a commoner mercenary and eloped.”

“And then?”

“She received a noble title herself, so the problem was resolved. She was a Fifth-Class fire mage. I heard she and her husband, who commanded the mercenary company, achieved great military merit during the war by conquering foreign territory.”

“So… she earned a title through military achievements?”

“Yes.”

Ah… I see.

So if I wanted to live however I pleased, all I had to do was go to war and conquer land.

Yeah, right.

Easy to say.

I couldn’t even use mana, let alone cast Fifth-Class magic.

As I sank deeper into despair, a forgotten memory suddenly surfaced.

There had been one noble family Deborah looked down upon as lacking proper pedigree.

The reason?

Their previous head had simply purchased the title of a bankrupt noble house.

You don’t have to go to war.

Someone actually bought a title with money!

What if I bought my own title and established my own house?

Then I wouldn’t have to marry Louis Gazelle or anyone else.

If I became the head of my own family…

Who would dare tell me whom I had to marry?

“If I buy a title, I won’t be bound by those traditions anymore, right?”

The maid hesitated before answering.

“T-That’s true… but even the lowest-ranking barony costs an astronomical amount of money.”

No matter how expensive it was…

It sounded far more achievable than marching off to war.

“How much?”

“I-I don’t know, my lady. I’m terribly sorry.”

Well…

Buying noble titles wasn’t exactly common.

I couldn’t expect a maid to know the exact price.

“You may leave. I’m sleepy.”

After dismissing the terrified maid, I immediately sprang up from the bed.

First… let’s investigate my finances.

“Whoa…”

There’s… so much.

What am I, a dragon?

Looking at Deborah’s countless jewelry boxes—and the mountains of jewels inside them—I couldn’t help staring in disbelief.

She possessed enough jewelry to rival the dowry of an ordinary noble house.

Just how much luxury did she indulge in…?

Well… thanks.

The enormous pile of gemstones immediately eased my anxiety.

Even the dresses are covered in priceless gems.

If I squeezed every last drop of value out of Seymour’s resources and quietly built up my own secret fortune…

I might actually be able to buy a title.

The problem was time.

Considering the normal marriage age… maybe I can postpone it for two or three years?

Most noble ladies here married between nineteen and twenty-two.

Fortunately, more women were now completing the Academy’s advanced program, delaying the average marriage age by about two years compared to the Empire’s founding.

Luckily, I’m attending the Academy too.

If I delayed marriage…

Saved enough money…

And bought a title…

Then, in theory, everything would work out.

Unless Belek becomes the family head before I can buy one…

I quickly shook my head.

The Duke of Seymour was the Empire’s only Seventh-Class mage, giving him enormous influence over the Mage Tower.

Besides, his youngest son, Enrique Seymour, was still very young.

There was no reason for him to hand over the duchy anytime soon.

Still…

Unexpected variables always existed.

The smartest course of action was to earn money as quickly as possible and buy a title before anything changed.

Even in this world… money really is everything.

As I pondered ways to amass a fortune, there was a knock at the study door.

To my surprise…

The Duke himself stood outside.

“Father.”

I hurriedly shoved my notebook into a drawer and stood up.

“…Am I interrupting your studies?”

The Duke looked at me as though he’d seen something impossible.

Well…

Considering Deborah had hardly ever used the library, I couldn’t blame him.

“Not at all. I’ll have tea and refreshments prepared.”

“Very well.”

We sat facing each other in the drawing room connected to the study.

The Duke remained silent.

I didn’t have anything to say either.

An oppressive silence settled over the room.

I can’t breathe…

Fidgeting with my hands, I dropped a sugar cube into my tea before finally speaking.

“I’ll give you today’s letter when you’re leaving.”

At my words, the Duke let out a quiet sigh.

“I didn’t come here for the letter.”

Then…

Don’t tell me…

Is he here to talk about marriage?

My heart tightened as I waited for his next words.

“Deborah… the poem you recited.”

“Would you read it to me again someday?”

It was the last thing I had expected him to say.

“I’ll read it for you whenever white flowers bloom… and whenever the snow falls.”

It was my subtle way of saying that I wanted to remain in the Seymour household for a long time.

The Duke, however, simply sipped his tea with his usual detached expression.

As expected… it won’t be that easy.

Quietly clicking my tongue to myself, I picked up a cookie.

“By the way, that poet wrote an enormous number of works. It couldn’t have been easy to find the poem mentioned in the letter. The title wasn’t even written there. It must have taken you quite a while.”

Actually…

It probably hadn’t taken nearly as long as he imagined.

Back in Korea, students preparing for the college entrance exam practically trained themselves to grasp the main point of a poem at a glance.

Unfortunately…

There was no way to explain that.

“I was lucky.”

“Lucky, you say? You’ve been trying to choose your words more carefully lately, but excessive modesty isn’t a virtue, Deborah. Constantly refusing things isn’t either.”

“…”

“When I said I wanted to give you something you desired, I meant it sincerely.”

“Only now have I realized that you truly wished to become the bridge between Marienne and me.”

“I wasn’t testing you.”

“So… ask for anything you want.”

He looked so earnest that continuing to refuse felt foolish.

Perhaps because I’d spent my entire life never asking anyone for anything…

I found myself strangely nervous.

I moistened my dry lips.

“Then…”