ILTDAMH| CHAPTER 06

Chapter 06

The Duke And Time-Limited Wedding (3)

In the Empire of Omankurt, it was customary for noble couples to hold their wedding ceremony at the estate of the higher-ranking family.

People from the lower-ranked family would finish all preparations by dawn, then take a carriage to the higher-ranked family’s place to hold the wedding and reception all day long.

Normally, Mercian would have finished all the wedding preparations at the Viscount Beanom’s family home and, dressed in her gown, would have taken a carriage with Penelope and Luciane to the Duke Canoluf ’s family home.

But this time, Cassel, who guessed Mercian’s position at the Viscount family from the previous marriage proposal, told Ruan to bring Mercian first to the Duke’s house and prepare her perfectly as a bride.

Mercian, unexpectedly brought to the Duke’s house early in the morning to get ready, was left alone in the bridal waiting room after Charles left.

Soon, she smelled the fragrant soup and fresh bread in front of her, which relaxed her and suddenly made her hungry.

As she hurriedly lifted her spoon to eat the soup, Mercian stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

If her father were alive, would he be thrilled to see her like this now?

No, he would have stopped this marriage itself.

When would her mother and Luciane come?

Would they come to see her in the bridal waiting room before the wedding?

Still, since this is the last time she can stay at the Beanom Castle, they would come to see her, right?

Mercian hoped Penelope and Luciane would come to see her, but also thought maybe they wouldn’t.

Well, it doesn’t matter whether they come or not now.

After the marriage, she would hardly see them, and if the Duke dies, she might never see them again… forever.

Forever… Would they miss her?

Or would they be happy that the troublemaker is gone…?

Suddenly, Mercian’s hunger disappeared, and a bitter taste rose in her mouth.

“Mercian, get a hold of yourself!

Today is your wedding day.

Don’t be sad.

As Father said, now you will find the real you.

The lazy, greedy, and helpless Mercian that Penelope and Luciane think of no longer exists.

Well, she never really existed from the start, anyway…”

Mercian shook her head as she remembered how Penelope and Luciane always judged her by their standards, no matter how hard she tried.

She decided to just think about quietly living for six months and then leaving this place.

Thinking about the freedom that will come after this contract marriage made Mercian’s gloomy feelings disappear and her heart feel much lighter.

She thought, “If my stomach growls during the ceremony later, that would be embarrassing, so I’ll just eat first.”

When Mercian scooped the soup toward herself and took a bite with her spoon, the savoury and fragrant mushroom aroma spread through her mouth.

“Wow, this is delicious. The Duke’s cook must be really good,” Mercian admired without realising it, then took some bread from the basket next to her and ate a little bit.

“The bread is really good too. Wait, since I have to stay here for six months anyway, I shouldn’t just laze around doing nothing. I should learn cooking from the chef here. If the food tastes this good, then after six months I could open a small food shop in a countryside village and at least won’t have to worry about making a living.”

A shop owner, huh…

Just thinking about it filled Mercian with an unknown happiness.

Oh, by the way, I still don’t even know who my husband is.

Well, it’s not like this is a love marriage, so she couldn’t complain too much. 

But still, having a wedding in less than an hour, and I don’t even know what the groom looks like. 

Isn’t that a bit much?

Mercian tore off a little bread and thought about what she knew of Duke Ruan Canoluf.

He went to war at 15 and has never lost a battle since then, earning the title “king of War.”

He has no hesitation in killing people and is nicknamed “Yaksha.” They say God gave Ruan Canoluf the power to never lose on the battlefield but took away all his emotions, so he is also called the cold-blooded demon, the “Ice Duke.”

On top of that, she had heard that he bathed in the blood of enemy slaves every day to erase any remaining emotions…Ugh! Isn’t that a bit much?

Imagining a bathtub soaked in blood gave Mercian chills and made her shiver.

If he has no emotions, then maybe he doesn’t need to deal with anything emotionally, so there might be no need for a marriage contract at all…

Still, it’s strange for someone without emotions to get married.

And she had heard he had no interest in women at all.

Why on earth would such a person get married?

Could it be to continue the family line?

The Canoluf dukedom is a knightly family, and all the men in the family reportedly have short lives.

She had also heard that the previous duke and his wife died in a carriage accident when the current duke was five years old.

Rumours said this marriage wasn’t the duke’s wish but was strongly pushed by Olivia Canoluf, the duke’s aunt and sister of the previous duke.

If that rumour is true and the duke is uninterested in women, then maybe having children isn’t necessary either?

Well, she wasn’t a fragile noblewoman who would blow away in the wind like others, so it made sense he wouldn’t find her attractive.

Ordinary noblewomen would feel sad and hurt by such a fact, but Mercian, who longed for freedom, thought her situation was fortunate.

[“Merc, even if I were a man, I don’t think I’d want to hold you soberly. The moment you take off the dress, all desire will disappear. Hahaha.”]

Mercian bitterly smiled, recalling what Luciane always muttered while looking at her figure.

Yeah, as Luciane said, I should be glad if he doesn’t run away after seeing me on the wedding night.

Bang!

Lost in thought, Mercian was suddenly startled as the door burst open. 

She looked up and saw Luciane entering gracefully, wearing a silver dress similar to hers, with a gentle smile.

“Lucy?”

Luciane walked in elegantly but looked surprised when she saw Mercian, as if she hadn’t expected her to look like this.

“My goodness, Mer, is that you? I almost wouldn’t have recognised you outside. Money is powerful. What kind of magic did you use to make your skin shine and become this pretty?”

“Lucy, did you come to see me?”

Mercian smiled happily at Luciane’s unexpected visit.

But Luciane, seeming uninterested in Mercian, looked around the room and answered.

“Well, whether I like you or not, it’s natural for an older sister to come see her sister before she gets married. Mom said she’d look around the duke’s house, so I came alone. Since I’m the duchess’s sister, the servant showed me this place. But the duke’s house is huge. Our mansion is like a stable compared to this.”

“A stable? It’s not that bad.”

Still, is she coming to my wedding dressed like that?

Mercian was a little embarrassed to see Luciane dressed in a silver gown like a bride herself.

But hearing that Lucianne came to see her, Mercian’s expression softened a little.

Though she had been displeased with Luciane before, she was still her sister, and it was nice that she came to see her before the wedding.

Mercian didn’t mind how she was dressed; she was simply glad her sister came to see her before the wedding.

“Mer, anyway, congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thanks, sister.”

Mercian smiled brightly at the congratulations, and Luciane felt a bit jealous seeing how pretty she looked.

Before entering this room, Luciane was actually in a pretty good mood.

She smiled at the looks of jealousy from the young noblewomen as she entered the duke’s house, and at the shy noblemen who blushed whenever her eyes met theirs, as if they had seen a goddess.

Luciane was confident she had made the right choice in wearing the dress she picked out today.

“Lucy, shouldn’t you go see Mercian now?”

At Penelope’s words, Luciane, enjoying the attention of the people, suddenly thought of the person who would be most devastated to see her right now.

Right, Mer, you’ve forgotten about me.

“Mother, do both of us need to go? I’ll go see her. You can wait at the ceremony hall first.”

“But…”

“Mother, it’s fine. I’ll talk to her well.”

“All right, Lucy. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

But the moment Luciane opened the door to the bridal waiting room where Mercian was, after asking a passing servant, all the good feelings she had vanished instantly.

The wedding dress Mercian was wearing was the one she had tried on in the fitting room last time.

And Mercian herself, who until yesterday had been a shy and weak girl who couldn’t even see her eyes properly, was the same person… but sitting right in front of her now looked so beautiful, elegant, and graceful.

Luciane couldn’t help but let out a small gasp.

What kind of magic did they work on her, taking her away so early in the morning to change her like this?

And why was she suddenly looking straight into my eyes and speaking with such a pretty smile?

Is she ignoring me now because she’s become the duchess?

Luciane came to break Mercian’s spirit, but instead, she felt like her own spirit was being crushed, and irritation welled up inside her.

If she wanted to catch the crown prince’s attention, she should be the star of the day.

Ugh, this is so annoying!

Ignoring Mercian, who greeted her warmly, Luciane looked around for something to criticise and spotted the half-eaten bread.

“Honestly, Mer, I just don’t understand you. Even on a day like this, how can you still be thinking about food? What will you do if your stomach sticks out when you walk down the aisle? Do you want people to gossip that you’re already pregnant or something?”

Of course, that’s just like her.

Mercian, who had been feeling grateful that Luciane came to see her, hid her hurt feelings and replied firmly.

“Sis, why are you worried about me on my wedding day? Does eating this bread and soup make my belly look like I’m pregnant? I’d rather eat than have my stomach growl embarrassingly during the ceremony.”

“Hohoho, that’s so like you to say. Honestly, I don’t get it either. Even though you only have six months to live, why do you think they chose you? Have you met the duke?”

“Whether you understand or not, my wedding will go smoothly, so don’t worry about that.”

Lucianne smiled brightly and said,
“Judging by the way you talk, I guess you haven’t met the duke yet. Well, maybe that’s a good thing. At least you’re showing him this dressed-up version of yourself first. Oh, wait, what if your makeup wears off and the duke doesn’t recognise you?”

“Sis! Even if I’m your younger sister getting married, why do you come just to cause trouble instead of saying something nice?”

“Trouble? I’m just stating facts. A wedding where you haven’t even seen your husband’s face…”

“Enough, sis. I’m your younger sister now, but soon I’ll be the duchess, so please watch your words!”

Duchess?

Ha. 

What kind of duchess are you? 

You’re only a six-month contract duchess at best!

Luciane sneered at Mercian’s words and answered sarcastically,
“Duchess? You’re just someone sold for money.”

Mercian felt annoyed at Lucianne’s behaviour—how she knew where Mercian was and came to bother her.

Of course.

What did I even expect from Lucy right now?

If she wanted to congratulate me, she wouldn’t have come wearing a dress so similar to mine.

Still, I felt foolish for waiting all this time, thinking she was family.

“You’re right, sister. I’m being sold off for money so you can have a nice dress and marry into a good family. So be grateful to me and stop picking fights. Besides, I’m in a pretty good mood right now, so if you want to talk nonsense, just leave.”

“What? Nonsense? Are you talking to me right now?”

How dare she tell me to leave? Does she think she can do anything now that she’s a duchess?

Usually, she would lower her head and not even meet my eyes, being such a miserable outcast.

But seeing Mercian looking at her face boldly and speaking like this made Luciane’s anger rise.

Who do you think helped you get to that seat…?

You know nothing.

If it weren’t for me, you’d never have married or would have ended up as the second wife of some old nobleman!

This can’t happen, Mer.

Do you know why I dressed up so beautifully today?

Do you think I came here to watch your wedding?

You may be a six-month duchess, but I’m about to become the crown princess.

At this wedding, if anyone needs to stand out to catch the crown prince’s eye, it’s not you—it’s me. 

Got it?

So sorry, Mer, but you can’t shine more than I at this wedding.

Angry at Mercian’s attitude, Luciane noticed the soup bowl on the dressing table.

What if I knock over that bowl?

Wouldn’t that ruin this wedding?

Even if it doesn’t ruin the wedding, wouldn’t it at least embarrass Mercian wearing a stained wedding dress?

Imagining Mercian walking into the hall amid people’s laughter sent chills through her body.

Yeah, I only took a bite because the soup looked good.

Luciane smiled and slowly reached toward the soup bowl.